The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-05

"0Aieo. MOI HllS years ago, but
right now. To one who was born in
the South, and has lived here all his
days. whose fathers were slave own
erS, VINO himself remembers something
OF the SYSTEM but never in his
life has seen a negro "fogged,' such
downright, diaboIical lying (pardon
the rough. but pure Saxon. nothing
else fts,) is u~nthinkably n~auseating.
Ard yet we may we'll suppose that this
stupid. but wicked, falsehood is ac-
cepted by thousands in the soul-af-
limited North, who believe every thing.
but that God exists and this is his
world.
Now and again, some ~Southerner
escapes across the border, al j we be-
gin to hear of "intellectual ~erlancipa-
ton already giving me great joy
raw, rural society where Gin the
South) there was a suppression of
thought [ take these extracts from
Worth, being the a%utobiog-
raphy of a Southerner," heretofore
published in book form, but now ap-
pearing s~erially IN the Charlotte OBJ
server.
Nicholas Worth, it is understood, is
Mr.. Walter II. Page, the able and &C
complished editor Of the Worlds
Work, himself a North Carolinian
tby BIRTH and one with whom | am
glad to have a slight acquaintance in
the years gone by. I have read tie
book, which is nightly laudatory of the
Northern people. giving little praise to
the South. and this, when given, be-
ms with a Observation-Disclosures
tone, which is little short of contempt
uous. Nicholas thinks the Civil War
was a costly and most fearful blum
der. SO now we all think. He is
greatly distressed that the Confeder-
ate generals, colonies, majors, zap
tains, ~lieutenants, (but mainly the
generals and coIonels) claimed and
took all the best civil offices in the
years Immediately following the war.
God bless the dear old fellows. we
had nothing else to give them to show
our appreciation of their sacrifices n
sunerings. Besides. the same quail
tiles which made them lead in war,
would most naturally bring them to
the front in civil life.
We dare say that many of the con-
ditions then existing, and some Of
which describes, were not
healthful. but the difference betWeen
him and some Of the others of US,
was this: He saw. disapproved, n
went away. to criticize and condemn.
Some of us also saw. disapproved. but
remained to work for Improvement.
And We have improved, to the point
that Mr.. Pages thrusts will not hurt
US as once they could and did.
The South, and North Carolina es-
recialIy. is resurgent. We are rising,
materially, socially. oducationally, po-
litically, intellectually. There is no IN
tellectuaI emancipation permitted to
Nicholas Worth in New York. which
today he could not have in North Car
DINA: and If part of this emancIpa-
ton be to deny the inspiration OF the
Holy Scriptures, as would seem to be
the case. Nicholas can come back and
lave this too-his enjoyment of it
here, or elsewhere, or hereafter. be-
ing another matter. Nor Is there
suppression of thought in our rural
society,"" except as to those things
about which God-fearing. decent peo-
pie ought not to think, do not wish
to think.
1t might be added that nowhere,
in this State. could there be found ig-
norance so raw as hat of the "cul-
tured'' Boston lady. visited by Nlcho-
las. who didn't know that poor coun-
try people in the South had churcheS
of their own. or religion of any kind.
These same poor country people are
better informed about the churches in
her country. even to that of Joseph
Smith. the Mormon. and others which
might be mentioned, did space per-
NIT.
The rapid accumulation of wealth
in the hands of the favored few, while
the masses are liz poverished. usually
accompanies, if it does not cause, the
suppression Of thought, but communl-
ties in which there is a fair division
Of the returns of labor are, oTdlnar-
ily. those communities in which there
is the greatest intellectual 1ndepen-
dence. Concrete examples: In North
Carolina we have few, If any, million
aires: the people are prosperous and
every man votes as he pleaSes. IN
PENNSYLVANIA where multi-millionaires
abound many thousands Of the people
are very, very poor, n they vote
as the bosses order.
IF to general material prosperity YOU
ado the characterization OF knoWl-
edge YOU have the ideal common
wealth. A few facts and figures to
show that we ave been fairly success
full in bringing about a combination
of these happy conditions, and l am
done.
About the time Mr.. Page left US