The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-07-24

THE HNIVRpsITy

1---@ ~.
The University has earned foritself an en-
j viable reputation. From the quiet life of
the private citizen to the highest place in the
gift of. the nation, she has Lad children who
have acquitted themselves likemen and shed
lustre upon the name Of their Alma Mater.
The venerable professors who have labored
there, and instructed the youth of the State,
will long be remembered with feelings akin
to reverence.
But old things have passed away The
organization of the University and the in
fluences by which it is controlled, however
well adapted to state of things formerly
existing, will fail to effect any good results
under the new system. Heretofore, slavery
divided our white population into two great
classes; the on-slaveholding or lab0ring
class and the slaveholding or class of leisure.
For the former class, a miserable plttance was
doled out to support what were called free
schools; for the latter class was the State
University, where those who chose might
acquire liberal education and those who
did not, might spend three or four years very
/ agreeably The shareholders constituted an
aristocrisy as well defined, if not as exclu-
sive as that of England. It was these who
controlled the legislation of the State, and
instead of being the representatives or ex-
ponents of the people who were nominally
the rulers, they were merely the representa-
tives of their own class, to whose interest
they looked closely enough, while they ig-
nored that of the great body of their con-
stituents It is useless to deny that such
was the fact, or to attempt to evade the force
of the argument by puerile cry about
demagogism." sat ,8
It is not denied that this slave aristocrisy
was wealthy. intelligent, refined and hos
pitable. But this, advantage to the State
was sadly counterbalanced by the mass Of
| ignorance and barbarism which seethed be-
meath them. It was the policy of this class
to prevent popular education, because such
system must necessarily break their power
where majority of the voters did not be-
long to their caste, and only lacked intelli-
gence to enable them to see and threw off
the yoke that had beenput upon them. They
put enmity between their own slaves and
the non-slaveholders They divided them
to conquer both; and while they degraded
the white man who labored with his hands
to the lowest strata of society, they soothed
his humiliation by telling him that the slave
was still beneath him.
Do you ask what all this has to do with
the University 2 A great deal The same
class which governed the State, also govern
ed this institution. Look over the catalogue
of Trustees. There is certainly no objec-
ton to the personal character of these gen.
tlemen. We have not word to say against
their intelligence osintegrity. But to ask
question nearer the point. Are not these
gentlemen, as rule, the elite of the former
governing class of North Carolina, to which
we have referred above2 Were they not
warmly devoted to their order and fully
aware of the policy which their interests
dictated2 How many of them have nd
themselves of the ideas which are the natural
offshoots of slavery2 How many of them
have been distinguished for their advocacy
of popular rights and popular education2
There was nothing in the instruction given
to excite the students to liberality and bold
ness of thought. The strictest conservatism
was the rule, and perhaps, it is not going too
far to say, that letters were subordinated to
Southern policy. If we desire further
proof of this than the nature of the case it
self presents let us visit one of the Com
mencement anniversaries. Those who have
distinguished themselves in the quiet paths
of literature and science are not the hon0red
ones on such occasions. It is the lucky pol
iticians, the champions of Statesrights and
pro-slavery principles, who are the lions of
the rostrum and the social circle. And upon
whom have the honorary degrees been be-
| slowed with such bouiiteous hand Z Here
again, literature and science have been as
signed back seats and politicians have mon
opolized the honors. Among the plentiful
crops of LII. DIS annually harvested at
Chapel Hill, we may mention among the
most distinguished the names of Jacob
Thompson, Gov. Brown, James Buchanan
and Andrew johnson; worthy enough gen.
tlemen, doubtless, in their line, but not one
of whom, we will venture to assert, can read
Thucydides, calculate an eclipse or under
stands the elementary doctrines of the mod
ern philosophy. 4 ~
The above remarks have not been made
with a view to detract from the past useful
ness of the University On the contrary, the
policy by which it has been governed was a
wise one, and in fact, the only one possible,
under the circumstances. The task of our
Seminaries of learning has been rather to
inculcate the Southern idea than awaken and
stimulate love of truth. Freedom of
thought and speech. and slavery could no
more exist together than fire and water; the
| preservation of the one was necessarily the
destruction of the other. But slavery being
that upon which all was built, and upon
which all depended, must be maintained and
perpetuated, even if justice and truth were
trampled under foot, and where had slavery
to look for its strong hold of defence if not
to the University of the State, where learn
ing and logic were both combined in its sup
port2 It should not, then, be matter Of
surprise but be regarded as matter ofcourse,
that this institution was the great propagan-
da of the ideas of caste and aristocrisy and
waged unrelenting war upon the principle
that, all men are created equal and endow-
ed with certain inalienable rights A. ara;
A mighty revolution has swept over u.s.
The foundations of our society have been
pulled down and we must build upon new
corner stone, the corner stone of human
rights and human progress. Every institu-
! ton must be radically reformed to cornes.
pond to the new order, and the university
justly claims large share of our attention.
Instead of the old slave conservatism, il
must now send forth the streams of light and
knowledge. It must take its high grounds
upon the doctrines of the nineteenth centu
ry. 1t must teach freedom, justice, equalit.
and progress. The studies must be SO en-
larged, arranged and varied and the expen
ses SO reduced that, instead of a hundred
students there will be Thousand in all tn
departments from Grammar and Arithetic t,
Metaphysics and Law. The State hereafter
/ must and will support o system Of FREE
schools with a liberslity heretofore unknown
The University must be the nursing mothe