The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-06-23

haV
VINO la" iustructors. They take as deep an
!etsrest IN the good name OF our peoPle, anu
lh"v are as mindful of the duties that nave
, tnc1 devolved upon them, as any OF their
D.oJecessors. We may say, indeed, that
lhose who were selected at former periods to
snmtrol the operations OF the Institution were
'o+ called to the assumption of responsible
~. and duties equal to those that have been
im ,,T upon US; for the University is now
dropular institution it is held to an insep-
.r15bIe connection with the free public
"ohools and its benefits, as far as practical
HE must be extended to the youth OF the
State free of tuition. 1t is now the peop'eS
II Tniyersity. There are to be no benetlclaries'
fnr every youth in the State has riSht "
demand an opportunity 10 be educatea'
either here or in the public common schools.
Clamor against the University, from What'
0,or motive or cause. is unworthy OF North
Corolinians IF there be ground Tor 1t now,
,,o r,;crbt answer that there was ground for
II in farmer wears, because the children of
tba nroat body of the people were practi
Lii excluded from it, and its immediate
1Sonofts were confined to q few. But l
rake no such answer There is no reason
why our whole people should not now
foster this institution as formerly. PreJu-
Ace and passion are as evanescent as they
1 trustworthy. They will pass away The
Mc5red Caldwell, himself native OF a
thern State, and Mitchell and Phillips,
one native of a Northern State and
other of England, encountered the same
-iiudices and passions; but they labored,
JuJ suffered, and waited until opposition
he hot of
.amed and prosecuted were changed to
lmpliment and commentator. 1t will be
/, again Institutions like this are not the
owth of day. They are of the ages and
lie centuries. We lay anew these founda-
tons in broader and fuller measure; those
who are to come after us will add to what
we shall leave behind US, until the Univer-
sty of North Carolina shall be what Cam
bridge Princeton and Yale now are. The
clamor referred to proceeds, not from the
hundreds who have been educated in these
halls If majority of them are not yet
disposed to aid us, they at least maintain n
decent silence 1t is believed they desire
our success. They still look with respect
and affection to these halls; to the Society
rooms; to the place itself, as green spot in
J the record of departed years. 1t is not
given to the person who addresses you to
1 indulge these recolections, but he can ap-
preciate and honor them in Others more for
tunate than himself. | am 10th to believe
that these men will desert this University.
Fer the good of the State and in the interest
of learning and knowledge, we desire their
friendship and cooperation, and we ask
this on no party grounds. The University
is the place for the instruction of youth in
all useful learning" as provided in the
old Constitution, and not a theatre for par
tizan politics or opinions The Trustees de-
sire and intend that every Professor shall be
attached in paramount sense to the gov
! eminent of the United States, and shall dis
Uuntenance whatever may have tendency
TO loosen the bonds of the Union. They
would hold up no portion of our people to
opprobrium for anything in the past; nor
would they make, or read, or interpret his
tory to the dishonor or injury of North
Carolina for any action in which she may
nave been heretofore involved. But the
great lesson of the last eight years is, that
we have one common national government
intended to be indissoluble and perpetual l
government which is entitled to the conf
dence, the support and the affection of all,
and which must be maintained in its integ-
rity at whatever cost, against all opposition
from without and within. This is the ex-
tent, and no more, of the political teachings
in this University Those who question this
proposition must necessarily occupy sec
tional ground. We are national; they are
sectional and partizan in their views and
teachings. 1t requires no prophet to foretell
that we will not go to them, but that they
must come to US.
But, whoever may abandon the Univer-
sity, or give to it reluctant support, it
will be sustained. The people will sustain it.
If parents and guardians who possess the
means will not send their sons here, be-
cause of prejudice, or from resentment
towards those who now control the
institution, the people of the State
will fill these halls with meritorious poor
young men, and will maintain and
educate them at the public charge, as they
will fill the free public schools with the chill
dren of the people, thus making the entire
= system of education a free popular one, from
the lowest to the highest grades Both races
in the State will be educated, and polls and
property must be taxed for this purpose. In
every view in which the subject may be con
sidered it is sound economy to impose whole
some taxes for educational purposes The
Trustees have established here depart
ment of the University dedicated to the
white race; they are taking the necessary
steps to establish elsewhere a department
to be dedicated to the colored race. But i
will be one University, the University o
North Carolina Education, knows no colo
or condition of mankind. 1t should be free
like the air we breathe, and as pervadlns
and universal
The chief want of our people is educa
ton. Previously to the rebellion no South
ern State had a more successful system o
public instruction, or more colleges ant
academies than North Carolina. But tha
calamity not only Impoverished our peopl
but it occasioned the loss of our educationa
funds, thus destroying tile system ant
leaving the great body of our children with
out the means ofeducation. But we SHOULD
not despond. We have the means to sus
tain this University, and to establish gooc
public schools N every township in thu
State We must do it. If we fail in thi
we shall fail in the work of self government
for no uneducated people can long govern
themselves If we fail, immigration viii
continue to flow in other and distant chan
nels, and many of our own people will
abandon the State. If we fail, our peniten
tiary, and jails and warehouses will b.
crowded with the vicious and unfortunate
and we shall become poorer and poorer yea
by year. Practical education will develol
our resources 1t will construct railroads
bridge our rivers, navigate our waters, opel
our mines, improve our farms, multipl
our factories anG workshops, increas
our traffic and commerce, bring il
immigrants, and dot the State all over will
churches and school-houses This is wha
We need, and this is what we must do. Th