The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-03
IN RIGHTEOUSNESS DID
HE JUDGE AND MAKE WAR
WOoIseley's Tribute to Lee. The Master Spirit of
Weird Literature, Poe Growth of North
Carolina Newspapers.

| erly done, to use an English expression
III its English sense. 1t begins in this
fine way:
There is a kind of writing that swells
with fecundity and glows with nirth. 1t
is large and easy and unrestrained. Shake
! it, and it drops fatness tap it, and it
spouts wine. Of prudence it knows moth
| ing, and it laughs at moderation as Lee
vlathan at the shaking of a spear"
Farther on the writer says quantity
and very interestingly, that yet once it
has been found in all it's lavish abundance
even under our own distempered sky;
| tor only three men in the worlds history
| have possessed exuberance in full perfcc-
| ton, and one of them was Falstaff. The
other two were Aristophanes and Rab-
elais. But there are certain few besides
whose fortune it has been to be born
with some gill, runlet, fierce, puncheon,
hogshead, bucketful, or butt OF it in their
blood My literary readers will relish
that 1 opne. Of this last number with
the Astounding fun and merry-making, the
Academy admits into the charmed
circle of laughter and frolic, Dumas, the
and such would have been the right OF
Hugo If he had not turned portentous;"
and Swift might have entered, had ''ho
not dwelt, as Coleridge said, lin a dry
place." and Jean Paul, had he not dwelt
il Germany. But from England we may
ADMIT Fielding into the overlooking fell
lowship, and Smollett, and Sterne, and
Boz, and Byron when he is not giving
OF AM ul fn1-
in Meredith, did he not think such a
plaguey it,. No American is permitted
to enter the charmed circle.
-
Justin Mccarthy, the distinguished
Irish leader and historian, has lately pub
lished a volume said to be of much in
terest. It is urged that it is really one
of the most significant volumes under
the head of memoirs that has appeared
i'll years" 1 know he is a very entertain
ing writer indeed, for 1 have read twice
his charming History of Our Own Times"
In four volumes. His new book is COM
posed of litrary portraits from the six
ties UP, and he says he has endeavored
to bring before the public of the new
century the likenesses of men and women
who were famous, or conspicuous, or pc
"Such book by such a writer cannot
fail to interest genuine book lovers" The
publishers, the Harpers, state it is des-
tined to inevitable and preeminent sue
cess. He draws solely from his own abun-
dant store of experience, and the result
| 10 an entertaining and desirable contribu-
ton to literature
Many of my readers know of Rev.
|
and humorst as we'll as very able
writer of political letters-equa ling pos
sibly any British pampheteer since Dean
Swift, the greatest of all. His volume
OF wit and Humor' is delightful. He
preached once a charity sermon in which
ne repeated frequently the assertion that
of all nations Englishmen were most DIS
tinguished for the love of their species.
THE collection proved inferior to his
expectation; and he said that he had
evidently made mistake, for he should
have said that they were distinguished
| for love of their SPECIE
He wrote in one of the numbers of the
Edinburgh Review, of which he was the
first editor, paper that offended Meth
odist preacher. This was somewhere
about the year 1910. Some one borrow
ed my copy of Smiths ''Wit and Wis
DOM" years ago, a very rich, rare, and
amusing volume, and failed to return it.
So / have no chance for referring to the
name of the irate preacher who replied
and referred to the incorrigible wit as
"iouse" Smith replied in a singing
article, and noting this comparison, simply
said "A fellow will talk about what
runs in his head
Let me use here some statistics and
opinions I have clipped during the present
year. They will prove as profitable 1
think as any regular, full discussion l
might here indulge.
The divorce business in North Carolina
is huge, and as disgraceful as huge. How
the Democrats have injured the State
by lowering the divorce laws down TO
the present standard and thus
turning our once conservative and sound
old State into Dakota. I would rejoice
to see the rejecting, earnest, moral and
religious people in the next election, Ito
be held in 1904 for members of the legis-
iature uniting in a resolute purpose and
determination to support at the polls no
man, no nominee, who favors loose. cor
rupting, degrading marriage laws. and
who does not oppose the circulating o.
more bonded issues for North Caroline.
Gut State has already greatly suffered
by reason of debts, and the reputation
thereof. Others can do as they please
but I will not vote for any man who
fevors easy, accommodating divorce laws.
and for starting again the roll OF the
gathering ball Of public State debt. Re-
flecting people should beware. The old
law is good for all time. The burnt child
breads fire. Issue no more bonds under
an:- plea.
II the Southern whites as charged are
so hostile to negro thrift and accumula-
ton of property, how comes it to pass
that this class has not been "exterml-
mated" for they have thrived, and &C
cording to Northern statistics 'own"
great deal of property amounting to hun
dreds of millions of dollars. And how
have the whites borne themselves really
towards the toiling, well behaved, re-
srectable, successful negroes? The an
swer in fact is in no ''assassinations,"
but. on the contrary in good will and
-oaaoF,,I ,.o1af;opS hptUyopp than and tIn