The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-08
THE VOTE WAS CLOSE
Board Decided to Elect Presi-
dent by One Majority.
Prof. Gore Was in no Sense Candidate. Dr..
venabIe's The Only Name Presented
For President al the University.
Editorial Correspondence.)

Chapel Hill, n. c., June As minated
in my telegram Tuesday night. the rropo-
sition to elect a president at this time
succeeded by majority of only one. the
vote standing IA to IS. There was
strong feeling in the board as well as in
the State that the wisest course was to
postpone the election for year, to give
time for longer consideration and better
discussion of all the available men. The
IA to 13 vote shows how strong was this
feeling in the board. But some OF the
best and oldest friends of the University,
led by such men as Dr. Kemp i. Battle,
Hon. Richard II. Battle, Dr. X. II. Lewis,
were ardently in favor of an immediate
election and earnestly championed the
election of DR.. Venable. Indeed he was
the only candidate in the field those pre-
ferring some other man contendng that
the trustees should not elect at this time,
but should elect member of the faculty
chairman for year. When the informal
vote was taken Prof Gore received eight
votes, but he was not in any sense can
didate for the presidency, and there was
no other candidate except DR.. Venable.
For twenty years, in the absence OF the
President Dr. Gore has acted as executive
and. if requested, he had signified to
a few friends who called to see him about
it, his Willingness to act as chairman of
the faculty for year while the trustees
and faculty were giving serious consider
alton to DR.. Aldermans successor.
state this because ii might be inferred
from the large vote cast for him that
Prof. Gore was q candidate. There could
have been only one objection to the Sc
lection of Prof Gore-the same objection
as might have been urged against Dr.
Venable--he is not native North Caro-
linian, if, indeed, that can be said to be
an objection. / speak of it in that sense
because | have heard it urged. Other
things being equal, / should always favor
a native of the State for the exalted posi-
ton but fitness ought to outweigh all
accidents of birth. DR.. Venable couldn't
help being born a Virginian and, while
sorry that he is not North Carolinian,
! don't blame him for it.
Dr. Venable, the new President, has
been a resident of North Carolina most
of his life since he was a man. He came
here to take the Chair of Chemistry in
1882 or 1888 and has grown to be one of
the ablest men in that. department of
work in the American colleges, and his
writings and experiments, if | may so
speak, have brought HIM reputation and
likewise given reputation to the Univer-
sity. He married lovely North Carolina
woman, Miss Sallie Manning, daughter of
the late Hon. John Manning and sister
OF Hon. James S. Manning, and DR.. John
Manning, two of Durham's foremost citi-
zens. 4 h E
The election of DR.. Venable to the
presidency, removes the only native North
Carolinian president except DR.. Winston,
of the five leading State Colleges for
men, DR.. Taylor. of Wake Forest, is u
Virgnian: DR. Kilgo. of Trinity. is a
South Carolinian, and Dr. Shearer, of
Davidson. is not a North Carolinian by
birth. Recently when Or. Shearer resign
ed, to take effect a year hence, Prof
Harry Louis Smith a native of Green's
boro. n C., was chosen to succeed him.
But. while not having natives at the head
of these great North Carolina institutions,
North Carolina furnishes the presidents of
the Souths two richest institutions: DR..
Virginia, and DR.. Edwin A. Alderman, at
Tulane University, in Louisiana; and until
recently also one of her sons was presi-
dent of the University of Texas. These
three institutions pay their presidents the
best salaries paid by any Southern insti-
tuition.
DR.. venable comes of teaching stock.
L. 4 ;ct; rr,,tr naA
professor in the University of Virginia
and the author of leading text books. He
is gentleman of lofty integrity, scholar
and student, man of decision ana
purpose full" if may here in these classic
groves be allowed to coin a word that de-
scribes the man. He is an elder in the
Presbyterian church. and believes in John
Calvin and his creed that, in spite of the
criticism and assaults, has given America
many Of it's greatest men. With the ex-
ception of DR.. Battle and DR.. Winston, all
the Presidents Of the University have
been Presbyterans. good Presbyterian
friend says that is because the Presby-
terians are the best educators we have
had. Certainly they have been second to
none, and in the early days of the States
history it was mainly the Scotch or
Scotch Irish Presbyterian preachers who
were the foremost teachers in the State.
When they planted a church. the parson
opened a school HARDLY, and taught the
youth in the week and preached on the
Sabbath The Methodist and Baptist
preachers did not do this, but went into
the frontiers to carry the gospel to those
who were clearing primeval the forests.
This explains why, as rule, in the past,
the Presbyterians gave their children bet
ter education while the Methodists and
Baptists obtained the largest membership.
] say IN THE PAST advisedly, because the
educational revival has touched all the
people and no church lags behind in edu-
eating it's children. They know that the
men of education are the men who come
to leadership.
DR.. Venable comes to the Presidency
at a time of the greatest educational re-
vival the State has known, and at the
zenith of the success and usefulness of
the University. He follows DR.. Alderman.
The best wish l can make for him is that
under his administration he may see 1t
grow in numbers, and in nearness to the
hearts of the people as the retiring presi-