The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-14

III. Wiley, d. D., to the Raleigh Pub
lie Schools.

Professor Noble said in substance:
A mother. proud OF a distinguished
son. Is deeply touched when his loved
ones present to his friends and ad-
mirers any token or reminder that
shall hol1 him and his lie work in
perpetual nbrance. My alma ma
Ter Is deeply touched and Highly graft.
ned that ne .QrtraIt OF one OF her
most distinguished sons IS given by
his family to the public schools Of Eal-
eigh. and I feel greatly honored Mt
having been asked to present to you
Ior them that which is ever to remind
you or the race of him who was N,rrh
CdIonnas mos: famous educatioca.
agitator.
tne university las sent forth her
eohs 10 every ccIa, tment Of ono-ab bic
service in public and private life. In
.ne poiitcal word her sons have filed
VERY position from school committee
man 10 president OF this grand repub-
nc OF ours, but although these honors
are great and worthy and spectacular
n redounded to the good of
state and nation, she counts among
her priceless jewels the life service Of a
great educational workman like Calvin
- "iSy II went ABOUT ahOrinQ
LOT the uplifting Of the masses OF his
much loved state.
his work as an educator is a fit SUBJ
Ject Tor the orator on any occasion
when North Cardinals glorious his
tory is to be discussed.
some of You may know that it is nv
business to teach at the University.
not only the science and art of teach,
ing, but also the philosophy of educa-
uon n the growth and development
OF educational systems. 1t is an in
splratlon to study in detail the educa-
uonal efforts and theories of Comenius
and Pestalozzi and Froebel and Rous-
seau and RabelaiS and Bacon and
Locke n Horace Mann, but. in the
matter Of organization and develop
ment OF a complete system for the ed
ucatlon OF a people where slaves lived
side by side with those who were to
De educated. Calvin H. Wiley stands
out beyond them all.
Prejudice against public education
was difficult to overcome whe he first
TOOK up the work, and when a false
pride too often saddled with a quasi
} odlum those who attended what was
known as a common school,, but Mr..
Wiley was a philosopher. He swept
the state over with a discerning eve
| and saw that the building of railroads
n canals and the development of it's
material was not it's greatest
need-that intellectual growth and de-
velopment should be the states first
great aim. and SO he undertook the
great work Of state supervision and
strove to make the schools popular by
making them efficient. This is not
the proper time nor place for a state
ment showing the very great increase
In attendance during his administra-
ton. l may be permitted to give a
few facts. however, that resulted from
his wise management.
| In 1856 North Carolina paid her fe-
male teachers more per month than
! any other state in the Union, the
amount being $500, while Massachu-
sets paid s15.35. New Hampshire
$500 and Maine but $500. AS early
as 1860 Mississippi, Texas. Alabama,
Louisiana and Virginia had sent COM
missions to North Carolina to examine
its public school system which was re-
| garded as the best in the south. Young
men from college could easily find en-
ployment at $500 a month during the
three summer months and thus be
able to return to college in the all.
AS a writer he was a faithful por-
J trayer of life in North Carolina dur
ing the days of the Revolution and
prior to the Civil War. His Alamance
and Utopia will yet be the s~torehouse
| to which the future Story-tellers of
| North Carolina will repair for knowl-
edge of our life in the oldern time. The
| old North Carolina Reader, written
| by him, stands out as a model oday
| for history teaching in North Carolina
schools. Every pag breathes with
love and admiration for the Old North
State. The selections give the best
| thoughts of our greatest men n
everywhere from preface to conclusion
| state pride is inculcated and popular
| education held up as the peoples chief
hope. Typical of his constant advoca-
cy of the cause of education in the
| pages Of the Reader I quote the fol-
lowing selection written by DR.. Nit
| chell, of the University:
"In the northern states . the
president, when he visits that part Of
the country, makes his triumphal en-
: try into the towns. through
files of factory girls a mile or more in
i length. Should he favor North Caro-
lima with a visit, I would ave
him welcomed at the Virginia line by
a mile of schoolmistresses, each with
a dictionary and a spelling book under
her arm, and the governor Of the
state or the president Of the university
at their head to extend to him for
them a hearty greeting" That old
book is the most inspiring school book
I ever read. Whatever love I have for
my native state was first kindled by
reading on it's pages Wiley's glowing
description of North Carolina as he
takes al imaginary trip from seacoast