The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-18

the bedrock KIM, ana lTOIH Iouiiud-
ton to turret the stories are solid,
broad, all in place, and beyond the
reach Of the weapons of the Souths
MIST acrid, pertinacious and strenu-
Gus enemies. 1t is certainly of great
value and most uncommon interest.
II is the very best discussion of its
kind, of the subject handled. that |
have ever read. Every true, intelli-
gent North Carolinian of both races
should procure copy, If possible, anu
read it again and again with the ut
most care. 1t is, to use vulgarism
Ia sockdologer." l value it of such
extraordinary excellence and import
ance that l would not part with my
copy for ten dollars in gold. if | be-
lIeved | could never procure another
copy. Next to Rev. Dr.. Albert Taylor
Bledsoe's mastery little volume on
lis jeff Davis a Traitor" l put the
pamphlet / am considering. The ar
ticle that appears in pamphlet form
first appeared in the September mum
Der, in 1904, of the old North Amerl-
can Review" now published In New
York City. 1t was prepared by
North Carolinian we'll known and
scholarly, who has been teaching ever
since the war, and is the fourth of his
family to engage in the noble, most
important work of instructing the
youth of our Southland. 1t is Major
Robert Bingham, of Bingham's ia
nous school at Asheville, N. C., and
who won his rank in the great war. To
undertake to present his argument IN
outline would require more space than
/ can command. 1t must simply be
read, to be studied closely. TO be ap-
preciated. Its title is Sectional Mis-
understandings. 1t is worth a cart
load of the many Southern addresses
and magazine papers that touch flip
PANTY and gingerly and self-gratify-
ingly upon the causes of antagonlSm
upon the part of the two old selec-
tons, and that hold the South resls.n-
sible for all the misunderstanding
and what followed the dreadful war
that was waged against it with bar
barrie ferocity and unmitigated devil
try, including Reconstruction and ali
Of its damning record.
The discussion by Major Bingham IL
so moderate, calm. forceful conclu-
sive that I wish very much to see ii
read all over North Carolina. anu
throughout the South. 1t is a most
important and excellent production.
end means a great deal for the South
ern people. Any candid, SANE mar
reading it will see that / do not eX
aggerate it's excellence. 1t is very
conclusive document. and the proofs
offered are invincible and undeniable.
while the whole argument is in fine
spirit and singularly calm under the
reiterated and insulting provocauons.
He sets forth most perspicuously and
logically the causes of The Misun-
derstandings Between the Sections OF
our Common Country" / would re-
joice IL every man of character and
brains in the great and confident
North would read ii carefully. They
would never again be heard to speak
Of the Southern Confederates as be
ing rebels" and no Bishop Brooks
would be found to degrade himself by
referring to the peerless and noble
General Robert E. Lee as THAT
Traitor as the famous and
much quoted ishop of Boston
did in his own church long after the
war had ended. / used to read what
he printed, and what now appears
from him, but after learning of his
Infamous attempt TO degrade and de-
fame the great Lee, | never touch his
writings, and will never again. Unless
you study Major Bingham's paper
you can have no conception of its
temper, rare ability. and most satisfy
ing array of testimony. The North
has been the aggreSsor upon the
South, it's enemy and slanderer and
prosecutor from the beginning of the
American Government. l have had &C
oasions through the last forty years TO
place some of the facts and evidence
before readers establishing the cruel
and mendacious aggreSsiveneSs of the
North. but the case has never been
so clearly logically, vigorously pre-
scented as by Major Bingham | may
possibly essay now and then, to give
some chances at his statements and
citations. But the best thing for my
readers to do is to procure copies OF
the article and read it all Many OF
us in our dear maligned Southland
have had more or less to say about
the ignorance, Misrepresentation and
falsehoods hurled at the South for the
last fifty years 1t is a mistake to sup
pose they have ceased. / read but
yesterday of a book just out by q
negro against the South. and the
Northern review Of it gave enough to
show its baseness. stupidity and mis-
representations. Liars generally wear
the "seven-league boots. Read Bling
ham and you will have a complet an
swer.
Writing of John Ruskin lately l re-
ferred to his most marvellous passages.
at once the most splendid and unique
in all English literature. l mention
ed but one possible exception, and
that confined to one or two descriptive
be found in his ''Luspiria de Profun-
dis" l wish to add as one of the
glories in all English literature a
critical analysis and study of that
wonderful German prose writer, who
never wrote verse, I think, Jean Paul
Frederick Richter. one of the chief
glories i'm all the literature of his fer
tile country. The grand passage / cite
is by Thomas Carlyle. the very gifted
Scotch essayist, critic, historian and
bigrapher, but who was rather a fall
ure than otherwise in his poetic at
tempts rythmically. His writings are
filled with poetry (See "Sartor Re-
sartus'' particularly, but in prose
form. The passage I refer to is rich
and very original. and no man who
loves letters of the nobler kind can
fan to admire 1t. You may find it in
Vol. II. of his "Eessays." at pages
210. 211. 212 and 213. 1t Is fine work.
and it is not often you will meet with
critical writing to equal it. But pass
ing to German literature, let me CON-
mend to you Richter's very celebrated
Dream" one Of the best known and
most admired productions in the lit
eratures of the world in all ages. j
find I wrote of 1t in 1888, twenty-five
years ago, that sit is the most splendid