Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-01-05


General Evasnere McNair was borl
in Richmond county. North Carolina
Aprli~2O. 1920, and died in Hatties
burg, Mississippi, November l3
1902.
My. personal acquaintance will
! him began January, 1895. wher
Bishop Keener sent me to that section
of the state to Supervise the Interests
j Of .fhe Methodfa. church. :. During til,
four years of my incnmbeney, Genera.
H McNair. was. an Interested observer Of
the affairs of. the Methodist church
and gave his hearty approval to mean:
and methods, used to, consevre the
unity and The Integrity of the Metho-
dist Episcopal. Church South =
Il He was o loyal. Presbyterian. but
he. was far more. ne was "a Christian
of a philosophical term of mind.
About the middle of the year 1900
our association was resumed
4 Ny health having completely failed
gave up my pastorate. and repaired
TO lHattiesburg with my family, think
! ing the final summons and the last
4 appointment was at hand
/ After many months Of untold suffer
ing on my part and heroic rallying of
physicians and friends, 1 at length.
contrary to all expectation, began to
| improve.
/ TO my; own astopishment, / am
now engaged ip the. melancholy duty
| for, General. McNair-. which 1 had
reason 70 believe that : his or. some
othre kindly hand Would have done
| This w;iit. .eFTpiaiai / to the reader Of Il
these lines, the. circ1mstonces which
conspiFed IN building Friendship as
unseltish and genuilie as it has been
my privilege to enjoy.
General McNair was no ordinary
map.
He .possesssd a fine : physical feeyel-
opment, a stalwart mind and "a soul
filled With the noblest emotions, and
the loftiestst aspirations.
With a memory which fastened
with hooks Of steel upon men and
measures in the days a-gone, and
| pe1ietration of vision which clarified
the present and threw the searcblight
on the future, together with a. per
sonal magnetism amounting to fasci
nation, it will be readily seen bow
any one would be drawn to him.
The -frosts of 50 winters had
bleached his locks, but his vigornos
mind was alert to the very last
He held on to the path. not like
the most old people do, because the
present is too progressive. for them,
finding themselves unable to cope with
the qnickened step of the advancing
age, but he held to it as the artist
holds to the prospective that he may
give full advantage OF. favorable
backgrounds to the picture.
General McNair was a. profound
believer in the accumulated possibili-
ties of the mighty present.
- His great heart was fired with
enthusiams as he talked to me abont
the marvellous developments of the
country which began only few years
in davance of him, and closed just be.
fore he went away.
He loved his country and he loved
his southland. He gave the best
years of his strong life in defense of
southern rights and southern homes.
He loved his native state of North
Carolina, but he loved Mississippi
equally as Well
His faith in the possibilities Of
south Mississippi, and of Hattiesbprg,
the city of his adoption, was truly in
spring and uplifting
The abiding interest which he felt
:and asserted in the people OF the town
was that of an observant philosopher,
and was increased and intensified by
his thorough knowledge of strategic
position in military life.
Geography, climate, soil and sun
shine had furnished data for conclud-
ing that souht Mississippi and Hattfes-
burg, as the coming city Of. the state
would in a short while attract the at
tention of people throughout the coun-
trfy.
:. His prophecy has been fulfilled.
Then he had an 'unwavering conf
.dence in the people who had come
from every point of the ceompass and
yoket themselves together, in order to
make Il city and deyeI0p the wonder
ful resources of that. highly favored
section. -. =
Ifound, however, in my frequent
conversations with him, that he was
more interestedin the intellectual and
moral improvement of the~people than
he was in their material resources.
His favorite theme was education of
high grade, and college facilities at
home. He dwelt upon this topic
with mingled pleasure and solicitude.
If he had BEEN we'll provided with
L l. 4 Al.