The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-28
LET THE CURTAIN DROP AND
AT THE END WRITE, FAILURE
So Says Dr. Kingsbury of His Work, Much of Which
is Engraved ImperishabIy on the
PEOPLES Hearts.

If 1 could have known that you
were to have such elaborate and ad-
mirable papers, and so many in your
fine, progressive Tenth Anniversary
number of The News and Observer,
l would have bestowed more care ana
labor upon the preparation Oh my
own ordinary contribution. never
re-Wrote a line. and was constantly
reminded. by my own reflections, that
7 was too full and wide in the range
of nv hasty production. L could nave
easily added two or more columns,
ncsslhlv even still more. You are TO
he congratulated upon the admirable
success of your commemoratlon OF
YOUR ten years editorial management
of The News and Observer, as we'll as
for the zeal, enterprise, tact, vigor,
fidelity and ability of your service.
You certainly have conducted an
useful, wide-awake, faithful, able
Democratic newspaper. You have
been almost invariably wise, steadfast
and true and brave in the mainten-
ance of bedrock Democracy. l am
glad that the people understand and
appreciate your services, and that the
success of The News and Observer
is assured. 1t ought to be read by
perpetuity of free institutions, and the
success of the fundamental principles
of the one party that has stood for
nearly one hundred years by the peo-
pie and their often outraged rights
and imperilled liberties. 1t is only
the student of real American history
since the Government was set up VINO
understands the dangers, quicksands,
perils and desperate conditions from
g, If
this hour of greed and grab, of usur-
patton and violence of blinded fana-
ticism based and builded upon blinded
insolence and intensified ignorance.
May The News and Observer continue
to grow in power, in circulation, in
healthful, permeating influence, ana
may you live long to hold the helm
and help to direct the course OF the
craft in which you sail over the VIDE,
wide sea. sometimes calm, often times
tempestuous.
l wish to make another addition TO
my account of editorial labors. l was
surprised last Wednesday to recall a
service of about ten months as editor
of the oxford Torchlight," published
right at my door, when owned ana
managed by a clever young man,
born in Orange county, Mr.. William
y. Davis, a nephew of my very dear
and lifelong friend, the late Prof.
Adolphus w. Mangum, d. D., of the
University of North Carolina.
think l must have written some sixty
or more columns for him. l was
writing for it when / was called away
to Wilmington in September, 1876.
The previous October L had left Raj
eigh, (my birth place., while editing
the war and literary monthly, Our
Living and Our Dead" owned by Col.
Stephen d. Pool, a gallant Confeder-
ate and true man, with his consent,
even suggestion, for my home at OK
ford, for the purpose of undertaking
the writing of a History of the Peo-
pie of North Carolina" 1t was to be
planned something after the greatest
one volume history in modern times
Green's History of the English Peo-
pie a work of genius beyond fair
question. l had issued circular as
to my purpose and plan. | was within
five days of beginning the work, to
WHICH L purposed devoting four or
five years of assiduous toll. had
collected in my writing room many
books. In addition to what two libra
ries at Oxford contained, my friend,
Captain Samuel A. Ashe. had very
kindly lent me his own State historic
collection, and all of the late Judge
William H. Battles material in that
connection. The use of the libraries
had been kindly rendered to me. 1
purposed visiting Washington to ex-
anime the Congressional Library, and
to go to Harvard University to seek
access to its collection of North Caro-
lima data and history. The failure of
Col. Pool destroyed my plan of sup
port | was still to edit for him and
that was to constitute the basis of
my living and that of my family. |
tn q
daily to the history. For twenty years
/ have been glad of my failure. First,
because of the discovery of the Col
onial Records, SO absolutely necessa- |
ry in the writing of a history of
North Carolina. Second, / have with |
experience. wider reading of great au- |
thOrs and a compIeter testing of my
own gifts learned to dstrust my
equipment and ability for such i'm
portant work. 1 have not an exalted |
estimate of myself, / am glad to be-
lieve. / have not the historic tenn
permanent or the charm, the grasp,
the tone, the judgment the style, the
art of the true historian. l am very
sure of that now, and I wonder at
my own temerity in presuming to
undertake serious, elaborate his
torical composition. My ideal of his
tory is high, and is we'll based upon
much reading of modern historians
Gibbon, Macaulay, Green, Hume,
Froude, Robertson, Prescott, Ban
croft. Theirs. Grizot and others. So
rejoice that my plans failed, were
overruled by a kind, watchful Provi-
dence. Let me here say that with
me style counts for very much. l
know, l think, what a good literary,
historic or political style is. / have
read the great authors in each de-
partment to ascertain what style is.
In literature, l have read the chief
English masters. / have read Mil
toms magnificent prose works. l
have read Bunyan, Addison, Burke,
Goldsmith, part of Hooker. Bacon, |
Johnson, Cowper. Lander, Macaulay. |
De Quincy, j. H. Newman, Ruskin.
Pater and few other great stylists |
writers of the first or a high order |
but not all equally good. | have read |
literature of the imagination, q |
literature of the understanding, a |
literature of fancy, and I have q |
conception of style that is high and |
pure, L hope, and hence the writings
of many who are praised pass for |
little with me because of the standard |
] measure with, the ideal 1 have
formed. There is a vast difference
between the constructing of a SEN