The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-06-01
THE UNIVERSITY.
An Appeal for u Large Meeting OF the
Alumni in June.
Especial Cor. STATE CHkoNICLEl

Especial Cor. STATE CHkoNICLEl
CHAPEL HILL, N. c., May %, 1888. -
Mr.. Longs eloquent appeal for the Uni
versity in late News and Observer
| will, no doubt, waken responsive emotions
| in the hearts of many of the friends of the
college. The CHRONICLE also addresses
large constituency of the best people in the
State, and to them words of like import
will not be unwelcome
| The University belongs to no one party,
no one creed, no one interest. 1t is com
mon ground, common property. There
are two pieces of ground in North Carroll
ma where every North Carolinian has as
much right as his neighbor; and when
| these two bits OF mother earth cease to be
objects of just pride, affection and loyalty
| to all her people then North Carolina will
| cease to be the North Carolina we honor.
She will then b. something discovered,
discordant, disgraced. These two spots
are the capitol square in Raleigh and the
! campus of the University
| What the selfishness of partizanship in
church or in State may yet do in oppos-
tiOn to the welfare of the institution, we
cannot fore-see. 1t has weathered severe
storms before now, and is yet holding its
course. What the General Assembly could
DO, however, at its late session to curtal
| It's usefulness and impair it's dignity. it
did not leave undone.
Trusting Of course in the belief that its
income was assured, the University not
| long since added largely to its Faculty,
electlng gentlemen to new chairs and Civ
ing the public every evidence of fresh
advance, and better equipment than ever
| before
Should not the General Assembly have
| acknowledged and approved of this? If
they honestly believed that -, 500 of the
income appropriated to the University was
due to another institution, should they
not IN common fairness, with common
| Ideas or honor in the matter of meeting
their responsibilities have made some ap-
preparation to reimburse the University
for this sum taken from it-so that it's
late engagements should be met, and its
dignity preserved?
Instead of that nothing was done or has
been suggested to be done in the eighteen
months that have passed. The only action
on the part of the Trustees has been to
notify certain members of the Faculty that
there must be retrenchment, and they are
to be dropped.
This is going back on ourselves to be
sure. Just at the time too when other
States are enlarging their views on the
subject of higher education and extending
their operation, North Carolina is con
tracting-falling behind.
South Carolina has already benefited
by this unfortunate policy of ours. She
has invited one of these displaced Profes-
| sors to much better position than he had
here. She gives Prof Atk inson &, 900
and house-besides putting 81 900 in his
hands at once to fit up his laboratory to
his mind. A man feels like tmbarking in
the service of a State that gives him such
hpr hot xuif IL
promises himself to put in his best work
and use all his strength.
l confess that / feel particularly cross
in the prospect of our losing this enthu-
slastic, efficient industrious young natur-
alist. He has been here but two or three
years and has already done such work in
his department as has never been done
before in the State-nor any approach to
it. He was actually putting us EN- RAPPORT
with scientific circles at the North, max
ing his researches here known there
This is point in which our Professors
are all too much lacking. If they spent
some of the time they give SO literally in
visiting and lettering around the State, to
work that would make them known abroad,
they would not only advance the reputa-
| ton of the institution abroad, but would
actually make our own people think more
Of it. We judge things very much by
what other people seem to think of them
The appeal to the Alumni to attend the
| Spring commencement and consider the
affairs of their Alma Mater might well
| have been issued year ago. 1t is too
late to save the dignity of the institution.
| It's notes have gone to protest. The Alum
| nj, however, if they will come up in force
may impress the public, and may give the
coming legislators notion that the re-
spectacle people of the State do demand
| that the State University shall stand, and
| shall stand firmly
| Mr.. Long is quite right in saying that
the denominational colleges of the State
desire the prosperity of the University.
OF course they do. They and the Univer-
| sty are one; their true interests arc idcn-
tical.
| l, for one, shall hope to see at Chapel
Hill in June large gathering of our ''old
students''-the young and the gray hair
ed, of all political and ecclesiastical and
| literary creeds. Chapel Hill will bid them
welcome. If they will bring their wives
with them so much the better | BELIEVE
IN THE WOMEN OF NORTH CAROLINA. If
there is any liberality of mind, any gener-
Gus, patriotic sentiment stirring, the women
may be relied upon to encourage it.
A good many of the editors of the State
are alumni. hope they will all come up.
And if any are so unhappy as to be un-
married l would suggest that a commence
ment is a fine opportunity to get wife.
| G.. Y. s.
| Don't Experiment..
You cannot afford to waste time in eX-