The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-07-30
=HERE AND THERE:
BY Mrs. Meta FoIger Townsend. ::::::

1 do not care to read the big New
York dailies. Give me q good weekly
paper that Sits the daily news, leav-
ing out all that is not worth saving,
then let me have some of our state
papers. There was time in my ex-
perience when l thought it narrow,
thing smacking of provinclallsm, TO
depend on our press for the news or
the world rs the march of daily events
passed on it's way making history
But one or two things has happened.
Either the State press has broadened
or else it has become a minor matter
to me, this haste to know exactly what
happened across the ocean yesterday
afternoon at o'clock and SO min
utes.
The SAYING of Terence has not lost
it's force for me, but it has dawned on
my mind that really it touches human
ity but lightly to know that Oscar of
Sweden and Norway wore his best
clothes in the Folk House one day last
week. Nor does it really count that
the American millionaire's daughter
who welded the :mpecunious duke
had one hundred and forty-one pairs
of hose in her bridal outfit.
Our papers tell us enough foreign
news to keep us from feeling too ut
terly backwodsy and then they are SO
delightfully."- related to each other. It's
like big family connection. There's
the bond of kindship that counts for
something IN every crucial moment
but between whites there's inclination
and leisure for few family jars. or,
at worst, a slight squabble that inn
presses you with the fact that good
men and true will occasionally lose
their temperS.
Sometimes 1 want to write novel.
The thought of it has stuck in my
brain for years. Anybody who sees
life with even half an eye will have
gained enough material by the time
he's forty for pair of romances, but
of course the best material can't be
used. The people who made these ro-
mances are still living, or else their
sisters and auntS and cousins are.
You'd call down cargo OF wrath on
your head if you told their tales. But
perhaps you consider that yours is inc
seeing eye and that you might set be.
fore others this thing of life in way,
true to yourself as you see the picture,
and somewhat new to others, even II
you don't tell the romanceS.
| have written lots of little tales.
The first one was a blood-curdlinG
story of pioneers and gems and In
dians 1t was illustrated by my own
frce-hand drawing. Particularly free
a
| have no narrowing tale to tell
about picking blackberries to buy
stamps in order to keep that story on
the go from editor to editor. The au-
thor was ashamed for anybody to see
it. And that is very much the way
she has felt toward other children OIL
her brain after they have struggled
into life through the medium OF her
pen.
Still she has kept thinking there
surely would come time when She
could tell q tale. a little tale, without
being ashamed of it. But almost am
l in despair.
There are three men in North Car
DINA, not to mention women, OF Whom
/ stand in awe-am afraid OF. one Oh
these men is Mr.. Bailey. of the Bib
lical Recorder. Suppose 1 write
novel. get it printed and send copy
posthaste to Mr. Bailey. Don't you
know he'd be conscientious about 1T
He might try ever so hard to see good
i'm the book, something of beauty, bit
of attractiveness, to say the least; but
if he failed to find what he looks for
he would be compelled to say so. HIS
conscience wouldn't let him sleep o
nights if he didn't tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.
The second man is Mr.. J. G. MCNEIL.
1t wouldn't be a matter of conscience
with HIM. In some idle moment he'd
size up my poor book in his Squaw
Talk and make light of my loftiest de-
scriptions, my most heart-searchins
insight, my studied psychology. My
hero and heroine would not kiss to suit
his fancy and that would Kill the
whole thing.
The third man-Im not saying who
he is Cts not Bob Gray)-would note
NV lanSeS in grammar would sigh
gently, looked panied and /, for an In
slant. would think of the pleasures of
electrocution as a means of suicide.