The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-05


been a lover of books, though she may no
longer play or sing or fascinate with beauty's
witching power. viii still even In hoary age
find In her reading never falling spirit OF
pleasure ; and by The charm OF her conversa-
lion she will still reign an acknowledged
queen OF society.
l can In fancy see the touching picture OF
The aged pnet, Samuel Rogers, sitting beside
Margaret Fuller, some weeks before her
death. He asked. "Do you remember those
lines from Mrp. Barhauld's "Life'j which /
once repeated to you ?" aRenemner I ] them them - =,
myself every night before 60 to sleep. Lis
ten.
Llfe,we've been long together.
Through pleasant and through stormy
weather,
'Tls ha rd to part when friends are dear;
Perhaps twill cost sigh, tear.
Then. steal away: give little warning;
Chose thine own time,
Say not "Good Night" but in some brighter
Bid % me "Good Morning."
Another picture is before my minds eye
the great satesmap orator o,ns anS
out long debate In the House OF Commons;
and reading with boy like interest and
delight the Treasure Island" Of Robert
his love OF readine-tbis ability to be enter
tanned and amused by books even to extreme
old age
OF reading, thisis my advice to you young
maideps. graduates and Undergraduates, get
the best books, the books that have stood the
test of more than one generation, the old
hooks of the standard authors. Read them
day by day, commit to memory some choice
passage Of prose or verse each day. Thus
surely You will acquire the habit OF reading
and taste for pure reading. Thus also will
you come to be the possessors OF literary
f1h t., ,La R,,ao ND fotr frt,tf Of
all education, Without which education is
dry as dust, unfruitful and unlovely.
WRITE, AS WELL AS READ BOOKS
While thus earnestly urge you to cherish
a love Of reading and to strengthen the habit
Of reading, would not forget that there may
be some young graduates before me who
might do honor to their college and make
themselves famous by writing books. There
ia need for such in these Southern States. II
source OF regret to SoutherDers that while
there is growing In this great Republic OF the
West In American literature which he's traits
and characteristics that prove Its native cls-
Atlantic origin, yet those traits and charac-
terIstica are derived from New England far
more than from the Southern States. TO
what this is due II is difficult to tell. It Ger.
taiply is not due to the lack OF literary taste
In the South. For here we meet with men of
culture and women ofliterary refinemen In
numbers certainly as large as anywhere else
In this country. Strange contradiction, and
yet not inexplicable; for the admiration of
letters ia a very different thing from the cul-
tivat,op of letters; az different as the reaping
of the harvest time from the ploughing and
sowing of the Spring, Southern society is
characterized by q love OF letters az strong as
Ia TO be found in the Society of either New
England or Old England, hut 1t Is too often q
love that reapa where II has not sowed and
gathereth where 1t has not strewed.
SOUTHERN LITERATURE.
lido not forget Poe, whose verse is regarde d
as the first fair flower OF American poetry In
noets. Timrod. Lanier, Ryan, Randall. Nor
do forget Southern writer's Of fiction: Page.
Simms, Kennedy, Amele, Rives. Harden
and Others South Carolina may we'll bel
proud of McCrady's History, monument OF
learning and industry and accuracy, and OIL
Mrs. Ravenel's charming Life OF Eliza Pinck
ney; and OF Scherer's admirable books about
Japan. And Joel handler Harris and
Thomas Dixon and Woodrow Wilson and
many other Southerners are doing honor 10
the land of their birth by their literary
work. .
But after all this and more ia said, 1t must
still Se confessed that the South has not done
full OF In tne T
of. f.Columb bia. was not altogether In the wrorg
when he penned the quaint couplet:
ALIAS for the South! Her books have grown
fewer
She never was much given 10 literature"
Her highest genius, her greatest efforts have
ten pded more to actlop and public life than 10
literary work. Fond Of reading though she
ls and eager to taste the sweets OF bellies let
terR. she ia for the most part contented to do
with literature as she does with corp-to con.
aume more than she Produces and TO pay
utherssto produce 1t for her.
A LITERARY RENAISSANCE.
Such was Scotland before the renaissance
brought about by the genius Of Burns and
Scott Scotland and everything Scottish
seemed destined to be buried In the grave OF
the bapless Stuarts. Her national character
thr eated with extinction, by being merged
submerged and lost in the union with
England. The Scottish language was re-
garded vulgar by Scottish writer's OF prose
tionR we're absentees in London. But the
heart of the Scottish people remained true
and leal; and at the appointed time. out OF
the fullness OF that heart and mouth speaks
Hear what he said.
81 mind it we'll in early date
When l was beardless, young and blate
And first could thresh the barn
Fen then wish. mind its power,
A wish that 10 my latest hour
shall strongly heave my breast
That I, for puir auld Scotland's sake,
Some useful plan or book could make,
Or sing a sang at least"
With that patriotic desire In his breast,
his poetic genius WAS touched as with q live
coal from of the altar, and Robert Burns re-
stored Scotland TO life and Immortality.
PREsEsvE SOUTHERN CHARACTERISTICS
The South has never been In so bad q case
as the Scotland Of that time was: but is she
not in danger OF being so merged into the
great body OF this Union that her individu.
ality Will be lost, and all that was and IL dis
tinctively Southern overshadowed and for
gotten?-a fate to be deplored by all patriotic
Soulherners. There is much that is distinc-
lively Southern in the life OF the Southern
States-all those ties ofsympathy which COM
mon aims and common dangers bound
around them and formed them into South
ern unity an union which the furnace OF q
four years war and the hammer OF an adverse
fate only welded the closer and flrmer. The
Mason and Dixon Line may be like the
Equator, an imaginary line; but, like the
the South. There is an organic community
ofthought, feeling and life In these Southern
States Of which communities and States less
homogeneous have no understanding. Let
"sold South" it's the part OF true Southerners
to pourish and cherish 1t as they would their
very LIES blood. twill be sad day for the
South and bad day for the Union when
ably merged in the United States; when. this
great Republic shall be as monotonous as
Western prairie and the Inhabitants shall
present the sameness OF clothespins in row.
CULTIVATE SOUTHERN LITERATURE.
How can 30 undesirable fate be avoided?
Chiefly by the genius and the pen OF the men
and all women OF the South who will devote
themselves TO literary work, and write and
publish books that shall be racy of the soil
of the South. Will any of you graduates or
undergraduates OF the College enter this field
Of literary labor? How better could you
spend the time between College and Marriage
than by engaging earnestly In this work?
And what a field for literary culture the
South presen ts-a fairer or more fertile field
never tempted the fancy and the pen Of man.
What say 10 you now on this subject said
to the young men Of Erskine College more