The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-28
SOME MENTAL TOILERS OF
OUR DEAR OLD NORTH STATE
Prof. c. Alphonso Smith and His Text Books The
Work of Judge Clark. Capt. Ashes His
tory of the State

matters pertaining to home folks. If it
is meant well it may do well. |
have several things to write about with
Lreyity as to each.
Prof. c. Alphonso Smith, Phi. d., of the
University of North Carolina, in charge of
the English Language Chair, has produced
two works that are of excellent repute
His "Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise
Book is in its fourth edition, since Feb
ruary, 1903, an excellent indication of sue
cess and value. In September of last
year the well known Richmond (Va)
publishing house of B. f. Johnson Pub
fishing Company, issued "An English
Grammar for the Common Schools" 1t
las been well received, and prominent
teachers In the South as well as in the
North have written quite favorably OF
the utility and excellence of this North
Carolina contribution to the Southern
School books. Not being Il professional
teacher and not particularly informed as
to the technical works on English, l will
not venture an opiUs$. ~S;7SSugh rG>d
a portion of Oar Language Grammar,
as it is called, and am still dipping into
it. DR.. Smith is writer OF decided
gifts, and a scholarly teacher who is
evidently thoroughly equipped as to- Eng
l;sh, and who is doing good work for the
young as we'll as for older heads. will
reproduce what President F.. A. Alderman,
LII. D., of Tulane University, New Or
leans, La says in part:
Il have seen nothing better in the
twenty years that l have given thought
to school and college textbooks. l be-
Iieve that the return to the rational study
oil the English language Is a good thing,
just as l believe the revolt against the
study OF grammar was good thing TWEEN
t. years ago. The revolt has made pos
siUio such a splendid book as Professor
Smiths. 1 wish for it great success"
Prof Thomas P. Harrison, of the Chan
Of English in Davidson College, N. c..
a famous Presbyterian centre of education
row, writes pointedly as follows:
Il That the author understands no.
only present-day conditions in the Eng
lish language, but also the historical de-
velopment of the language which has re-
suited in those conditions; and
So That he has succeeded in present
ing difficult subject in very origina
and interesting way, making it, at the
same time, thoroughly practical and
tcaohable"
Principals of high schools and leading
educational institutions in Virginia, Ten
nesseee. Alabama, Minnesota, Ohio and
Illinois, have gwen this work good
"send-off." am glad to be able to cali
attention to work so uniformly praisei
by persons who know whereof they at
film. r ma
las president Francis p Eenahless last
report of the University of North Carolina
appeared in its main parts, If not in all,
in the News and Observer of some weeks
ago, I will briefly refer to a few of the
points that particularly Interested me.
The Summer School of last year was at
tended by 1873 students. and tho work
done was of the best, and probably sur
passed all that preceded it. There
Were twenty-four instructors engaged.
The library contains Al ,2sS volumes and
2O,5 500 pamphlets. Some 1900 volumes are
annually added. Changes have been
lcade in the entrance requirements and
the first two undergraduate years. Three
distinct coures now cover the entrance
qualifications. There are 127 students who
belong to the 'Self-Help'' number-help-
ing to pay by labor the necessary ex-
lenses incurred in attending upon the
University. More than $4,000 are thus
earned and expended. My old friend,
Rev. DR.. Charles F. Deems, originated the
fund called after his son who fell i'll bat
tie in the great war, Lieut.. Theodore
Deems.N The amount lent was $4,
0445O 1 think old Cornelius Van
derbilt OF his son, William, added
much to the fund There were GA
students aided from this fund during the
year from LIST January, 1903, to 1st Janu-
AIRY, 1904. The State appropriated $S7 500,
ana total revenu of the University was
s78, $3.50. Changes in equipment have
beer male, and new buildings erected.
For the new Y. NJ. c. A. building $4,000
have been raised, but 1000 are still to be
raised. / note that LILO volumes of the
library were lent. OF these 6,457 or 55.25
per cent. were novels, bad showing;
while but AGA history loans were made,
or beggarly per cent 1t is astonishing
that youth seeking to become educated
and cultivated, do not read better books
that improve and enlarge the powers of
the mind. The work done by the Faculty
is promising. Prof. Charles Baskerville
leads in the extent and Importance in
this part OF the work accomplished. He
is rapidly gaining fame as a man of sci
eDce and is much appreciated as such in
the North
received an interesting letter recently
from Mrs. Helen De Berneire Wills, now
resident at Raleigh. She enclosed me a
cop: of part of an article furnished by
that faithful, jealous and most compe-
tent antiquarian of our State, DR.. S. B.
Weeks, so well known TO the readers of
the News and Observer 1t appeared in
the North Carolina University Magazine.
some years ago, l suppose. 1t gave inter-
esting particulars as to North Carolina
publications (presses and papers) after
1885. Some months ago l published in
tho News and Observer at some length
manly based upon Dr., Wesks's pamphlet,
an account of the earliest North Carolina
newspapers, etc., particularly those pub
lisEed in Wilmington. l make a long
quotation from DR.. Weekss article:
From 1855 the number of presses and
papers in North Carolina rapidly increas
ed Prior to July 9Th, 1888, Hodge
and Wills, who seem to have succeeded
Hedge and Blanchard in the business had
been induced by James Iredell to remove
their outfit to Edenton (from Halifax?)