The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-01-15


It is no longer disputed point whether it is the
duty of the State to provide for the education of her
Whatever differences of opinion there may have
once been in regard this matter there has
among the civilized nations of the earth for the last half
century North Carolina has recognised this obligation
since the American Revolution. Section 4lst OF
the Constitution established in l776, provides that a
school schools shall be established by the Legislature
for the convenient instruction of youth with such sala
ries to the masters paid by the public, may enable
them to instruct Loc prices; and all useful learning
shall be duly encouraged and promoted in more
universities" 1t is with deep significance that this
section was introduced, just when the colony was
breaking the ties that bound her to the Mother Country
She felt then she had felt before her need of
educated men, and that she must depend in the
awful crisis before her chiefly upon the cultivated intel
ect of her she felt too that her independence of
Great Britain would be merely nominal, would be
arcical even if it extended only to political relations
and left her dependent for her literature her science
her arts and manufactures upon the country whose
authority she ignored and despised
We probably upon the eve of greater revolu-
tion than that through which fathers passed but
will never constitute great and prosperous COM
monwealth, will never be truly independent until
develop own resources and learn to lean upon
the powers and intelligence of chivarous
And whether We will be called upon not, in the
Providence of Cod pass through the fiery ordeal of
civil war, domestic dscord and dissolution of our
glorious cOnederacy will be recreant to the sacred
trust committed to by fathers recreant to
constitutional oaths and recreant to the best interests
of the State, if neglect to do all in our power to
make her felt and respected among the nations of the
earth, because of the intelligence of her sons, the
greatness OF her institutions OF learning the magn-
tude and Importance of her domestic manufactures,
controlled and directed by skill and science. With
commendable ZEAL the noble Old Commonwealth pro-
vides and attention for the bodies of her suffering
and daughters and has established poor houses,
asylumS for the blind, the deaf and dumb and the in
The magnificent structures in this city prove
her sympathy for the suffering body; will she prove
tl,o olo
part of mans nature have thousands and tens of
thousands expended upon it, and the undyng, immortal
part be neglected? But the vasness of the literary
fund of North Carolina and the immense
pended upon the schools prove that the State
is keenly sensitive to the educational wants of her
youth My task, then, is not to and stimulate
interest upon this momentous subject, but the
representative of military school to point out to you
with all Difference and respect, a channel through
which your iberaty may flow. Permit me to say
that if felt that this matter purely personal to
myself with the Institute with which am connected
my lips would be sealed before you. I feel, the
contrary that the interests of this proud Common
wealth from the mountains to the seabOard involved
in the subject of military education and that there
fore my appeal is in behalf of the whole State, through
out its length and breadth.
| propose to show several reasons why the n. c.
Military Institute Charlotte should receive pecunarv
aid from the Legislature do not stand the repre-
sentative of the Military Academy Hillsboro but
can speak in the highest terms of the accomplished
Superintendent gentleman and scholar, and of his
Representing but one Institution, | can present the
claims of but One l trust, however, that you will
grant the other hearing with the courtesy and
kindness which you have shown to me.
Ny first argument for the n. c. NJ Institute is that it
is designed to be Institute of first standing and
and will therefore need pecuniary aid A
school with low grade of scholarship and low
standard of discipline be made to be sesustain
ing but frst-class College never be To place
an Institution in the front rank, you must give it
library and costly apparatus you must call
in the first talent of the country at salaries,
and YOU must give it such money basis make it
independent of the whms and caprces of patronizng
public Every Trustee, every Professor of College,
Patron, recognises these we'll established princ
pies Hence the first effort in behalf Of our Literary
Institutions is to raise an endowment OF one hundred
thousand dollars the second effort is to raise
dowment of two hundred thousand dollars the third
effort is to raise endowment of three hundred
thousand dollars, and then when these three efforts
have been successfully accomplished, comes the COM
paint that the College very bad off for funds 1t is
plain, then, that frstclass College must have
siderable if not large capital and every man knows
that there but three to raise this capitalist
by voluntary contributions I'd by lowering the standard
of education; and Sd, by State aid. | will glance
briefly these three methods. You at that
military school is shut from assistance through
donations. The denomnational colleges and schools
have completely exhausted that soil, that it will
yield nothing more All private benevoence now
takes the denominational channel. The donor may be
giving through mere sectarian pride through the
vain hope of buying heaven by his gift; STILL he thinks
hat he is giving the of Christ through pure
motive. | doubt not, too that this is SO in large
number of But whether the motive be pure or
impure, selfish unsesh the effect is the same, and
none but sectarian school elicit the charity of
lie public. is not fair then. to say to our school,
you get along other schools do. This is not
rue. We have sectarian bias, and therefore no
ectaran aims.
The second mode of raising funds is, through a
singular opposition of ideas by lowering the standard
the platform be high it takes giant to step upon
t-if it be low pigmy reach it. Every teacher
the United States knows that the humbug and clap
rap schools the best patronised In the majority
# cases. the boys and their parents select their
choOls and colleges and they take to go where
hey will have good time of it, that is, where they
viii be governed and where they will not be worked
cry hard FOrtv-six of the cadets of the n. c. NJ. |
institute of the last year did not return this session.
ory of these had been found deficient in their studies
t the close of the last session. happened to know
hat all of the fortysx, with the exception of four
We, expected to return before they knew of their |
allure examination. | have been College officer
1r twelve years, and | have very seldom known a
udent return the session after he found de-
cent or disciplined in any way. Hence, year by
ear, am and more painfully impressed with the
ruth that College can cnly be kept full by keeping
ne heads of its pupils empty We can make school
Charlotte not only seit-suStaining, but money
aking concern, by putting down its standard to the
,west possible point. Such school, however, would
a nuisance to the State and to the inhabi-
lnts of the adjacent town. North Carolina wants no
lch swndling establishment as this which takes the
oney of the parents and in exchange for ruins the
orals and stultfes the inteects of their sons
And fhis brings me to my second argument in favor
the n. C. NJ Institute. 1t was not projected
,eculaton by private individuals, but public
rprise for the public good. The whole county Of
ecklenburg is interested in it, and the town of Char
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