The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-09
Old Times at Chapel HiII--BaiIs,
Big-WIgs, Lotteries, etc.

1 utEGHiu lldIl. ~ leW eAtEdClS Will III
terest tie general reader DR.. Battle
says:-
This anniversary day commentaries
the LAYING of the corner stone of the
Old East Building. on the 10Th of Octo-
her. 1898. / have already recounted al
length the celebration of that momen-
tous event, when VIM. Richardson
Davie, in stately dignity, arrayed in hi
Grand Masters Regalia. with his silver
trowel in the hand which had welded
the warriors sword. surrounded by AL
fred Moore. w. II. Hill. Treasurer JOIN
HAYWOOD Alexander Mebanc, .Johi
Williams. Thomas Blount, Frederick
! iIargett. and other eminent men of TIA
day. including the generous donors
our land, BENJAMIN Yeargain, Colonel
John Hogan, Matthew McCauley. Chris
topher Barbee, Alexander Piper. James
| Craig. Edward Jones. John Daniel.
Mark Morgan and Hardy Morgan. gave
tangible form to the institution, fol
which he had labored with such persis-
tent energy and wisdom. while DIR.
Samuel F. McCorkle invoked the bless
ings of Heaven on the enterprise. The
building was Of humble size, only two
stories high. with l6 rooms, designed
for the occupancy of four students each.
but it sheltered many able young men
struggling hard and struggling success
fully for the inestmable benefits of dis
ciplined mnds.-such men as Ju1gs
Archibald Murphy, and Governor John
Branch and Francis l.. Dancy. John d.
Hawkins, VIM. Hardy Murfree. Judge
John Cameron, Judge James Martin.
Judge John r. Donuell, Gavin Hogo
and Chancellor Williams of Tennessee.
of the earlier students. not TO mention
the names of great men who inhabited
it in succeeding years"
The Stewards Hall was situate near.
" opposite the New East Building III
the centre of Cameron Avenue. Itwas
there that most of the students for
many years boarded at Commons, pay.
ing for the first year $50. or SO per
month, for the next four years $40 per
S57 per year, in 1905 to $50, in 1914.
under the inflated war prices to s66.5O.
1859 1888 te ssqo. aish Wy sRepslss! BAL
doned and every man made his OWE
contracts for the supplies OF lie. 1t W
instlIis building that the s-Balls" of th@
old DAYS were given. at which tradition
hath it, venerable Trustees and Faculty.
even tie great President himself, to-
gether with their pupils, with hair pow
dered and plated into 'spigtails, = and
legs encased in tight stockings and
knees resplendent with buckles, mingled
in the may dance with the beauteous
damsels OF the day, whose brilliant
dresses and angelic beauty far be il
from me to describe. I must for that
purpose call into my service the scien-
'ific pens Of my unmarried professors.
glowing with electric energy and chemi-
cal forces. or Of DR.. Mnnnin2's students,
so well qualified by researches into the
ancient laws, to give information on
such antiquarian matters.
| .'The style of costume" says Gen.
Mallett. land even the manners of the
present generation are not in my opin-
! ion an Improvement on half century
ago. The managers would not admit a
gent'eman into ballroom with boots.
or even frock coat; and to dance with
out gloves was simply vulgar. AT
Commencement ball. (when graduated.
lSlS,) nv coat was broadclOth of sea-
SICSll COlOls llISll NClNCtColid W lhdtSI.
swallow.tail. pockets outside with lapels.
and large silver-plated buttons white
SATIN damask vest, showing the edge o!
blue undervest: wide opening for
bosom ruffles. and no shirt collar. The
neck was dressed with layer of four or
five three-cornered cravats, artistically
laid, and surmounted with cambria
stock. pleated and buckled behind. My
pantalOons were white canton Grape.
lined with pink muslin, and showed a
peach-blossom tint. They were rather
short, in order to display flesh colored
silk stockings, and this exposure was in
creased by very low cut pumps with
shiny buckles. My hair was very black,
very long and queued. should be
tak.n for lunatic or harlequin in
such costume now"
DIR. VIM. Hooper in his $50 Years
Since" n most interesting and amusing
production. tells how the students OF
that day PACKED in the East Building
four in a room, huilt cabins in the cor
ner of the South in order to secure
greater privacy for devotion to their
books. and how, ''as soon as spring
brought back the swallows and the
leaves. they emerged from their den and
chose some shady retirement. where
they made a path and promenade .
like the Peripatetics of ancient Greece.
He states moreover. what sounds
strange to us. that holidays were some.
times given for the curious reason that
the inclemency of the weather prerented
study.
To finish this building was the great
problem of the young University. The
Trustees in despair did not hesitate tC
practice what was common in old time
even for building churches and denomi.
national schools, but which the soundeI
morals of our day make criminal Of
fence. the raising of money by lotteries
have their circular of 1902, announcing
with sanctimonious gravity that '.tKt
interests of the University of Nortf
Caroliua and of learning and science
generally, are concerned in the immedi
ate sale of these tickets" The highes
pr re was $500. and was drawn b]
Gen. Lawrence Baker, of Gates. TIL,
lucky number. ll3S, was announced Al
an important item by the metropolitan
Journal. the Raleigh Register.
Still the building was unfinished, ans
still the intellectal squatters of the Uni
versity sat sub diro, as the Professor O
, Latin would say. President Caldwell
mounted with heroic energy his stick
back gig and painfully Travelled over tn
State in 1909. aud again in 1871, solicit
ing subscriptions.
1t would be interesting to contrast hi
b Journeys with those of the present day
lwhen one can dine in Goldsboro