I Lib.
HE TAR HEEL
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
VOL. 19
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL, N. C, SATURDAY, MARCH 25. 1911
NO. 42
DR. VAN DYKE LECTURES
Now Delivering Fourth Series of the Lectures .
McNAIR LECTURES FOUNDED
BY JOHN CALVIN McNAIR
Founded by. ; John Galvin McNair
Spoke on "Poetry of Patriotism" Last Night
Dr. Van' Dyke last night delivered
the first of the series of McNair lec
tures on the subject, "The Poetry
of Life," the first lecture being' "The
Poetry of Patriotism." The arrival
of this world famous preacher author
and philosopher has been heralded far
and wide ever since it was known at
beginning of the session that he was
to visit the University of North Caro
lina. Never before in the memory of
the student has Gerrard Hall been
more packed with people to hear a
speaker as it was last night on the
occasion of Dr. Van Dyke's first lec
ture, Part of the audience was
composed of alumni from Dur
ham together with their wives
and daughters. Automobiles brought
a number of visitors.
A more eager audience never graced
Gerrard Hall. All eyes were strained
to catqh a glimpse of the distinguished
speaker, who was greeted by a storm
of applause when he made his ap
pearance. At last the moment arrived
when Dr. Venable took the rostum,
and in a few happily phrased senten
ces of introduction made the audience
feel personally acquainted with the
orator of the evening.
Dr. Van Dyke began amid a hush
of expectancy. After the first few
sentences his audience forgot all else
but the exquisite diction of the words
flowing so charmingly from his Hps.
He began by declaring the aim of
poetry to be the imparting of pleasure
through the imagination. This pleas
ure, however, is not a mere amuse
ment, but a vital joy enlarging the
thoughts, deepening the emotions,
and enabling the life of man. Poetry
thus renders to the wolrd a real and
inestimable service. A man's worth is
measured not by his money as we
have a tendency to think, but by the
wealth of his mind and heart. Dr.
Van Dyke here stated that his three
lectures were to treat of three of the
ways in which the inner life of man
kind has been enriched by the poets.
Coming finally to poetry and
patriotism, he said that Walter Scott
had spoken with scorn of the man
with soul so dead that he has no love
for his native land. No less contempt
ible, however, is the country with the
cold heart which has no poetry to
praise her heroes and encourage her
patriots. The great races of the
earth have all expressed their memor
ies and hopes in poetry. America would
take her place among the meaner
nations if it ever became a land with
out poets. Her poverty of spirit could
' not be atoned for by any amount of
material riches, her size would only
increase the extent of her insignifi
cance. The esprit de corps ot a people is
patrionsm, which enables them to
think and act together. . Poetry is
marching music for the spirits of men.
Poetry, as the first service to pa
triotism, personifies the country to the
imagination. All the imaginary fig
ures, Columbia, Albion, Scotia, Gallia,
Germania, Columbia which typify
noble lands, are the creation of poetry.
Our own national hymn, written in
New 'England, is now too narrow in
imagery. Our national hymn should
have a wider scope to express the
southland and the Westland, all the
breadth and glory of Columbia's do
main.;--'. ;-'".
Poetry chronicles, as a second ser
vice, 'all a nation's, great achievements
and heroic deeds. Part of any people's
real wealth are traditions of courage
and self sacrifice. Songs like "Mari
on's Men" and the 'Carmen Bellicos-
um" and "Old Iron Sides" mean a
great deal to the spirit of America.
We need more national ballads and
lyrics.
"Poetry clarifies," as 'a third service
tne ideals ot justice and honor and
brotherhood which make the glory of
a nation. The highest of all is moral
beauty. For this reason, there are no
it ,
' - .,
DR. HENRY VAN DYKE.
good poems about bad rulers, ignoble
wars, and unjust causes. To write
them is simply impossible. Ideals like
those expressed in Emerson's "Concord
Ode" and in Whittier's "Astraca"
mate poetry splendid and patriotism
strong.
Near the close of his address, Dr.
Van Dyke launched into a stream of
ridicule of Walt Witman and .the
"Whit-maniac" school of poetry, a
pun that was appreciatively received
by his hearers. The space of one min
ute was sufficient for an admir
er of Whitman to change his views on
"Old Walt" and join in the applause
of his ridiculer.
Dr. Van Dyke speaks tonight on
"Poetry and Nature" and Sunday
niyht on "The Poetry of the Unseen
World." Sunday morning in Gerrard
Hall he will
tive Progress.
preach on "Conserva-
Something About Dr. Van Dyke.
Dr. Henry Van Dyke is a man who
has received high recognition among
men of letters and theologists of the
country. He is the most famous lec
turer that has visited North Carolina
4 C TITt TTf
in a numDer oi years, wnen wooa
row Wilson delivered the Lee's Birth
day address in Chapel Hill in 1909,
the place which he occupied on the
lecturer's platform was not as high
as that of Dr. Van Dyke of today.
I Dr. Van Dyke was born in German-
town Pa., Nov. 10th, 1852. He gradu
ated from the academic department of
Princeton University in 1873 and from
tne theological seminary tour years
later. He was a student in the Uni
versity of Berlin, where Dr. Chas. Al
fonso Smith of the University of Vir
ginia has recently concluded his term
as Roosevelt Professor of English, in
1878. Three great universities have
honored him with the degree, Doctor
of Divinity, Princeton in 1884, Har
yard in 1893 and Yale in 1896. Sue
cessivelv in 1898, 1902, and 1903 he
has received the LL. D. from Union,
Washington and Jeffreson and Wesley-
an. ...
In JI878 he became pastor of the
United Congergational church of New
port.R. I. In 1883 he went to the Brick
Presbyterian church of Brooklyn, New
Yoric, where he remained until 1900
when he resigned to become professor
of English in Princeton University, a
position which he preferred to a simi
lar place in John Hopkins University
which he,, was. tenderd at the same
time. .
' He has been preacher to Harvard
University and Lyman Beecher lectur
er at Yale. He delivered the memori
al ode at the celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the founding of his
alma mater. He has been president
of the Holland Society of America and
Moderator of the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian church of the United
States. The President of France re
cently honored him with the cross of
the Legion of Honor.
The simple poems and beautiful na
ture prose which he has written in the
last twenty years have given him a
hjgh place in the hearts of the com
mon run of the people of the country.
He has not scorned to publish his poe
try in the current magazines and con
sequently he is widely known. Since
1905 he has published sixty-one poems
and articles in the higher grades of
magazines.
Mr. Van Dyke is not the posessor of
a commanding figure but the fine tec
nique of his delivery and the simple
beauty of his thought do not need this
ally to hold the attention of his hearers.
Mitchell Society Meets.
The Elisha Mitchell Scientific So
ciety met Tuesday night in the smal
ler lecture room on the first floor of
Chemistry Hall with about thirty-five
members present, counting both facul
ty and students. There were to have
been presented to the Society two
papers, one by Professor William
Cain and the other by Professor Ed
ward Vernon Howell. To the great
regret of all the members, Professor
Cain was unable to attend on account
of illness. For this reason, only one
paper was presented to tho Society,
however, the general opinion seemed
to be that it was one of the best
the year.
Was a Member of Class of '49. Died in Scot
land. The foundation upon which Dr.
Van Dyke is delivering his lectures
was establiehed by the the will of
John Calvin McNair of the class of
1849 of the University. The bequest
became available in 1906, and the in
terest therefrom enabled the lectures
to begin in 1908. The honorarium
for the lectures amounts to $500, and
the remainder of the interest from
the fund provides for the suitable
publication of the lectures. Under the
will the object of the lectures "shall
be to show the mutual bearing of
science and religion upon each other
and to prove the existence (as far as
may be) of God from nature."
John Calvin McNair after graduat
ing from the University went to
Edinburgh, Scotland, to prepare for
the Presbyterian ministry. He died
while a student there, leaving to the
University of North Carolina "a bit of
forest land in Robeson county, which
the executive committee was willing
to sell for $3,000. The land was in
litigation, but owing to the crowded
state of the court docket there was
little hope of the settlement of the
case for many years. It was accord
ingly compromised by the University
authorities, and the portion which fell
to the University could have been
sold very soon thereafter for $5,000.
But the ' ""committee having the pro
perty in charge preferred to wait,
and ten years later a portion of the
original forest, which the University
held by the compromise, was sold for
$14,000, and is the foundation of the
McNair Lectureship."
The lectures have been uniformly
notable for the men who have given
them. The first lecture, in 1908, was
given by Professor Francis H. Smith,
LL. D., of the University. The lec
tures for 1909 were delivered by Fran
cis Landley Patton, D. D. LL. D,,
Piesident of Princeton Theological
Seminary, New Jersey and former
President of Princeton University.
The lectures for 1910 were delivered
by David Starr Jordan, Ph. D., M.
D., LL. D., world famous scientist,
and President of Leland Stanford
Jr., University, California. President
Jordan's lectures have recently ap
peared in book form with the title.
The "Stability of Truth," and are at
tracting country-wide comment.
Professor Howell had taken for his
subject the drug, opium. He explain
ed minutely the nature of the drug
which comes from the seed of the
poppy plant. There are two kinds of
poppies which yield opium, white and
black, opinions varying as to , which
kind makes the greater yield. From
the seeds of this plant are extracted
the multiplicity of narcotic substances
belonging to the opium family, the
most widely known being morphine.
Professor Howell made a special study
of the smoking of opium in the China
town of one of our big cities. A some
what intricate mechanism is the pipe,
which is hardly a pipe at all the way
we use the term. A small pellet of
the drug- is pierced with a needle.
of delicately roasted over a flame, placed
i (Continued on fourth page)