The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-18
A NORTH CAROLINA BOOK
THAT ALL SHOULD READ.
BY Dr.. 7. B. Kingsbury.

were extinct there, / would terrify my
self with this sketch of mine; it would
heal me, and give me my feelings
back"
Tom Dixon's "Clansman" is in its
sixth edition. Yankeedoodledom has
not succeeded III putting out it's light
Uncle Toms Cabin" is good enough
for them. He has now new small
volume out called THE Life Worth
Living" 1t is not novel, but it shows
what the author calls the horrors Of
city life. There will be other chapters
on Beside Beautiful Waters, Some
Sins of Nature The Shouts of Child
rem, In the Haunts of Wild Fowl
What is Life? ETC. l get this from
the New York Saturday Review.
Ellen Glasgow, one of Virginia's
three or four successful novelists-
Miss Mary Johnson, Page, the married
lady who figured quite prominently a
few years ago, as a novelist, but whose
name / do not recall-has new novel
ready,s and is thought to be probably
her best book SO far. She has decid-
Ell talents, but l can not write of her
books as 1 have read none Of them.
A writer from Burlington, Vermont,
writes to the New York Saturday
Review asking about the States that
were first to abolish imprisonment TO.
debt. except in cases of fraud. He
gives this information: '"The Wash
ington National Intelligencer of Au-
gust Is, 1927, says the legislation of
North Carolina on this subject in 1923.
puts to shame the barbarous policy
which prevails in nearly all the States
OF the Union, and even fingers on tn"
statute books of the General Govern
ment. We are glad to perceive, how
ever that public attention Is awake
to the subject. 1t was the custom in
North Carolina for many years to con-
fine a debtor within prison bounds,
en- bond, for twenty days previous to
his taking the oath of insolvency
am doubtful as to that statement, as
have some recollection of an acquaint-
ance of my boyhood, who was impris-
oned for debt in Nashville Jail, and |
, think not later than 1910 or 1912.
could mention his name, but forbear
| for he was a man with many estimable
| qualities. l have the impression
given, but / was not more than
| twelve or fourteen The Saturday Re-
view says that Col. Richard Nj. John
! son, of Kentucky, said in the United
! States Senate that Kentucky had
| abolished the system and he under
/; Stool ;hJi Miss )uri "a q North Giro
! lima had also done SO.
| Many of my old friends have died
\
senior and others were close up to my
own age, in 18th year and not far off.
recall General NJ w. Ransom. Rev.
| DR.. Thomas II. Skinner Colonel Frank
| NJ. Parker, General Cullen A. Battle.
! Judge Howard, DR.. John I. Bellamy,
| Major W. M. Robbins and Capt. Alex
ander +. Spencer. ] knew some of
them from my boyhood. Others
had known for forty years and others
| for a less time. With some / was OH
/ very intimate terms. and my relations
| with all were most kindly and un~
| broken. Most of them. perhaps all,
were Christian believers, and had
! made their calling and election sure.
| 1t is painful to one who is old to see his
! companions of other years. and friends
always, passing over into the Promised
Land If ready there is no cause real
| ly for sorrow or regret. The thing for
| each to do is to be fully prepared for
| the inevitable departure and the great
and glorious change | had referred to
some of these before. | cherish their
memories.
An educated young lady recently
| asked me if | could tell here the
| names of the leading newly published
novels | answered that | did not read
such issues from the teeming press,
| but / could ascertain the names Tor
| her. BY referring to the opinions OF
newspapers and periodicals one could
| find out from them and from tho
publishers statements, what was the
| greatest selling novel, of the season.
what was the greatest novel of the
| YEAR and so on. Their name is le-
| gion. / told her that by consulting
| the New York ''Bookman" for the last
| five years she could see every month
| what were the six greatest selling
| novels of the preceding month. After
| two, three or four months these dis
| appeared forever, and others TOOK
| their places. Ephemeral is written
/ over their names. In a few weeks or
| months they are gone, and the places
/ that knew them shall know them no
| more forever. They are transitoryA as
| the seasons, and the "immortals are
/ clothed with "sackcloth and ashes
/ and are showed aside to make room for
1 other patches of books eually as tran
| STORY and worthless. In the mean
/ time the good novels and the great
l novels live still and are read by the
| thousands as they were in the past