The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-08-26
DOWD'S LIFE OF VANCE.
A Book For North Carolinians-It
Ought to be Widely Read by Our
Peoulo

A Book For North Car0linianS-lt
Ought to be Widely Read by Our
People.
Col. John R. Webster, the able and
discriminating editor Of the Reidsville
Weekly, says this of Maj. Dowd's
''Life Of Vance, copy of which
every North Carolinian ought to possess
and read:
When Maj. Clement Dowd, of Charlotte,
consented TO write q biography of the
lamented Vance the friends Of the great
commoner felt that the work had been
entrusted to competent hands. Maj.
Dowd was his personal and political
friend, knew him intimately, and was for
some time associated with him in the
practice of law. In addition to this, his
acknowledged ability as writer, his
patriotism, and his high admiration for
Senator Vance, gave assurance that the
task would call cut his best powers of
head and heart.
We have had the pleasure of perusing
Maj. Dowd's Life OF Zebulon b. Vance"
1t is a book to be read carefully and
digested, though there is enough on the
surface to make it as interesting as a
novel. We care not who the reader may
be, he will find its contents interesting
and instructive. To trace the life of one
who rose from humble circumstances,
fighting his way up until great State
crowned him with the highest hOnors she
could give, and his fellow citizens loved
him as they did no other man, is no
small task, but Mai. Dowd has succeeded
admirably. He has uncovered the
springs of his greatness and made plain
the source Of his wonderful popularity.
The mechanical work was done by the
Observer Printing and Publishing House, OF
Charlotte, and is creditabe indeed. The
volume contains 26 chapters, covering
492 pages. Seven chapters are con-
tributed by friends. Gen. r. B. Vance
writes four chapters: Ancestry. Birth,
Etc. Observation-Disclosures Begun"
"Marriage-Public Life Began" "Break
ing Out OF the War-Raises a Company"
Hon. Kemp p. Battle writes of him "As
Student at the University;' Rev. R. n.
Price, d. d., writes OF "Vance as Knew
Him." and DIR. Chas. ID. McIver writes of
him as "Governor After the War" A
symposium of the opinions OF eminent
Carolinians as to his life and public SER
vices comprises the thirteenth chapter.
The contributors are Richard II. Battle.
L
liam X. Cox, Wharton j. Green, Edward
Jones, James d. McIver, William J.
Montgomery, William NJ. Robbins and
Alfred NJ. Waddell
The illustrations are numerous, en-
bracing three pictures of Vance, one at
%, another at SO, the third as he
appeared few years before his death :;
pictures of his wife, children. mother, etc.
Senator Vance's life was so full of incl
dent, his intellectual efforts SO many and
varied, that his biographer no doubt
found it difficult to decide what to make
use of and what to leavefor Others to take
up The speeches and lectures incorpora-
ted in the narrative are Of a high order,
andsOme of them are q revelation to us OF
Vance's remarkable literary gifts. Truly
he was q many sided man. Maj. DOwd con-
fesses hims # that he did not know Sena-
tor Vance was such hard worker until
he began gathering material for his
biography. Doubtless the chapters that
treat of his remarkable record as war
Governor and his unrivalled contest with
the Republican Titan, Judge Settle, for
Governor in 1876, will be read with most
interest His Senatorial career is not
recounted in detail, but some of his
ablest speeches are given. Maj. Dowd
deserves special praise for devoting SO
much attention to Gov. Fance's official
correspondence during the war. Col.
Odds, the Raleigh correspondent, is fur
nishiEg the Charlotte Observer and the
Wilmington Messenger with copious ex-
tracts from Vance's Letter Book, which
are very interesting, but not one man in
ten will preserve them. Not so with those
in this book. They are put in their
proper setting and will be preserved for
generations.
Every family in North Carolina ought
to have a copy of this book. Our State
has never produced Vance's peer and the
plain people never had such friend.
He was a patriot, a statesman, aphiloso-
pher, an intellectual giant, and a sincere
lover of humanity. He was a politician
of the best type-never STOPPING to take
mean advantage OF an opponent.
Judge Settle said after the great cam
paign of 1876 that he was an absolutely
truthful man and never tried to get out
OF what he said when confronted with it.
No one can read the story OF his life
without feeling proud of the State that
produced him and OF the people who
lavshed such honors upon him.