The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-22

any. / judge this to have been the
! fact from comparison of the re-
ports in the Register of Debates with
the remarkable fame of the speaker
not only in his own State and at Wash
ington, but throughout the country. 1t
would seem either that he was hard
to take" or there was possibly some
reason for the thing of which we are
not Informed. Reporting in those
days was happy-go-lucky very often.
Some orators We're treated very kind
ly, getting large space and apparently
carefully prepared reports. The re-
porting was for long while done by
the editors of the Washington news
papers, especially by Mr.. Gales, of
the National Intellisencer. 1t is known
that number of the greatest speeches
delivered before 1880 were never re-
ported at all. I will venture to say
on the strength of every thing we know
of Senator Mangum that the speeches
as recorded on the notification debates
of 1928 do not by any means rep
resent his literary power, however cor
rect they may be as a statement or
his views. In my History of the Sec
tional Struggle: Early Tariffs and Null
lification,' / have given from the
Register of Debates an account OF
Senator Mangum's arguments, alons
with much other augmentation OF
that titanic discussion in Congress.
Heretofore, in letter to the News
and Observer. / have laid stress upon
Judge Gaston's Congressional speeches
and his standing among the great men
of his period. / will here add word.
The tradition of this illustrious and
upright character of the older Carolina
has not done him injustice. On the
contrary, no one is more wildly re-
memberad in the national capital gos-
sip than this descendant Of the Hugue-
nots. He is popularity regarded in
Washington as possibly the most emil
nent of our great North Carolina civil
lians. His memory may have Deen
more certainly kept alive by the fact
that one of the universities mere,
Georgetown Catholics. has named III
his honor memorial hall. Of course
the great men from the State VINO
held the office Of Secretary OF the
Navy impressed themselves distinctly
on the oldest inhabltant' and that one
of them, Governor Graham, VINO
opened Japan to the word, VIII never
be forgotten within any reasonable
limit of time. OF course such a re-
rervation must be made, because IL TINS
republic lives to be Us old as that of
Rome we will have many things to
remember. Of Governor Graham let
me say, in conclusion, / think when
] saw him on the North Carolina raj
road one night during the Civil war
ne was the grandest looking mortal
on whom my eyes ever rested. Since
that time / have seen no more Splendld
face or pose of the head or carriage
of the whole man.
fayx h.,Va
scene large number of very emil
nent ministers of the gospel in North
Carolina some of whom have left
their imprint on the history of the
State. When / was little fellow, just
beginning to go to camp meetings
Father Jimmie Reid. immediate an
cestor of Rev. Fletcher On. F) Reid.
was an apostolic, white haired preach
er in his later seventies / saw him
at old Rock Spring church, near Hen
derson, leaning on long walking
stick nearly as tall as his shoulder.
Perhaps | did not near him preach.
though later / was a great admirer
of his more distinguished son. Among
the big Methodist ministers of my
boyhood none had higher rank, es-
pecially with other denominations
than Dr. Numa Fletcher Reid, of Rock
ingham, afterward Thomasville. Later
L
son at Wilmington. once only ! heard
Rev Dr. Charles +. Deems, and then
after he had left the state, | think.
He had shortly before been president
of a female college at Wilson. DR..
Deems was not great orator, but
an excellent preacher. [ thought ms
writing better even than his preach
ing But then l only heard him once,
at Brinkleyville, Halifax county, while
l have read many of his periodical and
newspaper articles and one of his
books, his very interesting Life of
Jesus. A man cannot safely judge
from one or two instances. Of the
younger Methodist preachers of that
time Rev. Charles Dodson, seemed
promising. He had real gifts. Rev
Cornelius b. KRiddick. ID. d., was per-
haps the most brilliant Methodist pull
pit orator | knew at that time il
North Carolina. but he was engaged
principally in teaching. Rev. Thomas
Pegram. of the Methodist Protestant
church, had quite vogue and was a
good sermoniser. / cannot off-hand
name them all.
OF the leading Baptists | thought
Rev. DIR. Hiden, then of Wilmington.
was the ablest | heard preach in
those days.
DR.. A. w. Miller, of Charlotte filed
the same place in the Presbyterian
church except that in DR.. Joseph F..
Atkinson. DR.. Hill. or Fayetteville, and
Oxford and perhaps one or two 9th
ers he had rivals in my opinion. Young
DR.. Lacy was just beginning to preach.
In the Protestant Episcopal church
the finest preachers for all occasions
was the venerable and much beloved
Bishop Atkinson. There was always
instruction in his sermons. His man
~. f,tli .Nf
manly graces and Christian amenity.
/ suppose there never biea thed :.
better man. In his home he was de-
lightful to those who had the pleas
ure of visiting there. Rev. Dr. Al
fred Watson. since Bishop of East
Carolina, was a man of great learn
ing and a preacher of considerable