The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-17

/ fe1olcc that through many decaues
/ have learned some thing OF those
masters. and from many scores Of
other men 81 great parts, and many
with genius as Well-men who were
foremost IN theF, times. and | rejoice
IN TIA" knowledge and pleasure de
rived from such association and study.
The old laughter might return to US.
ana - one Of the characters in
Romeo and Juliet says. "thy old
%Gr"ans ring yet in my ancient ears"
If there is an ample. candid. dis
eliminating, just life Of Sir Walter
Raleigh, / do not now Of it. | mean
4 life that gives the facts, does not
distort n defend his acts, that pre-
&ents him as he was in proper coIors,
and not as either cuIogists or enemies
have presented him. Some years ago
4 work appeared in England entitled
Sir Wa}tcr Raleigh" which seems
to b" the English preference in spell
ing the nafne Of the illu&triOuS victim
Of kinGIy hate. ana who was really
a genius and was indeed. as Il writer
in LondOn Literature" said of him,
t most brilliant man Of our heroic
age He a conspicuous faults and
many virtues, and WAS as brave and
reSoIute as any EngIi&hman Of his
times. The night before he was exccu-
ted by the Infamous James /, one of
the ~nlcancSt kings in English history,
Raleigh, With evident serenity and
~unS@duccd by any suggestions of athc-
ism, wrote as follows:
"Nho in the dark and silent grave
When we have wandered all our ways,
shuts up the story of our days;
But from his earth, this grave, his
dust.
Ny God shall raise me up trust"
RaIcigh's character was defective. but
he was q very resolutc, able and
as Hume. the eminent historian OF
England. said of him, who was some
thing severe. too, upon him, that his
great misfortune was hat he became
a royal favorite. In the purely ia
tcltcCtual domain he would have been
eminent even in an Z which pos
scsscd Il Shakespeare and a Bacon.
There were few contemporaries who
could measure with him in intellect
ual endowment, in reputation and adj
venture. An able writer in London
"Literature," in 1897 said of him:
HE is the typical Elizabcthan, the
most brilliant man of our heroic age.
He first foresaW the ~conquests of the
English race and language; and
though he failed himself, ne paid fOi
his mistakes with his life"
He died heroicaIly. and most un-
justly. He never saw the North Amer
lean continent. King James was 9
very sorry fellow for q king, and he
l!:tltu lAtItiSI anu SiCN flIh | w.
in RaIciSh's last days that he under
took to write the "tiiStory Of the
World" He was in prison for mary
wears, and it was there he wrote: &c.
Flaminius. a popular man in Rome
proposed a decree which was ratified.
by the people. that besides one colony
already planted in the Senones a.
many more should be carried thither
as would serve to people the Whole
country between Ancona and Arlmin~
mu. discriminating utterly the Gau'$.
such an offer were it made in England
concerning either Virginia or Guiana
itself, would not oyerjoy the multi
tudc. But the c~ommonalty of Rome
took this in SO good a part, notWIth-
standing all danger joined with the
beneht, that Flaminius had ever at
ter their good Will
Raleigh was betrayed by his cousin
&:r Louis Stukely. and this SCAMP
died a raying lunatic lin the storm
beaten solitude Of Lundy Island
His widow. we are odd. llNed TO sec
the son OF his murderer, Charles j., q
prisoner. his captivity soon to end in
the same Heath which his base father
had dealt to her rarely gifted husband.
Green. the able and very interesting
English historian. fails to tteat
Raleigh with the ClearnP3$. fulln"SS
and appreciation that one might eN-
pect from SO excellent q writer.
turned to get something from him but
found nothing l desired.
The following vas intended for an
earlio, Issue of Tho News and OhSCry-
or. b1t \yae misIaid. feel that oven
now | must say as much as IS In the
subioined brief reference to q noble
character:
lost q friend in Rev. Thomas r.
Skinner D.. y. / knew his PERSONAL
~ as far back as 1245. | was seEeral
times his Guest, at Raleieh in 1863
ard 1866. ana at Nashville. Tenn, in
1868. | know his excellent father and
his brother William. They were 4
fine family. and my friend was blessed
with genuine nobility Of soul and with
4 lovely. genial, gracious nature. NO
one could know him We'll without be
ing drawn towards him. | merely
wish to record nay profound adfnlfa-
ton and esteem for him ana not 10 ufl-
dertake to a~naIyze his character or TO
set forth any Of the INCIDENTS OF ms
life. had MANY conversations Win
him. and believe he was a frank. az
fable. true man in every lnrh OF ms
n,al-e-up and of decided personal
noIragc' From the time he was 4
student at Bincham'S until the close
of his long and useful life, ne eEi-
dcnced ALWAYS and Jhe
eeniality and man!lneSS or ms MAKE
M. He was a @uilcless. sincere, per
pendicuIar r1an, and was an untaltef-
mo Christian. He died in .feace and
| hone of the better life beyond. |
| know of illustrative incidents OF his
career. but as ] am not Wfltlh" .
sketch but merely recording my
sincere to him | fofbe2r.
feel that we shall meet again. "Ihai
| being justified By His grace, We should
| he made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life IheSS 90
am going to invite my readers to a
hrief study of Marginalia. An EngliSl
Dissenter by the name of J. Is. VIII
liams. who was a wit. but is dead some
decade OF more, wrote: 1t is 50 easy
to be witty and wicked. and 50 nara
to be witty and wise
1t was said of the great Thacheray