The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-07

as intensely hot as that which laid IN
ruins the famous Alexandrian library. l
was told in 1875 by the late Rev. DR..
Calvin II Wiley, the founder and build
err of the North Carolina public school
system, that the late President David L.
Swain, Of the University of North Caro-
lima, once said to him that by actual
count he had found one thousand Q,0OO
errors in Wheeler's large volume. And
yet the work has a certain merit. 1t
Possesses just what the late distinguish
ed statesman, Hon. William A. Graham,
said to me when Wheeler came up in our
conversation, it is historic material, but
not history Governor Bragg was pres
ent, and he assented-at least he did not
disagree with the opinion. 1 have often
found Wheeler useful instructive, in the
last twenty-five years, and if used with
care it is very helpful. So l would not
have it destroyed. / prize my own copy.
1t was written a long time ago by a
North Carolinian that 1.-The man that will
buy up all the copies and burn them
will be benefactOr to his race, and show
himself to be a real friend of the Old
North State" I cannot in 1904, accept
that opinion, and think too well OF the
accumulated material so industriously
gathered by Col Wheeler, to have it lost.
confess that / once put light value
on Wheeler, but much use of it since
the great war has led me to appraise its
historic material much higher. 1 re-
member that once I so disregarded its
value as to write this for a North Caro-.
lima weekly:
when we have now and then looked
into Wheeler, we have been reminded of
a passage in one of Lord Macaulays es
says. In his able and slashing article on
'Croker's Edition of Boswell's Life of
Johnson in speaking of the success of
the editorial part of the performance, he
thus expresses himself: We are sorry
to be obliged to say, that the merits of
Mr.. Cookers performance, are on par
with those of a certain leg of NUT ton on
which Dr.. Johnson dined. while travelling
from London to Oxford and which he
with characteristic energy pronounced to
be. as bad as bad could be; ill-fed, i'll
killed, ill-kept, and addressed. That part
of the volume before US. for which the
editor is responsible, is ill-compiled, i'll
arranged. ill-eXrressed, and Imprinted
If the distinguished and most fascinating
of all critics had been reviewing the N.
C. Wheeler, he could not have more felc-
itously and effectually applied his pickle
rod to him than he has in the above ex-
tract
I am persuaded that a writer concern
ing North Carolina history or the history
of tho counties, or sketches of North
Carolinians, will find very much of value
in Wheeler, that will prove handy and
helpful, provided he is not visited by the
zone thousand errors" referred to by
President Swain. I think Wheeler did
good work for his State.
I recollect that l was much gratified
when l first learned that the lamented
and eloquent North Carolinan, Rev. DR.
Francis l.. Hawks, then living in New
York City, was about to- publish the
History of North Carolina" L knew
something of his high gifts, his oratory,
and his qualifications for his task.
had heard him preach in New York and
he had delivered addresses at Oxford and
New Bern. l was sure that he had en-
tered upon his work with devotion TO
his subject, and a love for North Calo-
lima, which none but native-born cjti-
zen would feel; that he had made his
torical investigation something OF spe-
cialty; that he had a flowing, mellow
style, rising at times into the high re-
gions of imposing, genuine eloquence;
that by legal practice he had attained to
the accuracy and logical acuteness of a
profound jurist-this 1 knew, or thought
knew, and hence / greeted his two pub
lished volumes most heartily, and re-
joiced in the prospect OF having the exact
truth of our history speedily and COM
pletely vindicated, and in seeing North
Carolina take that historical place among
the old thirteen States to which she was
so justly, so righteously entitled, but
which had been always denied to her by
carping critics and enemies, jealous neigh
bcrs and 1at-footed defamers His two vol
umes closed with the Colonial period, if
I am not mistaken, for it has been long
time since l had the work in my hands.
What he wrote will have to be examined
under the calcium light or the electric
light of the Colonial Records edited
| first by Col w. l.. Saunders, and com
/ pleted by Mr.. Justice Clark, of the Su
preme Court. / suppose at the time OF
! Dr. Hawkes. lamented death, but the
two volumes had been written. / have
never heard of any other volume being
| found among his papers. 1t is great
pity that he was not allowed to continue
his plan. and that other volumes die
not come from his facile and able pen
Is it too much to hope that some one Of
the best minds in the State, rich in the
fruits of general culture. whose temper
studies. leisure and ability are such a'
to adapt him specially to the work, vii
| take up. or has already begun the his
torical labors afresh, and will present K
the living North Carolinians, as the com
plete annals of our ancestors-that thi'
shall be done, not III tawdry style or il
ill-arranged matter, but that it shall ap
near in the noble vestments becoming TIN
stately Muse of History. l may mention
here that Moores two volumes possess
certain merit and contain matter tina
will be helpful to the builder of a nev
work. I feel / have not said all desir
to say So, God willing. I will recur t
The subject soon, as l desire to sa,
something additional as to the writing o
history for North Carolinians. l men
ton here that two well known gentle
men have been mentioned IN the newspa