The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-27


on their patriotism as on their business
intelgence,as if any combination of men
would, with the lights then before them,
have undertaken to publish a distinctive
ly North Carolina book solely for money;
and especially in view of the influv O.
of such papers as the two above men
toned and the Mountain Dew published
at Red Eye, r. c.. The Red Eye cGI-
tor / like better than either of the ether
two because he is born fghter md
time is an eternal country saturday
evening with him. He was one Of those
three thousand North Carolinans who
were on the wrong side of the War Be
tween the States,a and and his patrons are
the others. He is allied TO the trusts,
not because he is favor of them, but
it gives him side to fight on and an
office to fight for. He is the bottom rail
of the alien influences which disOrganize
public sentiment and plumber the state.
He has more moral life in HIN, however,
and more chances of eternal salvation
(as far as / can judge, than they who
betray their State through sloth o. III
difference. He has deep hunger to eH-
cuse his rascality, while they who gy
guard on duty and will not tell what
they think and dare not think what
they believe, bespew us with their uep
patriotism.
The Patriotic Speculator, published
at Suburbs, n. c., illustrates the error
Of very small class, and without exam
ination hastily supposed that the book
undertook to set forth the lives of all our
distinguished dead, and he was there
fore offended because the first page did
net contain the portrait and autograph
- q
the fact that he had not even purchased
Vance's Life, by Dowd-a whole book
very recently devoted to hun.
Geographically North Carolina is uE-
favorably located for the cultivation of
state prde-our neighbOr States to the
North and South of rs have already
largely monopolized this virtue This
State TOO has three Instinct zouas su6-
iect to three distinct foreign Influences,
none of which tend to unite us nj home
in sentiment or politics. Her long strip
Of territory is biSected at three vital
points by influences too powerful to he
disregarded in any attempt 10 organize
her and yet having alien interests hard
to assimilate With no large city i'll
the center she is not strong enough at
the heart TO throw blood well To her
extremities and her great arr ries Of
trade are made drains TO her vitality.
Vance is the only one CT h2r srIteSlncn
holding high official position 6bn. in
late years. has lived long In the public
eve aud maintained himself without the
aid Of one Of these three 1"cat corpora
tions. This anomalous ate Of affairs
renders the State easy game for power
ful combinations which it cannot or docs
not control Capitalization tikewise III
timately annihilates local literature aid
the taste for it and makes all effort 20
upraisc it seem puny and ridiculous
The spirit of the age tends TO make
us in politics the province OF Il party III
history, the corner of q section, in liter
ature. the panders only ot what we can
import.
/ like the idea of singing Gaston's
hymn in the public schools leaving CUT
the line about willing derammg us'l,
but the children write me from va
rous parts of the State that rhey know
little of Castor on his compeers.
Did any graduate from any Of our
colleges this year make his commence
ment speech about Il North Carollnlan!
l told student at Chapel Hill during
commencement that | would rather
hear an address on the life and charac-
ter of Wilson Caldwell, the late cotcred
ianitor of the University, than ON E:ia-
marck whom l never knew but always
believed to be a most unscrupuluus poll
tician and agent of king-craft, and of
whom the papers and periodicals are
already full ad nauseam; but this Negro.
Il sketch of whose faithful but unpre-
tentious life was written some years
ho
hIem, which is next to us, in the only
way it ever can be solved short Of eV
pulsion. Since his death | know Or 10
leader of his race in this State who
even dimly appreciates the privilege OF
serving the Anglo-SaXon or rightly esti-
mates the value of the friendship OF
his former masters.
Perhaps the Yankee, who is still gar
nShing the sepulchers of his political
hlunders and his historians who so un-
fairly economics space III recording the
virtues of Southern white men, would
be glad of pen picture of this North
Carolina negro-wno was not educated
in any of their schools. There was
no man ut the University when | was
there SO faithful except Ralph Graves.
Tall straight as an Indian, black, wiry,
and 1.-the, bland, affable, respectful
and popular carrying a bucket OF water
in each hand up three flights of stairs
and springing over two steps at a time
waiting on forty or fifty rooms before
s o'clock in the morning and often
backing shoes at twenty-five cents a
month in the bargain-supporting and
educating a large family, and finally
leaving behind good estate, the fruit
of his industry and economy-such was
Wilson Caldwell, philosopher of work,
leader OF his race the friend of the
white people, a Christian, ! believe, and
a gentleman of the old school,
Once, and only once he left the service
OF the University, attracted by the good
nature and good fortune of Julian s.
Carr hut he soon returned to his first
love, and, when asked the reason, said,
Durham is no place Cor a h,erary
man" CTriinty College had not then
been located there, nor had its graded
schools. if established reached their
present state of efficiency
He was charitable 10 every fault eX-
cept outrageous uncleanliness- woe
to the student who fell under the ban
OF his whitening smile italicized by his
deprecatory grunt! 1t was worse than