| Summary |
The purpose of this study is to examine the formative years in the life of Clarence H. Poe and to evaluate his influence upon North Carolina and the South in the Progressive Era. It deals primarily with Poe's observations concerning education, social reforms, the southern farmer, the Negro, and the growth of The Progressive Farmer. Poe was one of the leading spokesmen for the New South. He gained this recognition through his work with The Progressive Farmer, a small North Carolina farm weekly. As editor Poe built this paper into the largest in the South, with a circulation of almost 200,000 by 1917. In recognition of his work as a journalist Poe was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Wake Forest College in 1914. The young farm editor sought through The Progressive Farmer to improve the lot of the farm population. He organized a staff of competent farm experts who published articles dealing with agrarian problems. Although not a farmer himself, Poe encouraged southern farmers to employ modern techniques and form co-operative organizations. He further worked to break down the isolation and monotony of rural life. He urged farmers to join literary societies, read farm journals, install telephones, demand mall service, and initiate other changes by which they could improve their lives. Poe's work with the farmer and his opinions concerning agrarian problems were considered by many as the most profound to be undertaken by a spokesman of the New South. To add to his knowledge of agricultural problems, Poe traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and the Orient. He saw in these areas various successful and unsuccessful ways of coping with agrarian problems. Armed with this first hand knowledge, Poe lectured throughout the South, everywhere stating his opinions as to how the region could update its backward agricultural economy. The editor further joined or chaired organizations which were concerned with the manifold problems faced by North Carolina. He was an early supporter of Charles B. Aycock's drive to improve the state's educational system. Frequently The Progressive Farmer published articles that advocated better schools, libraries, and compulsory attendance laws. Through his work Poe became a close friend of Charles Lee Coon and other prominent educational leaders of the state In related areas he also chaired the North Carolina Child Labor Committee, the North Carolina AntiSaloon League, and the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association. The farm editor played an important part in practically all organizations that sought the betterment of North Carolina. Indicative of his prominent stature within North Carolina, Poe was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for the office of governor of the state. This demonstrated the great appeal that he had gained in a short period of time. Yet he never ran for political office. Frequently the editor stated that his duties with The Progressive Farmer prevented him from doing so. Nonetheless, he exerted much Influence upon political developments in the state. He used The Progressive Farmer to indicate his preference in state elections and his endorsement carried much weight with the farmer. Poe's opinions concerning the Negro were not consistent with his other progressive views. He feared that the modern agricultural techniques he advocated would result in the South being dominated by the Negro farmer. Accordingly, he sought the establishment of state-wide segregated rural neighborhoods. Through The Progressive Parmer he solicited support for the idea. In 1915 the North Carolina legislature failed by two votes to pass a bill that would have allowed the creation of such neighborhoods. To some critics this position reflected Poe's shallow thinking and he was branded a racist. He constantly had to defend his position and as a result his outstanding work in other areas. More important, however, was the fact that many observers regarded Poe's views as representative of the entire South. This dynamic editor extolled the virtues of rural life and championed the cause of the small, property holding farmer at a time when the migration of farm population to urban and industrial centers and the increasing mechanization and capitalization of farming operations made his concepts of agriculture Increasingly difficult to fulfill. |
