The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-10

| Original CONSTITUTIONS LOT the IrONlHce
of Carolina with carefully graduated
orders of society, from cooks, solutions
and pillow boys to Landgrayes, marquiscs
and caciques.
| 1t required many years to elaborate
our present system of instruction. 1hee
faculty discussions incident thereto, COW
ering Il great variety of topics, were
usually prolonged far into the night with
| little satisfaction to the participants ana
less to the gentle DANES who presided
over eXpectant households awaiting the
return of professional debauches from
the joys of weekly faculty meeting.
But, if the faculty meetings lost us occa-
sionally the confidence of our better
halves, they drew us closer to each 9th
er, and threw interesting side lights upon
attractive characters. professor De-
! Berniere Hooper said the late Charles
| Phillips after Il heated discussion as to
| the Righteousness of the Southern cause
and the justice of its overthrow in war.
professor Hooper, cannot understand
how man who believes in the wisdom,
goodness and power of Almighty God
can doubt that whatever He has made
to he is just and right and for the best
This was Il difficult problem for a man
whose two eternal veritieS were Almighty
God and the Southern Confederacy. |
Wondered what would be or could be the
solution. DR.. Phillips" was the calm
and measured reply. Il have given much
study and even prayerful consideration
to this most difficult problem. and | am
forced to the reluctant thought, deliber-
ate conclusion that the result of the late
i unhappy struggle between the North
and the South is Il case of the temper
airy circumvention Of Providence by the
Yankees"
| Whatever difference of opinion existed
on matters of organization, there was
unanimity on one point. that the spirit
of the new University should be, is pos
sible, the spirit Of the old: spirit which
emphasized character above scholarship,
and considered the best equipment for
life to be genuine manhood. 1t is easy
| to find fault with the education offered
; in institutions of learning fifty years
ago. Critics are not lacking of the Uni
versity Of North Carolina but in the
list Of her teachers we find the names
of Joseph Caldwell, David l.. Swain,
/ ELISHA Mitchell, Denison Olmstead,
/ William Hooper. DeBerniere Hooper,
James Phillips and Charles Phillips. An
institution which trained for life such
men as James X. Polk. William X.
King, Thomas III. Benton, Archibald
DeBow Murphy. Leonidas Polk. James
Otey, Francis l.. Hawks. John Y
Mason, Francis =. Blair, James John
ston Pettigrew, James c. Dobbn, Will
liam y. Graham, Willie 7. Mangum,
Thomas Ruttin. John NJ. Morehead,
| Charles and Matthias Manly. William
Hooper, William l.. Saunders. John w.
! Graham, Charles and Samuel Phillips,
James II. Horner. William and Robert
Bingham. Kemp +. and Richard Battle,
Xebulon b. Vance, Matthew W. Ransom,
David NJ. Carter, Thos. Settle, William
b. Rodman. Thos. 5. Ashe, Il. L. Dick,
JOS. J. Davis, Walter l.. Steele. Alfred
and ability. Such an institution may
well take its stand among the great uni
verSites of the world.
The old University has nobly done its
work. During the better part of cen
| fury it upheld for State and Nation pure
and lofty standards of public and profess
sional life. Well might its banner float
Iagain over the new laboratories and the
new theories of the new University. We
flung it proudly to the breeze; and held
up before new generation of young
men as the chief jewel for them to seel,
that which the old University had always
sought to fashion. the sterling character
of Southern gentleman.
To complete the organization of the
new University along the lines it is now
following required full twenty years.
|
always helpful. There was opposition to
every change, and frequently the wisest
measures were accomplished with the
greatest difficulty. 1t required fifteen
years to overcome the inertia of not using
books; to consolidate into one working
library three separate and compara-
lively useless collection of books. The
philanthropic library, located in the top
| OF the new east building, and the Dla-
| IprtIc. the TON of the new west CON
tanned tolerable collections in general lit
craturc. which had been purchased or
donated by students and used mainly for
| entertainment and amusement. Much
money had been wasted in foolish rivalry.
and there was large accumulation of
useless duplicates. The society libraries
were open only three hours Il week-One
hour on Wednesday afternoons and two
on Saturday morning.
! The college library, carefully guarded
under lock and key, was never open. eX-
| cept when inquiSitive students, break
ing down the door or climbing through
| the windows, disturbed the accumulated
dust and cobWcbS, rendering themselves
liable to faculty summons and severe
| rcprimand. 1t is said that the latest
book added to the college library had
| been some time in the thirties, during
! the presidency of DR.. Caldwell, and that
! it bore on the fly leaf this inscription,
written in the doctors hand, This book
pertaineth to the library of the Uni
versity of North Carolina"
The new University realized that a stu
dents life is nourished by books; that
Il real University is great collection of
books. After long efforts and violent
opposition the three libraries above
named were consolidated into one and
moved into the present library build
ing. \ trained librarian was employed
the doors were kept open from s in the
morning till > in the evening, and Il per
petual funo growing larger year by
year, was provided for its increase and
Improvement. This foundation of real
working library made possible Il revOlu-
! ton III all departments of the Univcr-
sity instruction. The student was now
sent to the library. where he could be
reader, thinker and critic, as well as
listener in the class ROOM His mental
horizon was enlarged, his Judgment
strengthened and beginning was made
of intellectual independence. What the
law library is to the attorney. or the
medical library to the physician, the
library of history, literature and phil0so-
ply became to the college student. Every
study offered subjects of special inves-
tigaton for which the library furnished
| material; and every student became III
some degree IL specialist and an inyesti
gator.
| Al