The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-06
IS. G..
Sunday Morning. April 8, 1873.
Judge Wright {as He sAys) In ths wrena

CuAu6y 0OIu1uKs april o. 1910.
Judge Wright q. H. says, In the Wrong
FAeces ,S1 ~
The effort Of the Professors OF the
University to conduct q series OF popular
lectures for the instruction and enter
fainnent OF the public. is likely to prove
a Pandora's box OF discord and ilkfeel-
ing. The young men, who. as We learn,
had exclusive. charge OF the matter Of
seating the audience. assigned the row
OF benches on the Left of the chapel to
attaches OF the Government, and to the
theological nd University students, on
the occasion Of the opening lecture by
Professor Babbitt. on Wednesday even
ing. When Judge Wright, OF the Su-
precee Court. appeared on the scene. he
was politely conducted and seated in the
place designated tor State officials. All
went smoothly, 80 far as could be seen,
but. al may be inferred from the tempest
in a teapot which he has raised about it,
the Judge was nnrsing his ;vfAlh against
a supposed indignity. instead Of taking
in the elementary truths Of electricity
from the lecturers lips. The ,rst pub
icly known about It, howetaf. Was from
sensational article in the E5eaisg E7=
raid, next dayJin which it was charged
that "a very ungenerous and mispla oed
distinction" was made in the person OF
the Judge, accompanied by severe edito-
rial structures on the government and
officers OF the University, We made
prompt inquiry into the truth of these
statements, in the proper quarter. and
learnt that they we're entirely imaginary.
II not factious. We were lsh inform ed
that Judge Wright. on the next day after
the lecture. and in time to correct or
withdraw the injurious article in the
Herald, had been fully and infinitely
mAde acquainted with the facts Of the
arrangement Of seats, and disabused OF
a aona prejudices that hs entertained, de-
rived from hearsay. The article, nevor-
theless, appeared, giving expression to
the very errors which had thus been au-
thoritatively denied. Professor Babbitt's g
card. the next Friday; morning. in the
Union, was explicit, to the effect that
Judge Wright had been seated in accord
ance xiththe arrangements, whichSwere
unebjectionable in themselves. Asain,
in the Herald, of Friday evening. appeared
card from student, giving q plain,
nnvarniahed account ot the whole Affair,
and showing no blameto e4lst anywhere,
either in the faculty or among the stu-
donts.
One would have supposed that the
thing would have stopped here; that
Judge Wright would have been Satisfied
that he had been put in the right place.
But that blessed black akin is a lne
thing wherewithal to stir up strife.
Red is "played out" as provocative Of
bad blood. and blacks your color now
to fight about. Instead of "lmoothing
thu raven down OF darkness till he
smile" Judge Wright rushes into print,
with q lecture on civil and social rights.
and a lame and sorry eooount Of his per-
6onal experience Of invidious distinction
at the hands OF the young men, and
indirectly at the hands of the Faculty.
His statements are inconsistent with
themselves. He seems to accept the
truth OF the assurances OF Rev. Mr..
Walker and of the students, that no dis.
tinction WAS made or intended on ac-
count of color, and yet represe nts that
in fact in his case, and in other oolored
persons, suoh distinction was really
made. He seems to have had his ewes
about him, and was on the look out for
insults. All OF which may be accounted
for, perhaps. by Judge Wright's inattenc.
ton to the lecture, and by desire to
find something of which to complain
and make capital. It is preposterous in
him to vaunt his love Of learning and his
friendship for the University, while
doing bis "level best" to force, in most
unwarrantable way, the question of
color. and ell the contentious it holds.
within it's secluded walls.
--o>-b
There seems to be bnt litt}e reaaon To