Vale of Humility between Two Mountains of Conceit [1]
"Vale of Humility between Two Mountains of Conceit"
"Vale of Humility between Two Mountains of Conceit" is a phrase describing North Carolina that originated from a speech given by Mary Oates Spratt Van Landingham [2] on 6 Mar. 1900. That day, she spoke on the "native literature" of North Carolina before the Mecklenburg Historical Society in Charlotte [3]. Referencing North Carolina's location between South Carolina and Virginia, Van Landingham said, "Where there are mountains of conceit, there are apt to be valleys of humility [4]." The term has remained a source of tongue-in-cheek pride for North Carolinians.
Additional Resources:
Van Landingham, Mrs. John. "A State's Scant Literature: The Native Literature of North Carolina: Influences of the Past; Prospects for the Future." Glowing Embers. Charlotte, N.C.:The Observer Printing House. 1922. p. 30. http://books.google.com/books?id=qgdUAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA24&ots=ZPUv-LIiyz&dq=%22The%20native%20literature%20of%20North%20Carolina%22%20landingham&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false [5] (accessed August 16, 2012).
Hovis, George. Vale of Humility: Plain Folk in Contemporary North Carolina Fiction [6]. Charleston: University of South Carolina Press. 2007.
Powell, Lew. "Valleys of whatever, mountains of whatever" North Carolina Miscellany (blog). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. October 1, 2010. http://www.lib.unc.edu/blogs/ncm/index.php/2010/10/01/humility/ [7] (accessed August 16, 2012).
1 January 2006 | Powell, William S.