Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-05-14

market for their knitting, and weaving,
and butter and cheese. Thus profits are
shown to flow in through dozen small
channels before unthought of-toil is
s~eeteped, life invigorated and brighteued,
aud advantage gained egeryway. '' From
the mouDtains to Beaufort i" was DR.. Cald-
wells great idea-and as many side branch
es as you please. There are plenty of farm
ers III the State to- day who would do well
to read those letters penned by the first
President of the University for their faith.
ers and grandfathers.
WHAT HE DID FOR THE UNIVERSITY
When DR.. Caldwell came to North Caro-
lima its sO-calied University was little more
than grammar school. Its resources were
far from corresponding to the magnitude
OF its plan. People had relapsed from their
first enthusiasm and we're comfortably set
tied in the belief that with so many thou
sand acres Of wild land, and SO many indie
finite waits and strays conferred on it by
the Legislature, its future was secure. It's
pretenslons, however, were in reality very
humble. But two instructors were en-
ployed, the scale of studies exceedingly
contracted, and tb5 patronage slender
The population OF the country was rude
and uncultured, and the young men un-
trained and impatient of restraint. Among
Dr.. Caldwell's early associates were men
of loose principles and habits, infected with
the intidelity of the day, which the French
revolution had made fashionable. There
was very much to try the patience aud the
feelings of one to whom was entrusted the
task Of maintaining discipline and giving
instruction.
For the first nine years of its existence
no one Of the officers Of the University was
/ :. IL
Caldwell, Immediately on his entrance in
to the Faculty, became its master spirit,
and was the presiding Professor till 1904,
when he was formally elected President.
1t is very clear that upon the character
Of tie Presideg, more than any other man
connected with the University, hung its
life and reputation. It was for him alone
to digest and arrange the course and meth
DDS Of instruction and plan Of discipline.
It was his part to lay broad and deep the
foundations Of morality and reverence for
the christian religion Sc that they could
never again be disturbed-a lack of which
care has we'll nigh proved fatal to the exis-
tence of the Universities of sister States.
1t was for him to manage its resources to
secure the cooperation of his colleagues,
the veneration Of his pupils, and the entire
confidence of the Board of Trustees, and
the people of the State. A hard. but no
BILE task for young man.
DR.. Caldwell threw himself into the work
of building up the University with oil the
energy and resolution of his character
He did not spare himself His reputation
as a scholar, and instructor, and disciple
marian steadily advanced, and with it the
patronage of the public, until in 1911 it
was found that new buildings and amper
facilities were needed to accomm odate the
increasing numbers. The Legislature. in
its wisdom, had by that time withdrawn
one of the sources of the revenue at first
bestowed, and refusing further assistance,
DR.. Caldwell appealed to the private mu-
nifcence of the people of the State. He
spent the vacations of this year travelling
over portion of North Carolina, and So
liciting aid. So generally was he respect
ed, and SO great was the confidence felt in
his administration, that he obtained the
sum of 1000 in short time, and with
this was enabled to complete the South
Building, which had stood for several
years but story and half high. and un
rooted. Thence forward the success of
the University was beyond doubt.
CHAPEL HILL IN DIR. oALDwEL1's TIME.
A body of Professors began to gather
around the President who would have
given reputation to any College in the
land, and who strengthened and upheld
his administration in every way. A socie-
ty began to form in Chapel Hill which
naturally expanding with the growth ofthe
village, was yet guarded by the conserva-
tisn of the College, and possessed prestige
of its own ; a society in which by the pro-
longed lives of it's heads, two generations
were closely linded. so that it came down
to this day unimpaired in tone. yet eleva-
ted and improved by the culture of the
day society that has only lately been
broken up and dispersed for ever. but the
like of which North Carolina will not soon
see again.
Such communities are the fruit of long
years of cultivation, the growth of moro
than one generation.