The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-09
THE CHARLESTON "YIGAS BOOK
A Treasury of History and Rcminis-
ccncc-Valuc OF the Latest Num-
hnp

A Treasury of History and Rcminis-
ccnce-Valuc OF the Latest Num-
Der.
New York Times.
There arc SO few really historic
| places in this country that it is strange
| any one of them should have escaped
| the historians Of the brief life of the
| Republic. Such, however, has been
the fate OF Charleston, S. c., which is
| not only one of the oldest cities on the
American continent, but which has
preserved longo st, in the dry air Of its
stanch conservatism, the customs and
memories OF our Colonial and carly
National life. The historians have
gathered their material elsewhere ::
cleaning their facts from British ar
chives, and getting their local c0lors
from Massachusetts and Virginia.
Charleston, the centre Of distinctive
and richly endowed form OF American
life, and, besides, the capital of what
might be called the democracy of the
Huguenots, rarely gifted people, who
have touched, influenced widely, and
enriched the National mind, without
having been absorbed by it-has no,
been exploited and its magnificent
storehouse of history and tradition
| made common possession.
The neglect Of that city as source
| Of history and as a storehouee Of ma
terial from which our earlier life and
customs might be portrayed with exact
truth has probably been due to two
causes. One of these is that Charles
ton has altogether fallen out OF the
sharp competition of American cities,
and having lost it, commercial rank,
n ~ O h fst IL
attention OF the annalist. The other
is, perhaps, that the conspicuous part
1T played in the tragedy Of 1867 has
brought it for the time being under
the ban OF history. Be the causes what
they may, the portrayal Of the National
life has suffered by this neglect. The
events that led to our independence,
the record OF tho struggles Of the
young Republic, and the simple and
virtue inspiring customs Of the found
ers OF our present greatness during the
period when "plain living and high
thinking" was the rule Of life-thesc
can never be adequately depicted by a
historian VINO has not saturated his
mind with the "atmospherc" Of Char
lesion. The picture will lack truth in
its spirit, freshness and faithfulness in
its color, and breadth in it's conception.
1t is because the Charleston of to-day
Is still the Charleston of yesterday,
and preserves as in Il miniature which
| is daily becoming more obscure, our
Colonial and early National life.
About twenty years ago William a.
Courtenay, shortly afterward Mayor of
Charleston, conceived the idea of col
lecting and preserving some of the
historic records and traditions of the
| city. When he was elected Mayor he
at once put his idea into practice and
began the publication in Year Books"
OF all the annals and memoirs connect
ed with or relating to Charleston that
he could get together. He ransackcd
the public library and all the private
libraries of the city for material. he
sent to the Bodleian Library and to the
British Museum, and had the Shaftes-
bury Colonial papers transcribed, and
procured dozens Of rare and valuable
manuscripts that had never been pub
lished on this side OF Ghe Atlantic. All
Of these were issued in the "Y ear
Book until that modest annual be.
came recognized tho world over as one
OF the most important sources of his
tOric material.
Mayor Courtenay kept the "Year
Book" up to its high standard of excel.
lence during the eight years of his ad.
ministration. After him, however,
there came Mayors "who knew not
history or tradition, and the "Ycar
Book" fell back into the wallOw OF po-
| litical records and municipal reports.
There has since been an effort to re-
store the publication to its former
rank. Tho present Mayor, j. Adger
Smyth, has just had published q "Y car
Book that is almost tho equal OF any
number in the series.
The latest issue Of tho book contains
besides Edward McCrady's fine mono,
graph on ST Philips Church, collec.
tion of sketches aud "reminiscences OF
Colonial, Revolutionary and antc-bcl
lum life Among the latter are "Ex
tracts from the Diary of the Rev
Oliver Hart, from l7i0 $780," and
"Reminiscences OF Old Charleston" by
the late William G.. Whilden.
Oliver Hart was a pastor OF the Bap
tist Church in Charleston, and wa:
sent by the Committee Of Safety, with
' Tenant and Drayton, into the upper