The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-11-19
NORTH CAROLINA-AT HOME
AND ABROAD,
An Adopted Son of North Carolina
Writes of the "0ood Old State''-
The Men Who Have Remained at
Home and Built Up Our Great Conn.,
monwealth Deserve High Praise.

The Men Who Have Remained at
Home and Built Up Our Great Conn.,
monwealth Deserve High Praise.
Correspondence Thomasville Charity and
Children.
The papers have been full of this
during the past weeks. | have read
some OF the articles with sadness,
Others with much interest. AS an
adopted son of the "good old State
l want to send a word of good cheer
to the North Carolinians at home. /
have never believed that the world s
greatest have died and been embalm-
ed as memorials of what man can be
and do. Shakespeare, Milton, Wash
ington, Clay, Webster, Calhoun, Cal
vim, Luther and the rest are all dead.
But their deaths did not end the cat
alOgue of great men. After these we
have seen Wayland, Lee, Grant, Full
ler, Vance, Broadus, Curry and Others
who were not cubit shorter i'm stat
ure or greatness than the others.
They, too, have gone, and we stand
today in the presence of the world s
greatest century, producing in every
department OF life the worlds great
est men and women. Men great in
thought, spirituality and action
and great amid scenes requiring a
grasp of thought of which the great
OF the past lever dreamed.
There is a trick of the mind which
makes us see only one-half of life at
once. AS we look to the past We see
the best half, and when we look to
the present we see the worst half
This was the way the Hebrews in the
| wilderness viewed life. Human nature
has not changed in this respect. Dis.
tance lends enchantment in time as
i'll space. Upon this phase of seeing
things we base our estimates of life,
and sigh for "the good old times that
| come again no more" and talk bout
greatness that has gone from earth
| never to return.
We have in North Carolina mel
who are looking upon the ''eldel
brothers." who have staid at home
with the eyes of pessimism, and upon
the "prodigals who have gone
abroad with the eyes of optimism
| The ''stay-at-homes" have little tC
commend and much to censure. The
"go-aways' have nothing to criticise
and much to glorify. l have little
sympathy with these views | an
proud of our brothers who have gone
abroad, but prouder OF those who
have staid at home and done theil
part in building our great common
wealth. Ii we had depended upon
the runaways to have built up the
State where would we have been,
The men at bone have shown a no
bility of soul which marks the grand
est characters of earth. While theil
brothers have been running over the
earth to make money and fame they
with equal abilities, have remained
at home, cOntented to get living
and while doing this, make charac
ter and life to bless the world.
North Carolina has sent out sons
who have made their marks, bu1
some of them would never have made
any marks at home. The men who
have remained and made marks
where the others have failed, ar
worthy of the highest praise-no
criticism. | know something of th
men who have gone abroad, and
have no hesitation in declaring m,
conviction that North Carolina
greatness is not exhausted in any de
partment by the exodus of her grea
sons abroad. North Carolina s great
est sons are yet within her borders
tOiling to make her the brightest sta
in the constellation of States. Mort
Carolina may be behind other State
in some things, others are behind he
in many things, and when it come
to a general averaging up" she nee
not be ashamed of comparison wit
any of her sisters. | have seen som
greatness which am glad we do no
possess. Like a desert, great i
breadth and, perhaps, depth, but nc
an oasis upon its burning sands t
bless humanity, | have seen som
great men who were broad enough t
compass everything on earth, but nc
= single green spot within to chez
the weary and fallen. Great in the
broadness, but as dry as Sahar;
Sometimes l sit by my fireside an
sing, Garry me back to old Virgil
ny" and long to drop in the place
the humblest and poorest of the boy
who staid at home and made the Oh
Dominion what she is. Some of u
- who have left, will never be cOunte
save as unworthy sons, yet the eny
{ of our hearts has never been of tho.
who have become famous, but
those who "stuck by the stuff" {
home. Though they are lost to fam
yet they are the greatest of her son
). and but for them the State could NJ
have developed her resources. Ar
sol believe every 'prodigal' from tt
Old North State will think of tt
"boys" who staid at home and ga,
them such a glorious welcome {
Greensboro, the last one of them T
turning to their far-away homes w
wish they were in the shoes of I'll
"stay-at-homes."
While honoring the men who ha,
gone abroad, let us not forget tt
men who have staid and made tt
old State worthy of honor.