The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-26

or of any other man during that time
in that city, who had any sort of con-
nection with Journalism. That man
was Frank II. Alfriend, who was for a
short while before / went to the city
to live, a pretty steady contributor to
the editorial columns of the Morning
Star. and who continued to write the
dramatic criticisms of that paper
the finest perhaps south Of New York.
Mr. Alfred was graduated from Will
liam and Mary College, was principal
after General Colston of the Cape Fear
Academy, and had been the last editor
of the great Southern Literary Mes
senger He wrote THE Life of JEFF
ferson Davis" an admirable biogra-
ply, elegant in style and full Of inn
portant detail obtained from the illus
trious chief, whose personal friend
Mr. A. was. Mr.. Alfriend's connec-
ton was not acknowledged, for rea-
sons satisfactory to himself and to
Mr.. Bernard. AS teacher he felt that
he ought not to be responsible for POI
litical and other work in a different
field from that he had chosen He
died i'm government service here. as
one Of the librarians of Congress. At
one time he was the clerk of Senator
Ransom's committee, having been in
the service of that brilliant Senator's
predecessor, General Gordon. who
was chairman of the committee.
The leading business Journalists of
North Carolina during that period
were probably William H. Bernard of
the Morning Star; Jordan Stone, of
the Weldon and Raleigh News and
Asheville Citizen; William j. Yates of
the Charlotte Democrat, and Charles
r. Jones, of the Charlotte Observer.
The most brilliant writer's of the
period probably besides DR. T. Is.
Kingsbury, easily chief in point of
style and literary knowledge and
Cameron, John s. Long. George Wal,
ter Sites. r. b. Creecy, Wilioughby
Avery.
Taking the whole period and the en-
tire period since, no writer or man.
ager of a newspaper in North Carolina
has equalled i'm other respects Joseph
T. Caldwell, the witty wise, conserva-
tive editor of the Charlotte Observer.
1t was the Judgment of one whose
memory is dearer to me than all this
world and it's hopes, possessions and
possibilities, that Mr.. Caldwell was the
best editor of the State i'm our time.
l respect her opinion on this subject.
as on others.
John H. Mills was not a preacher.
although he was sometimes mistaken
for one. He was for a long time the
trenchant. clear-headed. honest and
most efficient editor of the Riblical
Recorder. Drs. Yates and Bobbitt did
fine work on the Christian Advocate.
as did afterward my personal friend,
Rev. Frank Reid. AT Wilmington.
ana before that at Fayetteville, Rev.
Mr.. De Vaux edited the North Caro-
ma Presbyterian with great accepta-
bility succeeding the able McNeills.
had intended to make a larger
mention of Randolph Shotwen. Az
ter all, the Farmer and Mechanic is
his best monument-that and the
splendid patience with which he en-
dured his terrible wrongs.
The New Bern papers during the
period had two or three excellent writ
efs. forget the name of the leading
republican newspaper and its editor.
but he was a man of Northern birth
1he Journal of Commerce. edited and
published by Colonel Stephen ID. Pool
and his sons. was. though q small
daily, n very good one for local pur-
poses and its editOlia! department hao
zone clever work. The people of
North Carolina owe q large debt Of
gratitude to Col. Pool and DR.. Kings
bury for the splendid work of the
preservation of North Cardinals war
record contained in massive issues of
OuE Living and Our Dead, a monthly
at later date in Raleigh Subse-
quently Col. p. went from .Sorth Car
ollna to New Orleans and engaged,
with one or more of his sons. i'm news
paper labors there
Another and even more distin-
guished North Carolnian. who was
conspicuous in war, and afterwards i'm
journalism, was Lieutenant Generhl
Daniel Harvey Hill. If not the verv
first periodical published i'm the State
after the Civil War, General Hills
Land We Love" was certainly the
earliest issue of literary and histori-
cal character commanding a wide cir
culation and celebrity. While I did
not read all of it's successive numbers
from the start until its Discrimination.
| am familiar with the lively imnres
sion its publication made throughout
the South Atlantic States. The Cen
erals weekly paper, in which he had
the assistance of Mr.. Strong. also for
while had great vogue. and added
strength to the Charlotte press. GEN
eral HilPs style was strong, racv. ner-
vous and kept you always on the uul
Vive. As a professor at Davidson Col
lege he had composed and a great firm
IN the North had published a ponder
Gus work on the Elements of Algebra.
which was used in the college during
the war while / was q student there
and Professor McIver was HIPS sue.
cessor. 1t had the ear-marks Of its
authors incisive but peculiar genius
| we'll remember a speech he made
to the students in front of the house
which he made his temporary resi-
dence when the students compliment
ed him on the occasion of one of his
visits to his family there. He sati-
rized the longpiple, oidish students. a
few of whom stood in the front ranks
of the college bows, and limited that
their places were in the Confederatc
lines. A number of them soon after
were there sure enough, having bern
included in the draft which took in as
well the exempt under the law as the
IL year olds.
Rev. DR.. ]. ID. Hufham should he
Included in any list of the admirable
writer's of the religious press Of NORTH
Carolina.
If | have made omissions. if is hui
man to err it is almost impossible
to see the excellent points of scores
and scores Of men of talent and
energy. The eighty or ninety papers OF
that time (and more) sometimes
employed on their editorial stafFs
a good number of very capable writer's
| have tried hard to do them all ms.
tica