The Robesonian., 1909-07-05

OnrecOrded-SOm Interesting
and Valuable History Which
illustrates What May be Done.
Correspondence of The Robesonian.
Your correspondent would like
to see some movement put on
foot ito collect into permanent
form historical data pertaining
to Robson county. We are now
more than a century old and our
people have ever been intelligent,
progressive, and a history-making
people, but have made no effort
to have their deeds recorded.
Very much has been lost already
by the delay that would be price
less to the future historian and
to those who are to come after
US of this generation. We believe
there yet can be gathered much
material of interest and value if
some concert of action is taken
and permanent organization for
the purpose effected. 1t is very
expensive to write history. One
must go from house to house,
consult old records of every kind,
trace step by step the truth of
traditions coming down to US
through the century. 1t takes
time, money, patience, courage,
power, perseverance, skill; and
last, encouragement, sympathy
and help from the people.
How would it do to organize a
county society to be known as
the "Robeson County Historical
Society,"" with branch societies
in each township?Let these branch
societies meet at regular inter-
walls and appoint those best fitted
for the purpose to prepare papers
on some past events within the
territory or to write the history
of some family which is living or
has lived within it's bounds. In
this way within a few years
much real material can be brought
forth and preserved in permanent
form. Let each society record
these papers and annually report
to the county society, where a
general record of all the work
done in the township societies
shall be kept.
1t will be interesting to have
the history OF every family, old
field school, high school, college
church, cemetery, mill, post-of-
flee, blacksmith's shop and tur-
pentine still written out in full
by some one familiar with the
facts and the traditions connect
ed Herewith, showing the in1u-
ence eXerted on our civilization
as a county. Some of these in
stitutions have passed into obliv-
ion and others are rapidly pass
ing.
To illustrate, about forty years
ago there was established about
four miles west of Red Springs a
high school for boys (the first
high school for males in the coun-
ty) by the Rev. Malcolm McNair.
He named the academy Tusculum
in honor of Cicero's country villa,
where he retired to prepare his
famous orations. This school,
with a small beginning, did very
effective work in the way of pre-
pairing boys for college or fitting
others, who were not financially
able at that time to continue thei1
studies farther than the high
school on account of the povert.
of the people just emerging from
the devastation and ruin of :
cruel war.
Mr.. McNair built a very sub
stantial, commodious building il
which to conduct the school, AM
opened his own dwelling for tn,
accommodation Of boarders,
nominal price being charged. L
that way he, in a short time, with
out any assistance, built up a fn'
school. Mr.. McNair was a mai
of high character and splendi,
attainments, a graduate Of tn
University of North Carolina i
the class with G EN- e a
Pettigrew, Senator John Poo
Hon. Oliver Dockery, and a nun
Der Of others who became famou:
He was kind in disposition,
strict disciplinarian, a lucid an
pains-taking instructor. He die
in 1874 in the meridian of h
usefulness, when his school wa
at the ood-tide of it's existence
Some of the fruits of this scho,
may be seen in the lives of thos
who were fortunate enough
have had it's influence and train
ing. Though the life of this il
stitution was comparatively sho
(about ten years., owing to tt
death of it's principal, a larg
per cent. of it's pupils have su
coeded we'll.
A number of the leading mil
listers of the Presbyterian chu1'
were prepared for college here
the Rev. Angus Mcdonald,
Nashville, Tenn; the Rev. L.
Mclean, of Baltimore, Md, Il
late Revs. F.P. Harrell and Jol
D. Currie; Rev. D. A. McRae,
Texas, and Rev. William Blac
the widely-known land much
loved synodical evangelist of
G. In almost all vocations of Ii
!: may be found men Of charact
@ and influence who obtained the
literary training at this scho
To law it gave Mr.. P. McNei