The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-03
,Dhe Messengtr.
A BIT

Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News
and Observer for very kind and ap-
preciative articles upon his long SER
vice in North Carolina journalism, and
in behalf Of the democratic party. It
was all unexpected that is so gener-
~Ously said by our able, leading con-
t~emporaries, as it did not remotely
suggest itself that our bit of pr al
"Reminiscences would draw out COMMENT
nous words Of approval. We return
hearty hanks and trust it may slim
ulate to farther efforts, if nc better
effects in behalf Of good, equ-l, eco
nomical government in North Caro-
lima and in the union.
AS we have turned into our seven
Iieth year we embrace the occasion to
refer again to our journalistic work as
we may never have occasion 20 do so
hereafter. We wrote our first 1cwspa-
per article, a communication, in July,
1916. After that from time to time in
our boyhood and early manhood we
wrote for the newspapers. In Novem-
Der, 1857, we began preparation to
edit a literary paper published at OK
ford and called The Leisure Hour.
The very highest praise we ever re-
ceived was during the first six months
of our editing. Since then we have
been connected in some way, either as
correspondent or editorial writer with
rOonu nu-cn napc Wn yvnrn onnO0pf.
ed with The Roanoke News as CORE
spondent, and at another time with
The Fayetteville Gazette, whose editor
removed to Tennessee and died, n of
The Petersburg Express. We were ed
itorial writer for The Tarboro South
ord, Oxford Torchlight, Memphis Bap-
fist, and Wilson Advance under it's
first management, and New York
Watchman, DR.. Deems's paper. We
have edited the Leisure Hour men,
toned, The Warrenton Indicator, The
Raleigh Sentinel, The Raleigh Evening
Crescent, The Wilmington Star, for
twelve years and three months, and
The Wilmington Messenger since May
24th. 1889. We have been editorial
Corder and Raleigh Christian Advo-
cate, having edited the latter for a
while during a long vacation of the
editor. Three times we were urged to
accept the editorship of The Advocate
In the war. At the Raleigh conference
-~- -o41 80 l. l.
ers, twenty-one the number Our ven
cradle friend, DR.. John F. FOard, was
president of the board, n still lives.
We might perhaps say that we could
have had the place four times, for at
Louisburg the foremost men in the
body favored u election, and DR..
Moran interviewed us to try to pur-t
suade us to accept. We never accept
ed either proffer for reasons that ap-
peared to us paramount. We edited a
Sunday school monthly in Memphis for
seven months. We also edited two
in this state-the Education
al Journal and Our Living and Our
Dead, Colonel S. D. POO publications.
This embraces in outline all of our
work. We were offered some quarter
of a century ago a chair in the edito-
rial rooms of Harper's Weekly, which
our old friend DIR. Deems got for us
from Mr.. Fletcher Harper, his personal
friend. We were also rendered a place
on BUTTERFLIES fashion monthly to go
to London or Paris or both as CORE
r~on1ant. b,,t doo1inp1 Wa have now
er sought to write for any publication
in the north, or indeed in any south
ern paper outside of North Carolina
We are so thoroughly North Carolini-
an we have been content to do such
work as we were able to do within the
state, the only exception being those
named, writing for a Virginia paper as
correspondent and for DR.. Deems in
New York. We have been asked to
write for several magazines, but have
never lone so. We " continuously
striven to do our duty. With many
mistakes, many shortcomings and i'm
perfections, with limitations we we'll
understood as to capacity, we have
been diigent, anxious and strenuous to
serve the two generations in which we
have lived and to be a positive bless
ing to humanity. We have not been
endowed with large discourse Of rea-
son, looking before and after" but we
have essayed to be honest n faith
full in opinions, n to maintain the
basic principles Of a free and enlight-
ened government. We have cherished
with admiration and o the 'legen-
Diary virtue carved upon u fathers
graves and have in a pure sense, we
trust, worshipped the light ances-
trail" that indeed makes the present
light a crime.' If that be wrong or
evidence of blindness then we crave
pardon for we have sinned openly and
honestly.