Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-02-25
A Few Plain Words About Uur University.

EDITORS CHRONICLE: In your issue of
the 10th inst, you gave communication
w. E. NICE - describing a skeleton and
burial accoutroments found near Rock.
wood, Tenn, which were supposed to be-
| long TO the Mound Builders. We do not
know whether these very interesting speci-
mems are obtainable for our University or
| whether the University has made
Or is going to make an effort to get
| them. but this We do know. that it should
have them, and that they should spare
neither pains nor expense to get them in
possession.
1t is generally supposed that we are
building up frSt-class institution here,
an institution that will rank along side Of
any in the land one that will be a credit
to our State, and one that we will be proud
to have founded and fcStered. It's endOw-
ments are large and tn. y have been in the
main for the Agricultural and Scientific
departments. They were made for the eX
press object of giving our young men an
opportunity to study the SCIENCES at home
In their own State, without incurrng the
expense of course in some of the Eastern
Colleges. The acceptance Of this trust
places US under an obligation to labor for
Science and do all in our power for its ad.
vancement. Are we fulfilling this trust?
East Tennessee is a land prolific in relics
of the past. Its mounds, constructed ages
and ages before the advent of the red man,
are numerous, and many of them yet I'M
explored its burial caves, the repository
of the bodies of those who trOd the soil we
now OCCUPY thousands and thousands of
years ago, await the investigation Of the
Arcbaeologist. And Oh whom of right
does this work of investigation fall To
whom is the scientific world looking for
the interesting results of such a work :?
To these questions there can be but one
answer--the East Tennessee University.
But if it were simply n-fulfillment of
duty for the present, and if, at some
indefinite future p -riod the work could
be done as well rs now, it would be
matter of small moment. But such a
work, if it is done, must be done nOsO.
Other Institutions knowing Of our rich
fields will rifle us of our treasures, the
value of which we will recognize only too
late. Already has this been begun. In
the January number of the american
Naturalist, we see the report Of the pea
| body Museum of American Archaeology"
| and in that report is an account of the
explorations of Mr.. Dunning among the
| mounds and caves of East Tennessee. The
articles skeletons, shells, earthen ware.
&C. are spoken of as Of the greatest scien-
tific interest and Importance. These epeci-
mems aCcre taken from under the very nose
OF our Uniuersity. Think you they will
not return to such rich fields for further
collections? The Institution that sent Prof.
AgassiZ on the recant dredging expedition
and agreed to pay half the expenses in order
| to get simple duplicates of the collections as
did Harvard, or that sent Prof. March and
large party to explore the Hockey Noun
tain region for Archaeological specimens,
as did Yale last summer, would not hesi-
tate long about sending q party to East
| Tennessee to explore our rich mines of
prehistoric wealth and bear the prizes
away in triumph. What will be the reflec-
tions upon US by those students of our great
University of the future who to study the
| Archaeology of their own section of the
State must go 10 Harvard, the Peabody
Museum or the Smithsonian Institute? A
little labor now in the proper direction will
be like the bread upon the waters, its fruit
will be gathered and increased an hundred
| fold and that not many years hence,
| To our own personal knowledge an agent
of the Smithsonian Institution is only
waiting for our University to act before
taking steps to procure Mr.. Noes speci-
| men for that Institute.
Let the University then be up and doing,
unless they desire to make themselves
worthy of position in some archaeology
cal cabinet as fossils Of the oldest pdleoSoic
period. SCIENTIA.
| Knoxville, Feb. o, 1873.