The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-09-02
"A WORK FOR THE
SOUTH WELL DONE
The Life Of John G.. Calhoun by Gus.
tayus NJ. Pinckney-0f Interest
and Value,

Even to the average South Carolin-
ian, the suggestion of reading a life of
John @. Calhoun would seem a heavy
undertaking. One thinks of Calhoun
with awe, as Of an Intellectual wizard
who wrote and spoke I'm weighty syl.
logisms. The average mind recoils at
the notion OF ~"syllogism," In these
days the average reader Graves 'sto-
ries." The habit of reading books Of
travel, essays, history and biography
is rare among young people who have
good school advantages as we'll as
among those whose learning is limited
to the "three RS"
The Life of John @. Calhoun, which
Mr.. Gustavus M. Pinckney OF Charles.
ton has written and which has just
come from the press of the Walker,
Evans 81 Cogswell Co., Charleston, is
not only a valuable work but 1t ought
to be popular. 1t is not a large vol
um9-250 pages in bold, clear type.
One can read it carefully in three or
four nights.
Mr.. Pinckney writes from the point
of view of an enthusiastic admirer and
disciple of Mr.. Calhoun. No detailed
history of the s,atesman's life is at
tempted. Tho endeavor has been to
Gull from tho masses of American his
torical literature in which Mr.. Calhoun
figures and from his own writings so
much as will illustrate his motives, his
methods of reasoning ard the results.
These results speak for themselves in
q few concise conclusions en- political
questions which have not been paral-
leled for strength, lucidity and elemen-
tai %permaneuce by any other Ameri-
can statesman. Mr.. P%inckney has made
clear that Mr.. Calhoun d%iscerned,
a%nalyzad and classified practically all
the important questions IF a political
nature likely to be discussed in con
nectlon with the American cons.itu-
tion. Mr.. Calhoun's vision was scarcely
limited by time or circumstances and Mr.
Pinckney's selections from his utter.
ances show them not less applicable to
the politics Of today than to the politics
of the days of Clay and Webster. In
truth, herein lies the value of the book.
dead but rather had gone on a long jour.
ney during which his teachings had
been partially forgotten. Mr.. Pinckney
has broughthi him back to South CAROLYN
ians, directed their attention to a few
of his}clear, penetrating, truth reveal
ing I'D error dispelling doctrines in
such hammer that the reader in this
twentieth century fees himself
brought near to the great prophet OF
the constitution, Is under his voice
and held by the charm of his serene,
pure ard exalted personally.
There is not a dull page in the
book. The quotations arc not too
long. The style is compact, forceful
and at times eloquent. The book is es-
pecially refreshing because it is bold.
1t contains neither the apology nor
concealment with which some South
ern writer's about Calhoun have en-
deavored to sneak before Northern au-
offences.
NV WV 10 SooNllOlaltJ pOlAOi
cal. we wish TO impress that it will APP
peal to any and to all intelligent read.
,ers. Out of the pages always comes the
{, personality Of Mr.. Calhoun and one
beholds the hero as well as the states.
mana mind and character so perfect
In conduct and utterance as to make
the beau ideal Of intellectual knight.
hood and chain the attention not less
than the doughty figures of Walter
SCOTS tales.
necessity for Southern History and
American history written by Souther I'm
meR. The life of Calhoun is at the
bottom OF whatever Southern history
Us worth preserving. No man unfa-
miliar with Calhoun and his Swork
knows why Southern men fought for
the C~onfederacy. There Is no nearer
way 10 an understanding of the South's
attitude In the union today than
through Mr.. Calhoun's doctrines. In
ney has given all these. IL our people
really wish history written by South
erners and telling the story straight
and fair, they must be willing to en-
courage it by at least buying the
books. The placing of a book, espec.
Tally q book not IS triae light as air.
lis always Q doubtful venture from a
i~inancial point OF view. The publica-
tion Of this Life Of Calhoun will be al
Indication whether or not the iusisten
clamor Of the last few years for South
ern histories has had an earnest desire
behind 1T
While not written for use as a tex
book, this life Of Calhoun is admirably
adapted for parallel reading In the
schools and colleges of tho South.
Our New Discovery is sold by w. w
Dodson, Laurens Drug Co. and Y0ungs
H ttnIna m oInn1akn a.,~.