The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-24
AN EMINENT BAPTIST SCHOLAR
AND WRITER OF THE PAST
Rev. William Hooper, ID. D., Ii. D., Described by
Theodore Bryant Kingsbury. lone OF the
Greatest Scholars and Foremost
Writers North Carolina
Ever Produced

many distinguished North Carolinlans,
beginning with Gen. William r. Davie, a
famous figure in the times OF the flrst
War of independence and later. II 1t
proved successful. it was to be followed
by a second volume that would have
come down to about 1876 and would nave
included many later North Carolnians,
ending with Gov. William A. Graham
and Gov Thomas Bragg, both United
States Senators, and the former Secretary
Of the Navy, and most efficient. In TINS
volume it was purposed to include many
DISTINGUISHED and able North Carolinlans
in church and State. / mention Judge
A. ID. Murphey, Senator Thomas Hart
Benton. Judge William CASTOR, President
James K Polk, Rev. Lovick Pierce, ID. d.,
and some few others. If an edition were
to appear after an interval of some years
it would embrace sketches and critical
estimates of Generals j. ]. Pettigrew,
w. D. Pender and Junius Daniel, Hon.
George Davis. Judge John Kerr, Chief
Justice W. N. H. Smith. Chief Justice
Augustus H. Merrimon, Rev. Thomas G..
Lowe. Bishop John Beckwith, of Georgia;
Hon. Montford McGehee, the incompar-
able Vance, and possibly others l have
never attempted since l formed the pro-
iect. which was suggested to me by my
departed and lamented friend, Montford
McGehee. one of the most elegant, re-
fined, well-bred gentlemen that this
State, or any other, ever gave birth to,
in kind letter he wrote to me in 1875
or 1876, to carry out the purpose formed.
have essayed, however, to write OF some
few eminent men of the past.
-, crn M ON
of 1878, l published papers on Gen.
Thomas Person, Chief Justice Leonard
Henderson, and John Penn, the signer Of
the National Declaration of Independ-
ence. all of Granville. 1 have written
various articles upon the great George
E. Badger Judge, United States Senator
Secretary of the Navy which would prob
ably print forty pages in a magazine.
have written also shorter articles on
Gov. Graham, George Dawes and one or
two others, and a long paper on Abram
w. Venable and Thomas ]. Jarvis
have also written a column or more OF
editorial sketches of many really gifted
men, among the departed, including Judge
Robert B. Gillian, Hon. and Rev. Josiah
II. Crudup Cloth of Granville), Judge
John Kerr, Coils David M. Carter, Ed
ward Graham Haywood and others. 1t
has been mainly promise rather than
a fulfillment.
l wish now, with imperfect advantages,
to record my impressions concerning an
eminent, learned native son.
1t must be almost every way imperfect,
and therefore, unsatisfactory 1t may
stimulate some one to more extended
and engaging presentation of Christian
divine of rare gifts. | do this because
he deserves to be remembered. as do
others of the neglected or almost for
gotten authors of the past. Even since
the great war for Second Independence,
there have lived some accomplished,
scholarly and able men in North Caro-
lima who may not be specially known to
the generation now toiling and aspiring
and commanding.
One of the greatest scholars, best wits
and foremost writer's North Carolina ever
produced was the late Rev. William
Hooper, d. D., LII. d. I had the dis
tinguished honor of knowing him person
ally, once spent a night with him at his |
home in upper Halifax or lower Warren
Tin 1880, and had letter or two from
him about 1867 and 1875, / believe it was.
He was a Baptist minister, and in human
learning had but very few equals among
the citizens of our State in his time. His |
productions were excellent. full of pith |
and point, aggressive, and we'll written.
Some times he was caustic, witty and |
even humorous. His style was admirable, |
and among the best styles of which l
had any knowledge among his contem-
poraries. l used to put DR.. Hooper very
high as a Southern writer when I was |
young. 1t has been so long since | read |
productions from his pen, save one, that
/ would hardly venture comparisons now |
II l had written of him earlier, l would
have probably ranked him higher than
would now, as to the quality of style. |
Reading lately an able, thoughtful SER
mon by him, the style was decidedly |
good, but not so superlatiYely good as |
had thought it to be from my long |
ago reading of productions by him. 1t |
was clear, pure. direct English, but not |
so artistic and elegant as l had supposed |
forty years or more since. / had placed |
him in my mind with the late Rev. DR.. |
Andrew A. Lipscomb, formerly a pro-
fessor in Vanderbilt University, who was
really in my judgment one of the most
accomplished and elegant writer's in all
our dear Southland. l have read essays
in reviews and volumes by him that yere
of remarkable refinement and interest,
and replete with a genuine culture and
scholarship. l recall with much pleas
ure now that / received a long letter
from him. giving a most entertaining ac-
count of visit he had but then just
paid to the gifted Southern poet. Paul
Hamilton Hayne, at his cottage not far
from Augusta, Georgia. 1t was but a
few months before the death of the
gifted poet one of the three or four high
est inspired and most accomplished of
the Southern band of singers. l had at
intervals since 1858, correspondent with
Mr.. Hayne, and although we never met,
he wrote to me as both personal friend
and genuine admirer. Only some two
months before the last scene of all
received a letter in which there was a
reference to his early departure. | at
once wrote to him urging him to visit
me, and promising to take him to the
seashore, but he wrote in reply that he
was too feeble to make the journey. So
We never met.
DR.. William Hooper was the grandson
of William Hooper, a lawyer of distinc-
tion, man of scholarship a signer of