Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-06-02
CHAPEL HILL HALL.
LIFE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA.
commencement Week-A sPOor
Doys'v COIIcgc-A Band OF Work.
ers-The Garters-Orntoricnl Con-
test-Caps md Cows.
Com mencement
1-NrvEPsrTy OF NORTH CAROLINA

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA,
CHAPEL HILL. June L-(Speclal.)-
Some one has said that the three great
attractions here are shade. green grass.
and pure water. But there arc others
and not the least Is the quiet. The gene
raj public holds the idea that a COM
mencement at college or a university
IS a time Of noise. The quiet here is
Observation-Disclosures
There are 423 students on the roll. They
represent eighty-fve of the ninety-slx
counties in the State. only about $50
are actually present at the commence
ment The final examinations ended last
Friday, and Immediately a majority of
the students left for home. This is the
custom here. The seniors and students
with means remain. and participate in
what may be turned the gayetles, for
which the home-goers care nothing.
This is n poor boys" university. The
poor boys are the workers, the bees. A
student was asked If this was not true,
and declared most earnestly that 1t was.
A number of the students are employed
in the Commons Hail." and thus earn
their board. They are no whit the less
esteemed nor Is a student who Is a shce-
maker. Then there is a student who
walked here all the way from Cherokee
county. and who works on a farm near
by, miiks the cows, and who aids the
farmers children with their lessons. 1t
l.. II. ,,,f 10 tlat ~
worthy young man leads his class and
that he is honored.
In the Commons Hall about 100 stu
dents live, the expense being So a month.
There are students who saw wood, who
work on buildings-altogether, quite
colony of workers.
OF the ~ graduates this year, II say
they will become teachers, lawyers,
physicians, preachers. commercial ira
velers, / newspapers manufacturer,
> are undecided. &c.
The improvements at the university are
numerous. and of n character TO make
themselves felt. Old students, of course,
boast that before the war; the grounds
were more beautiful, but they are in
error, for the campus was never more
attractive. 1t is lighted by electricity,
and the university plant also Eliminates
the Nllldpt. ne buiulHBS are WIN INC
one exception of Memorial Hall, ancient
in design. but the interiors have been to
a considerable extent modernized.
CAPS AND GOWNS.
There is no more the old system I'm
graduating exercises. There is no saGu-
tatory or valedictory. The seniors this
time wear caps and gowns. The quaint
old Gerard Hall has been modernized
qo 10 ffa int e.
attractive place of assembly for the
smaller gatherings. For the greater ones
the Memorial Hall Is used. Save at COM
mencements. the latter hail is used for
athletic exercises. The first duty of to-
day was the attendance Of the seniors at
morning prayer. they marching from Me-
mortal Hall to Gerard Hall. Rev. y. II.
ID. Wilson, Of the North Carolina Metho-
dist Conference, prayed. The senior
class-day exercises were next held. The
class officers are: President, ID. b. Smith;
Vice-President, W. ID. Carmichael, Jr.;
Secretary, A. +. Williams. The his
torian was Ralph II. Graves, son Of the
late Professor Graves: Poet, William s
Myers; Prophet. Henry G. Connor Jr.
The feature Of the exercises was the pre-
sentation TO the University Library OF
the class gift-a bust of Robert Il. Lee
on handsome pedestal, ID. y. Smith
making the presentation speech and
President Edwin A. Alderman accepting
on behalf of the university. The seniors
inaugurated "A new custom-that of cheer
ing the buildings and singing the class
and university songs as they marched
from building 10 building. Last Of all.
they gathered around the historic poplar
tree known as the "Davie poplar" and
there sung and smoked the pipe Of
peace" 1t was a fitting honor to the
old tree, under whose shade rested Gene
raj William II. Davie and his coworkers,
who chose the site Of the university.
ORATORlCAL CONTEST.
This evening the event was the annual
contest in oratory between representatives
of the two literary societies. which cele-
brated their 1891 anniversary The con-
testants were: Philantropic Society. w.
J. Brogden. Of Goldsboro'; p. ID. Gold,
Jr., Of Wilson, and J. ID. Parker, Of Ben
son. Dlalectic-James NJ. Carson, of
Rutherfordton; Paul c. Whitlock. of
Rockingham, and Paul 7. Check, Of Me
banc.
The social event Of the day was the
reception in Commons Hall by President
Alderman and the faculty. \ col
lation was served and there was music
by the Richmond orchestra. Commons
Hall is tastefully decorated with the col
lege colors-blue and white-and I'm It
the dances. which are such features Of
the social life Of the week, are held. Hon.
William J.. Wilson, who Is to de-
liver the annual address tomorrow be-
fore the graduating class, arrived to-
day. The "colors" Of the class of 1887
are red ana black.
Gerard Hail. In which to-day's exer-
I'LL 81 L.. IL
and white" and the stage has as a back
ground state and national flags. above
which are portraits of the first presidents
Of the Uniyersity-Dr. Caldwell, Gene
raj Davie, Rev. Or. Francis Hawks, and
Governor Worth.
One Of the curiosites of this place is
the old wooden building. quite barn
like. in which Or. Elisha Mitchell had his
astronomical observatory. He was lite
rally a victim to the pursuit Of science.
as he lost his life on Mount Mitchell.
and his remains are buried there, on the
loftiest mountain summit east Of the
Rocky Mountains.
More than a century ago the eighty |
acres I'm the campus were surrounded by
a stone fence. built OF the granite bould- |
ers so plentiful I'm this section. This |
fence all remains. So do the magnificent