THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 LTNIVERSITi' OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
UNrVERSITYOF NC 
 
 00039136540 
 
 FOR USE ONLY IN 
 
 THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 
 in 2010 witii funding from 
 
 University of Nortii Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/addressOOvena 
 
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT F. P. VENABLE 
 
 The University was re-opened in 1<S75 — just thirty-tive years ago. 
 It had suffered greatly in the Reconstruction Period. The old 
 faculty was dismissed, a semblance of instruction was given to 
 diminishing numbers of students, dwindling also in age and 
 preparation until the end was reached and the doors were closed. 
 Sorrowfully the months went by and the storms beat on the un- 
 tenanted buildings, shorn now of their glory, and with only the 
 memory of the many noble sons wJio had once thronged their halls 
 and gained there the strength and inspiration which made them 
 great in their country's service. The winds and the rustling 
 leaves whispered of Wilson, the devoted missionary; of Bishops 
 Green and Otey and their great worlc fen- church and education; of 
 James K. Polk, who had ruled the nation; of Leo^niilas Polk, the 
 beloved Bishop-General ; of Graham, who had st) wisely ordertd 
 the opening of Japan; of BenUin, the great Senator; of King, the 
 Vice-President; of Murphey and Yancey and Wiley, who had 
 wrought for the education of all the people; of Gaston and Badger 
 and Ruffin, the great jurists; of Pettigrew and Vance and a host 
 of others whose names now cluster as stars on the walls of Memorial 
 Hall. 
 
 All were gone, the campus deserted, the buildings open to 
 storms and wandering strangers, apparatus broken or carried oli', 
 and this mother of generations of noble sons sat desolate in the 
 ashes of her past. 
 
 How long were these halls to lie silent to the tread of eager youth 
 who would foUow in the footsteps of their fathers ? How long 
 could the people of the State afford to have the training school of 
 their leaders empty ? How could the sons who loved her see their 
 mother in helpless and shameless neglect ? These were the cries 
 tha,t echoed throughout the State. The doors must be opened and 
 the work begin again, was the answer. Out of the war stricken 
 poverty her sons gave for her restoration, and out of a looted 
 treasury the people of the State contributed to her support, and 
 
the mother of the century past took up her work again that she 
 might become the mother of the centuries yet to be. 
 
 And 80, in 1875, with some half dozen strong, unselfish teach- 
 ers, and little more than half a hundred students, the University 
 began to rebuild its fortunes and to occupy again its sphere -of 
 service. Its equipment was very limited, and those were days of 
 poverty and most rigid economy. We rejoice that he who so 
 wisely, skillfully and lovingly directed the progress of the struggling 
 institution is still with us in hale and hearty old age. I know of 
 no one else who could have borne the burdens and safely weathered 
 the difficulties of those trying days. 
 
 There were at least three reasons why the process of rebuilding 
 was slow. In the first place, there was unwise opposition on the 
 part of some who felt this to be demanded of them by loyalty to 
 other institutions. This rose from a mistaken idea of competition 
 and conflict of interests. It has taken many years for the truth 
 to come out clearly that this is not competition in the unworthy 
 sense, but rather an emulation in service which should be only 
 noble and generous. As President Alderman once said, these in- 
 stitutions are like light houses sending out streams of light into the 
 darkness of night. In the work of saving and the fight against 
 the darkness of ignorance there is no time for unkind rivalry, but 
 only for thankfulness that others are engaged in the glorions work. 
 And another fact has become clearer mth the years. The church 
 institutions have not failed or suffered because of the re-opening 
 of the University and its growth. On the contrary, they have 
 prospered with the prosperity of the University, and as it grew 
 and its influence strengthened, they, too, have grown until their 
 halls are overflowing with those who seek in them their training. 
 Personally I rejoice in their prosperity, and would bid them God- 
 speed in their work. The University welcomes their aid in this 
 work — a work so great that, as President Alderman has said, the 
 very angels might envy men such service. 
 
 A second obstacle to the growth of the University, interfering 
 with its proper support by the State, was the slowness on the part 
 of the people to appreciate the value of education, and to realize that 
 jt wafl well worth paying for. The people were so poor that the 
 
tjpe of stitrpmen fonnd irrnpt fnvor with tbcm who FuniTTird up 
 thi'ir highest statocraft in the opposition to all oxpenditure. 
 GrailuiiUy they learned that they were too poor not to pay for an 
 edueation, and a new generation of liusiiiess men arose who under- 
 stood tliat the suocess and prosperity of an individual depended 
 upon the wise expenditure of money rather than the nieie saving 
 of it. 
 
 It was necessary, too, that out of that little hand who gathered 
 here at the re-opening, such men as Alderman, Molver, Aycock 
 and Joyner, sliould come forth furnished for the service of the 
 people that they might recognize the incomparable returns which 
 could come from the insignificant expenditure in dollars and cents 
 which their training had cost the States. The service of one such 
 man, if it could he measured in terms of money, far outweighs all 
 that the University may have cost the State. And instead of one, 
 there are dozens, aye hundreds, of strong men who have been 
 trained here for her service. 
 
 The third reason for meagre support was that the State was very 
 poor and had little to give from her empty treasury. Those were 
 hard and trying days, but they ma<le for manly grit and strength 
 aTid the simple virtues. The untiring industry and devotion of 
 the President, the self-sncrificing labors of the faculty, the loyalty 
 of the students were beyond all praise. 
 
 The first Constitution of the State declared that "all useful 
 learning shall be duly encouraged and promoted in one or more 
 universities." More than a century later, the people of the State, 
 descen<lants to the third and fourth generation of the brave men 
 who won our freedom and framed this constitution, were facing 
 the problem as to how this provision was to be carried out. The 
 century had brought changed conditions and larger ideals. Scien- 
 tific and practical training in agriculture and the technical trades 
 and arts were demanded if we were to compete on equal terms 
 with our neighbors and the higher education of women was their 
 simple right which men had long denied them. Was there to be 
 one University or more ? 
 
 The one already established was struggling with poverty. Con- 
 siderationei of eoonomy might have led to a strengthening of this 
 
one, combining and concentrating all educational work at one 
 centre, thus avoiding duplication and possible w aste. There would 
 have been abundant precedent for such action in the useful and 
 growing institutions established in other States. Still the question 
 was an open one. In some States the combination had not proved 
 a success, and the University, aided by the Land Scrip Fund, on 
 its re-opening had struggled in v^in with the problem of developing 
 the side of Agricultural Science. 
 
 Whatever were the considerations, the State decided to develop 
 independently these three branches of education, one at Raleigh, 
 and one at Greensboro, in addition to the one already ePtablished 
 at Chapel Hill . I am convinced that it was a wise and far-sighted 
 policy. I do not for a moment believe that the development which 
 has been attained ct)uld possibly have been reached if concentrated 
 at Chapel Hill. The State has contributed generously out of its 
 limited means, and three men instead of one have given every 
 thought and energy to this building up. The duplication, if any, 
 has meant slight loss compared with the great gain in strength and 
 purpose and power. 
 
 These three, the Normal College for Women at Greensboro, the 
 Agricultural and Mechanical College at Raleigh, and the Uni- 
 versity at Chapel Hill constitute the State's Greater Univer- 
 sity, and the wise constitutional provision of the forefathers has 
 been fulfilled. It is important that the people of the State and 
 the institutions themselves should realize their oneness of purpose 
 and destiny, their essential unity in everything except name and 
 immediate control. Th»y have been established that they might 
 provide instruction in all useful learning for all the people. And 
 back of these institutions is an extensive and costly system of 
 primary and secondary schools. 
 
 Now, this is a large contract for the State to undertake, and in- 
 volves a heavy financial burden . Let us look at it for a moment 
 and see whether it is necessary for the State to do this. Every 
 good business man would submit the proposition to a rigid ques- 
 tioning, and unless the State's affairs are conducted on business 
 principles, all statecraft is in vain. 
 
 Our Government is of the people, by the people, and for the 
 
people. Pan tho?e xrho Vicliovo in Dnmnrrnry nnrl hopr frr •*? 
 success, face CMliuly the possiliilily of ;iii it^iiDiiuit people willi lin- 
 truiiieil le;ulers ? Wluit wouM save llicin fmni tlie qiiaclc, tlie 
 cliarlatail, the deliiauogue ? Ilmv lini^,' w.niM lliey H'lnain a fri e 
 people in the presence of designing anil amhitiuns men ? And 
 can it he denied that while ignorance itself is n^'t a vice, it is at 
 the root of nnich of it? Our people'^ go\er,inicnt can rise no 
 higher than the people who compose it, and our liherty is ahso- 
 luiely <lepen(lent upon the enlightenment of the governed. If tliis 
 is douhted, consider the relative possihililies of a republic in 
 Winconsin and Liberia. 
 
 Then, too, in the sharp competition of the present, destined to 
 be still more rigorous in the future, what hope would there be for 
 North Carolina to keep up in the race with an unti'ained citizen- 
 ship ? \\'ill any State deliberately choose to he the lowest rung on 
 the ladder, a hewer of wood anil drawer of water for the others, 
 laboriously furnishing the raw material for the more skillful 
 fingers and more ingenious brain to fashion into useful form ? It 
 surely is not necessary to delay further over these arguments, made 
 familiar in every corner of the State by the recent campaign of 
 education. No! we are all agreed now that the people, all the 
 people, must be educateil and trainetl to the fullillment of the 
 promise of all of their God-given pt)wers. 
 
 Granted the need, then, can the State with any propriety, justice 
 or hope L>ok to any one else to do this work of educating her 
 people? Remember that the system is one complete whole, each 
 part essential, and all suffermg in the injury to any part. 
 First, there are primary schools for all the children; then 
 secondary schools for the more gifted or the more fortunate, and 
 then a further elimination and survival of the fittest, a small 
 chosen band is left, about one in two hundred and fifty of the 
 original number, to enter the tri-partite University. The Greater 
 University will have no material to train unless the schools furnish 
 it, and the schools can have no competent teachers, nor wise super- 
 vision and guidance, nor inspiration and hope, without the 
 University. And who can say how greatly the coming of fit 
 echoolg for u.ll the people would have l>een delayed ba<l uot the 
 
University trained, inspired, and sent forth such men as Murphey, 
 Wiley, Alderman, Mclver, and Joyner? 
 
 Can the churches undertake this great task and burden if the 
 State declines the responsibility ? To anyone who understands 
 the situation, this means, of course, white churches, and a care- 
 ful statistician stated the other day that the white churches in- 
 cluded in their membership less than fifty per cent of the adult 
 white population of the State. If the churches abandoned all 
 evangelistic and similar noble work which they are trying to 
 carry on in fulfillment of their great mission, they would still be 
 unable to do this work of education as it should be done, and it is 
 not just nor fair to lay the burden upon them. But there is still 
 a graver question than the financial one. While church support 
 might seek to instill more of religious forms in education, there are 
 many divisions in the church, and it would much more surely in- 
 troduce an era of dogma teaching with just such bitter animosity 
 and hopeless breaches as were aroused in the Dutch Republic. 
 Then, too, what is to become of the fifty odd per cent of the 
 population which are neither members nor adherents of any 
 church ? 
 
 Practically, the only part of the field which the churches 
 attempt to cover today is that of collegiate education, many of the 
 secondary or high schools which they had built having been turned 
 over to the State for lack of funds to support them. There are in 
 the church colleges today about one half of the youth of the State 
 who are seeking a real college education, and yet some of the 
 denominations are taxing themselves to the utmost to do even this 
 part of the work, as witness the strenuous efforts on the part of 
 several of them to increase endowments which are avowedly much 
 below their needs. I repeat that this is a good work, and the 
 State welcomes their assistance. How far it is the wisest expendi- 
 ture of their means is a question for the denominations themselves 
 to decide. 
 
 If the State declines to educate her people, and the churches 
 cannot, there remains but one other agency. The great task must 
 be undertaken by some great philanthropist or group of philan- 
 thropists. Let us ask ourselves candidly, from what source such 
 
aid would come to North Carolina. Who will pour out the 
 nect'S^iary millions, iind if these inillions are fortlicoming, who will 
 control and direct the ediu^ition given ? Dare we place ourselves 
 under such iin ohligatioii, and take any chances as to the sutitle 
 poison which may be instilled into the minds of our children under 
 the guise of etlucation ? While I gladly welcome all generous aid 
 to us in our work at the University, 1 would protest against the 
 acceptance of any gift which would even partially divorce this 
 institution from the support, the control and the love of the people 
 of North Carolina wlio have founded it for their children and their 
 children's children. 
 
 Two things would seem to be clear then: The work of educa- 
 tion is necessary, and this work must be undertaken by the State. 
 As the success of the government, the progress of the people and 
 the future of our children depend upon its being well and thoroughly 
 done, it is folly to talk of any half way measures. At all costs, 
 the State must l)end every energy to the carrying on of this work. 
 Nothing can take precedence of it, nothing can be so important. 
 
 We are proud of the fact that a substantial school house has been 
 built for every day of the past five years — that nearly two hundred 
 thousand good books have lieen placed in the school libraries, in 
 every part of the State, that the school term has been greatly 
 lengthened, that high schools have been established in every county 
 and are crowded by some 7, OOU pupils, where a few years ago they 
 numbered only a few hundred; that capable teachers nre being 
 secured and are better paid, and that the school fund has more 
 than doubled in ten years. 
 
 Superintendent Joyner, in his report to the last Legislature, 
 gives the total available school fund for 1906-1907 as $2,863,217.79, 
 and for 1907-'0S as $3,294,230.70. Tn the same years the ex- 
 penditures for teaching and supervision were respectively $1,691,- 
 912.22 and §1.815,357.98; for buildings and supplies the amounts 
 were §.582,061.41 and 8804,587.78. The value of all school prop- 
 erty in 1907-08 was $4,917,312,000. These figures refer to the 
 primary and high schools, and do not include the colleges. 
 
 What is the inspiration which can lead to such a generous out- 
 pouring of tJie people's money ? What has convinced the people 
 
8 
 
 that they must have this thing called Education, whatever it 
 costs ? One or two ideas must be clearly grasped before we can 
 satisfactorily settle tliis question. First, education must be from 
 above downwards. The logical relation is tenehnrs first and then 
 the taught. Our forefathers were right in establishing the Univer- 
 sity first. There cnuld be no common school system without it, 
 for it was necessary that the educated should be scattered among the 
 people to create a sentiment in behalf of education; that these 
 leaders in every community should show by their successful careers 
 the practical value of an education, and that some of them should 
 serve as teachers to impart to others the education which had been 
 given them. 
 
 The light must filter from above downwards until no dark spot 
 is left untouched. Some 1,500, or nearly 1-6 of all the teachers in 
 the schools of North Carolina are college graduates, and one half 
 of these are teaching in the rural schools. It is reasonable to sup- 
 pose that a much larger number have had one or more years of 
 college training. 
 
 Again, is it not true that these children are crowding into the 
 lower schools because of the promise held out to them that they 
 can go on from grade to grade and school to school, even through 
 the big public school, which forms the keystone of the arch, 
 drinking in all useful learning, and fitting themselves for the very 
 highest service ? Many will fail in this, but the inspiration is for 
 all. Let us picture to ourselves the deadening effect if the promise 
 failed with the high school and hope ended there. 
 
 The inspiration, the success, then, lie in the complete, rounded 
 out system, and chiefly in the head of the system where the pur- 
 poses and hopes are centered. Is it strange, then, that I am 
 pleading that this all important head be made strong and worthy, 
 able in every way to do its work ? If the statements which we 
 who are in charge of the divisions of the Greater University give 
 as to condition and needs cannot be relied upon, then let others 
 take up the work who are wiser, only do not permit the most vital 
 interest of a great State to sufiFer through neglect. 
 
 What is the condition of higher or collegiate education ? The 
 three component parts of the Greater University have been ostab- 
 
ft 
 
 lished and provided with moderate equipment. The money has, 
 I believe, been wisely expemled. and every dollar made to bring 
 in its utmost return. The ainount. however, has been much less 
 than was deenieil necessary in a majority of the other States, cer- 
 tainly in such as we would care to pattern after. I do not wish 
 to stress too much the example of others, though we cannot safely 
 igncne this. The more important ((Ufstion is whether the.se insti- 
 tutiims have been eipiipped sufficiently for them to do their work 
 properly and efficiently, and meet the demands made upon them. 
 To neglect to do this is a positive injury to every child in the State, 
 and a crucial mi.^take from a business standpoint. It is the tes- 
 timony of those in charge of them that these institutions have 
 been insufficiently equipped, and estimates of the cost of additional 
 equipment needed have been submitted. Thej' are simply over- 
 taxed by the demands made upon them. Speaking for the 
 Institution iiitru.sted to my care, I may say that the dormitory 
 accommodations are sufficient for a little more than one third of 
 the present number of students, and most of these dormitories are 
 in wretched repair. The recitation rooms are quite inadequate, 
 and their limited number fori)ids the proper sub-division of the 
 classes for the l)est work. New laboratories are urgently needed 
 in several depart nents, and increased pay to hold the teachers 
 already employed. 
 
 The University is suffering from its very success. Its halls are 
 overcrowded, and the successful working of the State system of 
 high schools means still further crowding in of those who would 
 profit from the advantages it offers. Therefore, it has reached 
 again a criticnl period in its history, and the question arises as it 
 did at its re-opening, What are the people of the State going to 
 do to make it possible for the work to go on ? Can they afford to 
 allow it to fail for lack of adequate support ? 
 
 It is but just to the Legislatures of several sessions past to say 
 that they have recognized the needs of these institutions and have 
 done what was possible to meet them, considering the many 
 demands for carrying on other work of the State, and the limita- 
 tions of the State's treasury. The problem which is facing every 
 
10 
 
 one now is whether this work shall be limited, other calls denied, 
 or fuither'means provided in some way. 
 
 In order that the financial stress of the University may be real- 
 ized, and the diificultics which it has to meet in carrying on its 
 work, I have secured for comparison, figures from one of the best 
 known universities of the South, with which it might well be ex- 
 pected to Compete in the character of service rendered. 
 
 Income Equipment 
 
 University of Virginia, S209,623 S2,577,000 
 
 University of North Carolina, 146,161 7y8,000 
 
 These figures are taken from the Government Report for 1908- 
 1909. 
 
 In the eighty-five years of its existence the University of Vir- 
 ginia has received from the State a total of $1,894,667. In one 
 hundred and fifteen years the University of North Carolina has 
 received from the State for equipment and support $892,000, only 
 $160,000 of which has been given for buildings, and no appropria- 
 tion f(ir a building was made before 1905. 
 
 The population of Virginia in 1900 was 1,854,181 and the 
 assessed valuation of property in 1908 was $541,456,220. The 
 population of North Carolina in 1900 was 1,893,810 and the 
 assessed valuation of property in 1909 was $576,115,170. 
 
 In the statement of income of the University of Virginia no 
 account is taken of the completi(jn of its million dollars of endow- 
 ment nor of the increased appropriation made by the State. This 
 would make its income about 60 per cent greater than that of 
 the University of North Carolina. I do not think that the figures 
 require further comment. 
 
 I may add that the income of the University of Texas last year 
 was $513,977.22, or 360 per cent greater than that of the Univer- 
 sity of North Carolina. 
 
 I believe, however, that the citizens of North Carolina require no 
 such incentive to do their plain and manifest duty to their children, 
 and that they will grant to those who have their education in 
 charge the means necessary for this all important work . 
 
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