On his return from the Press Association, Editor Varner of
the Lexington Dispatch, write thus
touchingly of the absence from the gathering of that distinguished editor and
former lion of the Association Mr. J.P. Caldwell of the Charlotte Observer:
“Few men in any walk of life have won so large a place in
the hearts of the people as Mr. J.P. Caldwell of the Charlotte Observer, who is hopelessly unwell with a malady that has
robbed his magnificent mind of the powers that won for him a leading position
among the foremost editors of the country. And no newspaper man in North
Carolina is loved and venerated by his brethren of the press as Mr. Caldwell.
Indicative of the hold he has on the people and the press was that beautiful
and impressive tribute paid to him by the editors in their annual meeting at
Wrightsville last week: “A vacant chair reversed to the festive board to the
right hand of the toastmaster pointed mutely to a gorgeous garland of flowers,
festooned with spotless white ribbon that marked his vacant place at the table.
An invitation card upon which was written the one word ‘Regrets’ lay beside the
inkwell and the idle pen. A hush fell upon the assembly.”
“A living force has gone from among us, and while the
Observer is ably edited, there is a difference that is felt by all. Most men
drop out of the world with out making a ripple; the work of most men is done as
well and often better by their successors; it is rare that a man creates a place
for himself that cannot be acceptably filled by others; but this vacant chair
cannot be filled. Joseph Pearson Caldwell is in a class of his own. Unutterable
sadness fills the hearts of those whose thoughts turn toward his work and
himself as on such occasions ass that last week.”
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