The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-09

TO whom | would allude more par
tlcularly, for he was truly a great and
accomplished writer. The name of
blaise Pascal will live SO long as the
language which he glorified by his
works. While certainly one of the
most brilliant and penetrating of
writer's, he was one of the ablest con-
troVersaists in the entire history OF
letters. His writings, specially the
very famous provincial Letters" are
monuments of his superior, most adj
,illraple genius, more durable than
orass or marble. I know not which TO
a.'llire most his logical deXterity and
elsor, or the pointed flame of wit that
90 uscates in and WHITES his remark
apie papers If John Fletcher of
SStsaueiey, the sweetest Of English
Hiethodlsts, could write controversy, as
ROBERT Southey AYERS, like q saint, y
(see his most remarkable volumes
Calleu "Checks,") Pascal could write it
IKE a man of consummate powers,
WIelolhS magician's wand that dis
armed ms adVersaries, while visiting
upon tnem condign and richly deserV-
ed punishment
before closing, / must give a pass
ing tribute of admiration and affec-
Don TO one who passed into the land
OF rest and glory some thirty years
and more since. He was of North
Carolina birth, and stock, and was
porn ana llVed in the same county, old
historic Halifax, that gave birth to the
greatest preacher, with possibly one
exception, ever born in this State.
refer to Rev. DR.. Lovick PIERCE, of
Georgia, the father of the consecrated,
richly endowed eloquent Bishop
George T.. Pierce, of the Southern
Methodist Episcopal Church, and a
native of Georgia, the State of his
great fathers adoption The one ex-
ception / referred to was Rev John
Kerr, father of the late eloquent Judge
John Kerr, of Caswell county. l
never heard DR.. Pierce or Rev. John
Kerr-never saw them / often heard
his son at the bar, and in politics.
Rev. Or. Jeremiah Jeter, the able
Baptist editor of Virginia, wrote in
his old age that the two greatest
preachers he had ever heard in his
long life, We're John Kerr, of North
Carolina, and Andrew Rroaddus, of
Virginia, both Baptists. / think DR..
Jeter heard Rev. Charles Sturgeon,
the greatest English Baptist since
Robert Hall. the peerless. while visit
Ing England. He heard other men
nf~fame, but held the opinion I have
d. above. The late able, gifted,
eloquent Rev. Charles f. Deems,
Fl. D., LII. d., q native of Baltimore,
Maryland, said to me in reply to an
irquiry-"Who is the greatest preach
err you ever heard ?"-"When Lovick
Fierce is at his best / never heard a
greater" 1 wish to refer to one ex-
ample to confirm somewhat my con-
tention. 1t was my very good for
tune to know intimately the late Rev.
Thomas G.. Lowe, who in his best eff
forts, might have been called 1.-The
golden mouthed' as Chrysostomus was
called. In his particular line-the
heautiful-he was beyond doubt l
must hold the most gifted of all North
Carolinians. In 1871, 1 believe ii
was, at the request of the Methodists
On the oldest of all North Carolina
circuits, Roanoke, embracing then all
Of Halifax county, some sixty miles
long, | delivered ar address on my
dear departed friend, occupying two
hours in delivery. It was published
in thousand copy edition, which
were quickly disposed of by the COM
nlittee of publication. / am not sure
that | have so much as one copy now.
have sometimes thought, when writ
ten TO for copy, that l would like
liter some thirty odd years to publish