The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-07-30
HASDRUBAL AND HANNIBAL.
The Charlotte Observers Historical Ii
brary in Need of Repair.


brary in Need of Repair.
TO the Editor: | mailed the following
communication to Charlotte Observer;
it was returned to me without comment.
/ send it to you in hope that you will
print it in justice to Mr.. Bailey and
myself
To the Editor of the Charlotte Obser-
yer: The editorial notice of the cards
published in the Observer of the Nth
inst from Mr.. j. W. Bailey and myself
justifies a brief rejoinder:~T~
Under the heading 1T Will be Settled
Some time at Cannae' YOU proceed as
follows:
THE Cathagenian Hasdrubal fail
ed to conquer Rome, and his strip
ling son, Hannibal swore an oath at
the altar that he would never rest
until he had accomplished what his
father failed to do He kept his
oath inviolate, he crossed the Alps,
he put up a stiff fight for while.
but he met defeat and disgrace at
last at Cannae.
REV. John f. White. of Raleigh.
and J. w. Bailey, Esq, editor of
the Biblical Recorder. are two ambl-
tious young men, who have sworn
to destroy the University of North
Carolina or die in the attempt. They
have no mean following. and are like
" to do a great deal of harm before
they get to Cannae but they will get
there. sooner or later, &c"
Suffer me to say that no readers of
the Observer could have had more real
fun. and pleasure out of this bit of his
torical parallelism than the two am
bilious young men, at whom it was
aimed.
Instead of having our spirits crushedas
the editor may havemeant we really were
much encourage TO continue to live
after reading it, We felt as VIM. Pitt
did in his famous reply to Walpole-that
''the crime of being young men we would
seek neither to palliate nor deny. But
content ourselves with hoping that we
might be two of those young men whose
follies and ignorance cease with their
youth and not of that number who are
still ignorant in spite of age and expert
ence."
Allow me to call your attention to
four grievous miStatements in your edi-
torial above quoted.
list. Hannibal was not the stripping
son of Hasdrubal In fact was not his
son at all.
End. Hannibal did not meet disgrace on
any battlefield. but by History is regard
ed as one Of the greatest and most sue
cessful military captains the world has
known. Defeat is not disgrace. If so
Robt. e. Lee was disgraced at Gettys-
burg.
3rd. Hannibal at Cannae instead of
meeting defeat won glorious and de-
cisive victory over the Romans. In this
battle Livy the Historian says: ''The
Romans lost $4,000 men. while Hannibal
lost only 5000 and that the Roman
army of $4,000 men was almost ami
hilated.'
SO the Observer thinks that these 1.-TWO
ambitious young men are likely to do a
great deal of harm before they get to
Cannae, but they will get there sooner
or later" Well! Well! Can you Won
der that we doff our hats to the Obser-
yer and henceforth when recalling the
fame of Ezekiel, Isaiah and jeremiah
insist that the Charlotte Observer have
a place in that honored company of
prophets?
Now / have no desire to twist the
probe further into the historical con-
science of the Observer, but very earn
estly dispute the justice fairness and
truthfulness of the fourth misstatement,
They have sworn to destroy the Uni
versity or die in the attempt"
Such a statement as this might be
allowed to pass unnoticed to continue
its course in the disreputable company
of the other historical untruths with
which it is very properly associated in
the editorial, were it not possible that
the readers of the Observer while glad
to discredit the Observers history of
Hasdrubal and Hannibal may yet retain
the impression equally untrue that Mr..
Bailey and myself are very ambitious
and very wicked.
The Observer should not be allowed 10
SANDER both Hannibal and mispresent
us-the living and the dead. in one
breath without protest somewhere. We
make that protest and have the right to
insist that the Observer not only be
courteous. but just and truthful. Fol
the Observer to refuse to recognize per
sistently that other people may have
and hold honest convictions based on a
real principle cannot result to the advan-
tage of the Observer nor to the cause il
espouses. If this question which is and
is to be a living issue in North Carolina
is discussed at all in it columns il
should be discussed on higher plane
than that set for it so far by the Obser-
Yer. And because this is true and be.
cause the Observer in the editorial re.
ferred to. indicates decided indisposi
ton to attempt answer to the Serious
arguments seriously and respectfully pro-
posed by Mr.. Bailey and myself l take
it that the Observer prefers nothing
further Of that nature.
The task of inventing historical para
bles is too great and besides they do
not always strike and do their DANA &c
in the direction expected
Very respectfully.
JNO. f. WHITE.
Raleigh. n. c., July "a, 1897.