The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-25
SCHOOLS OF REPUTATION
David Caldwell Was SO Years Old at
Graduation.
STRESS LAID ON MINISTERIAL EDUCATION
A Woman Could Not Preach and Their Educa-
ton Was Very Generally Neglected. In
teresting History.
teresting History.
UNE LUG LULLEGES.. b6...,..b Wle-N
(From the Presbyterian Quarterly
HOLLAND THOMpSON PHI n

HOIl.AND IHOMPSON, PHI. ID.
Soon after the year 1875 there began to come
into the middle and western section of North
Carolina new race, different in habit and creed
from any who had previously settled Strong
alike in body and mind their descendants have
left lasting impress upon the policy and Gus
toms of the people. These sturdy Scotch Irish
OF their neighbors but endeavored to make their
neighbors conform to them Their experience
IN ireland had given them horror of any sort
of imposed ecclesiasticism, but their own minis
tiers exercised great influence
Their coming gave great impulse to the
cause of liberty, education and sobriety Nearly
every member of the Convention which adopted
the Meckenburg Resolves was a Scotch-Irish
Presbyterian Cor leaving out OF consideration
the Declaration of May 20,1775, the Resolves
OF the 3lst are unquestionabe, and they speak
more clearly and more defiantly than the for
mai expression of any body before July 4, 1776)
These, people absolutely denied any divine
faith. and yielded willing obedience to other
rulers than those of their own choosing.
The reason be found. The echo of the
hammer strokes on the Cathedral doof in Wit
tenberg had crossed the seas. The Scotch
man read his Bible and meditated. He realized
that the New Testament preached doctrine of
individual Importance and individual responsible
1ty stronger than any philosophy. He realized
that he made his own individual connection with
the absolute through intellectual acceptance of
certain dogmas. He needed one to hand
down salvation to him, for he had the spirit Of
God within his breast. The only one superior
was one who was closer to God than himself.
i. e., knew more and understood better. This
heliff hardened into strict dogmatic theology
but acceptance was an individual matter. When
an idea like this takes hold of a man kings
cannot brighten him. Martyrs made of
such stuff
The history of edumcaton in middle and west
North Carolina up to 1850 is largely his
tory of Presbyterian effort After this date they
were less prominent-not that they relaxed their
efforts for the schools, but because others began
To peopel believing as they did, educated
ministry necessity. If the acceptance of
certain dogmas was necessary for salvation, there
he la of oi pi,1 and
pounding this creed.
These settlers had not come to the Carolina
wilderness to avoid churches and schools, for
6from l149,I65) we find many appeals to the
Synod OF Philadelphia asking for missionaries.
Many OF these sent settled permanently among
the people and trained up young to take
their places Wherever faithful pastor dwelt,
there was also classical school. This partly
on account of necessity. and partly labor Of
love. Few ministers could live by the Gospel
alone and teaching was generally most congen-
ial
ed beyond the boundaries of their particular
congregations DR.. Patillo's school in Gran
vile Q160), CIawfsh Academy in Meclenburg
Q76O, DR.. Caldwell's school in Guilford Q7e6),
Clos Nursery in lredell Q779-crca) Zion Par
nassus in Rowan Q7s5-1s10). Poplar Tent in Ca
barrls 177S- circa.) These are only few OF the
many established. Among them but not of them
may be mentioned Queens Museum Liberty
Hall Academy QI7917s0) This was the out
growth of a classical school established by JOS
eph Alexander, a Princeton graduate. In an
other State, though in the same synod was
Moses WaddelPs school QSo4-lel9), which was
possibly the most noted of all.
Some scoffers, ignorant of the true condition
of affairs in the State and not knowing the
work of these schools, applied the name Log
College" in ridicue of the institutions With
the general type and then with some particular
examples this paper has to deal.
All are strikngly alike in curriculum, meth
DDS of teaching and government. To describe one
is to describe all except as the personal pecuiari-
ties of the teacher may be differento etaoinin
- ties of the teacher made difference. All were
would allow. The influence of Nassau Hall I'M
der Finley and then under Wtherspoon has al
fected North Carolina more than any other in
stitution since Up to 1850 there was no insti-
tuition in the State which offered real college
training The University established in 1885,
was hardly better, for the first few years, than
some of the preparatory schools mentioned above,
since funds, buildings and apparatus were all
lacking. The University itself was largely infu
enced by Princeton in curriculum and methods OF
discipline and in architecture, the south
building being reproduction OF Nassau Hall,
except in size.
young man who decided to preach the gospel
would journey so the college OF New Jersey to
study for degree and would then spend one or
two years more i'll the study OF theology. Ihen
he would come back to labor among his own peo-
ple-to preach, teach, practice medicine ana
often carry a farm well. The congregation
fed with the divided effort The minister was
not expected to be informed on the latest de-
velopments in science and politics Plain doc,
trinal sermons divided into heads with firstly,
preferred the discussion Of knotty theological
points to the study OF the lowly Nazarene.
Injustice has been done North arollna by some
historians John Fiske says that, until just be-
fore the war for independence there was not a
single school, good bad in the whole col
onY.'* Already the names OF Few OF the
schools in the west under Presbyterian auspices
have been given, and there were other schools
in this section and some in the east as we'll
Probably the statement arose from lnabl1ty 10
understand existence without charter ne
fact is that these institutions were forced 10
run without charters since the charter for queen $
Museum Undoubtedly the school 10 WhlGh Mr.
Fisk refers) was twice repealed by royal proc
lamation after having been granted by the Legls-
the provision of the bill granting a charter for
the Newberry Academy in 1854: NO person
shall be permitted to be master of said school
but who is Of the Established Church OF Eng
land.b No Presbyterian schoolmaster, particular
~ in a colony where Presbyterians were so
prominent in resistance could be granted privi-
leges by such governor Tyron or such a
King George III.
But it must not be understood that education,
particularly higher education, was universal. \
large percentage of the western population could
read and write in 1900, but the interest did not
always extend beyond this The child was ex-
peeted to be able to read the Westminster Cat
echism, but only special classes always had
striking proof of this is seen in the advanced
age at which many students were graduated
from Princeton from the Mt Zion College, at
Winnsborough, s. G. Although Joseph Caldwell,
the first president of the University of North
Carolina. was graduated at IL, DAVID CatdWell
was SO when he received his diploma, Samuel
r. McCorkle was 26, James Hall was 80 and
James Wallis, of Providence, rs. This delay
could not have been owing to poverty in all
cases for the parents of some of these men
were in comfortable circumstances at least An
EXPRESSION found in the sermon of old min
lister explains the puzzle. "Unsanctifed learning
has never been of any benefit to the church. e
As the church was the chief object of concern
to these people, parents did not consider them
selves bound TO give collegiate education to a
son until he had professed religion and ex-
pressed the intention of preaching. For this
class chiefly these schools were encouraged
We see the idea in the following extract from
the Minutes of the Synod of the Carolinas meet
ing at Bethnay Church, lredell Co, in 1852.
This Synod enjoins it on each Presbytery OF
which ii is composed, 10 establish within its
respective limits one or more grammar schools
except where such schools are already estab
lished, and that each member OF the several