The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-02-07

lie pcNt"ee '7cnis SaCy, II ACPty W oii
inquiry we made in relation to the Superin-
,tendent of Common Schools, says: gsisd iii.s
: ss1he condition of the Public School interest
demanded the attention of some one, and there
was no one else who was SO well prepared or so
strongly inclined to nurture that interest, as Mr..
Wiley. Having never; taken an oath to support
the Confederate States he believed that under the
ordinance of the Convention, his Office as Superin-
tendent of the Public Schools of the State had
not been vacated In this opinion he was con!
frmed by the opinions of B. r. Moore Esq, +
opinions he sought. When Gov Worth came
into office, he at once recognised Mr.. Wiley as
the Superintendent ofthe Schools. 1t is due to Mr.
Wiley to state, that he has been ready at any
moment to resign or vaeate the Office, ifthere-
was any doubt as to his right t0rhold it, but all
with whom he consulted, urged him to do SO,
being satisfied of his being still in that office" vi
The opinion of the gentlemen named, that
the office of Superintendent had not been
vacated, is entitled to respect. We aye not
prepared to discuss the question with these
gentlemen. 1t may be as they sayi but it
strikes us as singular that SO good " Con-
federate" as Mr.. Wiley was did not take the
oath. 1t is well known that he exerted him
2 self for the Confederate cause, and that he 1
labored in his Reports as Superintendent, to
I" fire the minds of his subordinates and of !.
the children in the schools against the North
ern people; and the inference is, therefore,
conclusive that he holds his Office by a mere
technicality. But however this may be, we
do not perceive that the public school interest
can be benefited at this time by any atten-
ton that may be given to it. The common,
school fund is nearly all gone. More than
one million Of dollars ofthis fund went down,
total loss, with the two State Banks. We,
presume that few State bonds remain,
worth about half they call for in national
currency but beyond this there are no means
that we know of to sustain the common
schools. The swamp lands belonging to the
literary fund will be available after while,
but no calculation can be made that they will
yield any considerable amount at an early
day. No one thinks seriously of taxing the
people at this time to a sufficient extent to
put the schools in successful operation; and
it follows, therefore, that we have been re-
duced by the disasters of war to the condi-
ton of the State in 1926, when Mr.. Yancey,
the founder of the system, proposed to begin
the accumulation of the fund from 1.-The
parings ofthe treasury" b.. 9i...rt.... Z
With these facts before US we do not see
that Superintendent can be of any service
at this time The Board of Literature, with
the Governor at its head, will be able to
manage what little of the fund is left Every
friend of education will look hopefully for
the increase of this fund, and for the time
when the means of the people, added to the
income from the fund, will enable the Legis
lature to put the schools again in operation.
In the meantime the salary of fifteen hundred
dollars in currency, which will be paid the
Superintendent, in the event he should cling
to the Office by virtue of mere technicality,
will be so much of this precious fund use
lessly expended. Our people are very poor.
Thousands of soldiers who were forced into
the war, have found, on their return home,
nothing but dilapidation, and poverty, and
distress on their plantations or on their little
farms and nearly all of them are now liv
ing from hand to mouth" The condition of
those who remained at home is but little bet
ter This is, therefore, no time for high
salaries to public officers or for salaries or
wages ofany kind to officers whose services
are not needed. y. F.' ~, - ..5...,.....
The University of the State has also suf-
fered greatly by the war; Six years ago it
had handsome and growing fund, and was
in all respects in highly fourishing condi-
ton. The fund is now nearly all gone. The
number of its students is small. 1t must be
assisted in some way, and that very soon, or
it may cease to exist ''' ''.'@ -
writer in the Sentinel, over the signature
Of Roanoke submits some sensible observa-
tions in relation to the University, but there
are some things which he says that leave the
impression that he is not native North Car
Gilman. He may be Virginian, For ex-
ample, he says:ssiI..,e 4saio Z. .6s.. as., a,.
4 81 love North Carolina. I reverence, her
character in some respects but am obliged
4 to say that there are some traits exhibited,
(or rather should say, there is a lack of GER
tain traits,l contemplating which, have al
scays declared LsholtM not soish asy stas to set
i tie here" n, s5F 7j.l eqibnrogs h.ts ,,j;,.,
! We have put part Of the foregoing in
| italics to call attention to it. We have no
wish to engage, in controversy, especially
with an anonymous, correspondent; /; but we
may be excused forsaying, thatif we regard
i ed the State in the same light he does, we
4 should be 10th to say SO, as he has done, To
e hepublic at large. We deny that there has
been any want Of Of " generosity Or large hand
edness" on the part of North- Carolina, wheth
u er in relation to education or internal i'm
81 provements. The statistics will prove that
at the commencement Of the late rebellion
our State was the foremost Of all the slave
holding States in the great work Of educa
ton; and in respect Of internal improvement
}, shetwas behind no Southern State, with tn.
i exception, perhaps, of Georgia. a3itimmoo
i But our main purpose in referring II
" "Roanoks" was to protest against the man
ner in which he, speaks Of Coy. Swain; ], NO no
that, we are, in any sense, the champion M 9 9
-, 4 = ell u r. <1,f..-