I
i
VOLUME I.
OXFOED, N. C., WEDNESDAY, SI.AK011 17, 1875.
NUMBEll 11.
OiJK STA'i'E UKIt'ESiSlTI'.
riiOM “our. LiolNO akd our. dead.”
It is of tlio liigliest importance
tliat tlie Slate of Nortli Oarolina
should liar'e an IJniveniity in
name and in fact It ndil not be
creditable to either the intelligence
or liberality of our people if a
sti'ong and well directed efibrt is
not made to resuscitate our State
Institution and to place it on a
basis of usefulness and permanen
cy. VYhist other States maintain
their leading educational centi-es,
it will not do for us to remain in
different to the claims of the
youth of our State and the otnise
of learning. The Trustee.s of the
UiUA-ersity hax'e recently held an
important meeting in Raleigh.—
We have seen it .stated that what
they' did will jjrobabiy result in
its revival at an early day'. It i;
given out that it rests with tin
legislature, lio'wever, now in ses
sion, whether the Uuiversitv will
be 0|>ened during the next Sum
mer, or will remain inhabited by
only bats and owls. We can but
hojK) that our legislators are suf
ficiently arvake to the great im-
])ortance of re-opening the Uni
versity at an early day, to prompt
them to such action as w'iil guar
antee the compassing of tlnit so
much desired end. What we wi-ite
will not be seen bv any' of them,
we suppose, before tlioy have dis-
j).)sed of the matter in some ■veav,
but if we could rciicli them we
■would like to add one voice to
other ap)>eals, tluit the)' will adojit
sucij measures as sliall ojien those
ancient lialls to the light of day
once more, and offer eve»'y in
ducement for an advanced cuituro
that can be given by any' similai'
institution in the ■»vhole land.
A recent article in the Biblical
lieconler, from tlie iicfi of Rev. J.
D. llufliam, ha able and scliohiilv
cslitor, is so timtdy, so cordial, so
c.athoiic, so 'W'ise, tiiat we gladly
avail ourselves of a few para
graphs. Referring to the Univer
sity he says :
“Its stisponsion rvas a sad thing
for North Carolina. Its continued
.susjicnsion is a reproach to Iter.
Standing at the head of the edu
cational enterprises and institu
tions of the State they cannot
have the highest degree of pros
perity ivliile it languishes or is in
a state of suspension. Especially
is the spirit of education among
the people dependent in large
measure on the existence and
prosperity' of the Uni’.'ei'sity'.
“In most of the other States
similar institutions are rising a-
bove the vcreck and ruin of the
■war and seem likely to regain
their old prosperity and useful
ness. It is high time for North
Carolina to commence the good
work of providing for her sons
the moans of the highest and best
culture. It will be necessary', w'e
suppose, for the Trustees, in the
event of re-opening to ask an ap
propriation from the Legislature,
This request, we think, could
hardly'be denied. Poor and heavi
ly taxed as our people are they
cannot afford to refuse such an
application.
“We shall be glad if the Insti
tution can be re-opened as a Uni
versity'. This it has never been.
It has been a simple college, here
tofore, and has been the rival of
the smaller depominational Insti
tutions. We hope to see it raised
above this. It will bo at some
tone, thoiigh it may' not be expe
dient to attempt it in tlie pre.sont
condition of the State finances.”
Tlie time was when next to licr
great men the chiefest ornament
ot the Stare ov.a.s her Univer
sity'—an institution in the suc
cess of which all intelligent
and public-spirited North Caro
linians gloried. It ■H'as not all
that was desired. It ■was not in
any' just sense a University' at all.
But it was our best, and ifom its
precincts bad gone forth hundreds
of y'oung men who in after years
Avere to wdn the highest civic fame
and some of them to achieve re
nown on many battle-fields. Lot
us all work for its s-jiecdy' re-
ojiening, and let it be made
as soon as ])ossible second to
none and in all resjiects W'hat its
name imports, I^et wisdom, fair
ness and justice characterize at
all times the action of those who
have it in charge. Ixst no invidi
ous and injudicious distinctions be
made. Let no cause of com
plaint be given that it is controll
ed by' politicians or by' any' one
religious denomination. Ij;t
broad Catholicism prevail, and wo
believe it Avill go on prospering
and to prosjier.
But wo are in pulvance of tl
music. The work of revi%'al is
yet to be done. North Carolina
cannot afford to be w'itboiit its
University. Our iieoessities de
mand it. Oar pride, our intei-est,
our self-respect, oui'iove of loani
ng, ail unite with one voice and
iry aloud, “Give us back again
ihe Iionored ol-d Unii'crsity, en
larged, adorned, stieiig'thened and
iaijiroveii.”
North Carolinians think of it;
there are now beti-veen one and
tivo hundred of our young men
attending (lie colleges of other
States. It is a standing repros.ch
to our intelligence, public spirit
and State pride tliat we force our
boy's abroad, it w'iil not do to
say that we have good colleges.
Wo grant it gladly, but then they
are under the jiatronage of re
ligious denominations and are re
garded as sectarian. Tliere are
some of tlie religious bodies who
are without male colleges, and
tliere are scores of young men
w'ho perfer to attend' institutions
that are not controiledby' religious
bodies. It is useless to say' that
this is prejudice or bigotry' or
-Aviiat not. We must look at things
as they exist. The fact is patent
that scores of young men leave
the State to attend the colleges
that are not open to the charge of
being in any sense denomination
al. We have good colleges, but
we have no University. We must
have one in its broadest and truest
sense. If onr colleges were bet
tor than all others, there are
many young men wlio would not
matriculate in them, but ivoiild
seek instruction bey'ond our bor
ders. Prior to the Avar this AA'as
not the case. AYliore one AA'ont
out of the State to seek education
al advantages, fifty came into the
State from other sections, and our
University Avas indeed one of the
grand rallying intellectual centres
of the South. AA^lien the Avritor
Avas at Oiapel Hill, he thinks thei-o
AA'ci'O some tAventy-fiA'c students
in at^lendance from A i”giiiia alone.
The tide has since turned, and
now onr b.)ys go to the Universi-
■t}' of A a., to AVhishiiigtou and Lee,
to Haiu[)den and SydnoA', to
Raudol])h Aiacon, to AA' iliiam .and
Mary, to I'riiK'eloii, Ac. AYhy
tins ? Alas ! Ave haA’c no UniA'er-
.sity now, and no longer do A-hr-
ginians and {.leorgians ami Alis-
.sissippiatis, atnl y'ouths from oth
er Southern Slates, seek instruc
tion at our hands by' hinidivds,
but AA'O scnl our boA's from home
to ])Hr8uo tiieir studies amid the
cloisters and stately groA'es of the
colleges of otlicr States. IIow
long, how long aiiall thiseontimie?
AA”o ])retend not to that jirophetic
keu that cait penetrate the A-eil of
the future, but a bliird man can
see far enough to tell you, th.at
it AA'ill surely continue as hnig a.s
narrow and illiberal vievA'S prevail
—as long as there is not enough
of genuine North Carolina spirit
to unite our jnsople in one com
mon purpose to resuscitsAte our
ancient and once-honored seat of
loarnijig, and re-open those foun
tains of knowledge Avhose Avaters
wore so healthful and iiiA'ig'orat-
ing to the mind and that flowed
full and fresh across our linos in
to the regions boy'ond.
No State can maintain its
character for intelligence and
public spirit that docs not foster
education. No nation can long
preserve its liberties that does not
cherish and protect its seats of
leariiing. In a former article Are
discussed tins phase of the sub
ject. We shoAA'ed that ignorance
is the parent of vice, of crime, of
superstition, of credulity' and of
brutalizing passions. As Horace
Mann, tliat able educator and
thinker, truly' said, “Education is
nu-politicar .safety'. Oiit.side of
this ark, all is deluge.” Even so
b.adaman as Napoleon was far
too Ba,gaciou3 not to be imjirossed
AA'ith the groat truth tliat the se
curity and destiny of every free
people chiefly' and iisovitably ro.st
upon education and intelligence.
He felt this Avhon referring to
Franco more particularly; he
said : “Public instruction should
be the first object of goverment.”
Surely, then, our legislators Avill
not be faithless and recreant to
the groat blessings of “public in
struction,” AA’hon according to the
philosophy' of despotism itself, it '
‘should be” their ‘'first object.”
Lot, then, the UniA'crsity of
North Carolina be revived. Let
all of the friends of liberal educa
tion come up to its support. Let
prejudices, and complaints, and
antagonisms and creeds be for
gotten, and let all rally to the
help of those aa'Iio Avould lift from
the dust the broken column and,
place it upon its fii-m and endu
ring pedestal again. AA^e are a
true advocate of the revival of
learning at Chapel Hill. Let
hopeful hearts and expansive
minds gather about the venerated
and ruined old UniA'ersity'. Let
a noAV’ life be placed -VA-ithm; let
a strong faculty' be chosen—men
of large and A'aried learning—men
who love to teach, Avho are en
thusiasts, AA'lio are full of energy
and devotion and hope ; let some
eloquent and popular man bo
placed at its head—some son of
tlie State aaIio can, AA'itli
and pen, stir the nerinl
and unite their energies in the
great v.-ork of ro-baihling the
Alma Mater of so many ‘ of the
children of Noi'tli Oarolina, and
then shall old men rejoice and
mothers be glad, and the maidens
of our land from CniTitnck to
Cherokee, from the seaboard and
coiit.ro, from the jiiaiiis and the
iiiomilaiiis, Avith soiig-.s and slioiit-
ir.gs shall bring ■fre.sli garlands
Avith AA'hich to adorn the brow of
the dear Old Jlother,—aa'Iio was
dead but is alive again. T. B. K.
To
The Lord Iuas saved up the de
tails about the next Avorid until
AA'e get there, to make surprises of
them so that lieaven mjght bo all
the brighter because it so infi
nitely' exceeds auy'thing we had
couveived. AA”e are not told, for
instance, Avliero heaven is. AA'e
are not told any'tliiiig even about
the social conimuiiion of heaven.
We do know, or at least aa-o have
abundant reason for believing,
that saints know each other, that
they' are not like men in a groat
mass, indistinct and undistinguish-
ablo, but that there is felloAA'sliip
among the saints that Abraliam is
Abraham, and Isaac is Isaac, and
Jacob is Jacob, as such in the
khigdomof God. The Noav Jeru
salem is said to have its streets,
and streets imply' iutorci u'se, but
there is little about that—-just an
outline, as it Avere, such as an ar
tist might make w'ith charcoal—
none of the filling- up and the
lii'ight coloi’s. Of all these things
Ave sliould like to haA’e known
something, but onr heads cannot
hold mucin—Spurgeon.
Ancient WoNuiiES.—Ninoveli
was fourteen miles long, eight
miles Avide, and forly-six miles
around, with a wall one hundred
feet high and thick enough for
three chariots abreast. Baby'lon
Ava.s fifty miles. Avithin tbe Avails,
AA'hich wei'e sovcnty-five feet thick
and one hmidred feet high, Avith
one hundred brazen gates. The
Temple of Diana, at Ephesus,
AV’as lour hundred and tAventy'feet
to the support of tlie roof—it Avas
one liimdi-od yeai-s in b'oilding.
The largest of the pyramids Avas
foul- hundred and eighty'-one feet
in height, and eig-ht hundred and
fifty-tliveo feet on the sides. The
base covered eleven acres. I'he
tlio A'ogetablo kingdom,
siro,” replied a little girl.
I he Emjieror took a gold coin
from his pocket, and, holding it
uj), asked:
“And to -nhat kingdom docs
this belong- ?”
“To the mineral kingdom, sire,”
replied the little girl.
“And to Avliiit kingdom do I be-t
long then ?” asked the Emperor.
JIio little girl eolored deeply’,
for she dhl not like to say “the
animal kingdom,” as he thonglit
she would lest liis Majesty' should
be offended, vvlien a bright thought
came, and she said, AA'ith radiant
eyes:
“To God's kingdom, sire.”
Jhe Emperor was deeply mov
ed. A tear stood in his eye. He
placed ills hands on the child’s
head and saiii, most deA'Outly :
“Grant that 1 liiay- be account
ed worthy' of that kingdom.”
voice
people’s heart
stones are about sixtx' feet in i i .
length, and the layers^ are two and his acts
huiubed and eight. It emploA'ed
.850,000 men in building. I’he
labyrinth of Egypt contains three
hunth-e-d chambers and twelve
halls. Thebes, in Egy'pt, presents
ruins twenty-seven miles ai-ound,
contained 350,000 citizens and
400,000 slaves. The Temple of
Delphos Avas so rich in donations
that it Avas plundered of $50,000,-
000, and the Emperor Nero cai--
ried aAvay feom it two hundi-ed
statues. The Avails of Romo Avere
thirteen miles around.
A CliiJA’s Civaliry,
When the Emperor of Germa
ny' Avas lately on a visit in a dis
tant poi-tion of his dominions, he
was welcomed by the school chil
dren of the parish. After their
speaker had made a speech for
them, he thanked them. Then,
taking an orange from a plate, he
asked:
“To AA'hat kingdom does this
belong ?”
IIow Muon Was He Woeth?
—There is a terrible signiiicance
in tlie questions A-ve sometimes ask
upon the death of a Avealthy'man,
if Ave only' understood the real
signification of tlie questions.
“IIow much was he Avorth ?” Ave
ask. And tlie angels might re
ply'. ‘ ‘ VVorth I lie Avasn’t worth
anytliing. His money Avas avoi h
soniething, but he wasn’t AA'orth
a,nyUung.” So Ave vary'the ques
tion. “Yes, but hoAA' much did
he leave V’ It mig-ht be answer
ed. “Yes I AA'ill tell y'ou, Ha
had house, lot, bonds, stock, gold,
notes, merchandise, farms. And
he left—great God ! he left them
all. He cai'ried nothing with
him. Naked and destitute came
he into the Avorld, and naked and
destitute did he go the -way
Avheno he came. He carried noth-
ing; neither land, nor money',
not yet did ho carry' Avith him
the blessing of the poor. He left
all—he cai-i'ied nothing with him.
But his neighbor has died ; a
man xA'ho was not knoAvn on
’Change, aor in tlie tax-list. ‘ ‘A nd
what has he left'?” we may per-
hapsi, oiu-iou^ly ask. “Left? he
has left aothiag , but he has ta
ken much with him. He has
g’oae to heaven laden with the
blessings and gratitude of the
poor, of the helpless, of the young,
oi tlie aged, of the widow, of the
friendless—of those whom he, by
his coxmsels and his acts and his
prayers, had blessed—of thoso
whose poverty he had relieved,
whose ignorance he had enliglit-
ened, whose dai-kuess he had dis
pelled, whoso bodies and wdiose
souls be iiad fed.”
When vVilberforce died Daniel
O’Connell said: “He has gone
up to heaven bearing a million
broken fetters in bis hand.”
Ws are handed the following
cure for diptheria by one of our
farmers: “Take one ounce of
Balm of Oiiead buds, bruise and
put them in a small bottle and fill
up with apple brandy, swab and
gai-gle the throat well, and the
patient will be relieved immedi
ately.—Exchange.
Gov. Ohainbcriaiu, of South Carolina,
writes to the maangers of the Boston Fair in aid
of the orphans and widows of tbe Washington
Light Infantry of Charleston, S. C., that '“no
patriotic duty is more coninianding at this
time than the restoration of fraternal feelings
between Massachusetts and South Caroliiua,
Hid tiio groat loc'ioiis of onr country which
they rtspectircly roprciScnt.”