The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-09-02
ATLANTA Constitution.)

| am not well and may not write many
more letters for your readers and there
fore write this one to you to enlist your
interest ana hearty cooperation III j
matter that Is very near my heart AMI !
am sure would be- As near 10 yours If you
were twenty years older and had NOR
time.
have received the fye volume 81 his
tory compiled ana edited ~ judge Walter
Clark, now the chief Justice u The State
Of North Carolina. This IS no ordinary
work. It Is OH a higher plane than ans
have ever seen and Is TO The land
what service Afoat Is On tn sea
For seven years oE unrtmlJting toll
Judge Clark has worked on this labor IL
love without Eay or reward save that
Whlch comes from the accomplishment iii
] sacred duty faithfully performed ~
course h. has had capable aud Williue
co-ope-ators Who out or The 81 sketche:
wrote IL Of thcm. Judge Clark nrot,
all Of the others besides i full half sol
nmc tnfth) OF graphic events and com
ments that concern all the Southern
states as much as North Carolina anG
which includes the first published history
Of the North Carolina nayy-the Abe
marie ard Shenandoah and Florida an
some other smaller cruisers ana block
/ tA'A' 4 - > "OAtllN tt IktLk&'1I
Just here that Commander Wadaell. Of
the Shenandoah, VAS the last man 10 keel
the Confederate flag At the masthead, foi
lis vessel was in the id-Paciic ocean
and he did not Know Of the fall Of tht
Sonfed ar3cy until the 18th Of August
lS65, and had q sea fight With the enem5
on June 4. The volumes are beautifully
bound in gray and gold. The paper and
the printing is Of the best quality and
their pages embellished With over 900
portraits and battle scenes. These por-
traits are, Of course, a reproduction.
eight TO a page, OF the old time photo
graphs that the mothers OF the dead AND
living boys furnished to the engravers.
These engravings We're reproduced by
that patriotic Southerner. Major Patton.
president Of the University Publishing
Company, New York, without cost. Tho
volumes are quite large. containing 500
pages each. Judge Clark selected the best
men TO write the sketches OF their regi-
mente.
What a guaranty Of truth and culture
when we see in this list Of contributors
such eminent and patriotic names as Cen
eral d. Fl. Hill, General Clergyman, Gov
ornor Vance and his brother Robert.
General Toon, Colonel DeRossett, Major
Graham, Major Moore who complied the
roster twenty years ago., DR.. Moses
Hoge, Of Richmond, and captains and
lieutenants by the score. And there are
ministers and privates mingled in whose
work is Well aud ably done. There We're
eighty-four full regiments and twenty
eight battalionS besides the State troops
thome guards and every regiment and
battalion had one or more historians. 1t
is q magnificent work and if | were a
/ N-0rtJ arC1i,1a, a-] 1;,,l fn, nn. I
would purchase a set if | had to do with
out tobacco and Whiskey for a month, for
the price is only s.. There are II 1000
names indeyed in these volumes and /
would be sure that some of them We're
kin to me or my folks. What a wonderful
State. Their long forbearing people twice
sent a commission to Washington tC
plead for a peaceful solution and avoid
war, but got no promise or consideration
and then they made war as one man-and
all the women. They had only IL, 900 Of
full grown men of 4 in the State, but
they could not keep the boys out and 125,-
coo troops were enrolled. What q sad
comment must come in here, for it is a
matter of record that of these troops H.,
eco were killed or died in the service. ]
have the old roster before me in -four
volumes containing 125.o00 names and ap-
| pCiiitu ~ = it'liN 49, 1i5 49,
tiers telling when he enlisted and where
and what became Of him..
But why am writing so earnestly
about this? Because | wish our own
State to do something of the kind before
it is forever too late. 1t is alarming to
read in Judge Clark's Review and Con
clusion'' how many of his contributors
died before they had finished their
sketches and either he or some other had
to take it up and complete it. Now the
cost of this work to the State is 81 per
volume, which IS the actual cost OF the
paper. printing, binding and engraving
The greater portion is as readable and
fascinating as a romance and will bright
en up and fasten the patriotism Of our
young men. whether they be from North
Carolina or Georgia.
Now, some of US old veterans wish The
Constitution to start this ball in mo-
ton. Your great paper can DO it. Find
cut how many veterans are members Of
the Legislature and how many outsiders
like Tip Harrison and Charles Edgeworth
Jones and Governor Gambler and General
Evans and Evan z. Howell you can en-
list as co-operators. We cannot make as
large and complete a book as Judge
Clark has made, but we can certainly
make a roster, even though Senators
Clay and Bacon and Lon Livingston have
to have a bill passed giving our agent
The use Of the Confederate archives.
Judge Clark had to do that. Now please
take the lead in this matter. for it is a
sacred duty we owe to our children and
their children. | asked an old private
the other day how he could prove hs
service. oh said he, there are q