The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1869-05-05
The TJniverslty.

corrcspondcnt, .sCorrect English. We had
not desircnto give notoriety to this gentle
man by referring to his wonderful produc-
tion, but it may not be improper to supple
mcnt the communication of" Correct Eng
ish with brief expose
Mr.. Argos effort consists in an attempted
criticism upon the action OF the Trustees OF
the University in their selection of Facul-
ty. From the fact that there are but few
students in attendance during the present
fractional session, he concludes that the
corps OF professors must be incompetent,
and the institution failure. We do not
say whether we agree or differ with our cor
respondent as to Mr.. Argos incompetency
to decide these matters, but retain our own
opinion Nor do we propose here to state
the facts which might be supposed to dark
en- and prejudice the mind OF Mr.. Argo, and
bias his, Judgment of the present Faculty.
But'we simply design to show the fallacy of
his attempted argument. u s sih 81
j 1t is doubtful whether temporary lack
! of patronage can be assumed as a proof of
incompetency on the part of the Professors
in a literary ipst:. tuition. 1t has not been our
ablcst educators, nor most useful seminaries
of learning, that began under the most ia
vorable auspices. There are many circum-
stances that may Tor while affect the pat
ronage of college, and for which the au-
thorities are wholly irresponsible. In the
case of our University there are so many
causes operating adversely to an immediate
influx of students, that much doubt was ex-.
pressed as to the propriety of an early re-
sumption of its exercises. Even its warmest
friends did not expect a larger number of
students the present session than is now in
attendance. H..
How stood the casel The fact had be-
come apparent that under the old organiza-
tion the University was not accomplishing
the objects for which it was founded. But
on the contrary it was known that vice and
immortality prevailed in the institution, that
its Faculty had little or no control of the
students, and that many young men were
annually sent out from its halls with diplo-
mas written in Latin which they could not
translate, and that large number OF those
who received the degree of Bachelor of
Arts would not compare favorably in schol-
arship with the tyros in our common gram
mar schools. 1t is not here charged that the
tendency to immortality and vice among the
students was owing to the improper exam
pie, in this respect, of any one of its Profes-
sors, any more than that the deficiency of
many of its students in the rudiments of
English grammar was due to the inability of
one of its Professors to write correct English.
A change was imperatively demanded. The
authorities properly-necessarily ily-snspend-
ed the exercises of the institution until it
could be creditably organized.
The new organization was effected as
early as possible, and the new faculty
assumed their places. but under the
most unfavorable circumstances. In conse-
quence of the mismanagement of their pre-
decessors they found the institution unpop-
ular with the masses, and even the name of
Chapel Hill, with some, a synonym for vice,
vanity and arrogance. In some localities
so intense was the prejudice against it. that
1t might almost be said to stink in the nos
trils Of the people. Because it had been re-
garded as the resort for the sons of the rich
almost exclusively, the poor hated it, and
now that the trustees propose to correct this
evil, they find the opposite class, who for
merly sustained it, arraycd against them.
In addition to all thisa portion of the press, |
for party purposes, leveled their shafts at it.
and it Is rumored that even some of the old |
Professors and Trustees -sore-headed and |
defeatcd-indelicately entered the field.
Superadded to all this, the session opened
at time when nearly every young man who
intended to enter college had already con-
nected himself with some institution
of learning. Was it to be expected |
that beginning on the first day of March,
with only fractional session before it,
with the just prejudices Of one class against it
on account of its former sins, and the unjust
prejudices of another on account of its pur-
pose of reformation, in the midst of politi-
cal excitement and unwamanted charges of
partizanship against its officers, was it to be
expected that there would 10 more than
handful of students the present session. Its
most sanguine friends did not expect more.
Does Mr.. Argo draw his conclusions legiti.
mately- -honestly-from such premises lie
is peculiarly unfortunate in holding that
a diminished patronage demonstrates the
of the Faculty, since the body
of the patronage had been already lost under
the old organization, and the number of
students had gradually declined from four
hundred and fifty to about thirty! And this
was the case while the number at other
colleges was steadily increasing. Time is
required by the new officers to raise the Uni
versity from the mud and mire in which
they found it. Do Mr.. Argo and his friends
fear to give the new Faculty fair trlal9
Do certain parties continue their denuncia-
ions, their constant Misrepresentation and
pue,ile personalities from wholesome
Tread of its certain success The authori-
les of the institution will hardly ask of Mr..
Arg" for the new faculty. more than half the
ime to build it up that his friends, the old
Faculty, were allowed to pull it down.
When his counsel upon the subject of edu-
,atiOn and the University iS needad II ,r;u /,