Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-06-12
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
One at Charleston Issues Magazine
Review of its Work.

4
We have upon our table the April
number (No. ?, Vol. y Of The West
/ Virginia Historical Magazine Quar-
! terly, published by the West Virginia
Historical and Antiquarian Society at
Charleston. The purpose of the so
eiety to publish.a magazine with the
/ view of preserving some of the rapid
/ ly perishing traditions, "reminiscences,
and antiquities Of the Kanawha Val
! ley is commendable. The society pur-
ports to be a state society, and 1t re-
ceives# some state aid; but heretofore
| its field of work has been chiefly local
! to the Kanawha Valley. The field
seems to be large enough for the work
/ ing capacity of the society. The
number before us contains some inter
esting material. The article gives a
sketch OF the Kanawha Valley, which
is interesting enough in itself, and
discloses great labor on the part
/ the writer; but it is practically
a reprint from the book by the same
writer entitled Trans Allegheny Pr
oneers. There are other articles on
/ .
ETC., "reminiscences of the war time,
and an account of the Kanawha River
Improvement. But most of these ar
ticles are valueless to the careful in
vestigator, because the source of in
| formation, upon which the writer
constructed his narrative, are not in
dicated. In these prosaic days the
writer of history must disclose his
source of information, and do so fully
| If he wishes TO raise his composition
above suspicion. He should afford
the reader ever opportunity to verify
every important statement that is not
already established beyond conJro-
yersy. The writer In this magazine
does not seem to have caught up with
modern historical methods. They
seem TO be proceeding on the theory
that whatever is printed ia d book is
true.
One article in particular attracts
our attention. In the table OF con-
tents it is called "Birth Of West Vir
ginia. In the body Of the magazine
it has the caption ssWest Virginia's
Birthday" as if the editor and the
author are not quite agreed what to
call it. There is not much solid in
formation in the article. The sub
! ject is good one and it has not been
exhausted. Much remains to be said
about the beginnings of West Vir-
ginia. But the writer has not given
us much that is of value. Let US cite
few instances.
He says: "Soon after the passage OF
the Ordinance Of Secession, the mem
bers from the western counties left
for their homes But how many
were there from the western counties?
Did they all go at once? Did any of
them remain9 The writer does not
say.
Here Is a sentence that he evidently
never finished:
ION June 81, 1851 another Ordi-
nance providing for the legislature to
select an Auditor, treasurer and secre-
tary of the Commonwealth, and to
take steps to secure the revenues, etc. y
VIII some one point out the predi
cate in this mass of words?
Again:
"On August 90 1861 an ordinance
was adopted providing for the election
of representatives from Virginia ia
the Congress of the United states. 2
/ Were not members of the House Of
Representative elected from the three
western districts Of Virginia on May
%, 1861 the day on which the Ordi-
nance of Secession was voted on and
did they not 90 to Washington and
! take their seats with the exception of
| Garlic, who was elected to the senate?
And thereupon was not Blair elected
to Gil his place under this ordinance
The writer gives US no information on
these points.
He says; 1.-The vote was submitted
etc. Vote submitted, How would
he manage to submit a vote to the peo-
pie?
Here is a sentence that speaks for
itself sAs a logical statement Of
the proposition, it does not look as the
same could we'll be contradicted if the
facts were as stated, that the state
began its existence on that date.
One more. s'If all this was not
done by the people OF Virginia, by
what right had such people to do the
same?n
George AIDE might draw this moral:
IA magazine will not edit ITSELF