The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-05-20


the Jealous and testing.
Charlotte Presbyterian Standard. May II.
Another anniversary of the DecIara-
tiOn OF Independence by Mecklenburg
will he Celebrated in this historic city
the Goth of May. The day is almost
here This day has become one OF
the most historic and really inspiring
OF all the historic days of the passing
years. Its accuracy may be ques-
toned by the votaries Of the church
who opposed the declaration and
fought on the other side in the strug-
gle which it pT'ecipitated, but the
great majority of those who have
weighed facts judically have long
since accepted the date as entitled to
be considered fact Of history. But
as another has said with his facile
and graceful pen:
ct is possible that the testing
references by the newspapers ofChar-
lOtte and other communities to the
mythical character of the Mecklen-
burg Declaration may be taken
seriously by some readers. 1t is
clear that some papers outside OF the
State have already been misled; for
example, the New York american,
yellowest of the yellow journals, says
that Outside of North Carolina the
Mecklenburg Declaration is regarded
as a superstition, having it's source
in the invidious pride of the Tar Heel
State. The tradition that certain
patriotic farmers of Mecklenburg
County, in North Carolina, declared
their independence of Great Britain,
in May, 1775-a round year and
more before the world famous Phila-
delphia manifesto-is treated with
disdainful incrpdulity.' In view of ir-
responsible statements of this char
acter, even in papers Ofthe unenviable
class to which the american belongs,
it may not be without interest to
note with what full confidence the
leading American Of the present time
affirms the aut thenticity of the Decla-
ration, not merely in the fugitive
paragraphs OF q newspaper, but in
his well-considered and permanent
contributions to history and litera-
ture; for example, let any one turn to
the first volume of Mr.. Roosevelt s
Winning of the West and observe
the manner of his reference to the
Mecklenburg Declaration, not as a
thing in controversy, whose realty
can be questioned, but as an indubi-
table historical fact. For our pos
session OF the vast territory lying be-
tween the Blue Ridge mountains and
the Mississippi river and between the
Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico,
he says with truth that we are in
debted chiefly to the Scotch-Irish peo.
pie. His calling them the Presby-
terian Irish may be slightly mislead
ing. They were people Of pure
Scotch strain, who settled in the
North of Ireland and who were, there
fore, called the Scotch-Irish. The
name does not mean that there was
any intermingling of the two races
the Scotch and the Irish. There was
not. In using the term Irish te
designate these people to whom the
country is SO largely indebted, We
must remember that they were of {
totally different strain from the great
body of the people who are called by
that name, and of a totally differen1
type of religion. 1t would have beer
better had Mr.. Roosevelt referred tt
them always as the Presbyterian
Scotch Irish, instead of the Presby
terian Irish. The former designa
tion is we'll established. and, in fact
is almost universally employed.
1.-The backwoodsmen were Ameri
cans by birth and parentage, and O
mixed race; but the dominant straiI
i'm their blood was that of the Pres
byterian Irish-the Scotch-Irish, a
they were often called. Full credi
has been awarded the Roundhea'
and the Cavalier for their leadershi
in our history; nor have we bee
altogether blind to the deeds OF tn
Hollander and the HugnenOt; but i
is doubtful if we have wholly realized
the Importance of the part playe
by that stern and virile people, tn
Irish, whose preachers taught th
creed of Knox and Calvin. Thes
Irish representatives of the Covenar
ters were in the West almost wha
the Puritans were in the Northeast
and more than the Cavaliers were i
the South. Mingled with the descend
ants of many other races, the
nevertheless formed the kernel of tn
distinctively and intensely America
stock who were the pioneers of ou
people in their march Westward, th
vanguard of the army of fightin
settlers who with axe and rifle wo
their way from the Alleghanies TO th
Rio Grande and the Pacific.
Among the dozen or so mos
prominent backwoods pioneers of th
West and Southwest, the men VIII
: were the leaders in exploring and Sc
! tling the lands, and in fighting tt
Indians, British and Mexicans, I'll
| Presbyterian Irish stock furnishe
| Andrew jackson, Samuel Houston
Won't Slight A Good Friend.