Newspapers / The Orphans’ Friend (Oxford, … / July 26, 1876, edition 1 / Page 2
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THE OlirHANS’ FKIEND. IViilsicstlaj, .StsSy '2ii, 1876. PjLEASH BE PATIEXX. We liave a package of applica tions for the admission of orphans, and are anxious to bring in the most needy as soon as possible. But, alas! we have not the funds. Many people feel an interest in the orphan work and are going to send in contributions when well, verj' soon, we hope. Some years ago we were passing a very old school-house and went in to explore. We found one book, an old book, a very old spelling book. On the first page we read as follows: “ William Wilson, his hand and pen : He will be good, but God kndws when.” Now, reader, when are you go ing to be good enough to send in your contribution ? It is needed NOW. Now is the day, and the only day, in which some orphans can be saved from ruin. TilE KEEEBEIEAIV SOJMJNA- TIONS. have invested one of his fcirms in the education of his children. Then his other farms and his money might have remained in the family. When will our people believe that learning is of more value than lucre 1 CElVTEIVi^lAE EETTEB. HORTICULTURAL HALL. The Kepublican Convention has nominated Hon. Thomas Set tle for Governor, Major Smith for Lieut. Governor, W. H. Wheeler for Treasurer, Judge Albertson for Secretary of State, John Reilly for Auditor, Col. Hargrove for Attorney General and Dr. John C Carson for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Major Smith, Judge Albertson and Col. Hargrove are friends of the Orphan Work. How the others stand on this question, we do not know. Mr. Scarborough thinks we ought Jo know some things which we dojnot know. That is true of us, and of others as well. But we shall be glad to hear from the other candidates and to have some explicit statement of tlieir views. Especially are wo anxious to hear from Dr. Carson who is almost unknown in this part of tiie state. Some say he is a Pres byterian D D. Others say he is a Northern Methodist. Some say he is seventy years old, others say he is forty five. We wish to hear from Dr. Carson. IS IT SO ! The Democrat publishes Treas urer Belk’s lucid statement of the expenditures for public schools in Mecklenburg county. The white children had 56 schools, and the colored children had 46. The schools for white children cost S5,480.80. The schools for color ed children cost $3,868.93. Now comes the fact for tlic thoughtful; 1798 white children attended schools, and 1928 colored chil dren. The whites had moi’e schools and more money spent thereon, and yet the colored chil dren seemed more zealous for learning. In statesmanship, in scholarship, in general intelli gence, and in judicious care of their own interests, the people of Jlecklonburg are not behind those of any other county, and any other county would probably suffer by oomparison with Meck lenburg. Are the white people neglecting the education of their children I Some jmars ago we rode with a gentleman of large wealth. He had given money to endow a college, but was neglect ing the education of his own chil dren. Now three of his grand children are in the Orphan House. Ilis son grew up ignorant and the ],roperty his father gave him dis- ■.ippoared, and now when father ami grandfather, mother and grandmother are all dead, the cnildren are homeless and penni less. That grandfather ought to This building is in the Moorish style of architecture of the 12th century, and is mostly of iron and glass externally^. Internally the gallery that runs around the central conservatory is supported by ornate brick columns with white marble foundations. The gallery itself is white, ornament ed with blue and gold to corres pond with the arch of the ceiling. The cool atmosphere is very refreshing, and its very size—for it covers less than an acre and a half of ground—is very pleasant after traversing the long aisles of the Main Building. We walk leisurely along the broad stone walk, stopping to examine some tree or plant at almost every step. We hasten to the splash of the waters of many fountains. There are eight in its angles, not to speak of the handsome marble one in the centre, executed by Miss Foleys our own American sculptor, now in Rome. Here are palms—veil table palms of which we have used so much, but being small on account of trans portation, &c., we acknowledge to a feeling of disappointment. Here is the Banana tree from China, with a long bunch of ba nanas hanging from its branches —the Date palm from Asia, the Chocolate tree from South Amer ica with its bright green leaves very much like those of the or ange tree, but larger. This tree bears a bean called the Cocao bean, which is ground and mixed witli vanilla and compounded in to the chocolate which we use in making the delightful breakfast drink of that name. Speaking of breakfast drinks reminds me that here, too, in tliis hall, is a Coffee shrub from Abysinia. It is not over two feet tall, and has bright red oblong fruit upon it, which wo are told contains a grain of coffee. See the great feathery leaf from which our palm leaf fans are made 1 but the graceful, feathery' border is cut off and tlie centre bound as we see them in daily use. Here is the Screw Pine from East India, and we stop be fore a dark brown trunk of a palm about four feet tall and one foot in diameter, surmounted by' a quantity of feathery’' leaves that grow right from the top of the trunk and seem almost as if a hu man instead of the Divine hand had placed them there. This palm is labelled ‘‘ Cycas Revo lution,” and was owned by Robt. Morriss before and during the Revolutionary War. Robt. Mor riss not only' signed the Declara tion of Independence, but assisted the war with the loan of a large private fortune. In his later years he lost everything through a part ner in a vast land speculation, and lay for four years in a debt or’s prison, and finally died in poverty and obscurity. But we will try to forget the troubles of life here amidst the luxurious growths of different climes. The ferns are beautiful, and the Ja- ponicas from Japan, and Acacias from North Holland, come in for their share of attention. The display of Rhododendrons, in a position near by, is magnificent The loaf and bush resembles our southern river ivy, and now is the blossoming season. Every' bush is filled with beautiful clus ters of scarlet, pink, purple and pure white flowers. Around this hall are flower plots, century' plants, and a long row of orange and lemon trees loaded with fruit. In front is a brilliant parterre of gorgeous exotics. But we will not yet leave this pleasant hall, but look upward at the four handsome ciiandeliers with the light falling prismatically through its glitter- ing pendants ; peep through the windows into the forcing rooms for the propogation of y'oung plants, and admire for a moment the beautiful terra cotta statuary. Hark I music fills the air —strange music to me—the full tones of the organ, but I hear tiie clash of cy’inbals—what is it? An officer pleasantly informs us that it is an organ worked by electricity', and upward wo ascLnl the orr a nental stairway' to see for ourselves. The gallery' commands a fine view of the interior of the build ing, and at one end is the elector —magnetic orchestra. This or gan represents a band of twelve pieces. The music is simply per forated paper drawn over a me- talic plate, and the electricity will distinguish the conducting char acters from the non-conducting surface of the paper, and instant ly' is telegraphed to the corres ponding performing magnet in the main case. The “reeder” is in front of the main case of the in strument which is a tall plain case, and reminds one of a large walnut wardrobe. From this case the telegraph wires' extend to the “reeder” in front. This “reeder,” as it is called, looks like a small table with a kind of wind pocket each side, and by' the means of the compressed air, the music, which is in the form of rolls passes over the plate which is charged with electricity', and as a great many notes may be smd at once, the music may' be very' much varied, and is certainly verv beautiful—much more so than any automatic music that we ever heard before.' We are loath to leave the rare plants, odorous flowers and jdeas- ant music, and are glad tliat this building is to be a permanent or nament of Fairmouiit Park. MEXICO AS IT IS. turmoil as another half c entury has not ended. The mysterious rise of the Aztecs is yet unexplained. The supposition which brings them from Asia is not without plausible pretentious, but learned men of Mexico do not include any such suppositions in their pa pers that are now being issued at Mexico upon the subject. They begin the history with an account of the migration of the Aztecs from Azatlan in western central Mexi co tiie site where they founded their capital, and gave two hun dred and ten years for this pas sage over a verv short distance. They' do not follow the liistory any farther back, from the fact that they' know nothing more. The ordinary' reading world is indebted to Prescott for most of its knowledge of the Aztec peo ple, but w'ith Bernal Diaz for leader, it is evident that some of the pictures are overdrawn ; nev ertheless it remains a trutli that the formation and success of the emi'.ire of the Aztecs, so far away from the other great empire.s of the past, like a great tropical plant springing up away from its fellows, is one of those events of the past, the greater for being solitarv, w'hich w'ill ever chal lenge the admiration of the world. The three centuries w’hich Mexico was under the rule of Spain formed a curious mold of character. The wide extend ed sway of the priests and the peacefulness of the government gradually lulled into sleep the proud heart of the Aztec, and in the place of sacraficing hecatombs of victims to the war god of his nation, he learned to adore the saints of Catholicism. But liberty is sweet, and the hearts of the people awoke from the long slumber, and freed themselves from the yoke of sub mission to the tottering pow'or of Spain. But the liberty’ tb.at would have been sweet was made anarchy by ignorance, and revo lution after revolution, petty broils of state with state, and of states within themselves, the cunning of leaders and the Jesuitical sway have long devastated a people that with their native tact and warm impulsive character ate ca pable of ranking with the first na tions of the globe. Tlio men of talent and educa tion realize the situation, and the cry is, “Give us peace, and tve will take our proper jiosition among nations.” The need of universal education, the full tol eration of religious opinions, and the jirotection of the rights of all well as those of other nationalities here residing, are subjects which claim the seri ous consideration of the govern meut; and taking into considora tion her exhausted financial con dition and yet unsettled people, Mexico is making giant strides toward the elevated position she should occupy as a repulicau gov ernment. The United States may' no longer look upon her with dis dain. That contemptuous treat ment which she receives at the hands of the border State, is most unjust, and the continual attempt to iinbroil her in war merits strong condemnation from all who love liberty and the progress of civilization. It is a firct to be conceded that fanaticism y'et i ules in the interi or tow’Tis and the assassination of our worthy' co-laborer, J. L. Ste The student of history who loves to trace the ever-balancing relations of cause and effect upon the scroll of the past, and to search into t'le secret of those'sub- tile influences which mold the mind of nations, will ever find an | its citizens, as interesting field in the annals of Mexico. Very indistinct are the recorded outlines and almost en tirely unknown are the particu lar events which form the history' of the wonderful people who up on this soil establislied an empire, winch even competed with the nations of antiquity in its gran deur and w'ealth ; but enough is know'n and the scene lies near enough our own doors to fairly claim a part of that time which tlie antiquities of Persia or Egypt, of Greece, or of Rome so often claim. Here a nation arose from a source yet unexplained ; reached a wonderful pi-osperity ; by the the hand of a ruthless conqueror fell, and by the same hand form ed again into a nation, developed a character with some commenda ble characteristics, yet with such I phens, is a inelancholly proof of an amount of ignorance and reli- the force which the clergy yet ex- gious fanaticism as made the at- eroise over the ignorant people, tempt to overturn the existing Yet the event has brought forth state of affairs at the end of tliree some cheering expressions from centuries ,the beginning of such a [ the editors of p.apers who repre sent the present ruling powers. All are strong in their condemna tion of the act, and the govern ment has used all possible means to punish the offenders, having arrested over one hundred of the mob including the priests. No blame can be attached to the gov ernment, for it has done all that could be asked. The present government evinces much regard for Protestantism, inasmuch as Protestants so much favor universal education of the people. It is also true that Matainoras, the city in which wo labor, is at present under bad administration, but endeavors are being used to arrange and amicably' settle the difficulty, and we may well pray ti'.at such may' be the case in all such circumstancies here, for now is evidently' a critical time in the nation’s history'; it is struggling with the birth of a noble era, and evei'y friend of the progress of civilization and Christianization could not but be interested in the result did they' but know the facts. ■ Mexico does not receive the consideration that is due her from her sister republic; the slighting tone with which she is often mentioned is an insult to the principles of liberty', towards which she is advancing. It may bo among the probaliilities of the future, that this position, after which she is striving, may be snatched from her grasp by the Impudence of some of her turbu lent spirits, but it behooves all who would glory' in her exaltation to beseech the Ruler of the desti nies of nations, that the curse of war and turmoil may' be lifted from her, and that the ennobling effects of peace, education and the Bible may have opportunity to develop themselvos. It will require time to accom plish these things, which not only we, but all her noble sons desire of Mexico. The people must confidence in the govern ment, and the government give evidence by' its acts of its concern for the welfare of the people. Such a course the acting presi dent has begun, and when her final!cesjean'be so replenished as to carry forwaixl internal iin])rove- ments, then if peace can be main tained, the say'ing of an editor here will bo fulfilled, namely': “Give us fifteen years of peace, and we will astonish th.e world.” M. M. B. MIIVOEIiVK WITH STKAAWEKf. The effect of mingling with new people, who have new methods of thought, is veiy salutary, iilways to see the same people, do the same things, feel the same way', jjroduces a stagnant condi tion of the mind and heart that is very disti'essing to behold. There are thousands of invalids who might be greatly benefited by getting away' from home, to mingle with strangers and be touched with the magnetism oi the world as it courses in its accustomed rounds. And there are mental invalids who need the same change, to get their minds and hearts enlarged and let in a little more of the great light of life. Outside influences are very valuable to those who at home have been well trained by healthful Influence in early youth, so that tliey can avoid the snares and pitfalls into which they so often blindly fall. A Christian has nothing to call his own, save Christ and liis sal vation ; all the rest is surrendered to God.'
The Orphans’ Friend (Oxford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 26, 1876, edition 1
2
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