The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-18

BY dint OF everlasting lnSlSLence, ne
finally educated most of the chairmen
of county boards to the duty of making
their reports and obtained fuller and
more accurate knowledge of the work
(which he embodied in able reports to
the governor and the General Assem-
bly He travelled in his oldfaShioneti
buggy from Cherokee to Dare, study
ing the schools and the people, con-
ferring with friends of the system,
teachers, and school officers, and maxi
ling public addresses on education at
the county seats of the counties that
he visited. With infinite tact and
judgment born of shreWd knowledge
of men and affairs. he secured the
support and active interest of politi-
clans, statesmen, leading citizens OF
all classes in all sections of the State.
He silenced opposition here and an
lswered criticism there. He utilized the
press and every other available agency
for cultivating public sentiment
awakening interest and disseminating
information about the schools. He
organized teachers editors, and other
friends of education into the Educaj
tional Association of North Carolina
that proved a powerful ally in his
| work He organized also teachers as7
sociations and library associations in
the various counties. Realizing tho.
need of a voice as we'll as head foI
4 the cause, he established 1.-THE Nortl;
Carolina Journal of Education ans:
placed it in the hands of all school,
officers and teachers, thus securing an
effective medium Of communication
With his co-WorkerS
He successfully combatted the idea
then prevalent that the public schools
were a charity and inculcated the idea
that these schools were a necessary
part of the governmental machinery
to be supported by taxation like other
necessary parts of the machinery OF a
great government. This idea of char
ity mad been attached to the common
schools from the first In Judge Muir
| phey's report they were spoken Of as
and his bill failed mainly because no
would not consent to strike out the
! impractical clause proposing to main
tain as well as instruct the children
| of the poor. 1t was Il long time be-
fore this badge Of pauperism coulG
be removed from the public schools,
! In fact, in some communities, it has
not been removed yet. Wiley found
this false idea, chiefly the product of
social order that was aristocratio
rather than democratic. one of the
chief obstacles to the progress of thu
common schools.
With rare tact he set himself to
overcome the antagonism of the ole
| field school teachers whose business
was largely destroyed by the common
| schools and the incipient opposition
of academies and colleges. He strug-
| gled successfully with the problem OF
securing better textbooks and moro
uniformity of textbooks.
Through wise amendments to tho
law and constant appeals and instruc-
tons to the Board of superintendent
and other officers. he succeeded ia
getting the standard of moral and In
tellectual qualifications, for teachers
raised.
He was greatly concerned about the
disastrous immigration from the Stata
and. before he was elected superin-
tendent. he had begun the preparation
of Il series of North Carolina Readers
with view to counteracting this by
intoxicating in the rising generation
through a knowledge of the history
and wonderful resources of the State,
a spirit of patriotism and pride. He
never lost sight of this commendable
purpose and when he came into Office.
he gave up all financial interest in
the series of readers in order that lie
might be free to secure their introduce
ton into the common schools. The
love Of his State was one of the ruling
passions of DR.. Wiley and he never
lost an opportunity to promote through
all means in the plastic nature %
childhood this love of native land.
In the short compass OF an address
like this L have been able to give only
the barest outline of the splendid work
of this splendid man for the common
schools of the State. In his own
words, he was "all things to the
schools and had to be for a time al
least guide to them. to public senti-
ment, and to the legislature. with no
guide or support for himself in tho
community or in the neighborin<
states" Under his shaping hand, the
system grew and improved and tn 4
schools prospered until it could be
truthfully said at the beginning of tho
Civil War that North Carolina had
the best system of common schools IN
the South. In fact, SO marked had
been the success of the common school
system that it had attracted general
attention abroad and a number Of
Southern States had followed the eX-
ample of North Carolina and mod
elled their systems largely after hers
The distinguished superintendent OF
schools was applied to from various
Southern States for suggestions and
plans and was invited TO visit tho
legislature of some of these to addressJ
their committees IN education. 1t way
noticeable too that along with tn.
PiO5lS cos Vi LIlG COIlIlOIl SCllOOlS naQ
come corresponding progress in all
other educational institutions in tho
State.
Such was the general condition of
the PUBLIC school system. at the out
break of the Civil War The new
perils of the school system incident
to this period of revolution, as DR..
Wiley himself writes: "fill the super
intendent with unspeakable concern
and the anxiety lest the result OF
years of toll and prayer should ha
suddenly blasted in the dawn of tri.
umph will never be known on earth
outside of his own mind and heart.
But his duty was to stand by his trust.
to continue at his post and there to
serve his divine master and his gen.
Grafton" Well did he perform this
duty. / know no more remarkable IL
lustration of the power and influence
of the man than is to be found in the
fact that chiefly through his efforts
and influence the literary fund was
held intact throughout the war;. and.
Notwithstanding the great financial
straights of the State during these
dark days and the frequent efforts of
legislature to use this fund to meet
the crying needs of war, no legislaA
ture dared to lay unholy hands upon
this sacred fund. When the first