Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 191?-19??, 1914-12-03

5000 pounds for the establishment of ,
free schools, but the money was spent
for other purposes.
Another appropriation of the same
amount was made in 1854, but met the
Veto of England.
At the time of the establishment of
Wayne County, there were, SO far as
our records show, only two schools in
this State where there was any sem
blance of public education. The char
tiers of the Academies of New Bern
and Edenton each provided hat free
tuition should be given to ten poor
children. No until 1889 was there
any Act of the General Assembly
creating a public school system, and
nc poll or property tax was levied for
the support of the schools until after
1850. It was provided that they should
be sustained out of what was called
the Literary Fund, consisting of the
proceeds of the Swamp Lands, divi-
dends upon the stocks of certain cor
porations held by the State, and the
license tax on retailers, tavern keep
ers n ~auctioneers, all of which for
the year 1850 amounted to less than
$125 900. After careful examinations
of u histories and records, 1 am
able to find no evidence that IN
school existed in Johnston, Dobbs, or
Wayne prior to 1870, or that any was
taught in Wayne until after the pass
age of the Act of 1889, under which
the public school system began.
Governor Martin wrote in 1775
Literature was hardly known; there
were in the province but two schools,
those at New Bern and Edenton," but
as to the latter part of this statement
he was evidently in error.
It is probable that some of the more
prosperous citizens employed teachers
in their families, who taught their
children, and sometimes the children
of equally fortunate n~eighbors, and it
is probable that now and then a boy
was sent to school at New Bern, Eden
ton, Wilmington or in Virginia, where
there were academies and vel schools
of high degree, as there were also in
Guilford, Granville, BERTHE, Rowan and
Mecklenburg, but such education was
for a limited number, and was com
lpletely out of the reach of the great
masses Of people.
The establishment of schools had
been rendered difficult by the policy
of the English Government.
Governor burlington was instructed
in 1871 that no school master should
be permitted to come from England to
North Carolina to teach school with
out the license of the bishop of Lon
don, and this instruction was given tt
all subsequent Governors.
>, In 1771 an Act was passed by the
General Assembly to charter Queens
College in Charlotte, but was vetoed
on the ground "That this college, i
l allowed to be incorporated, will in eff
, feet operate as a Seminary for the ed
| ucation and instruction of youth in thu
r principles of the Presbyterian church
and the Board of Trade doubted
: whether the King should give tina
5 encouragement to the Presbyterian
: of North Carolina" The same polio.
embraced Quakers, Baptist and Metho
: dists and had a depressing effect upo1
, all efforts for the establishments o
3 schools and colleges. The remOtenesi
of the people from cities, their ignOr
ance, their poverty and Indifference
co-operated with this selfish and I'm
. wise purpose. The Presbyterians o
t the West, more than any other demon
e nations, resented this treatment, and
in spite of the ~displeasure of Cover
inors and Kings, built and maintainet
schools and colleges, and prepared
their people for the great struggl
e soon to come for equality and indie
lpendence.
At the time of which 1 speak, tn
i influence of that other great facto
in the upbuilding of mind and charac
: ter was feebly exerted. There wer
!. !, but few preachers of the Gospel, few
churches, and the Sunday schools, Xix
the free schools, had not arrived TIL
attempt to force on the people of tn
State the established church of Eng
land was resented and it's minister
were to be found only in the town
, along the rivers.
In 1854 there were six ministers o
t this church, and in 1776, IS in tn
: eastern and northern counties.
Il James !Edmundson, a Quaker
preached the first sermon ever hear,
s in North Carolina. Quarterly and
Monthly meetings were held in Johns
C ton and Dobbs by the Quakers prio
to the Revolution, at which time the
Numbered 1000 in this state.
Il The Baptists came early to tn
o state; the first churches organize'
were Shiloh and Meherrin, and tn
next Kehuka Greek in 1742. Soo1
their ministers began to preach in thi
y county, n by 1776 had establishe
q kCAul CACo Ill SFO1y COuuGy LII IhO OGoIe
The Methodist church began il
\ North Carolina with the ministry O
Joseph Pilmon in 1772. In 1777 Johl
s King, John Dickens and Edward Prid
were assigned to the Circuit of Nortl
: Carolina, and at the end of the yea
reported to the Conference in tn
t bounds of their circuit $50 members
a 1t is probable that some of thes
preached in this county, but 1 I'M un
f able to find any record of it.
y" In 1870 the Contentenea Circuit wa
e formed of Greene, Pitt, Craven, Lenoi
\ and Wayne, the ministers preaching
mostly in private houses. The earl
$ lest Methodist preacher in the county
d of whom I have been able to learn
: was Phillip Hooks, who was a loca
preacher at Waynesboro in the earl,
part of the 10Th century.
About 1880 there was built il
r Waynesboro a church which was use
by all denominations.
A striking Illustration of the condi
f tons existing at the time is found il
the fact that when DR.. Elisha Mitchell
d a Presbyterian minister and ~professo