Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-02-13
For the Standard.
AN ANECDOTE OF THE REV. JOSEPH CALD-
WE'LL. LATE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVER-
SITY. OF NQRTH.G RQI.INA -. 4 !

AN ANECDOTE OF THE REV. JOSEPH CALD-
WE'LL. LATE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVER-
SITY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
1t was, think, in the winter Of 1885, when resi-
ding in the county of Caswell that having business
in Raleigh, felt desire to take my ALno Mater
IN my route 1t was vacation when stopped at the
village hotel was soon called upon by the Doctor
he looked badly; he was evidently near his final
account 1t was the last time ever saw him. He
said that he was q lonely old man; alluded to his
being childless, and that he would be pleased if
would stay with him while remained in Chapel
Hill | accepted his invitation. It was when, as
now, South Carolina doctrines of notification and
secession divided the country. After tea he alluded
to them went to his well stocked library and brought
out the Federast- joint composition of Madison,
Jay and Hamilton. Standing on the floor, holding
the volume in his left hand, speaking in his slow,
deliberate way, and from time to time tapping it
with his right be spoke nearly as follows:
Mr.. -, this book contains the true expos
ton of our Constitution and had it never been de-
parted from, we never should have had our present
troubles. The argument that State has right to
nullify or secede, proves too much. 1t can be re-
duced to illogical absurdity, physical impossibty
If State may secede, why may not county for
. county, in many respects, bears the relation
to State that the latter does to the General Govern
ment Where is this to end? If Orange county
can secede from North Carolina, why may not
Chapel Hill from Orange countyy -"And then,"
with SMILE why may not you and l secede from
Chapel Hill? Don't you see that such doctrine
strikes at the foundation of all government disinte
CRATES society, resolves it into its original elements
exats the dangerous right of selfdefence and self
decision over the supreme law the salus popul the
safety of the whole, inaugurates anarchy, makes
might right and subjects everything to the strong
est arm and the strongest will ?"
Thus it will be perceived that the venerable
n II Il
while freely admitting that disunon is preferable to
union with the bad Though an ancient sage says,
that time dissol7es the union of the wicked for
union implies the virtue of fathfulness,) we must
admit that he could not we'll ovcrrate its importance
to national and individual happiness. Union is our
natural normal state; at least it was original,
divnely intended state in Eden. True we partially
lost it. but Christ, who preached on earthpeace and
goodwill, came to restore it. Always, everywhere
in everything, union is life and disunion is dissolu
tion-death. Even our daily animal life is living
example of union-of all parts of the animal econ
omy organs, muscles nerves, tissues being in har-
monious action. A departing father, wishing to
teach his children that in union IS strength, handed
them bundle of sticks telling them, at the same
time, to break it 1t was passed around with fail
ure. "Now," says he "untie it, and break them
| raj is obvious. The sequence Of the phenomena
| of nature teaches the same great lesson for all
her laws intend and tend to produce harmony
They never conflict, they never disobey, they are
never repealed. Yes, from the great central Sun,
| around which universe on universe with all their
systems of stars, planets and satellites march
their silent round to the music of divine har
mony, to the tiny globule of dew, unity of parts
| and elements is the great law. Repeal this law,
destroy this unity and the stars would shoot madly
from their spheres. Every globe would become
Gods destroying bomb, from which would issue
missiles which would form cross-fires throughout al
space. Break up the union of oxygen and hydrogen
in water, and you get an infammab:e gas in which
all things are quickly consumed. Analyze common
salts and you get deadly poison Thus we int
that nature, fable experience, reason, and revela
ton, all teach that union is the principle life
its absence the antecedent the premontory symptom
of death of animals and destruction of inert matter
Union is our great want National union wou'
no doubt be the best, but if We cannot have tina
form of it (and there is danger that we cannoD le
US have the next best, North. Carolina union. If W
cannot have State union, let US have neighborhoo
union. If we cannot have either OF these, we cal
at least have Christian union. We can, in imita
ton of the North ds est d6hoste docerO have unto
prayer meetings. concert Of religious action at leas
christian love and charity Of heart They can max
united effort to stem the torrent of vlce-to pre
vent to mitigate the horrors Of war, which is tn
sum of all evils, the Pandora's box without hope a
the bottom, the promo parent OIL ignorance, OF uk
spation, of want of crime of every hue. At variou
periods of the world the Church militant has show
herself as terrible army with banners. Tn
Israetes were saved at the intercesson Of Nose.
Ten righteous men would have saved Sodom. N
neveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, and tn
Lord stayed her threatened doom. Unless tn
Church arouses herself to meet demands upon he
God will have controversy with her, for it will al
pear that she is no longer the salt Of the EARTH tn.
the salt has lost its SAVIOR. Is Christ divided Sha
his children separately pursue his objects, whe
they much more speedily, easily and fully attai
them by united action? If judgment begins at tn
house of God, where shall the ungodly and slime
appear? INQUIRER
DEAR Sir: have become apprehensive that my quot
ton of DR.. Caldwells remarks may be misunderstood
object not much to inculcate the obligation al
utility of Federal Union in that should b. unha
PLY dissolved, the necessity and importance Of unto
a. In the abstract; (2,) NOrthCaro unon unt
among ourselves in every emergency a. fidelity to wa
union may form with the cnnn States the bo
der States with all tho slave States. In union there
strength, in disunon eebeness subsection md ruin
United stand, divided fall" Indeed the times
changed within the last thirty years. that think
very doubtful whether if he alive now he would
INQUIRER
For the Standard.
l LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT CONCERN