The news & observer., 1897-01-28
4 [BA77I7[L[279 Address,
DIR

Chapel nill. n. C., Jan 81 -(SpeciaIJ
AT the Inauguration of President Alder
man, Dr Kemp. F. Battle. ex-president,
delivered very happy address, in these
words:
Fourteen years ago in the days when
Senator Butler and President Charles d.
Mclyer, Drs. Robert Strange and Robert
T. Boone, Judges Robert Winston and
A. T.. Coble, Attorney General Walser,
u. s. Attorney Aycock, Elector Locke
Craig and other prominent men were DIS
playing in this miniature world the quail
tiles OF mind and heart, of energy and
pluck, which have already placed them
among our leaders in church and State,
presented TO the President of the Board
of Trustees, our most worthy governor
and benefactor, Thomas J. Jarvis,
young man as entitled to receive at his
hands a diploma certifying that he was
one Of the best scholars of his class. He
had carried off in his University career
prizes most coveted by cur students, es-
pecially the representative and the Man
gum medals for excellence lin oratory,
never before or since in my day has the
Faculty granted the bachelors degree 90
a student more assured of useful and
honorable career.
In the days of auld lang syne, of Pres
ment Polk and Vicc-President King OF
DIR. Frank Hawks and Robert Hall Nor
rison, of Mangum and Pearson, Morehead
and Graham, and later of Ransom and
Pett:grew and Vance, and many others
like them, it was the almost unbroken
custom for those of our alumni, who
were worthy to be crowned with the
wreath of oratory to choose for their life
work the pulpit or the bar, The grad
NATE of whom | speak, had not impress
ed me as having peculiar longings for a
ministerial career and hence | was conf
dent that my prophetic eye could see him
surrounded by clients eager to pour into
his pockets Their grateful fees or waving
his graceful arms before the imprisoned
twelve in the jury box. And then | be-
held him on the political stump, eloquent
ly demonstrating to admiring voters the
angeEc excellence of hrs own principles,
and the diabolic wickedness of those of
his opponents.
My imagination proved to be lying
prophet Like Solomon of old my grad
uaite chose the better part. He looked
over our State and beheld it's children
growing up i'm dark ravines of ignorance,
stunted, distorted with minds gaunt and
hungry and british. From the craggy
submits of the bracing mountains to the
sand dunes of Chicamicomico, he saw
bountiful gifts of nature, undeveloped
and uncared-for by man. He saw our
people, though possessed Of all the verlle
qualities of the grand Anglo-Nerman
race, the subjects among our nelghbors OF
{ playful ridicule, and i'll natured sarcasm
/ Nobly spurning the temptation to engage
in the pursuit of riches and honor, ne
. determined to devote all his energies OF
heart and mind and soul to what then
appeared the thankless work Of raising
the children of the State to n higher
plane OF mental and moral culture.
: A noble determination 1t was. The
world is just beginning to recognize the
true greatness Of a teachers calling THAI
training youth to highest effectiveness IL
a science as we'll as an art, and its worthy
followers must have peculiar knowledge
and skill and must take their places BY
the side Of those of the most honored
, professions among us.
We honor with abundant praise him by
! whose skill two blades of grass flourish
: where one grew before; fat cattle crop a
grateful food or bleak and barren hills
How much more worthy Of lasting honor
is he. by whose care new ideas spring uI
i'm a desert mind, lofty aspiration in place
of low and grayelIing instincts. The mis-,
: sionary sails for benighted lands followed
! by the God speed of millions of loving
t souls Let us not forget that in our very
D midst. around our fresides, Frightening
our homes, our beings, who without wise
and loving training would grow up wild
as the dusky sayages who tear with theil
teeth human flesh on the waters of tht
Y Yanganyika. AS the sculptor from the
0 misshaken block hews out the exquisite
e perfection OF the finished statue, so it il
p the province Of the teacher, from the
rude material OF uncultivated youth, tG
rear up the majesty of the God-like man
1t should be held in remembrance that
system of public education is an or
ganism, and like all organisms, the most
important part, without which all IL
: chaos, is the brain. Without teachers OF
J cultured minds and genial manners, and
Christ-like hearts, following Loyalty in
the steps of the Great Teacher, heavy
taxation, and costly apparatus and pala.
tial buildings will be thrown away. The
greatest statesman OF modern times
, when he sought to reconcile recaptured
! Strausburg to the German Fatherland
o gave her out Of the indemnity money
! wrenched from the vanqu3shed Gauls, moi
wealth of architecture nor lofty column
, nor the choicest masterpieces of sculpture
! and painting but learned professors, OF
! a new University, who in lecture halls
plain and homely, teach the God-given
truths of all branches of knowledge.
Our graduate of IA years ago realized
these great truths. He determined to
give special qualifications for the work
30 which he set himself He explored the
history Of teaching in all ages and in all
countsa8s in order to learn the secrets OF
the educational masters He sought the
most approved experts Of the present to
gain practical knowledge Of their meth
2 DDS. He made applications OF the prinei-
cles of good teaching with such intelli-
gent skill, as quickly to gain a foremost
standing among the leaders Of his chosen
profession. In recognition OF his emin-
ont worth tho taa chars Of tho State chose