The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-29

cred thick about him, he could say:
"11e. who shapes the beauty Of the
/ rose
And sheds its leaves, is Wisdom and
He reiglis,
and he ever felt that mans destiny is
| in Cod
| The Handbook" Of the Methodist
| e. Church. South in North Carolina,
| for 1905. contains 176 pages, octave.
| 1t is edited by Rev, 7, y, lr3y, j..
D.. editor of The Raleigh Christian
| Advocate" 1t Is well executed
| throughout. and will be found valuable
as it embodies a great deal CT infor-
nation not to be otherwise obtained
| from one source, 1t has well exc
| cuted portrait OF Bishop @. P. Fitz-
| gerald. the one native Of North Caro-
| lima now in the l3ptscdpate He is
| minister of age. of experience, of con-
| secraton, Information and ability is
a true Methodist of the genuine type,
| and OF the old Wesleyan school, and is
most wisely and faithfully a strong
| friend and advocate of the almost eX-
| tinct Class Meeting in our Southland.
| He furnishes a capital short article for
| THE Handbook" headed Ten Rea-
| sons for a Glass Meeting Revival" !
| do not know how many Methodist.
| Class Meetings exist in the South now
possibly not $50 all told, but in the
home of Notwithstanding land Of John
and Charles Wesley, OF Richard Wat
son and Adam Clark, and Thomas o.
Summers. there are now $4,000 held
regularly. What 81 sad departure from
| the good "old ways there is now in
the South.
Thomas Dixon. Jr.'s, new novel,
The ClSnsman,' is out and selling.
The New York publishers thus early
claim for Il that it is "the big novel of
it is a romantic love-story which
shows Abraham Lincoln as the drue
friend Of the South, and reveals the
work and spirit OF the Ku KluX Klan
which destroyed reconstruction" 1t
would be truer to say that it squeiched
the negro midnight deNiliSh meetings
protected the homes, and did much
for liberty and the state. | know
what a power II was in Tennessee in
1868, no useful and disciplinary. with
General Bedford Forrest, the greatest
soldier at the head Of the GO. 900 drill
ed men. ] spent seven months in Tell
nessee in that year, travelling much.
Mr.. Dixon i'm his preface states the
motive of his book, all Southern, and
it is highly interesting, and il well
based and expressed it will be read
with intense interest in the South. The
North may read too, and perhaps as
usual, to deride and scott. l quote
from him:
The Clansman is the second book
Of a series of historical novels planned
on the race conflict. The Leopard's
Spots was the statement in historical
outline of the condition OF the negro
from the Acknowledgement 10 the dis
acknowledgements. The ClanSman de-
velops the true story of the I<u klux
Khan which overturned the revolution
regime. | have sought to preserve
in this romance both the letter and
the spirit of this remarkable period.
The men who enact the drama of
fierce revenge into which l have woven
g double love story are historical fig
ures. / have merely changed their
names without taking a liberty With
any essential historic fact, In the
darkest hour of the life OF the South,
when her wounded people lay help
less amid rags and ashes under the
beak and talon of the vulture, sud-
denly from the mist OF the mountains
appeared q white cloud the size Of a
mans hand. Tt grew until its mantle
of mystery EMBODIED the stricken earth
and sky. An Invisible Empire had
risen .frQm the field, of. Dea tb and
challenged the Visible to mortal COM
bat. How tile, young South, led by
\
of Old Scotland, went forth under
this cover and, against overwhelming
odds, daring exile. ilnprisOnment, and
a felon's death saved the life Of y peo
PIE forms one tCf the most dramatic
chapters in the history OF the Aryan
race"
The census of 1900 settled the cues
ton of the comparative prevalence OF
illiterarcy in the several states. In
1890, North Carolina appeared next 10
the lowest state in illiteracy. But ten
years later---in 1900--all this WAS
changed, and our dear old state had
forged ahead so rapidly that il no
longer was almost at the very end OF
the alphabet Of States in its Ignorance
and unlettered children. Strange TO
say, in nearly five years after tho
reversal of conditions, but few North
Carolinians appear to be Informed as
to a most important change and i'm
proyement. Five years ago next July
the census was taken, when il was
made clear that there were actually
eleven States that were below the
status Of North Carolina. whose per-
Ccntage Of illiterates was 2S.I, while
Alabama showed "a: Arizona, 20;
Georgia 80; Louisiana. $50: Mississip-
ri, go; New Mexico, 33.2; South Caro-
lima. 35.9 AS to attendance in the
public schools North Carolina is
greatly advanced, and fifteen states
fall below its record. and Of these
thirteen are Northern and six of these
the boastful New England States. The
States below North Carolina are Ohio.
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. Wisconsin.
Minnesota, Missouri, Delaware Mary
land, and every one Of the New Eng
land States. North Carolina is still
on the upward grade, and if a census
were to be taken next july. | doubt
not that it would show q greater ad-
vance and would be in illiteracy and
school attendance ahead OF other
States not given above. l got the
figures used from the Concord (E. Co
Times. There is an unmistakable cdu-
cational awakening in this state, and
| Excelsior is the ringing cry
The Child-work question is widely
discussed in North Carolina now. The
treatment Of children in England up
TO about 1910, was hardly worthy Of
savages. 1t is much better now. The
way the poor children have been dealt
with in the boastful. arrogant North
is Hottentotish. In the South the
imitation of the wrong doing has been
not I lot MI Il L.,