Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-02-28
THE PRESENT CONDITION DE
EDJACTIDN IN SCETSE CARO-
E.ETA WHAT CAN BE DONE BY
THE HAPErS'ES TO IMPROVE
TT,

AN ESSAY READ BEFORE THE NORTH CARO-
LIMA BAPTIST EDUCATIONAL cosvEN-
TON II RALEIGH. FEBRUARY 18th,
1879. BT REy. SEEpaASB. COBB.
] greatly regret that the important
subject assigned me by the Committee
had not been committed to one Of
more extended information and more
leisure to devote to it's investigation
Upon thorough understanding of the
present condition of educationin North
Carolina, and especially the condition
of education among the Baptists of the
State, will depend to a great extentth
wisdom and efficiency OF those meas
ures which may be adopted to improve
it.
A story is told of an Eastern King
who determined to build magnificent
temple to be dedicated to his God.
He was determined that all the work
and the glory thereof should be his
own. He therefore ordered that no
one should assist in it's erection but
those who were employed and paid by
himself, under penalty of death. The
edifice was completed and the Kings
named carved in promin mt characters
above the entrance. The following
day he assembled his courtiers and
repaired to the spot, to show them, in
the pride of his heart, the great work
he had completed for his God. To
his astonished gaze there appeared be-
fore hlm-nOt his own name, but the
| name of some unknown woman writ
ten IN glittering characters in the very
place where his own Was carved the
| evening before. Some unseen hand
had obliterated the one and inscribed
the other. The King was enraged.
| He summoned his subjects and de-
handed that search be made for the
miscreant who had dared disobey his
| imperial edict. A poor widow was
found living near the temple who
answered 70 the name and was brought
| before him. In answer to His Males
| tvs questioning. as TO what she had
done to help forward the building, she
said, II did but give wisp of straw to
| the horses that drew the stones" She
| had done what she could. She had
| been faithful with her one talent IN
seen. No eye of man had seen her
work, nor mind of man estimated it as
| important, still unseen eyes had seen
! her, and unseen hands had konored
! her, because she did it for he,' COD.
| Let her spirit be ours as we go TO
work to erect q mighty temple to the
| honor of our God and King, in this
year Of our Lord 1873. Let others
drive the teams, and quarry the rocks,
and carve the pilasters, and lay the
| corner stone, and rear the walls AMI
fresco the ceiling, and let it be mine
III this intelligent gathering TO give
| but wisp Of straw to the horses that
draw the stones.
A distinguished Ex-Governor of the
! State has been quoted ss saying that
| the present condition OF education in
North Carolina is worse than il has
been for the last FoRTY wears.
| This may be true in a se1so. But
! forty gears IL this progressive age is q
/ rc1.y tony time. 1t carries us back to
| the year 1892, when many would think
we were passing through the dark ages
of our history. Forty yccys ago there
| was not a single railroad III tie State
ard not single railroad company IL
| coIporated. Forty years ago Chapel
Hill haI been IN existence only thirty.
seven years. Ii had started its career
in 1875 with one professor and one
( tdtOI L l1c 1IoitSSC-y SEGN. IJaEIti
Kerr, & Presbyterian minister, soon
resigned and went 10 practicing law.
The Tutor, Samuel 4. Holmes, became
Professor OF Languages. and NJ
Charles W. Harris was elected Pro-
fessor of Mathematics and President
In Ole year he resigned his presidency
DIR. Joseph Caldwell, another Prasby-
Z <a,- fS+e ii 70 ho
fessorship Of mathematics IN 1896 and
/ to the presidency in 1906. Seven
young men We're graduated IN 1873,
and UP TO the year 1882 four hundred
and seven:y-six were sent out Nth
diplomas from this institution
But then we had 10 Wake Forest,
nor Davidson, nor Trinity College.
We had 10 Biblical I3ccorser, nor
North Carolina Presbyterian. nor
North Carolina Christian -4dro"ute TO
instruct the people in morality ana
disseminate religious Intelligence
among the masses.
The first general meeting" Of the
Baptists Of the State was held in
Greenville. Pitt county, il Februar-,
1929. This general meeting CT cor
respondence, as it was called, WIS
composed OF delegates principally
from the Eastern counties. TIE fol-
lowing year March oath, $780,, it was
merged into the Baptist State C0nven-
ton, when Elder p. ", Doed was
elected President, Elder John Arm
strong Corresponding Secretary, R. S
Blount Recording Secretary, and Il.
Austin Treasurer. It's "primary OBJ
jects" were declared to be 'the caucG-
ton q lyougag zae1a called OF God TO the
ministry ; the employment Of mission
aries in the State, and q cooperation
with tho Baptist General Convention
OF the United States in the promotion
of missions in general" Two years
later, in August, 1882, the Convention
met at Reaves' Chapel, il Chatham
county, and unanimously resolved 70
purchase farm and adopt other pre-
Eminary measures for the establish
ment os Baptist Literary Institution
on tie MAMMAL labor Principle" A
committee was appointed 10 raise ;tco
thousand dollars for the purchase of |
the farm. DIR. Samuel Wait was Sc
lected as Agent of the "Wake Forest |
Institution" ard forty gears ago he |
was canvassing the State to raise |
So, 600 to establish & manual labor |
school for the Baptists. That manual |
labor school, known as Wake Forest !
Institute, went into operation Feb. LIST, |
1884, with IS students, In 1899, only |
"a gears ago, Wake Forest Institute
became Wake Forest College, with !
power to confer degrees. and that year
sent out into the world four young
men armed with diplomas, all of !
whom became useful ministers of the
Gospel, and one of whom is now the
honored Presiocns Gf th2 North Car
DINA Baptist State Convention.
The same Convention that laid the
for college, took steps to
establish a Baptist paper in the State,
which resulted in ths. publication of a
twenty-four page mont hly, Ivy Elder T.
Meredith, called "7ne Interpreter.
In 1885, only So years ago, this was
.han7eq inta : weekly pnd called "7He
Rccord1r, which nov visits
IS thousands & readers fE3m
Dare to Cherokee. Surely cduca-
ion among the Baptists is not in q