The eastern clarion., 1858-12-04
The Assaults on the University---Letter


.'''' - iA's 'n' "a anu nave 10 kIlONl-
edge of their contents.
The University. during the past sum-
mer, has been the subject of very frequent.
and often, Of bitter assault. What imme-
diate or special object, if any, the authors
"l the persistent attacks made upon it
may nave had in view, am unaware; but
suppose must, IN courtesy, assume their
General ann to have been the promotion
"i thG puolc good. Supposing this to be
iue' cannot but consider it unfortunate
tidt any OF these writer's should have been
lh'slniormcd as to their facts. or should
nave presented facts before the public in
such Ilght rs to produce impressions un-
"allahtably injurious to the University.
ne relation which ! hold to the Uni
Ner,lty might have justified me in taking
carrier notice Of ssme of the publications
70 winch have alluded: but my extreme
aversion 70 whatever wears the aspect of
controversy, has made me willing rather
70 Suil'r personal wrong than to mingle in
',iiF manner directly or indirectly. in the
discussions which have been set on foot
III IL IeG"f" 10 the management of the In
7u.uu"h. But when the spirit of hostili-
" !, carried so tar as to aim at completely
Ui..leflllhlhg the Faculty of the Uniyersi-
Y ~ me confidence of the public. and
ChG7 c utterly destroying their usefulness. /
Ieel II 10 DE a duty which owe not mere
" 70 myself and colleagues. but 10 The
cause OF education in Mississippi. to do
WHat ! can to repel the injurious imputa-
Lolls "nlch nave been thrown out against
that body. ''''i7'
The writer of the article in the Wbig
TO winch ! have alluded, makes the foi-
io"Ih@ points, which, for the sake of dis
unctness, ] state numerically;
j. That the Board of Trustees of the
University in July last, introduced a
change IN regard to the annual vacation.
= That the time allowed for the yaca-
ton Is too great.
the year 0''70'' u
:. mat the reasons assigned for placing
Inc nc vacation IN summer are invalid and
"isiil ingenious and that the plan is '.the de-
wee ol Northern teachers. who raise the
lleteAt Tor their own accommodation. -
ana iurther, that 'the fashion had its ori-
Tlh III me desire OF our Northern born and
"efoIea instructors to evade the risk of an
autumn NoIouIn IN the South, and enjoy
PIg'nl tour home in the mean time,
p hai the university. us at present
conducted, Is q mere Yankee trick" and
that the people Of Mississippi "are becom-
Ins % weary OF that order Of humbugginq
,IiaI lhey VIII not tolerate the imposition
lhou9h IN common with certain Of my
colleagues / am here charged with incon-
ceNable meanness, and with completely in
most atroclous fraud, ! intend to exam
me these points altogether dispassionate-
iy. In regard to the first, raise no ques-
uou. The Board dsaintroduce the change
alleged
Noras TO the second do purpose to en-.
ter INTO any argument. Ny aim is mere.
ly 10 dlveSt the statement of the writer ot
any efficacy to injure the University OF
Mississippi. In the list of Universities
and Colleges in the United States. pub
llshed ~ the American Almanac for 1858.
are contained the names of fiftv-seyen
such institutions belonging to the slave
holding States. To this list ! am able.
from my own knowledge. to add ten more.
making siNty-sevCn in all. OF ffty-three
OF these, including all the more promi-
nent among them, / have before me at
tins moment the annual catalogues for the
last academic year. Their average dura-
ton of vacation j. twelve anda halfwecks.
and that is the length Of the vacation of
the University of Mississippi, az fixed in
July last, by the Board OF Trustees. All
the Colleges Of this and the neighborinp
States have nearly the same amount Of
vacation: though some throw a week or
two into the winter The University of
Virginia, the College of South Carolina
the University of Alabama. and Others.
have considerably more This NAV be all
wrong-that point ! have not undertaken
to discuss; but if it is, it is not the pecu-
liar wrong OF the University of Mississippi.
it is quite as much that of the Nississippi
College. of the Semple Broaddus College.
OF the Synodical College at Lagrange-in
short. Of the existing College system.
The writer charges thirdly. that the va
cation Is not placed at the proper season of
the year. Perhaps not-that is matter of
opinion-but to show how opinions run
on the subject in the South. | would state
that. of the filtv-two institutions whose
catalogues have examined. thirtv-eirht
have Their entire vacation in the summer.
eleven have it partly in autumn and part
Iy at other seasons and three in the win
ter, or the autumn and winter. These
three are Franklin College, Georgia, the
Georgia Military Institute, and the Ro-
man Catholic College at Spring Hill. near
Mobile. Are oil the Southern Colleges
except these three then. the victims of
crafty and dishonest Northern teachers?
1t Is, moreover, worth remarlzinr. that
the season of the vacation was not select
ed 10y the faculty. The selection was
made, ! suppose, by the Trustees. before
they had any faculty.; and if | am not
mistaken, there Is not now, and never has
been a man of Northern birth in the
Board of Trustees. The Board in July
last, did not change the season of the
long vacation. They united the two vaca-
tions, and took the University out of
the less numerous, to place it in the
most numerous class of Southern Col
legcs. The absolute increase of duration
allowed was two weeks, and as an offset to
this, the Board imposed, to continue for
more than five months of the session. ad-
dtonal labor upon the faculty. beyond
what Is eNacted of any other college fac
ulty lso far as my knowledge goes in the
Union.
! proceed to consider the fourth point
10 attempt to hold myself or any of
my colleagues up to public odium as
men not having "homes" in Mississippi.
would be sufficiently exceptionable if
we We're not engaged in the public SER
vice; but in the case as it stands the
INJURY reaches beyond Us to case in
which the whole community are interest
ed. ! have been a citizen of the South
almost ever since ! entered upon the life
of manhood-identiticd as thoroughly
with the South in feeling. and as warmly
devoted to her interests aS If | had been
born upon her soil twenty times over 1t
Is now twenty years since | was invited to
a position of honorable responsibility in
the ncighboring State of Alabama. For
nearly thirteen years after entering upon
the duties of that station, | never cross
ed the boundaries of the State except TO
visit Mississippi and Louisiana. / have
never at any time visited the North except
for causes OF urgency aside from personal
cnjovments. or a fulhlment of literary and
scientific engagements. If my "horaev
is not in Mississippi. | have no home anv-
where ON earth and vet am here charr-
ed with the foulest treachery of which
man can be guilty-treachcrv to the sa-
cred cause of education-in order that |
may enjoy pleasant tour home" in the
summer,
| have two associates not born in the
South, who, like myself, have spent their
lives in the Southern States, one of whom
has never visited the North at all since
he came here; and one other who though
of Northern origin. has never had a
home since he left the national institu-
ton which educated him. until he found
one here none, at least, but such a tenn
porary "heme" as the Government chose
to assign him, and whose last previous
home was among the lagoons of the
Florida coast. The remaining five mem.
bers of the Faculty are, | believe, of
Southern birth
In view Of these statements | appeal to
a candid public to Judge Of the fairness
which holds up 'the University as at
present conducted" as "a mere Yankee
trclI;' and which charges laborious and
conscentious and faithful public servants
men unimpeached and unimpeachable
in their characters As teachers and aS gen
tlemen-with practicing "humbuggerv"
and imposition upon the people of the
State. also appeal to the same public to
Judge whether they are not themselves
grossly miSrepresented, when it is said of
them that they agree with the writer.
whose statements | am examining, and
that they "arc becoming SO weary of this
order of humhuggery, that they will not
tolerate the imposition great while
longer
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