The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-25
TRIBUTE BY GEN. cox
THE MASONS WERE PIONEERS
IN MECHANICAL EDUCATION.
SOME REQ AND BLOODY WAR FIGURES
The Peace Conference at the Hague is in Itself
Protest Of Christianity ard Civil.
z,tion Against War and
Rloodshpd
B!oodslled.

At st. Johns Day celebration ut the
Oxford Orphan Asylum yesterday, Gen.
W. X. Cox, former Grand Master whose
early efforts to hold up the naids cf
Mr.. !. III. Mills. has borne lasting frai;,
paid handsome tribute 10 Mr. Mills,
and gave some facts in connection with
the early history of that noble charity
that ought to be widely known. Gen.
Cox said:
Most Worshipful Grand Master, Ladies
and Gentlemen:
1t always gives me pleasure to address
the intelligent and discriminating audi
ences | meet at this place, who nave ever
proved TO be my sincere and loyal
friends. | am happy to greet YOU
On st. Johns day, rorty-fouf years
ago to-day, with appropriate ana llhpos-
ing ceremonies the Free Masons OF North
Carolina laid the cornerstone OF the
building lSt. Johns Chapel ln which we
are now assembled. A single structure
amidst Arcadian environment originally
comprised st. Johns College-a college
designed to give as thorough and com
plete an educatiop, practical IN It's char-
acter. to Young men who might patronIze
it. as might be obtained III any similar
. institution in our country. The st.
Johns College, with its solitary building
of the past. is the Oxford Orphan asylum
of to-day. with its two hundred and fifty
bright and well-cared for orphans. its
numerous and 'well-appointed buildings.
its Wen kept grounds, and excellent corps
of capable and efficient officers and
teachers.
While the work originated with and
was carried on for some years through
Masonic agencies, now IFS success Is due
to contributions from the Grand Lodge
of Masons, appropriations by the State.
and liberal contributions from benevolent
individuals. AT the meeting of the
Grand Lodge of Masons in 1851 the
Grand Master appointed a committee.
consisting of john Gray Bynum, John
A. Ellington, and L. II. Winston from
among our leading men and Jealous Ma
sons. to procure from the General AS
sembiy a charter for this college, and TO
prepare and publish an address setting
forth the system OF education and course
of instruction proposed to prepare the
students for the practical duties of life.
Il
ton To a most significant fact, which re-
fleets great credit upon The order, as it
shows they wee the pioneers Ill prac-
tical EDUCATION. lis tEcn fec0nlmelld;-
tions. near quarter Of Il century after
wards, were adopted b. the Congress OF
the united States in the establishment OF
\ Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges III
every State of the Union.
Il tha;, +, fl.l,ncc l4ha cyplr,iffaa GAYS.
masonry is eminently practical III It's
character-and college established by
Masons and supported by them should
furnish a practical education. 1T should
particularly acquaint the student with
the arts and sciences, the results of
modern invention and modern discov-
cries. This address arraigned the
course of studies in the colleges of that
day as being too devoted 10 the dead
languages, which was proper enough
when all learning was contained in the
books written i'll these languages, and
when no gentleman could be considered
as educated who had not devoted
greater portion Of his collegiate COURSE
to such studies. who could not translate
and construe Latin and Greek sen
teilccs and illustrate his ideas by :nlt
classical quotations. and thus necessarily
led to the neglect of the arts and
sciences. In consequence, 1T was CON
tended. it threw discredit upon mere me
cifanioal arts ard led the young man of
talents to the pursuit of those professions
which We're believed to lead most direct
ly to honors and preferment.
As was natural, the college when es-
fafhlshed did not meet with the patron
age its founder anticipated. The changes
suggested were believed to be too novel
and even radical, if not revolutionary, for
this was the crOwning period of that
independent, Self-reiiant. conservative
rural life which looked with disfavor
El}on everything tending to disturb or
Glsorsanize the tncn existing state OF
society. The nocblesse oblige. as it were.
This period may be termed as an ap-
proadh to rhe parting Of the ways De-
tween the represSive conservatism then
existing and the aggressive icOnociisnl
that was soon to TeyoIutiOnlZe our
country. At this time, steam naviga-
tion. compared to the present. was
most primitive. railroad travel and traf-
iic expensive and unreliable, for the lines
of traffic We're oftel broken and disc0n-
timed through State jeai0usies and local
rrejudices. Maury had just promulgated
his theories of the currents of the sea
which revoluti0nized inter-oceanic travel.
while Morse was still experimenting with
the telegraph which, with its weird
winged Whispering wire. was to bring all
civilized nations, and even the isles Of