Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-07-16

| NCO1Rld US SOfs tO"AAA, udt412S
secured it for the State, was further instru-
mental in influencing the State Represen-
tatives to hand it over to the University,
that the new Agricultural College might be
connected with it, using one of it's ample
buildings and its lands, and thus going at
once into successful operation. With this
great addition to its advantages and at
fractions, the Trustees felt assured that the
University would revive.
THE REFLECTIONS.
| The Trustees were very unwilling that
the doors OF the University should be
closed for even so short an interval, while
they were maturing plans for reoragniza.
ton. They foresaw the peril and the ex-
treme difficulty in setting such machinery
IN motion again II once stopped. They,
| therefore, while accepting the resignation
OF the Faculty, formally requested them to
continue the College exercises for another
session and keep the doors open till the
| new measures could be resolved upon. It
was delicate thing to ask men SO circum-
stanced, and [ know that Gov. Swain .or
| one. hesitated, saying, at the same time,
/ that he would go as far as any man to
serve the interest of the University. How
ever. the esprit du corps prevailed, and the
Faculty remained as requested till the
| commencement of June, 1863 when the
Trustees handsomely and unanimously re-
elected them all to their several Depart
ments, at the same time making provision
to enlarge the corps by such additions as
were called for, and by the election of Pro-
| fessOrs in the new Agricultural School.
THE CLOSE OF LONG DAY
All these plans and hopes, however, were
dooaad to be frustrated by the issue Of the
State elections in May of that year, by
which a new Constitution was adopted, and
new State officers camo in with new party
views and prejudices, thus throwing the
State Institutions into entirely new friends.
One of the first acts of the new Govern
ment was the summary closing of the Uni
versity doors by "A company Of negro troops,
and the consequent displacement of all the
College authorities. A seVerer blow to the
cause of Education was never dealt. and
with all respect for the purity of their mo-
tiveS who thus acted, and their ability to
Judge in such matters, l may anticipate
the verdict of a very few years, and add
that 2 greater blunder was never COM
mitt"1
AS TO POLITICS
It YVES significant indication of the irri-
liability of the times that while one party
hai been ciamOring for the removal Of the
Faculty, Oh the ground that they were
traitors to the South, the other party was
also impatient of them, and when it had
accomplished their election, we had certain
/ other pres es rejoicing over the downfall
Of disIoyal rebels, the breaking up Of the
old rOollery and the letting in of light on
the dark corners Of an etfete aristocracy-
1t was also a significant indication of the
even tenor Of the way the Faculty had
! hcll as to politics, that the extremists of
I both sides thus fepudiated them.
We hear q great deal said these days
about the present odiOus aspects of party,
and especially its unprecedented invasion
| of Literary ground, hitherto held sacred
from such interference. We need to be
reminded, every now and then, that hu-
man nature is the same in all ages, and
that there is nothing new. l have before
me now letter to ''the Honorable the
President Of the Board of Trustees, of the
University of North Carolina" dated Oct
| "a, 1912, and written by the Rev. James
! Hail, d. d., of Iredell county. His spirit
/ had been stirred within him at the intru-
/ sion of politics in the domain of letters. -
One Of his cOpresbyters had been chosen
a member of the Board, the only Demo
crat known IL the two presbyteries of the
State, which consist of more than thirty
members, and whose political principles
/ as was acknowledged to me by member
| OF the Board. designate the object of
choice" Meanwhile it seems that DIR. Hall
and others who bore the burden and heat
| of the Revolutionary day, were prescribed
/ as " Rebel Priests, - Sc for which, see O late
number of the Raleigh Register and
! must sustain the above and other most
odious epithets." Then follow reflections
such as we are familiar with at this very
time, concerning party principles, literary
institutions, &c., NC, en--ng thus,
! query if christendOm can produce such an
example as has, and may be found in the
University of North Carolina
| The letter, however, was written for the
purpose of thanking the Board for the
| honorary degree Of ID. D., lately conferred
on the writer, and also announces that he
had Il considerable number of books which
he intended to present to the College. So
that there was evidently at bottom, in spite
OF politics, respect and good will on both
sides.
! GOV. SWAIN s HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
This letter IS one of very many collected
! by Gov. Swain to illustrate the history Of
! the State and University. A rich and in
! valuable stOrehOuse of material for the
| future Historian. It is not among the
! least of the debts which North Carolina
owes to Gov. Swain that he was for many
years SO interchangeable in collecting such
| material.
| His wide acquaintances Throughout the
! Union, his large correspondence, and the
general esteem felt for him by all classes
and parties, gave him unusual facilities for
gathering information. He was himself q
storehouse of facts and anecdotes, and
genealogical and traditional lore, such as
no other mans memory in the State could
compass He loved such Investigations,
and was never happier than when he re-
/ ceived communication from some like
minded friend, throwing fresh light on
some obscure corner Of inquiry. Losing
him. we lost the key to his vast collection
of papers. and the only hand competent to
| fuse and present them to the world in a
competent form. Let who will take up
his mantle and endeavor to carry out his
designs. the name of DAVID L. SWAIN
must ever remain first on the list of those
who loved and honored North Carolina,
| and vino, more than any other man of his
day, keeping himself aloof from State
politics, had fostered State pride, and laid
the foundation for building up our State
| history.
FINALLY.