The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-03
Exercises of Class Day at
the State University.
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Contiued from First Page.)
did in happy speech which at once made
him the friend of every student of the
University. The gift was beautiful
complete set of electric light fixtures for
Gerard Hall, something which has been
needle dior a long while.
The event of the day, the alumni adj
dress by Mr.. John Sprunt Hill, was a
masterpiece of its kind and created new
enthusiasm for the good of the Uniyer
sity.
Mr.. Hill spoke in substance as follows:
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Alum
nj Association:
When l was a student here about fifteen
years ago, many of the college boys and a
considerable number of their fathers in
variably smiled when a young alumnus
arose to address an audience and intro
duced his remarks with illusions TO
Classic halls and memories dear Such
salutations were permissible only in great
orators, and IN men whose "foreheads
were silvered Ger with age 1t has there
fore, seemed advisable to me, mere pri-
vate in the ranks of speakers, and still
painfully young, to bring myself into
touch with the occasion by relating a lit
tie story that may be of interest to many
of you. Maybe it has something to do
with my presence here today, and maybe
it will throw some light upon the erection
of one of the recent adornments to this
beautiful campus
Away back in the twenties, during the
Era of Good Feeling in North Carolina,
the wise men of the State, for reasons
known to themselves, enacted a number
OF statutes, prohibiting forever from the
domains of Chapel Hill, billiard tables,
games of chance, exhibitions of artificial
and natural curiosities, and all such other
spirits of evil. For more than seventy
years the warm blooded scions of God
fearing ancestors brooded over the
harshness of these DEGREES. Finally. on
an afternoon in May eleven years ago the
peaceful reflections of two young students
of law upon the serious inconvenience of
these historic restrictions, were rudely in
terrupted by the sudden appearance of
stranger, who asked in a loud voice, rs
there a billiard parlor in this place."
mo, STREE. no billiard parlor here" the
studen treplied: I'm this blessed village
the gospel of faith. hope and charity has
long since superseded the doctrine of life,
liberty and happiness The stranger
laughed heartily, and soon pulled up a
chair and Joined the students in smoking
pipes of peace and happiness and all in
dulged in an exchange of personal conf
dences. Before long the newcomer an
nounced that he was much pleased with
the looks of the campus, and as he was
enjoying himself so much, he might stay
few days and rest from his travels. One
OF these two students of law returned to
Chapel Hill about the middle of the fol-
lowing summer to gather up his little
worldly goods and thereafter seek new
fields of fortune. Upon saying good bye
to the venerable old dispenser of ham and
eggs at the Watson Hotel. this student
was presented with a small white card, re-
Gently found, as he stated, pinned to the
ceiling of the room occupied by our stran-
ger during his recent stay at Chapel Hill
Upon one side of the card was engraved,
w. G.. Peckham, III Broadway, New
York" and upon the other side was writ
ten IN pencil: IF ]. S. Hill or w w
Davies should ever come to New York
he will find it to his advantage to call
on me" In the course of the following
year the law student who had finally
drifted to New York city. after many
weeks Of fruitless search for work, called
to mind the strange little card and con-
Guided to follow up its suggestion. The
presentation of this car to this brilliant
but erratic lawyer was an "open sesame"
to the years of professional employment
which make possible the presence of your
speaker here today, and during these sew
eral years more than twenty thousand
dollars of Yankee money found its way in
to the village of Chapel Hill.
What is the University of North Caro-
lima Is it a creation of few individuals
or of the whole public? Is it controlled
by small body of men of like mind, or
is it controlled by whole people? Is it
private corporation or is it a public cor
poration?
There are many early decisions of our
courts THROWN some light upon this sub
ject but it remains for our truly great
jurist, Thomas Ruffin, to lay down the
full legal principles governing this char
ter and defining the exact legal status of
the University in a manner so clear and
bold that his opinion has become a lead
ing authority and is cited all over the
country. In the case of Trustees of Uni
l'versity VS.. Maultsby. IredelPs Equity,
25S d852), Chief Justice Ruffn says:
''The University is public institution and
body polite and hence subject to legisla-
tive control 1t was founded by
the State on public funds ana for a gen
eral public charity. 1t seems to
the court that there cannot be an instance
of corporation more exclusively founded
for the public, more completely the crea-
ture of public policy, for public purposes
purely. than the University of North