The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-23
THE UNIVERSITY.

THE UNIVERSITY.
Charges have, by some papers.
been brought against the action Of
the Board of Trustees of our Uni
versity that the body was Influenced
by policy and not by merit in selec-
ting men to fill the professorships
and also that favoritisn was shown.
Grave are these charges and if true
should be denounced by all papers
and true men. The merit of the
men selected is not doubted, but it is
doubted whether they were caosen |
on account of their merit, and edito.
rails expressing this doubt have
been replied to by President Battle
and others closely connected with
the University. Six men were elec>
ted to various chairs and two of these
are Baptists and from this fact it
was rumored that policy governed
the voters and that the object Of this
policy was to pacify and reconcile
the Baptists of our State who have
for a long time been slightly repre-.
sented in numbers III the Faculty of
the University. The case is similar
in regard to the Methodists and other
denominations. We hope the above
thoughts are only surmises and not
the facts in the matter.
Do the denominations need recon-
Cancellation ? If so, for what ? Not,
surely, because the members of the
Faculty and the Trustees are not
proportionately divided among the
different denominations, for the
Church has naught to do with the in
stitution. But what the different re
ligious denominations oppose is the
free tuition part Of the institution
and reconciliation Of the above kind
will not answer. They cannot be
reconciled by such actions. Take
every Professor from the Baptists
and then they will be hostile to free
tuition at a State institution, just so
With others who are not in favor
of the free school idea at the Uni>
versity. We want the free tuition
at tie University stopped, we despise
it and We intend to fight it, out whom
shall we fight ? 1t seems that no
one scarcely favors it, but still it is
there and has not been removed,
Let Us have it abolished at the next
meeting Of the General Assembly.
When that idea is done away with
there will be no more hostility to it.
We want to see the University what
1t was intended to be, an honor to
North Carolina instead of a bone of
contention to her people and a mere
parasite upon her treasury. Let her
standard of scholarship be greatly
elevated, let 1t be made equal to that
OF the University of Virginia in eve>
ry particular. We will never be satis>
fed with less than that, and if that
cannot be done, better, far better.
pull down her buildings, burn her
records and forget her history. It is
ridiculous, the idea of North Caro-
lina's running University which is
not without rivalry among her de.
nominational colleges. Until she is
placed above such rivalry the pride
of every citizen should remain hum
BILE. We are in favor of appropria
lions but not excessive ones. We
are very glad that new professors
have been added and that now her
Faculty numbers seventeen intelli-
gent instructors. We are glad OF
this step. of course the peoples
money, in the form of this institution
should be economically used.
If any favoritism was shown we
would only say, "beware." This is
free State, her people are free, one
mans voice is heard as well as an
others, her people are to be similarly
treated by her through her officers,
and when anything like favoriti SIN
or nepotism enters the case and the
people learn this it is high time to
be exceedingly careful. We hope
TINS IS not SO, this insinuation of
1avorltlsm, because such actions as
can be attributed to nepotism, favor.
ltism, &C.. and nepotism and favor
ltism in State affair are undemo.
cratic in the extreme, are mean. base
and damnable.
A vast amount of GOOD
can now be done this State bv the
University with her seventeen ener-
getic professors, led by her able
President.