The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-02

or events, customs and habits with
which ! am familiar. Some years ago
l was asked by distinguished and
scholarly Virginian, long resident in
y orth Carolina, to write a paper on
THE Civilization of Granville County,
in the past, saying that probably /
was best equipped for such an UNDER
taking of any then living man" He
said he had been led to believe that it
was a civilization of a high and ex-
traordinaTy kind. / do not know a
living native OF Granville who is really
well furnished for such a work. My
personal friend. accomplished and
able, with excellent style, Mr.. o. w.
Blacknan of Kittrell, could do the
work excellently if he were old enough
to go back to 1910, i'm his remem-
brance, or if supplied with the needed
memorabilia of others. If my health
not good, and life, very uncertain,
should permit such an excursion into
the past, may try my prentice hand"
at such work, but not on such a scale
of elaboration and amplitude as. the
theme might require. IN the mean
time permit me to indulge in some
thing incoherent and discursive.
The past and present is ever fas-
cinating theme to a genuine Tar
Heel" who remains faithful to the
past Of North Carolina in spite of
e
lization of the present, for he is ma
tive here and to the manner born.
Much appears in the newspapers now
by present writer's, who know but lit
tie personally of the past, of living
men-men at the fore who are un-
der forty, and are supposed to be the
only nation builders left, and the only
creative powers in the land, the fell
lows beyond that delectable and auspi-
cious age being strictly of the past,
exploded torpedoes, WORKOUT time
servers Anticipated fossils, vapid,
WobbleTS and sycophantS. But 1t pays
to look back some times, and lie is
indeed but "a sorry specimen OF ag-
gressiVe humanity who has no anceS-
try no love of the past with it's ira
ditions and principles and deeds and
faiths. There have been men Of the
strong, noble type in the. South, and in
North Carolina, be it said-men OF
high merit, the real gift of Heaven
men of reflection, of ripe experience,
of marked wisdom, of noble, COM
manding souls, of force and infieXf-
bility of character-men of actions,
looks. words, by which you may spell
character" Longfellow. with an OPP
timistic feeling. wrote: Look not upon
the past" But there is really a vast
deal in the past of any people or
country that is worth knowing, worth
studying. 1t is wise to take views
of men and their governing motives
and principles of the years gone by,
and study them in the light of past ex-
perience and observation In 1902,
/ wrote for newspaper: Sometimes
we think of writing a series of short
papers on men of mark before our
own day as of some we have known.
If we had abundant leisure we would
like to make an excursion into the past
and be reminiscent. We would under
take in year or so to prepare vol
ume of sketches of men who were in
fuential and imposing. If we had all
the editorials and paragraphs we nave
written in thirty years of George u.
Badger we believe they would make
forty or fifty pages in a magazine. We
do not think we have enough saved
of these contributions to print two
pages, so careless have we BEEN" But
asI wrote in The News and Observer
of myself some few months since: Il
have been q planner and not build
err" In the summer of 1876, | wrote
for the Oxford Torchlight, six sketches
of then living North Carolinians,
among them Hon. George Davis and
Hon. Montford McGehee. The latter
wrote to me suggesting that | under
take at least one volume of studies
of North Carolinians. | began to con-
slider this suggestion intending TO be-
gin with General William r. Davie,
and closing with Hon. William a. Ora
ham in 1876. / think it probable that
by the end of 1873, / would have had
at least one volume in the press. But
ii was not to be. | was editing our
Living and Our Dead" and the "Edu-
cational Journal" published by Col. ).
d. Pool. They failed, the question of
bread became urgent, l was invited
to Wilmington to edit daily, and in
September. 1876, / became identified
with Wilmington, and my pleasant
scheme was destroyed! And SO it had
been with two other literary projects.
And now it is the seer and yellow
leaf" with me. Times wrinkles will
not out.
1t would be well for North Carolina
if her people had taken more interest
in her history, in the fame of her
foremost men in the past, and If they
had builded more monuments in MEM
DRY of her greatest. most imperial sons.
/ could name a half dozen or dozen,
who deserve to be so honored now
There is q great movement on at pres
ent. For six or eight years there mas
been a great stirring of the natives,
and historic, and many pro
ducts are the necessary outcome OF
the promising agitation, and several
of real merit.
Many of the best, most important
men in the past are known to 1nteill-
gent citizens. Mr.. r. b. Creasy's late
work, SO full of pleasurable informa-
ton and engaging gossip, tells of many
of them, and of really gifted sons In
the Albemarle section of whom intel
ligent men even in other sections know
but little, if they had even ever heard
of them. l am glad that as | read
the agreeable narratives that 1 read
of many of whom / had some previous
knowledge. 1t would be a source of
pride and pleasure if every member of
the present generation should become |
familiar with the reputa-
tons and services of those generously |
and eloquent sons, who once |
moved upon the stage of action with |
so much of character, influence, |
power and fame. In the past North |
Carolina was justly or unjustly charged |
with being Indifferent to the merits,
success, and regulations of her sons.
AS Henry Clay once said of his native I
Virginia, so it might have been said in
North Carolina, in one sense at least
that of generous and ready apprecia-
lion: 1T is a good State 10 move