The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-13
LETTER TO DIR. j. C. KILGO.

SI- SDIUc Llui6 dSo you dppcdESu III
| the Greensboro Christian Advocate In
a communication sharply criticising
myself. 1t had one or more unkind
and offensive references to me. I re-
piled. Later on, a month or so since,
| you published a long article aimed at
me personally. and occupying some
three columns as / remember it. AL
| though favored with three copies Of the
| publication, $50 afraid We're you that /
would fail TO see your remarkable
screed), but unfortunately I neglected
to preserve a . of 81 characteristic
and silly a performance. The article
was insulting and unchristian in tone.
but had the particular Kilgo smart
ness" and cocksureness. I also replied
to it in The Messenger. Last week a
third and still more offensive, if posi-
bic, rambling. personal, abusive arti-
Gle longer perhaps than the one which
preceded it, appeared in the same
monthly publication you call The
Christian Educator'-save the mark
but Which would be much more aptly
named, 50 far as your own contribu-
lions go, if entitled The Unchristian
Spitfire." Its only claim, in so far as
you are concerned, to the description of
"Christian," is in the name. Your
contributions are highly spiced with
vanity, personal abuse and insult, and
o scatter around your shot of de-
famation and insinuation as if you
were an ambassador of the devil rath-
er than a minister of the Christ who
taught peace and good viii to his fol-
lowers.
o have swept out entirely from the
provoking cause of original conten-
ton, and have opened your gun upon
me in my name and person, ~essaying
to put me on the defensive, and turn
ing away completely from the real
| question at issue. I may not choose to
allow you to carry on your Indian war
hunt for a scalp in your own bitter way,
and may show before concluding this
correspondence that you lave some
matters personal to yourself that it
would be perhaps sensible and wise
for you to consider on your knees.
0t'N4 ~ otN"I A>iiO ~
my unbearable presumption. 1 dared
as a public journalist to question the
fairness and wisdom of your bitter as
sault Upon the University of North
Carolina. You commanded whatever
of resOurce and power you are master
of in trying to deprive the venerable,
most useful and dearly cherished state
institution u-hncn racor-J l., ., r,orJ
and noble and attractive, but you fail
20, if memory plays no trick, with me
here. L believe you hurried to the
Western conference Of your church
last year and essayed to carry out your
hostile plan, but my recollection is,
that the good brethren of that confer
ence We're too level headed and wise
and North CarOlinian to heed your
p~ersuasiOns, to indOrse your plans, or
to be led captive by your boosted dec
lamatory power on the platform. By
the way, Doctor, you have an awful f.,
voice when you first lead off. It struck
a medical friend of ours once that it ,
was the voice of a Georgia Cracker"
But it is suggested that it is some
thing of a combination of the sque-
dunk and the said Cracker. But you
are mighty effective" all the same.
and your admirers applaud you to the
echo, and are carried away by your
high vociferations and g~enuf1exious
and air-beating. But this by the way.
You failed in your grand scheme be
fore the Western conference, evidently
a body of sensible, Christian men. if
we recall the facts. That was failure
No. 1. But bad for Kilgo.
Next, you hied in great hope to
the North Carolina Conference. For
%tunately for yourself a wiser, clearer.
stronger head took the reins and pre-
| vented a failure No. 2. All you obtain
ed was a resolution favoring the re-
peal of the legislative enactment re-
quiring free scholarships in the univer-
sity. We have understood, but can
not avOuch the truth of it, that in South
Carolina there are more scholarships
free than in our university, whence
came the great man to whom We are
writing his friendly epistle, but of
whom We had never so much as heard.
and we doubt if any one in Wilmington
had ever heard, or that one Methodist
in one thousand in this state had ever
heard, before he was published in the
newspapers as the man elected as
president Of Trinity college by the
Methodist trustees, who seem to have
known Of him or to have heard of him
in some way. He was strictly what
the Romans would have called a NEW
man. to the North Carolinians-
novus homo, a man who had raised
himself from obscurity. It is no dis
credit to any man to raise himself if
afterwards he wears his honors meek
ly. gently, becomingly. I heard a
greater man than even the mighty
South Carolinian thinks himself to be,
say a few months ago that he had
heard that you, great Doctor. were
not a graduate of any college, but
had managed to get as high as the
Sophomore class. I do not know how
this is, but I am disposed to credit
it and because of your of
style-you write SO much like an un-
kempt Sophomore in the true Soph-
moric style. We have understood far
Their that there were many times more
free scholarships in your own state
university than in our own state uni
versity. If true, it would become you
to &c into your native state and rectifv
matters there to your own liking. cure
the great curse and evil Cd of edu-
eating free of charge for tuition lame
hnyc and snnS Of Tbr;ction