The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-11-10
A GLIMPSE AT CAROLINA
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Some Early Publications. The First Press at New
Bern. James Davis and the North Caro-
lima Magazine.

~. BOYD was q son OF fteN. Audm lSDyt,
and was born in 1873. He had classical
attachments. He became a minister Of
the Gospel, ana was a chaplain in the
Continental Army. His paper suspended
early in the war. He was Judge Advocate
of First North Carolina Regiment in the
Continental line in IT. He came Of
PRESBYTERIAN stock, but entered the Epis-
copal ministry, and served in Augusta.
Ga. in 1790-1799. He died at Natchez,
Miss. IN 1900. There were three papers in
the North Carolina Colony before the first
War Of independence While some OF
what ! have gwen Is accessible to all,
have awaited myself OF an elaborate and
useful volume al 50 .arge octave pages,
published in 1891, On THE Press OF North
Carolina in the Eighteenth Century,
from the careful, discriminating pen OF
Dr. SteDheu 3. Weeks, Il DISTINGUISHED
graduate OF the University OF North Caro-
lima. and a most estimable native OF our
State. DR.. Weeks is, l think, 4 native
OF Elizabeth City. I was visiting the
University when he was graduated in
1883.
The Quarterly Record CT the University
Of North Carolina for SCI tehlner, con
tains items OF interest that nav entertain
many OF your readers who may not see
i. Il ~rcjoices the real friends Ct this
growing and widening and venerable IN
stltution 81 learning to know OF its pro
gress and steady increase III patronage.
It had so students III its first month III
the new term Tor the Fall OF 1903, and it
will probably reach not less than $40 stu
dents during the year. It's total lof the
last year VAS sos. 1t has 1871 Freshmen.
The average of this caass in aga IL 10
years. 2h months. which Is more than it
was hack N the ~forties. II IS pleasant to
know that North Carolina i awake and
appgeciative, and furnishes 50 per cent. Of
the students-all but - from other
States. OF other States. South Carolina
leads with 1G. New York is second With
:: Pennsylvania and Virginia furnish 5
each. Of North Carolina counties Orange
leads with 50: Wake second with %: New
Hanover does exccllently, sending l.. OF
the whole body OF students 641a per cent
are member OF churches. Metho1Ists
lead with 162. The Presbyterians come
next with 10; the Baptists third with
116, and Episcopalians fourth with 102.
: Christians, Hebrews, Lutherans, Roman
Catholics, Moravi&ns, Reformed, Disci-
pies, Congregationalists and Uritarians
are all represented. The University mas
a long list Of its men who are at work in
the Graded Schools of this State. OF the
81 who were graduated IN Jun last. is
are teaching. Only one is connected with
a newspaper, Probably they do not like
the Faber, or are impressed With the
TACT that men do not get rich in that bust
81.
were active in delivering lectures and adj
dresses during the last twelve months.
Many Of the students are employed IN
positions Of responsibility. A $4,000
dwelling is to be erected by the Y. NJ
G.. Association.
On Juno 18th last, the University of
Pennsylvania conferred on President Ven
able the degree OF Doctor of Laws. The
last summer School was a pronounced sue
cess. FGrty-four courses were gwen, III
Guiding a vide range of subjects from the
common schOo. to the college. The IN
structors were teachers OF large expert
ence, each one a specialist IN his subject.
About two hundred students were IN at
tendance during the session, a larger mum
Der than usual. Among the Alumni there
were nine deaths for the year ending with
September, 1903, and one reported that oc.
CURED IN 1902, that of Rev. Daniel T.
ToWles, an estimablc Presbyterian minis
ter. l was at the University with him,
and recall him with pleasure, although
have not seen him in fifty five Yeas.
Harper's Weekly is of the opinion that
book criticism has become a very prevail
ent vice" Words fifty spoken. The
abuses are enormous, and but few of the
critical doll ypra1 aac n - to tho .n,,1l1+,r o.,I
character Of books are trustworthy OF
sane. The Weekly says easy methods
have been invented,' and tho very
easiest is 20 write the review without
reading the book Many of the publish
ed opinions are ~value'eSS because false am
prejudiced. Some OF the worst, the least
| sound opinions are by critics .! distin
guished parts like Swinburne, HenIeT
Gossa and S~aintshury, How can tht
lesser lights or the "small fry" be trusted
or regarded as ALTERNATIVES The more
| real of criticism upon currenh fiction
the more [ am satisfied with a resolution
formed within three or four years-tt
read no work that is not fully a year old
l got the hint from two famous writers
one Il great favoiite with me. Thoma:
!, Carlyle. He said no book should be reaC
before it was two years old. Ralpt
waldo Emerson, the literary ana phliOSO-
phic apostle and IDOL Of the New England
literati, borrowed Carlyle's idea to the ex
tent Of saving that a book should not ,,
read until it had reached a years age. BY
: acting OF this rule have already escape,
the reading of productions that / Nigh
: otherwise have wasted time in reading.
l have seen within four years a dozen q
twenty novels 50 very much exalted ant
r so eagerly announced, that | was at frs
tempted to read some OF them. | forum
1 ately waited, and with the result Of losin.
1 all desire or purpose to read them.
4 could cite them here if necessary. l fount
. by the expiration of the limitation th1
they were not the books they were at frs
4 heralded as being. l escaped the readin:
of many transitory novels by the law o
delay and humiliation. Criticisms O.
! Miss Johnston's first two publications lie
moved all desire to read them. So witt
some two of Mr.. Aliens and one or twt
of Tom Pages later books. By the way
: his last book, Gordon Keith. leads III re
cent novels-of two months in salcs-ou
I tins 10 no test Of r>prit Tho ipo,,yrroin,