The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-12-15
VALUABLE GIFTS TO THE STATE
AN IMPORTANT INNOVATION
Efforts Of DR.. Archibald Henderson,, Retiring President
of State Literary and Historical Association, Re-
warded With Notable Accessions to Hall of History

SIapll pDtiIlS, anu the line, 10 pre-
sent them to the Hall Of History. In
connection with the memorial eXer-
ciseS in honor of the late Henry
Jerome Stockard, DR.. Henderson pre-
scented the gift Of Mrs. Stockard to
the Hall of History-a handsomely
framed, autograph copy, signed, OF
~Stockard's BILE poem, which he
read at the dedication Of the Ashley
Horne monument to the Women Of
the C~onfederacy.
other Gifts.
Other gifts presented by DIR. Hen
derson at the recent meeting were an
autograph poem, in Scotch dialect, en-
titled. Told On" by <the Scotch
| man. the late John Charles Mcneil,
donated by his brother, Mr.. W. L.
McNeill, Of Wagram, n. c.; an un-
signed, y. n. B." entitled. DE Pro
fundis." written by John Henry
Boner, donated by Mrs. Stevenson, Of
Winston Salem; g. letter Of John
Henry Boner, written from Raleigh.
donated by Miss Amelia Van VleK,
OF Winston-Salenl; a portrait in tone
, OF William Sidney Porter, by the great
artist, Van Der Weyde, of New York
City, donated by Mrs. W. S. Porter;
some sheets of the autograph manu-
script of o. Henry for one Of his
famous short-stories, donated by Mr..
49, Rots 4 " IN
Worlds Work.: and two bookstore
IL presentation copy Of THE Jmpend-
ing Crisis" with The dedication and
autograph signature Of the author,
Hinton Rowan Helper; the other an
association copy OF The Sectional
Struggle" with the dedication to the
great American poet. Edmond Clar-
ence Stedman, and the autograph
signature of the author, Cicero w.
Harris, and bearing the book plate of
Stedman-both books being donated
by DR.. Archibald Henderson.
Gifts Frcm Professor Starr.
For the autograph poem and letter
OF John Henry Boner. the Hall of
History is indebted to Professor Er-
nest J.. Starr. Of Salem Academy and
College, WinSton-Salem, who was in
strumental in persuading the owners
to give them to the State. Professor
Starr also presented to the Hall Of
History, Il handsome steel engraving
Of John Henry Boner.
In a letter to DR.. Henderson, Pro
fessor Starr, who is an authority on
y Boner, and has written the finest APP
probation eYtant Of this amou North
= Carolina poet, say Of the poem De
lProfundis::" 1T dates, as exactly as ]
, can place it. from 1S76-certainly be-
p tween 1876 and 1879. You will notice
, that it was written prior to the pub.
! location of his first volume, WINS
: Ipering Pines B~rentano's, 1881
The poem is printed below:
DE PrOfundis.
O, there are hours when 0e fair
! would die,
: Timas when the minds philosophy
quite fails
TO satisfy the heart, whose agony
- too deep for walls
- lOf fearful anguish--growS too keer
to bear,
When God seems TO despise the pit
= eous prayer
OF the implorinS Soul st Heaven'
gate,
And Ills sweet love, that love so swee
in grief
! Or pain or death, seems turned t
hate.
dear Lord, if it be sinful, pardon m
For my minds weakness: but / hav
% "a faith
1t Firm and complete
Il That all Of us nee having taste
j., Atone for Life, and meet
Of In Thine Eternity
a With equal bliss, Lord. where Tho
d wilt revea1
rs All that vague religions now
conceal. j. II. X.
A Striking Passage.
le The letter to Miss Amelia Va
Week. written from Raleigh. is rt
t. TnarLable in view Of the self-propheC
"a it contains. Already. young Bone
to was convinced Of his mission, and Ia
a. firm faith in the greatness Of Ii
be powers. potential If not yet Who'll.
TO realized. as a poet. The striking pa
ry sage, which from the moment OF i
to present appearance becomes histOri
ur reads as follows: II was most agre'
lis ably surprised today by meeting vii
Id Eug. Williams. I dearly love hill
n We spent the forenoon together
OF strolling about and ~lounging in Cap
OF toll Square-a very fine place, by-th
Elf by, for a stroll. He is a very amb
ATS tous young man. and while VIC we
IN the Commons Hall Of the Sta
House, speaking Of the 'by-gone
when the arched dome Of that roya
looking chamber echoed the eloque
ole words o1~Ryner, Shepherd, and othel
lily he suddenly turned to me, with
nrn1d SIHlJe ,nOn -