The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 244
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
rights man and nullifier-which led him to edit a newspaper-
published the Georgia Scenes, changed from a freethinker into a
devout Methodist, and tried to preach. Then he became in suc-
cession president of four colleges-Emory, Centenary College in
Louisiana, the University of Mississippi, and the College of South
Carolina. In 1844 he was a delegate to the famous Methodist
conference which disciplined Bishop Andrew, Longstreet's intimate
friend, for owning slaves, and thereby brought about the split which
exists to this day. Though most of his energy in these years was
given to the colleges which he served as president, he was keenly
interested in national politics. He was, of course, intensely pro-
southern and he rather easily became a secessionist. But after
secession had actually been accomplished, he exerted himself to
dissuade South Carolina-he was now president of the college at
Columbia-from any action that would bring on war. After war
came, the old man did what he could by writing and preaching to
aid the cause of southern independence. When the war closed,
broken in health but with spirit still undaunted, he was living
near his illustrious son-in-law, L. Q. C. Lamar, in Oxford,
Mississippi. Times were sadly changed. In 1868 his wife died,
and he never recovered from that loss. In 1870 Judge Longstreet
himself died at Lamar's home.
Professor Wade tells the story of this many-sided man sym-
pathetically, even lovingly, and yet with detachment, humor, and a
fine discrimination. There is no effort to make him out as more
than he was; he is shown "wart and all." And the picture is so
vivid that the reader comes to feel that he has known the Judge
personally. But the chief merit of the book is that it recreates
for us the society and culture of ante-bellum Georgia, especially that
of the earlier years. The vigor, the robust crudities, the com-
placent confidence, the striving for better things which character-
ized that frontier in conscious transition to "a more advanced
civilization" are all there. The account of the beginnings and
growth of a Georgia in fact of a southern literature, is particularly
well done. Altogether, it is a faithful and a moving tale, told
with rare honesty, insight, tenderness and quaint humor. In these
respects I know of no southern biography which quite matches it.
The bibliography at the end is a delight, and the index is good.
CHAs. W. RAMSDELL.244
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/264/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.