The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-20

The News and Observer. There ara
many other articles ! tsHuk ~ i high
order Of excellence IU the tA8 N0l-
umes. now neglected doubt 81 4a3.
one would be able tu discover la them
SUch exhibitions OF crudenr~~ aHd uu-
trained power. as 10 lead him ta sup-
pose That thtN are the productions Uf
a mere youth. and yrt nearly an Atr.
written bsfol, his tNvHD-thirl year
! really belieN, tE4t thes, writings .Ei-
d"nCt the art a~ Il critic. showing lH.
sight ANA rare powers OF ~IutrrprttA-
ton. lie il argumrntatiNt. subtle
ana glowing. IL ~itZeS uT0n In. ~4-
authors, and brings them out with
much clearness Of statement. | sup
pose his chiefest excellence lies in his
analytical powers. and in his ability
- think IN language of real beauty and
finish. II certainly was not a frequent
occurrence when among eontempor-
aries, and the best poetic contributors
to the Reviews and M~onthlies. that
critical essays of cqual force aud fe-
.licity appeared. MacauIay. Carlyle.
Sir James Stevens. Lord Jeffrey and
some others surpassed the young ,s-
sayist ana critic. but they preceded
him. But III Biographical criticism
tIAt 3ItHllIlS tI biography Win anal
ysis OF genius. style and character,
there were u few writer's between
1850 II 1880. Who surpassed Baynt.
If you would see the elimination 81
this kind Of critical writing read car.
lyle on Burns. Walter Scott and.
Goethe and A~facaulay's Incompatible.
ESSAYS upon Bacon. Give and Hast
ings But these were before Bayne.
/ have written OF Bayne for q double.
purpOSe / seek To make my weekly
contributions as varied as possible.
and | have a constant desire To inform.
| wish To give a hint TO those OF my
readers who buy good books, those OF
litertry merit as Well as of usefulness
1t is a good thing not To buy a poor
work. Get the very best ON every sub
ject. Remember il takes as long time
to read an inferior work as it does to
read one Of n superior quality. Buy
but little Of current trash and works
manufactured for sale, TO catch the
unWary and uncuItiVated. Do not
spend your mone for latter-day,
publications. and neglect
the masters, the books OF power ana
genius. Do not buy books that impair
the mind. pervert the taste. abuse,
emasculate, debauch.
l know but little Of Mr.. Bayne since
1863. when he published the last |criti-l
paper 1 nave read from him. How
long he survived, where he died. WhatI
he published later | know not. III
not seen him referred. 20 in per-
thirty years. | know that upon
tn melancholy death Of the lamenteG
and superbly gifted Hugh Miller, Mr..
Bayne succeeded him as editor Of the
Edinburgh Witness" a publication of
much merit in it's day. That was long
ago. i have no biographical cyclopoe-
at hand. and do not know when
his happened. 500 after our great
war | remember to have seen ii men
toned that Mr. Bayne had lost ground,
~relapsed from his high Christian
views and had become a disciple Of the
French sceptic, Auguste Compile, be-
whom so many gifted, distin-
guished British authors, about that
time or later became PROSTATE. ! do
know how far Bayne went in his
departure from the solid Biblical faith.
whether his French Positiveism
lasted through his life or passed away
IS 4 temporary theory loaded with in
idel dynamite, at once baleful and
deadly, so destructive TO human happi-
less. purity and usefulness, and the
pest interests OF the soul. It would
indeed be a very sad condition for
ne whose early writings have such
ldmirable religious fervor. and such
}eryading beauty of thought ana *
| consulted an Universal
ryclopoedia Of Literature" but did
rot find Bayne among hose treated
#. | wish 10 learn more Of his life
must hope that ne retraced
lis steps and found the Christ, the
MY genuine, safe. sure foundation.
nd that he used his truly brilliant
zen in defending the blessed and
,l~oIious truths of inspiration that are
o ~gladdening. so glorious. so un-
Manageable. If it be true that 10
wandered away IN the Old Paths,
nd became an alien. an enemy and
n outcast, / must hope that by the
aving grace Of Jehovah he was
'escued, and 50 changed that his life
ever after mid with Christ in
Tod" 1t would be sad TO me if | had
O conclude that his soul was forever
.arkened, and he lived in sin and fell
I last with his bright understanding
hanged. and darkened by the very !
lare Of the false light and glare Of
consuming infidelity. | do
know when it was that he fell un- !
er the vitiating power Of Compte. {
last intelligence l have Of Bayne
certainly as late as 1863. | find that J
i May 1859, an essay Of his appeared {
1 an American magazine. and this IS |
ne last Of his productions that | ever {
aw or read or heard Of. 1t IS headed.
\ Few Words on Modern Doubt.
here is nothing in that excellent ar :
10 justify q belief that he had !
eparted from the faith. 80 far from !
his he writes wisely. sanely. Chris
ianly. The editor Of the Monthly in
-hich we find the essay had this 10 !
1y in 1869, Of Bayne's verse. I
such a time is the present. Old
ystems and theories. political, social ?
nd ecclesiastical. are being over :
lrned; creeds and dogmas are under c
Ding revision. and by some, philo- 7
)phers and otherwise, being politely :
e. Il - <a. -Ia- EE p y
and disorder. II is not
range that men at such a time should i
e frequently overcome with manifold z
oubts, and often even go so far as c
} verge or Pyrrhonism. Peter Bayne s
as has always a good thinga good and |