The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-22
SOUTHERN LITERATURE
Az ABLE DLFExsE or IT ny PROF.
It's. MINTER or TEXAS.
Northern Writers Neglect -, He Says. and
We Must Take Care Of Our Own His
tory--Homc Talent Neglected.

EAutlt J. =. Mintcr. OF the Bryan.
sex.. public schools. and who is well
Known IN this city. read a paper on
Southern Literature which will prove
@ interest 20 tho readers Of The Times
al this time. when the question OF school
histories IS being agitated.
The paper was ~ follows:
4 know but little Of Southern litora-
tufe. and have learned that since } quit
school All The schools ! attended. ana
most of my teachers were intensely
Southern. bat Southern literature had NJ
place in The curriculum. and Southern
authors had no expounders. They were
not mentioned except. perhaps. incident
ally. My readers histories. and. in fact.
all my books, came from the North;
they were fun OF good and wholesome
thoueht from classic Greece and Rome
from modern continental Europe. the
isles of Great Britain from the Northern
States. but there was seldom a poem, a
story. or an grafton, from a Southern au-
thor
THE QUESTION ANSWERED.
Why was Sc that the South did not
have iis ratio Of representation IN the
school books and other publications IN
this country? Was IL because the South
was financially unable? Fertile soil,
Iountcous harvests. and vast wealth OF
slaves answer, No. Nor was IL for want
OF culture for the Southern gentleman
was "a classical scholar. the Southern lady
queen of grace and refinement. Was
81 for want ~ intellectual vigor2 The
Gladstone and Blsmarcks OF this century
have salutod The vigorous thinkers of the
South Was 10 because the South was
wanting 200 deeds of hcrOism? The South
was the first TO defy England, and FUR
nishcd more soldiers according TO mill
tary population than the North. South
Carolina alone furnished twice as many
mon as Sew Hampshire. though she had
smaller military population. The
South was the first 10 cross the noun
tains and attack tho Indians. she was
the aggressive clement I'm the war OF
112 and iu the war with Mexico there
were forty-fve thousand volunteers from
the South. and only twenty-three thou
sand from the North Why was It That
the South. rich in materials for an ahun-
dant and valuable literature was so bar
ron in literary production?
The answer is an easy one The South
was strictly agricultural. the farms very
large. There were no literary centres:
the cities few and far apart The South
was indifferent TO popular education.
Home talent was not encouraged by the
many and those that read much pre-
ferred The classics Authorship, before
the ciyil war, meant poverty and self-sac-
ridce. such. in brief, is the history OF
our literary environments IN the ante
bellum days
But the war practically removed these
obstacles and az our social compact be-
gan to adjust Itself 10 the new order OF
things. authors received announcement
at home. TO Doe sure much that Is being
written is inirinsically worthless but the
ambition and multiplied effort TO win
literary fame are producing some mer-
jtori0us works Southern cities are rap
idly becoming literary centres, publish
ing houses are paying good dividends,
and literary genius is appreciated and
largely sustained by Southern readers.
one thing is lacking. The schools. pun
DC and private. are not doing their duty
in teaching the history and worth OF our
literature. Most Of our literature stiil
comes from the North, and is unjust TO
the South i'm many respects.
The Encyclopedia Britannica, which is
regarded everywhere as high authority,
has this TO say of ms (Vol. /, page 1D:
"rhe attractive culture Of the South has
been limited I'm extent and degree. The
hot-house fruit of wealth and leisure. 1t
has never struck its roots deeply into ma
tive soil
Since the Revolution days. when Vir-
few thinkers OF America born south OF
Mason and Dixon's line. outnumbered
by those belonging 10 the single state or
Massachusetts. have commonly emigrat-
cd 10 New York or Boston In search OF a
university training In the world of let
tiers. at least. the southern States have
shone hy reflected light. nor is. IL too
much to say that mainly by their con-
ncction with the North the Carolinas
have been saved from sinking to the Level
OF Mexico or the Antilles"
Think Of the South-that section which,
for the first sxty-four years OF our
national life furnished tho president for
ffty-two years most Of the Cabinet Of
ficers. and the Chief Justice from 1901 TO
1SG0-casscd as a Semi barbarous people,
saved only by MOI thern civilization
And we make so few protests against
these misrepresentation that the outside
world has come TO believe and repeat
them. to our great injury. The boys ana
girls Of the South should be taught the
true history Of the South. Ihey should
become familiar with the literature OF
the South. with its songs, its civilization,
both new and old. its patriotism, its
sufferings during and subsequent TO the
civil war. and its rapid recuperation since.
Instead Of permitting them to believe that
their forefathers. 1.-The Old South were
either imbeciles or traitors let us teach
them TO love and 10 hold sacred the
history. valor. patriotism, and conscience
OF the old South.
Henry Grady says. "The first import
ant railroad operated IN America ira
Versed Carolina. The first steamer that
CROSSED the ocean cleared from Savannah
The first college established for girls
was opened I'm Georgia. No naturalist has
rttrpa SOD Afaubcn. no gcOgraDheT equal
ed Maury. and Sims and Mcdonald led
the world OF surgery in their respective
lines II was Crawford Long. OF Georgia,
who gave 10 the world the priceless bless
Ing OF anaesthesia."
THEY NEGLECT Us"
Let me repeat that we cannot aHord
10 have our histories, encyclopedias, ana
data furnished by Northern writers and
publishers They neglect uA and l DO
not blame them much. II is our DUTY 10
see TO IL that our history and literature
are properly placed before the world.
Let me tell you what | mean by saying
they neglect us. The Columbian I'm
cvlopedia. consisting Of thirty-two vol
umes. gives more space TO the biography
OF John Brown. the abolotionist, running
his pedigree back 20 Peter Brown, who
came over In the Mayflower. Than 10 JET
ferson Davis the soldier, statesman. ana
President. Another standard encyclo-
pedla gives six lines on General kirby
Smith. the teacher. the soldier, ana pa
triot. and more than one column on John
/. Sullivan. OF Boston.
Even so excellent a textbook as
american Literature" by Hawthorne
end Lemon. gives more space TO thet
IDEAL crank, Walt. Whitman than TO
sidney I.anier. Thomas Nelson rage,
fIaNnH. 10nn