Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / June 20, 1909, edition 1 / Page 20
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F W WE - . . - OME .HI AT DENTON, NORTH CAROL INA We propose to give away, no cost whatever, on Dec. 24, 1909. to some person who desires to settle fa the Best Town in North Carolina, a Beautiful Home-Building Lot ih the Beautiful and Rapidly-Growing Town of DENTON, North Carolina-.Absolutely Free. Denton is one of the loveliest, most aggressive in short, one of the " coming towns of North Caro lina. Jt'is the temporary terminus of the Piedmont Railway, which connects with the main line of the Southern at Thornasville, and will soon push through to Wadesboro, where it will connect with the Seaboard and Coast Line. A moral, cultured town, with splendid school system, and attractive church advantages in the heart of the North Caro lina furnitore-making belt and backed by a splen did farming country. Already has 7 wood-working factories, prospective bank and cotton mill, 10 re tail stores, 3 churches and more to be built. Popula tion has doubled itself twice within the last 24 months. V T ' Denton is centrally located in the midst of the hardwood belt, has thre e daily mails, and connected by telephone with the neighboring towns 30 miles from Troy; 27 miles from High Point; 22 milee frwn Sali8ury; 22 miles from Asheboro; 20 miles (bKedmont Railway) from Thornasville; 20 miles from Lexington; 13 miles from Whitney, the great water-power development. Now, we are giv ing away, absolutely free, a Beautiful Home-Building Lot, to some one wh o wishes to make his, her or their home in this Beautiful Town. All readers of this paper and all other first-class people invited. None but the best people invited to reply. Write for particulars. HUB J. EARL VARNER, Resident Agent. J DENTON, N. C. A N-D COMPANY LEXINGTON, N. C. H. B. VARNER, President . v , . 5 The State and the University The address -which follows was de livered during; the recent commence ment exercises at the University of North Carolina by Mr. Frank Porter Graham, of Charlotte, president of the 'senior class. It is published by request. At this point in orur careers -when we are about to pass from the life of the University Into the life of the State, It Is well for us to consider the bearing of the life into which we are going upon the life from which we are going. It is truing. I think, to con sider the relation of the tate to the University. Involved In this relation we find the relation of the State to education, the relation of the Univer sity to the State, the attitude of the legislature toward the University, and a misunderstanding of the Uni versity on the grounds of religion, athletics, and general spirit. Fellow classmates, If I can say anything this morning, either to acquaint you with any fact or to remind you of any clr cainatanoe, that will increase your de sire to remove this misunderstanding and that will give you a stronger ro . solve to bring about a right relation, J., will feel, however much I fall in the grasp of my subject, that I will list have spoken without avail. fin order to understand clearly the relation of the State to the Univer sity, we must first understand the relation of the State to education. . Education is vitally related to all forms of government but It is the very wail -spring of democratic govern ment "We hold in America," says liyman Abbott, "to the principle of ; sejlf -government but we hold as a ' basis of self-government, self-educa-' tion." The State is based on the Intelligence of the people and It Is both the right and the duty of the ' State to provide the means to this . Intelligence. Important as are the Church and the private Individual in ' ths promotion of education only the Btate Is equal to the stupendous task J ef educating all the people. Democ t racy necessitates general education. !Ths educational Idea of the American democracy includes not only general education but also the best and most education. To carry out this idea of both the universal and the highest education a system was formulated , which embraces both, runs through ' the primary and' secondary schools : and culminates In the State Univer sity. The University Is as much a public trust as the common school; it Is a Dart of the one great system ef public schools. The public school system headed by the State Unlvee--stty Is the very life-spring of a demo- cratic State. To maintain this sys tem, then, is a most sacred obliga tion of the State. The State of North Carolina in 1776 recognised the sacredness of th ob ligation and made the surest step to wards meeting It by providing in the '. State constitution for the State Uni varsity. The wisdom of this pro vision, the relation of the Untver ' sity to the State, and the Dart that the University has played in the life of the State are matters of history. Ivook where you will Into every fleta 1 of human endeavor and human achievement and there you will find: the work and the influence of the ; Carolina man. .;; From pnlplts all over this section and State the men from this Ualver ' slty have wielded an incalculable In fluence for hi fb. Jivin tad Christian sorvice. Her sons are found to-day across the waters at the forefront of the tight for the evangelization of the world In this generation. In the political life of the State the University has met well her respon sibility in furnishing Intelligent citl lenshlp and trained, fearless leader ship. Her sons in private citizenship have been the political anchorage of North Carolina. As statesmen and political leaders they have, with rare exceptions, kept true to tho trust of their pilotage. To call the names of the alumni distinguished in political life Is to call the names of the men who have stood first In America; It Is to call the names of men who have had the largest part In making the political history of North Carolina, In the educational life of the State the Univetfclty has played a tremen dous ptvrt. The establishment of the iv.iMir- school astun by Murphy, Yancey, and Curvln H. Wiley, all sons of the University, is In some part a fulfillment of the Un' ersity's pur pose of service to North Carolina. Presidents of Davidson. Wake Forest, the A. snd M., and the Stale Normal make up a part of the list of alumni who have been founders and presi dents of twenty-six colleges and uni versities. The leaders In North Caro lina's recent edirfatlonal advance, Aycock, Aldermen, Mclver. Winston, Noble, Joyner, and others of those valiant fighters for universal educa tion in North Carolina received the Inspiration for their work at North Carolina's University. Take the Uni versity men out of the educational life of the State and you leave but scant material for the history of edu cation in North Carolina. Such a record of past services and present usefulness, together with the high standard of the curriculum and the efficiency of the work done, im pelled an educational board of nation al significance to rank the University of North Carolina, in spite of limited equipment, first among Southern uni versities. The University, though making no such high claim, has been a generous contributor to the South and to the nation. The University has sustained a life-giving relation to North Carolina. H'it what of the relation of the State to the University? The very fact that rthe University has played) such a large part In the life of the State is some evidence of the con- ffidence of the State in the University. By direct appropriations, by gener ously sending her sons, and by a pow erful State pride, the State has sus tained a life-giving relation to her University. The University thus sus tained by the State has gone forward by leaps and bounds and of late years has outgrown her resources to such an extent that a continued advance is largely conditioned on more gener ous appropriations by the State Legis lature. Although the State has great pride In the University and although the State has sent sons In generous num bers to her, the State has never ex pressed this pride and Interest in terms of generous financial support. From the meagre appropriation o 17,500, which was secured by a be loved former president, Dr. Battle. i the appropriation has grown to the more considerable sum of 176.000. But even this sum when compared to the appropriations of other states to their universities is exceedingly small. Smaller State universities receive larrtr apprspriatlona Arkansas, Georgia, and Oklahoma give over $100,000 annually for the current ex penses of their universities. The larger State universities appropriate from $400,000 to $500,000 annually. Illinois and Minnesota recently ap propriated the extra sums of $3,000, 000 and $4,000,000 respectively to their unlversltiea The "University of Alabama, one of the smaller State unl versltiea lately received the extra ap propriation of half a million for buildings. The average State univer sity receives as an averare the appro priation of $200,000 annually for run ning expenses. The University of North Carolina, the oldest of them ati In point of service and surpassed by none in point of actual usefulness to the State, retfeTves $75,000 annually, less than haf the appropriation of the average State university. The wise administrative economy of the executive head, the simple tastes of the students, and the self-sacrificing spirit of the faculty make It pos sible to run this University upon a comparatively small appropriation; but the direct necessities of life such heat, light and rooms make larger appropriations indispensable. Presi dent Charles W. Kliot, of Harvard, remarked with regret that tbyf great State of North Carolina had not shown that deserved liberality to her University which her sister States were showing to theirs. 'The public spirited Charlotte Observer said edi torially that the parsimony of the State to the University was a discred it to North Carolina. Thja parsimony cannot be explained In terms of pov erty. Other States with far less than the taxable property of North Caro lina make for larger appropriations to far smaller unlversltiea The failure of the Legislature te respond to the needs of the University is not. I take it, a genuine expression ef the atti tude of the State, but grows, I believe, out of a misunderstanding of the Uni versity by some of the people. This misunderstanding has three definite causes: It arises from an erroneous opinion of the University's religious influence, a lack of knowledge of her athletic attitude, and a misinter pretation of her general spirit. The first cause of misunderstanding is the religion of the University, it is an opinion held by some good peo ple that the University is an irrelig ious, godless institution. This opinion naturally arose from the prejudice against the supplanting of the Church by the State in the field of higher education. The churchee, be it said to their lasting honor, have done a great work, a pioneer work, In the field of higher sensation; but it Is well for us all to look the facts In the face, see the signs of the times, and recognize the logical and Inevitable trend toward higher education by the State. The State University Is here to stay and is just beginning to come to its own. Inasmuch as the State University- Is the people's University, it is as much the churches' as any body's else. In fact the members of the Church have a double duty to the State University, the duty of State citizenship and the responsibility of Church membership. Suppose there were some ground for fear of the University's religious influence, it would be the paramount duty of the Church not to antagonise but sympathetically to centre its ac tivity upon the University and Chris tianize the University's 'influence. The Church owes this Interest and sup port not only to the State and to the University but also to ltetf. Instead of alienating by antagonism the men of influence that each year go out from this University, the churchee should draw the mere closely to themselves by sympathy and support lam glad to say, in this connection, that four of the leading denomina tions of North Caroina have stationed here their ministers who are exerting a powerful influence upon the lives of the future cltlsens of North Caro lina. Nor Is there ground for fear of the religions Influence of the University herself. The religious activity of the students themselves has develop here one of the largest Student Young Men's Christian Associations In the South. With Its commodious hom. Its social receptions, its work for new students, its student publications, Its eight rural Sunday schools, its stu dent volunteer band. Its ministerial club; with its 350 men enrolled volun tarily In Bible study and 125 enroll ed in mission studies, the University Y. M. C. A. Is an aggressive force for Christian service In the Univer sity community. The ethical and moral standard of the student body is splendidly illustrated In the honor sys tem. Under this system during the past year the self-governing udent body dismissed from the University four men who had failed of the honor standard required by student senti ment. The student life Is uncommon ly serious and purposeful aid Is mark ed by a decided reaching after things spiritual. Of course, in the transition which comes to every thoughtful man from contact with new Ideas and from conflict with a master teacher, there come periods of unsettled question ings and misgivings, but always sus tained by the same master mind the student is tempered by the experience and comes to himself a strengthened Christian with a deepened spiritual life. If deepened spiritual life, if a high honor standard, and If organizid Christian activity count for anything, then the denominations of North Carolina have every cause for sup port of their University. The second cause for misunder standing is the University's athletic attitude. This attitude has tem porarily alienated some supporters of the University. The misunderstand ing on this ground is shared by many of the alumni who were schooled under the old athletic regime of no rules and no regulations. To these men loyally eager to see Carolina first the present restrictive athletic system Is unintelligible. Four years Carolina, together with Georgetown and Virginia, established a new athletic system. 'The purpose of this system," said a member of the athletic committee, "Is to secure general community participation in out-door exercise." This system is regulated by a set of stringent athletic rules which required in the words of this same committeeman, "that the 'Varsity terms be amateur and representative; that they he evolved out of the student body and not brought in and imposed on the student body." The University, adjusting herself slowly to this change, fell to a low place in Southern athletics. The Uni versity played colleges in Worth Caro lina which had no such rules at a decided disadvantage; and. since they refused to adopt any such system or to abide by such rules, was forced to break off relations with some of them. This severing relations with colleges of which all North Caro Unians are justly proud, coupled with the slump In general athletic stand ing, caused the University to become misunderstood and the object of much severe criticism. She, has been throagh the fire of that fctitlclsm and stands to-day true to ler athletic ideals. I The University, be lt understood takes no pride in sevef.ng relations with any Institution an( exceedingly regretted having to biaa off with some of the North Carolina colleges. The University would be glad to meet all the North Carolina colleges on the athletic basis required by the inter collegiate athletlo sense of America. Davidson College by recently adopt ing some of the requirements has' has tened the day when all the North Carolina oolleges will meet together In athletic rlralry according to the standard set by the leading American collegas and unlversltiea The Uni versity of North Carolina welcomes the coming of that day. In the mean time through the athletic committee and student sentiment, the Unlver sly, with failures here and there, is making a conscientious effort to make good her athletic obligations. Dur in gth Inevitable orltictom which will continue to come she will quietly be making a complete readjustment to her athletic system, and through that readjustment will work outher own athletic salvation. A splendid com munity participation intelligently di rected and Justly regulated will pro duce resultant 'Varsity athletic teams that will not only be representative and amateur but also triumphant in Southern athletics. Such is the belief of this University. The State has only cause for pride in the Univer sity's athletic attitude. The third cause for misunderstand ing is found in the spirit of the Uni versity. , it was said by some, and that during the last session of the Legislature, that the University was undemocratic, that ancestral social standing was a moving force in stu dent life, and that the spirit was characterized by a dangerous rever ence for the past. The University spirit is simply the distilled essence of the North Carolina spirit. To be sure, we csn find faults in North Carolina, the most democratic of the States. The State social life is mark ed by a certain aristocratic spirit The social life of the University, rep resentative of the social life of the stale, is also tinctured with a certain aristocratic spirit I dare say, how ever, that as little of this spirit Is found here as anywhere. The estab lishment of the general University commencement and the Inauguration ef the "Junior Prom" are but ad vancing steps in the democratization -f the University's social life. In the broader social life, in the reaJ University life, the democratic spirit ts the outstanding characteristic. No where will you find a more demo cratic spirit then prevails on this campus. Here the premium is placed upon worth and achievement Here it is not considered beneath the dig nity of a University man, of whatever descent he be. to work for his edu cation with his hands. Students oc cupy positions as clerks, stenograph ers, printers, clothes pressors, dish washers, waiters. Janitors, wood cut ters, agents galore, and so on to the end of the list of the four or Ave hundred students who are earning a part or the whole of their way through college. It is no uncommon occurrence for a student to lay aside his waiter s apron to take up the gavel of a literary society, or for a student to set type for the paper of which he is editor-in-chief. The stu dents who work with their hands for cneir education are held in the high est esteem by student sentiment. The University's most cherished possession is not that her baseball team divider honors for the Southern championship; it is not that her de bating teams have won eighteen out of twenty-six lnter-colletflate debate PeC1vU WUh n,v"U from Pennsy lvarua to Tulane; It Is not that ' li!,0 h"r distinguished sons makes iJi J."? th honor roll of rth Carol!; proud as the of ,SJ hese, her dearest poaseseion is the democratic spirit of her student body as most splendidly exemplified In the 176 recognizedly meritorious students who are earning every cent of their way through oollege. Surely there is no cause for misunderstanding such a spirit of such a University. Greater than these three causes, however religion, athletics, spirit in fact the greatest cause for misun derstanding after atl grows out of a failure on the part of many people to realize that this Is the State Uni versity. This University Is North Carolina's own oreature, the people's University, the head of their public school system. With the realization of this great fact of relationship, with the removal of all prejudice and un founded antagonism, will come a new era for the University of North Caro lina In the making of this greater Uni versity, fellow classmates, it is our duty end our privilege to have a part. With a knowledge of the misunder standing, with an acquaintance with the needs, and with an understanding of the responsibility of the State, we are in a position to remove that mis understanding, to make known those needs' and to impress that responsi bility. If we leave our University with the determination thus to serve her, nothing will become us like the leaving. Who of us is not eager to have a part in this great work? What VMS is lacking to move vis to a fTfitsr thusiasm? If there be Mngt stir the heait of man to th aoci pllshment of a great purpose, those things are at full play upos at this season. The hold of th 1 versify upon us. alwmyi recogilj was never felt so Intensely as In tl last few days. The rmin!irnct her past, the belief in hw pral and the hops in hr future brcught home to us In a -err sense the meaning of this fnrv The devoted and patriotic self flee of this faculty, wh.e lives forever Inwrought Into our own, sonallzes our love for Carolina gives us a higher resolve for ser The deep life friendships formed! this campus knit us yet more clof to nr nlma matrr. I no mcn-ii four vears of life here i-ruwd th: our minds thin morning with com Ing power. Under the influence! these memories ana associations, int others faces nrnme we soe there rsponl flashes and fee! an Inter. Unin imnnlse of service ii.,., Thf ardent imr'Ji serve her will, with the ruOUt . j wefrinfV dutv. for cause of North .'.trolina Is the Of the University :.n.l the cause of University is the Carolina ... .. Delivered May !" ' 3 DAVIS WHITE SULPHUR SP RINGS AN IDEAL PLACE TO SPENPTHSJHSSS mosquitoes. . a. jt ;rrr,fc no mosquito . rieasanu uavs, cuui ui& - , i except ounaay. unsurpassea uuuciai U,rr, ignis, dations for200 guests. well not ana coiaDatns; neat, Vorp- shooting, ventilated rooms; splendid table Ia ban and bowling, boationg, tennis, croquet, baseu free merry-go-round. fOnreteieph0neS - Resident physician in hotel. Ins lo P11 and all 'first-class accommoaaaona - e .' .J, May, June and Septem. $00 , July and August, w ; Special rates to families DAVIS BROTlRS, Owners and iiiaar' ,e, norm booklet ,- t
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 20, 1909, edition 1
20
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