State

Far Away Geography First accounts of North Carolina gave children little information. By MARY C. WILEY Before Calvin H. Wiley issued his North Carolina Reader 1851, the school children of North Carolina received their only information con¬ cerning their native State from geogra¬ phies written by Northern authors, who had very little first-hand infor¬ mation about conditions in the State. A search through these old geogra¬ phies shows that their authors had very hazy ideas concerning the towns and cities of North Carolina — espe¬ cially concerning the capital of the Stale. Indeed, many of them bring out only one fact about Raleigh — the loss of Canova’s statue of Washington through the burning of the old State- house in 1831. Two widely used geographies pub¬ lished before 1831 — William Guth¬ rie’s geography, entitled, in the leisurely, old-fashioned manner A New Geographical. Historical, and Commercial Grammar and Jedidiah Morse’s Geography Made Easy, Troy. N. Y. edition 1816 — of course make no mention of the burning of the Statchousc. Under the heading Chief Towns of N. C., William Guthrie. Esq., names Edenton, Wilmington, Halifax, Hills¬ borough, Salisbury, and Fayetteville as being each in turn the seat of govern¬ ment of the State and then says: "Ra¬ leigh, situate near the centre of the state, has been last established as the metropolis. The situation is pleasant and healthy. The Statchousc is a solid structure and has some elegance. Its appearance has been lately improved by the addition of a steeple. The gov¬ ernor’s residence is a mean looking, wooden building. It contains 976 in¬ habitants." (The city, he means, not the governor's residence). Jedidiah Morse tells his young read¬ ers: "The City of Raleigh is the seat of government (of North Carolina). The legislature of the State has appro¬ priated large sums for the purpose of erecting public buildings. In 1800 the city contained only about SI houses, but the number has since much in¬ creased.” In 1839 J. E. Worcester issued in Boston his Elements of Geography and writing of Raleigh (which in pa¬ renthesis he shows is to be pronounced Raw'le). He says that "it is a hand¬ some town, pleasantly situated in the central part of the state and has a new granite Statehousc which is one of the most magnificent in the Union.” Peter Parley, the delightful history writer for children, published in 1845 The First Book of History, a com¬ bination of historical and geographi¬ cal facts. Taking his little readers on an imaginary trip through the United States, the author tells some interest¬ ing things about North Carolina and then adds: "While in this state we shall visit Raleigh. Wc shall see a handsome Statehousc here where the legislature meets to enact laws. A beautiful statue of white marble rep¬ resenting Washington silting down with a paper in his hand, which was executed in Italy by a famous man called Canova, and cost several thousands of dollars, used to be shown here, but a few years ago it was de¬ stroyed by fire." In 1851 there came off the Phila¬ delphia presses of Lippincott. Grambo & Co., a little book, a geographical, historical, literary reader — the first reader of its kind in the United States, which was to have a great part in fostering a new spirit in North Caro¬ lina. a spirit of love of the Old North Stale and pride in her achievements. This little book was the North Caro¬ lina Reader, written by a son of North Carolina. Calvin H. Wiley, about North Carolina for North Carolinians. At the time this reader went into the homes and schools of North Caro¬ lina, there was a widespread spirit throughout the State of depression and unrest. For ten and more years there had been a steady emigration of North Carolina families to the newlv-opcned lands of the Southwest, thousands of citizens viewing North Carolina, as some one has said, as a good place in which to be born but an undesir¬ able place in which to establish perma¬ nent residence. Writing in intimate detail of the various sections and towns of the State. ( Continued on page 15) Quality AT BURLINGTON MILLS means that "extra" care given our fabrics, hosiery and ribbons that really counts in every step of the manufacturing process In our business 'mall details ore important and our people apply their hand, hearts and minds to the task of producing the finest fabrics in the land Burlington Mills "Woven into C' the Life of America" EXECUTIVE OFFICES: GREENSBORO. N. C. THE STATE. MARCH B. 1952 13