The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-23
State Literary Association.

To the Editor: Several historical as.
sociations exist and some of them Are
doing good work, but they are local
in their character or connected with
some school or college. They are all
useful but none of them can ever
hope to organize the literary talent of
the State. The truth of the matter
is that literature must precede his
tory-must precede, nay, even mainly
bring about the organic unity which
produces history in its highest form
the making as well as the writing of
it. The Greeks organized around
Homer. The Jews were made and
kept nation by their Book of books
and one day, under Providence. this
Book will bring together again the
| scattered nation"
Literature is q preserver as well as
an interpreter of peoples life. No
State has been more misrepresented
than our own, therefore we must tell
our own story; from our midst must
come the man or woman in each gem
GRAFTON whose voice will be heard
| above the iargon of those who belit-
| tie lis at home and traduce us abroad
| If we organize, gradually the best
| literary talent among us will emerge.
| The best will leaven the others, and
| they in turn will support their bene-
factors by sympathy.
If there is any among us who has
! the spirit of the matter at heart he
| will speedily invent a plan-life will
| appropriate what is essential to it
and take it's proper form in due sea-
son. This is the question we must
| face: Is there real literary vitality in
! North Carolina or the seeds of it?
| Another serious question is: How far
| is our character as a people affected
| by absorbing so much from abroad
and producing so little at home? Our
| field is exploited almost entirely by
| aliens who have little interest in us
except the money they can make out
of us. How far and how fast a State
Literary Association would evolve a
remedy remains to be seen; but this
| much may be confidently predicted if
the organization shall be possessed of
any life worthy of the name: that our
people cannot be blatantly misrepre-
scented without rebuke.
| Local literary organizations and his
| torical association may be induced to
act in concert A meeting of represent
tative literary people and those who
sustain them by cooperation called at
some central point or place of resort
once year to review the situation
from various standpointS could but
result in good. Creative work in lit
erature as well as historical research
should be encouraged especially
among the young. 1t is Impossible to
estimate the value to State of even
one literary genius among it's sons
or daughters who will work with and
for our own people. Henry Grady
was worth millions to Georgia even
| in dollars and cents; and Dickens was
worth hundreds of millions to Eng
| land and to the world, if it be not pro-
| fanation to measure in dollars the
value of Pickwick Papers, for eX-
ample, in destroying evil. 1t is be-
| lieved that the best work of the as
ISOLATION would be the gradual en-
rendering of healthy State pride.
Much that we have done, however,
must be first winnowed by the criti-
cism of love, an accurate knowledge of
ourselves must be the basis of all per-
manent progress. a good missionary
| field for individual effort as well as
for organized endeavor, is the encour-
agement of public libraries and libra
ries in connection with schools, even
country schools, and factories. The
Olivia Raney Library is a text and an
inspiration for the establishment of a
library in every village and hamlet in
our State.
BY way of summary: the association
should have for it's main objects the
collection, preservation, production,
and dissemination of our State litera-
ture and history, the encouragement
of public and school libraries and the
incubation of literary spirit among
our own people.
w. j. PEELE.