The news & observer., 1905-10-19

the name of William A Graham, one
Of the orginators thereof. was not
mentioned. What a flood of light the
Cape Fear Mercury of June 8, 1775,
would throw upon a mooted page in
our history, and yet how Characters
tic of North Carolina that it was lost
for more than a century! If the Ma
tional Declaration of independence
had been promulgated in North Caro-
lima would we have been at the pains
to preserve the same or even an au-
thentic account thereof? 1T may be
doubted if the marriage licenses of a
dozen North Carolina couples-issued
prior TO the year 1900 are in existence
today And as to the literary remains
of our most fertile scholars-like the
man caught in the Kansas cyclone
there are no remains! One would
think that a spirit of vanity Or OF
family pride would prompt our peo-
pie to put aside and safely keep all lit
,erary, legal political, historical or
biographical material produced by or
concerning ones immediate relatives,
and 70 file away letters written at
critical periods of the States history
or of the individual's life But the
contrary seems to be the rule with US
in North Carolina. This lack of ma
terial shows itself when the biography
of any of our sons is undertaken. Ex-
James Iredell, we have no North
Carolina biography. We have not
lacked great men in our midst. In
my opinion q we'll digested life of Il.
3. Vance, setting forth his sturdy and
rugged qualities as the leader of a
people who for a third of a century
found in him their ideal would add
to an understanding of our States real
greatness. What Il charming book
could have been made of the lives OF
North Carolina's Chief Justices or OF
her Governors or Of her Senators If
the material had been preserved. This
lack of material may be noted in an
attempt to write the Life of Nathaniel
Macon. who seems to have regarded
man to preserve any memorial of
himself. Think of the modesty Of
Raleigh's noble philanthropist, Stan
hope Pullen and of James H. Horner,
Thomas Ruffin, Jr., or of scores and
scores of other distinguished sons OF
the State--including Macop himself
who would not consent to have any
likeness of themselves taken so that
we can but guess at their features
Contrast this with Morley's statement
that he had two to three hundred
thousand papers of Gladstone from
which TO write his life. Lack of State
pride is Droverbial in North Carolina.
I'VE are proud that we nave no
pride" North Carolinians love North
Carolina-they love her with ten
derness and devotion that is not sur
passed, but they laugh in their sleeves
ut any man or set OF men who under
takes the routine work of gathering
material for writing her history
Our Pride is individual or Local.
Since the davs of 1775 NorthCarolina
has not looked with kindly eye upon
any kind Of restraint. Each man of
MS carries his sovereignty under his
hat. In a general sort OF way, he is
proud that he lives in the Cane Fear
Section or that he s of Scotch-lrish
descent, or he brags about the beauties
of Asheville or Raleigh or the wealth
Of Durham, or of the growth of Char
lotte or Greensboro, and he honors
the memory Of her dead heroes. but
if you invite him to join al historical
or literary society, With all it's dreary
details of Il president and secretary,
fof committees and raoor~ 10 be writ
ten and material to be collected
why that is quite another proposition
he would turn that over to the
Ladies' Aid Society, and call his dog