The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-14
WILMINGTON. n. e.
TUESDAY, MARCH IA. 1898.
DESULTORIA

<'The Story of France" has proved both
a surprise and a success. The Mes
senger has called attention to 1t, and
from the general expressions of lead
ing and thoughtful, Gull
tured magazine writer's, the Georgian,
once a politician and populist leader, has
written really a work of merit and Of
very uncommon interest. We have TAX
en- time to read many criticisms of his
work, chiefly because he is a southron
of gifts. He has evidently produced a
work, in two volumes, of French his
tory that is full of romance and dash
and vigor and independence. We infer
that Mr.. Watson has shown no little
skill in his treatment of his inviting
and romantic theme and has proved
that he is not only a man Of mental
creativeness, grasp of details, and his
torical ta1tes, but also finely endowed
with the talents for generalization, pic
turesque description and excellent
story telling-a rare and something
unique combination. There is an ap-
preciative notice of his work in Self
Culture for March. From it we re-
produce some remarks that will per-
haps enable the readers of the Messen-
ger to better understand the qualities
Of the author and the success of his
achievement. The writer says:
even with the multitude of French
histories there would seem to be room
for this valuable political and social
study, which deals with the annals of
France from a fresh and modern stand
point, and with all the force of a pow
erful writer and an acute and clear
thinker. His language is
forceful and serious, and he has the
charm to the recital Of the story. That
he is no slavish follower in old paths
we at once see in the scope aS we'll as
in the varied sources of the narra-
tive. No attempt, Mr.. Watson writes,
has been made to fill in every detail;
only the larger outlines Of national
growth and development have been
followed. The point of view
is that of ar intelligent and sympa-
tthetic onlooker, interested in the
growth of a nation, scrutinizing the
forces that make at one time for it's
maturing development, at another for
its arrest and impeded progress under
absolutism, with it's unhappy ehcroach-
ments upon popular rights, yet hopeful
the efforts made by the people to
throw off their letters and emerge into
Sthe full light of liberty and progress.
The design of the author, as we have
said, is not to follow in the old ruts OF
1rxr historical writing hIlt IN npn the
story from the point Of view Of the
modern reader who is interested in the
doings of his kind, and especially in the
struggles of a people, against yrann
an oppression"
We lake this rather long extract be-
cause we would help to awaken inter-
est in a work by a southern writer of
parts who has ventured into an untried
I'D in literature and assisted his
claims to generous recognition in so
vigorous and unmistakable a way. To
show that he appreciates his field of
excursion we quote a few sentences
from Mr.. Watson himself:
mo other modern and has known a
Napoleon, none other a Marat, none
yOIner a IalleyranO. In MareHSo ana
Austerlitz, the French have supplied
the world with the synonyms of daz-
zling success; in Waterloo, they have
given a name for hopeless, overwhelm-
ing defeat. = After all changes,
France is still great, still progressive,
still holding it's way onward, abreast
of the other great powers in the march
of human development. Surely the
record of such a people must abound
in lessons worth learning, heroism
worth knowing, facts which warn,
which enlighten, which profoundly in
terest all thoughtful men,"