The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13

quite as efficient and uSeIul as tnoSe Oh
the present boastful age. There were
not as many departments, ologles, ETC.,
then as now, but what was taught was
as thoroughly taught as now, believe.
The students sent out from academies,
colleges and universities between 1890
and 1860. were as complete, as well
equipped in the books they had
studied as the more pretentious grad
yates in this urgent twentieth century.
Then the great deSideratum in schools
was to instruct in Greek and Latin
and the Mathematics. Men We're not
considered well educated who were
without these basic, important Ian
guages, and their importation was
rightly regarded as far more import
ant than German and French and the
Sciences. They We're fundamentals.
other things were taught, and schol-
ars in English were often of high
grade of excellence. What writer's in
this day surpass in excellence the
educated men of the first half of the
last century or the century before
Judge A. d. Murphey, Rev. William
Hooper, ID. D., Ii. D.; Hon. George
Davis, S. F. Phillips, Henry w. Miller,
Rev Dr. Calvin II. Wiley, and many
others to be easily cited? What late
graduate eclipse scholars like Rev. DR..
Elisha Mitchell. Prof. Simmons. Dr..
Charles Phillips William ]. Bingham,
and William Bingham, Jr., author OF
the admirable Grammars, still much
used; Prof. James II. Homer, NJ. v.
Lanier, LII. D., and scores of others!
What graduates enter life more fully
disciplined and enriched than students
in the past like De Bernlere Hooper,
James Johnston PettigreW, Matthew
w. Ransom, John Pool and many
rIn ioh
that should live? Scholars and men
of parts were sent out prior to the
great war who would easily vie with
any students now passing through
their regular curriculum. l mention
ed once an admirable gentleman VINO
lived but two miles from my own
former home, oxford, who at 4 read
all the Latin classics just for his en-
tertainment in his advanced years. He
was graduated at the University. Or.
Lanier. a most learned lawyer, read
his Hebrew Bible and Greek New
Testament daily beyond his eightieth
year. He could read German like he
read English He was a Virginian,
and was educated at the University OF
Virginia | lately saw another Virgin
ian, educated at the same school, gray
and toiling over other important du-
ties who read Horace for entertain
ment and culture. 1t is a mistake to
think there were no great men before
Agamemnon, and that prior TO the dis
astrous war education was either at a
stand-still or poor in the South, and
men of high abilities did not abound.
The North thinks that to this day as
TO the South, but any one who is of
Southern birth or descent is ineXcusa-
BILE if he so believes. North Carolina
had as good schools, embracing COM
= on school, academies and colleges
! ore 1860, as most of the Northern
States had. The most refined, the
most elegant, the most highly cultur-
ed, the most perfect masters of pure,
idiomatic English, the men of nobleSt
ideals and loftiest sense of honor and
propriety, were Southern-and prior
TO the great war, native here and to
the manner born" have been North
many times, and do not write in ignor-
ance There We're excellent schools
in North Carolina long before grim
visaged war" had come with curses
and destruction. The Salem Female
Academy was distinguished for half
century or longer for its superior
qualities then unriValled. The Uni
Versity of North Carolina, now in its
111th yearly far the Oldest of all
Southern Universities, and second to
ing of the South and the education of
it's youth-was doing a great work
when the other leading institutions
now flourishing had not been so much
as thought of. 1t has now good
promise of having the next collegiate
year 700 students. | wish it may
have 900. and it deserves it, But let
me turn to another point-"The Old
Time School Teacher in North Caro-
lima"
was but five years old when
went TO school Ny teacher was Miss
Ann Glenn, daughter of Rev. John
Glenn. a Methodist preacher of the
long ago, living at oxford. 1t was in
1898, when / began the great work
of learning my letters and spelling
words of one and two syllables. My
teacher was indeed a lady of gentle
ness and goodness. and doubtless we'll
understood how to teach the young
idea how to shoot" NV next teacher
was Miss Lucy Ann Heflin, a sister of
Rev. DR.. Rufus T. Heflin. a Methodist
divine, of genuine talents, a capital
preacher, and the first editor of the
North Carolina Christian Advocate
The sister was gracious, educated
pretty and easy to entreat.' by her
more unfortunate pupils. | suppose
learned more or less She afterwards
married one of the cleverest men and
most eminent physicians that the
great old county of Granville ever had
DIR. James A. Russell, who, was
greatly esteemed, man Of wit, who
represented his county as Wins in
the Legislature.
My next educational movement was
to the oxford Male Academy, that was
distinguished as early as 1880, or per-
haps 1925. 1t had many scholarly, eff
ficient teachers. The earliest was
named James Johnston. / think it was,
ana he went from oxford to Norfolk.
He taught at oxford when | was but
little lad and I only know him by
his distinguished reputation among
scholarly men. He probably never
had an equal among the many sue
cessors at the Academy, and / suppose
has hardly been surpassed since in the
South. | was, l suppose, about nine
when | was taken to the Academy.
Ashbel c.. Brown native of oxford,
was the kind friend who accompanied
me, and put me on the high road of
academic aspiration if not success He
was afterwards graduated at the Uni
versity of North Carolina, taking a
high distinction, was Tutor of Latin
when / was there in the forties. and
qftarVard was ppofocSnr think I