The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-16
u. HUFHAMs LECTURE.
THE Romance in the Early History of North
Carolina"

At St. Mary's School last night, Rev.
DR.. J. D. Hufham lectured on Romance
the History of the Carolinas.'
1t was the second of a series of lectures
hat will be given there this winter. and
t was most charming review of the
same stirring scenes enacted in the
Early settlement of this State and her
Southern sister,
DR.. Huffman began his discourse with
definition of the word romance, which
he said was "a description of men and
women at their best-best in sentiment,
highest in thought and noblest in achieve
nent."
He then gave instances Of this, most
# them drawn from local happenings,
,ut all showing the human mind and sent
ment striving upward, This feature of
,haracter-the tendency to higher and
lobIer thngs-runs through all hui
nanity," he said, land crops out here and
yonder like the strata of rock that forms
he backbone of some noble range of
Mountains
Then he briefly discussed the romantic
n literature and divided it into two
,reat classes: Realistic and Romantic.
rhe Realistic he said, describes hui
nanity at it's worst, with a tendency to
ordidness and dirt The Romantic de-
;cribes humanity at it's best, shows it's
ongings for the higher things of life and
low they are reached.
Authors illustrative of these two
schools were named. and the speaker
warned his hearers against what is known
S Realistic literature. He added:
OF q OF Y1
Who dreams dreams and the young man
Who walks on air and bumps his head
igainst the stars. But they are to be
,nvied rather than laughed at. They rep
resent humanity at its best.
'The Bible from first to last said DR..
Iufham els a historical romance"
He gave instances: The story of Ruth,
he biography of Abraham, the trans
actions of Jacob and others. Touching
he trade between Jacob and Esaw, he
said
II sometimes think Jacob lived too
soon. He ought to have been born in the
after part of the Nineteenth century.
There is no telling how many railroads
he would have stolen, how many banks
he would have wrecked. He swindled
everybody that came in his reach. He
,ven gouged his father-in- law, who. by
the way was considerable of rascal
himself.
But in the record of Abraham's life,
God throws in much romance-all true,
,ut more the less romantic. He shows
is ever the old Datriarchs downfallings
md uprisings, longing, striving for
he better and the nobler.
and the lesson of it all is that TO be
men and women we must be romantic
Iou must dream dreams and have high
houghts.'
This brought the speaker to the CEN
raj thought of his discourse-the romance
n early North Carolina history, and this
he discussed in most charming and ia
niliar manner, giving many interesting
happenings in North and South Carolina
history during the time that they were
me province.
It was discourse as no synopsis will
10 Justice to- A delightful talk of an old
nan to a room full of young women
such a talk as one would imagine the
venerable DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes or
he delightful George William Curtis
would have made under similar circum-
stances and to such an audience.
The lecture was enlivened by many
,uaint sayings and delightful sallies of
Wit. and the hour for the lecture had
passed almost before anyone realized
that it had we'll begun
In conclusion, DR.. Hufham said:
Young ladies. there are two things
that | would tonight ask you to remember.
Il The humdrum and ordinary are not
the true life aud true character. Do not
BE afraid to dream dreams and have high
thoughts.
"2. The man who rises above that
which is sordid-these are the men and
women that uplift the world and bring it
nearer heaven and bring heaven down to
the world
1T is the romance in our history that
makes US proud of it.
Loud applause greeted the close Of Dr.
tIufham's lecture.
All Masons who attend the services
at Cary today and who have lambSkln