North Carolina teacher

              TRE NORTH CAROLINA TEAgHER,
Vol. YI. Raleigh, June, 1889. No. 10.
Eugene: g. mj^rrell, = = . = = Editor.
TO THE BOYS.
My boy, you're soon to be_a man,
Get ready for a man's work now,
And learn to do the best you can
When sweat is brought to arm and brow
,
Don't be afraid, my boy, to work
;
You've got to if you mean to win
;
He's a coward who will shirk
—
Roll up your sleeves and then ''go in."
Don't wait for chances—look about,
There's always something you can do;
He who will manfully strike out
Finds labor, plenty of it, too.
But he who folds his hands and waits
For "something to turn up" will find
The toiler passes Fortune's gates.
While he, alas, is left behind.
Be honest as the day is long.
Don't grind the poor man for his cent
;
In helping others you grow strong.
And kind deeds done are only lent.
And this remember: if you're wise.
To your own business be confined;
He is a fool, and fails, who tries
His fellow-men's affairs to mind.
474 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
Don't he discouraged and get blue,
If things don't go to suit you quite;
Work on ! Perhaps it rests with you
To set the wrono; that worries right.
Don't lean on others ! Be a man !
Stand on a footing of your own !
Be independent, if yon can,
And cultivate a sound backbone. —American Boohheepei^
[For The North Carolina Teacher.]
SLFRED TENNYSON.
BY W. J. PEELE, RALEIGH, N. C.
Alfred Tennyson was born in Sommersby, Lincolnshire,
August 6th, 1809. His early youth was spent under his father's
roof, and his loving nature grew and his fine sympathies ex-panded
by association with his eleven brothers and sisters.
There were several poets among them ; and for a while one of
them, Charles, disputed the palm with Alfred. The dispute was
shortlived, for now Charles' name and fame are securely buried
away from ordinaiy sight in the musty pages of the encyclope-dias.
Illustrative of the old Latin truth that poets are born^
not manufactured, we learn that even while a child of five years
old, the wind sweeping him along, he exclaimed, '' I hear a voice
that's speaking in the wind." Thus early did he serve notice
on a stupid world that he possessed genius. Then, as now,
how hardly did men admit the superiority of their fellows—it
seemed a reflection on themselves.
In the far oif quiet of a country town the poet grew, unknown
and unflattered, for they told him when they gave him ten shil-lings
for a little child poem that that was the last money he would
ever make by poetry. But he seems not to have been a poet " for
revenue," though he has made much of it "as an incidental bene-fit."
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 475
A quaint old dwelling set back among- the trees and flowers, of
which he loved so much to sing, is still pointed out as his birth-place.
Here he summered out his early boyhood. Hence he went
to Cambridge to win the first prize of his art, and hence again, in
after years, he went forth into the wide world to make his place
in the heart of a nation, and a name that has become a house-hold
word. In person Alfred Tennyson was tall, stately and well
proportioned. He was masculine and strong willed. He looked
a man who had struo:o:led ai2;ainst adversitv^ and against himself,
and won the fight, though deep lines of suffering were left upon
his strong and tender face :
" He suffers, but he will not suffer long
—
He suffers, but he cannot suffer wrong."
Tennyson's father was a man of great brilliancy, but Bulwer
says that genius is heart, not intellect; if that be so, he inherited
his genius from his mother, who was the deepest hearted woman
in all that Shire.
Tennyson did not come up '^oiit of the deeps" of obscurity
without the customary struggle. "Thorns also and thistles"
sprung up in his pathway of immortality. "Never can he rise
above a third rate poet," wrote one of the greatest critics of his
day. The Quarterlies dissected him as they did Keats, but they
did not kill him as they killed Keats. He wrote on, and calmly
spun the bright threads of his inspiration into the golden woof
of poetry. On the other hand, Edgar Allan Foe thought him,
even in the early part of his career, the greatest of poets.
The chief points to admire in Tennyson's poetry are its truth,
tenderness and spirituality. Nobody ever said he was harmed
by reading it. Over his tender flowers of sentiment there is no
" trail of the serpent " of lust. Here were no phosphorescent glow
of genius which consumes itself like Byron's, and with its nox-ious
vaporings poisons the moral atmosphere around. But the
spirit of his poetry, with steady glow, warms us into life and
lights us living.
In this dull pecunious age he panders not to self-seeking.
He praises virtue, sings of sweet Nature as she is, and lays his
476 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
scenes in poverty. Enoch Arden is the best conception of a hero
this century has produced. He was a poor fisherman, but almost
now as immortal as his illustrious prototype, a fisherman of
Galilee, who was crucified head downward for the new religion.
But Tennyson is not free from defects. Like all poets who
have written much, he has written much that is bad or at least
indifferent. Very often he lacks polish. His earliest production,
the prize poem at Cambridge, shows better in this respect than
much of what he wrote in his prime. Perhaps he grew afraid that,
like Pope, he might polish away all the poetry out of his verses.
Sometimes, too, Tennyson's metaphors and similes are bad or
ill-sustained; and his descriptions and allusions are ofttimes
too local or obscure. He is essentially English in much that he
has written, and we cannot appreciate it and ought not to pretend
to do it.
"In Memoriam" is said to be his best piece, but I do not like
such an interminable sea of rhymes. Perhaps he wanted to
show us what a monotonous thing grief over lost love was. One
is strongly tempted to believe tliat he took his friend's death as
an excuse to mourn over some lost sweetheart that he was afraid
to let his wife know about. This breatlies of stronger passion
than friendship
:
" But who shall so forecast the years,
Aud find in loss a ,2;ain to match ?
Or reach a hand through time to catch
The far off interest of tears?"
But he is a philosopher and fights the battle manfully ; for
later on lie sings of his "life"
"That dies not, but endures with pain ;
And slowly forms the firmer mind."
Erewhile he sings again
"Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all."
And he is evidently trying to raise a new affection when he hints
that,
"The primrose of later year
Is not unlike to that of spring." >
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 477
In the popular heart Tennyson will live most in his songs
and short poems; they are simple and touching and reach all
mankind alike. I have seen little children weep at the reading
of the May Queen—it is the greatest compliment that cotild be
paid him.
" When the flowers come again, mother,
Beneath the waning light
You'll never see me more in the long graj' fields
at night."
"All in the wild Marclj morning I heard the angels call.
It was then the sun was setting and the dark was over all,
The trees began to whisper and the wind began to roll,
And in the wild March morning I heard them call my soul."
And ere long they will call the .soul of the cheerful old singer
away from his song loving England and his three happy homes.
His head is now " white," to use his own words,
"With the ashes of gone out youth."
Feeble and without tire, now, his poetry may sometimes be,
but let him sing on, if he still would sing, till he follow his May
Queen in
"The way the blessed music went,
* * * *
To her home among the stars."
A recent writer saw him in his home in London, sitting alone
in an upper chamber, looking out upon the great sea of cities
that lay below and around him, and smoking a North Carolina
production—the Durham tobacco. Perhaps it was under the
inspiration of this product that he took to dreaming of the "Fair
Women" we see and presently shall see, and
—
" He turning saw throned on a flowery rise.
One sitting on a crimson scarf unrolled,
A queen with swarthy cheek and bold black eyes,
Brow bound with burning gold."
The Teachers' Assembly will have a larger attendance this
session than ever before.
478 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
[For The North Carolina Teacher.]
NORTH CSROLINl FOR NORTH CfiROLINIfiNS.
BY ELISHA B LEWIS.
When will North Carolinians realize that there are teachers in
their own State who are every whit as capable and as perfectly
qualified for educators as any other man from any other State?
We are constantly overlookina; native ability and fitness for anv
high position, and as constantly importing foreign talent and
dangerous tendencies. We are acting under a false hypothesis
in so doing. W^e flatter ourselves that we are keeping abreast
with the times and making great progress in the system known
as the "New Education" by this constant disregard of the
claims of North Carolinians to any place of honor or profit.
It is a deep and lasting humiliation to those noble men of our
own State who have spent their lives in increasing effort to dispel
the mists which did for so long rest over our educational aflPairs,
and which gained for us the galling sobriquet, "Rip Van
Winkle," to see strangers who had never given the State a
thought, until the unremitting labors of its own educators had
started the tidal wave of prosperity, step in and assume the
reward of another's toil.
North Carolinians have heretofore given, and will always give,
a hearty welcome to educators of any State. We need them and
we know it. But this does not mean that we are to utterly
ignore the services and c[ualifications of our own men.
We have shining examples of how much good can be accoui-plished
and how faithfully the cause may be upheld by strangers
in the land of their adoption; but tliis does not mean that we
shall give over the whole management of the educational machine
to them. True, we are imbibing theories of "New Education"
which may produce a revolution ; but just attempt to apply them
to the public school work and see your utter failure.
What we want to see is some one, not a native of North Caro-lina,
to teach in the public schools at same salary as our own
TflE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 479
teachers receive, twenty dollars a month, and thus "prove his
faith by his works." We are welcome to all snch positions as
require hard work and practical ideas, but if we aspire higher
we are "old fogies" and are not up with the times, and are
compelled to seek situations in other States.
Let us have a Normal College and train our own men and
women, for in this way only can North Carolina control her own
interests.
[For The North Carolina Teacher.]
CINOYl'S STITUE OF WASHINGTON.
BY JOHN B. NEATHERY, RALEIGH, N. C.
The recent publication of the article in the JVafion on the
subject of Canova's statue of Washington and the celebration
in New York City of the centennial anniversary of General
Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United
States have prompted me to prepare this sketch for The North
Carolina Teacher.'
About the! close of the war of 1812 a resolution was adopted
by the Legislature of North Carolina recjuiring the Governor of
the State to procure a statue of General Washington to be set
up in the capitol at Raleigh. The Governor was not limited as
to price, nor was the material or style of the statue given. The
then Governor, William Miller, of Warren county, frankly
admitted that he knew very little about the subject of statues,
and referred the matter to Hon. Nathaniel Macon, then one of
our Senators in Congress. Mr. Macon, in turn, referred the reso-lution
to ex-President Thomas Jeiferson, who replied as follows:
MoNTiCELLO, January 22, 1816.
Dear Sir :—Your favor of the 7th, after being a fortnight on the road, reached
rae last night, on the subject of the statue of General Washington, which the
Legislature of North Carolina has ordered to be procured and set up in their
capitol. I shall willingly give you my best information and opinions.
480 THE KORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
1. Your first iuquiry is whether one worthy the character it is to represent, and
the State which erects it, can be made in the United States? Certainly it cannot.
I do not know that there is a single marble statuary in the United States, but I
am sui'e there cannot be one who would offer himself as qualified to undertake
this monument of gratitude and task ; besides no quarry of statuary marble ha"?
yet, I believe, been opened in the United States—that is to say, of a marble pure
white and in blocks of sufBcient size without vein or flaw. The quarry of Carrara,
in Italy, is the only one in the accessible parts of Europe which furnishes such
blocks. It was from thence we broug^ht to Paris that for the statue of General
Washington, made there on account of this State, and it is from thence alone
that all the southern and maritime parts of Europe are supplied with that char-acter
of marble.
3. Who should make it? There can be but one answer to this. Old Canova of
Rome. No artist in Europe would place himself in a line with him ; and for
thirty years, within my own knowledge, he has been considered by all Europe as
without a rival. He draws his blocks from Carrara, and delivers the 'statue com-pleat
and packed for transportation at Rome. From thence it descends the Ty-ber,
but whether it must go on to Leghorn or some other shipping port I do not
.know.
3. Place, time, size and style ? It will probably take a couple of years to be
ready. I am not able to be exact as to the price. We gave Houdon at Paris
1,000 guineas for the one he made for this State, but he solemnly and feelingly
protested against the inadequacy of the price, aud evidently undertook it on mo-tives
of reputation alone. He was the first artist in France, and being willing to
come over to take the model of the General, which we could not have n^ot Canova
to have done, that circumstance decided on his employment. We paid him addi-tionally
for coming over about 500 guineas, and when the statue was done we
paid the expenses of one of his under-workmen to come over and set it up, which
might perhaps be 100 guineas more. I suppose, therefore, it cost us in the whole
8,000 D., but this was only of the size of the life. Tours should be something
larger. The difference it makes in the impression can scarcely be considered.
As to the style or costume. I am sure the artist and every person of taste in
Europe would be for the Roman, the effect of which is undoubtedly of a differ-ent
order. Our boots and regimentals have a very puny effect. Works of this
kind are about one-third cheaper at Rome than Paris, but Canova's eminence
will be a sensible ingredient in price. I think that for such a statue, with a plain
pedestal, you would have a good bargain from Canova at 7 or 8,000 D., and should
not be surprised were he to require 10,000 D., to which j'ou would have to add
the charges of bringing over and setting up. The one-half of the price would
probablj^ to be advanced and the other half paid on delivery.
4. From what model? Cirachi made the bust of General Washington in plas-ter.
It was the finest which came from his hand, and my own opinion of Cirachi
was that he was second to no sculptor living e.xcept Canova; and if he had lived
would have rivaled him. His style had been formed on the models of antiquity-in
Italy and he had caught their ineffable majesty of expression. On his return
to Rome he made the bust of the General in marble from that in plaster. It was
sent over here, was universally considered as the best effigy of him ever executed ;
was bought by the Spanish Minister, for the King of Spain, aud seut to Madrid.
After the death of Cirachi, Mr. Appleton, our Consul at Leghorn, a man of worth
aud taste, purchased of his widow the original plaster, with a view to profit hj"
THI-: XORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 481
copies of marble aud plaster from it. He still has it at Le^'horn, and it is the
ouly orii^iual from which the statue can be formed. But the exterior of the
litiure will be wanting ; that is to say, the outward lineaments of the body and
members, to enable the artist to give to them also their true forms and projiortions.
There are, I believe, in Philadelphia whole length paintings of General Wash-ington,
from which I presume old Peale or his son would sketch on canvas the
mere outlines at no great charge. This sketch with Cirachi's bust would suffice.
5. Through whose agency ? None so ready or so competent as Mr. Appletou
himself. He has had relations with Canova, is a judge of price, coTivenient to
engage the work and to attend it in its progress ; to receive and forward it to North
Carolina. Besides the accommodation of the original bust, to be asked from
him, he will probably have to go to Rome himself to make the contract, aud will
incur a great deal of trouble besides from that time to the delivery in North
Carolina, and it should therefore be made a matter of interest with him to act in
it, as his time and trouble is his support. I imagine that his agency from begin-ning
to end would not be less than from one to two hundred guineas. I partic-ularize
all these things that you may not be surprised with after-claps of expense
not counted beforehand. Mr. Appleton has two nephews at Baltimore in the
mercantile line and in correspondence with him.
Should the Governor adopt this channel of execution he will have no other
trouble than that of sending his communications for Mr. Appleton and making
the remittances agreed on as shall be convenient to himself. A letter from the
Secretar}' of State to Mr. Appleton informing him that any service he can ren-der
the State of North Carolina in this business would be gratifying to his gov-ernment
would not be without effect.
Accept the assurance of my great esteem and respect.
TH. JEFFERSON.
Hon. Nath'l Macon.
The sno;o;e.sti()n.s of Mr. Jefferson as to style were adopted
and arrangements were made, through Air. Ajjpleton, with
Canova; and tlie statue was made by him. It is said that
Canova regarded this as his greatest work, and said that he felt
that eacii stroke of his chisel upon it was " linking his name with
immortality." When completed the statue was brought from
Italy to Boston in a United States man-of-war. By special act
of Congress it was admitted free of duty, and was conveyed
from Boston to Wilmington; there being no railroads in those
days it was carried thence up the Cape Fear River to Fayetteville,
from which place it was brought to Raleigh on a wagon con-structed
for tiie purpose, drawn by twenty-four mules.
The statue is thus described by the editor of the Raleigh Regis-ter
of December 28, 1821 :
482 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
The likeness is good, nor could it be otherwise, for it was copied from a bust
in Gesso, taken from life by the celebrated Cerracci, when in this country. The
figures on the four sides of the pedestal are the production of Trantanove, the
famous pupil of Canova, and are in Bassi Relieui. They are formed and grouped
with the most exquisite taste, and commemorate the four greatest events, civil
and military, in the life of the illustrious man they are intended to celebrate, viz. :
1. The surrender of Cornwallis.
2. The resignation of General Washington at the close of the war.
3. Kepresents the hero, like Ciucinnatus, holding the plough on his return to
private life.
4. In the act of acceptiiig the Presidency of the United States.
The statue and pedestal are of the whitest and purest marble. The General is
represented in a sitting posture with a stylus in his hand writing his farewell ad-dress.
The statue arrived in Raleigh on the 24th of December, 1821,
and was halted near where our Centennial Graded School now
stands, and the Governor of tiie State, the Legislature and oiher
State officers went down and escorted it up Fayetteville street to
the capitol, in Union Square, where it was inaugurated witli
such ceremonies as became the occasion. In the procession up
Fayetteville street the post of. honor was awarded the old Revo-lutionary
soldiers, a number of whom were present.
The address was delivered by Colonel William Polk, father of
the late Bishop and Lieutenant-General Polk, of the Confeder-ate
States Army.
THE LOST COLONY.
THE PRIZE ESSAY.
BY ETHEL BAGLEY, RALEIGH, N. C.
The smartest men that England ever produced lived in the
reign of Elizabeth. Among these was Sir Walter Raleigh, a
young nobleman. He wished to make a settlement in the new
world. His first attempt had not proved successful, but, not dis-couraged,
he determined to try again.
Accordingly, an expedition was sent out in 1587 which landed
on Roanoke Island. Raleigh had ordered them to stop at the
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 483
Bermuda Islands for cows, horses, sheep aud hogs. He also told
them to sail into the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads, but,
contrary to Raleigh's directious, they landed on Roanoke Island.
In this colony there were one hundred and fifty men, women
and children. They were, well supplied with everything needful
for farming, and thus industry would be promoted. John White
was sent as Governor. They arrived safely, and soon after their
arrival a little girl was born, who w^as the granddaughter of Gov-ernor
White. She is noted in history f )r being the first English
child born in America. She was named "Virginia" for Queen
Elizabeth, and her last name was Dare. For her one of our
counties is named.
The colony was prospering, but more men were needed, so the
{)eople persuaded Governor White to return to England and
bring over more emigrants. He consented to go, but before he
left he arranged that should the Indians appear hostile and make
any attack upon the colonists they should go to Croatan, where
a friendly tribe of Indians lived.
Croatan is supposed by some to have been an island somewhere
on the coast south of Roanoke Island, but by others to be a
peninsula across the sound from Roanoke. Governor White told
them if they went to this place to carve high upon a tree the
word "Croatan," and if they went in very great distress to put
a cross above the word, and in this way, when he returned, he
would know what had become of them.
So White sailed away and left the brave colonists on the
island. White was away three long years. It is very strange
that he did not hurry back to help the poor colonists, and it is
strange, too, that he did not feel some anxiety about them. But,
he made a great many excuses to remain in England. One of
them was that the great Spanish fleet, called the Invincible
Armada, was coming against England, and he must needs stay
to help defend his country.
At last, however, he returned to America, but no trace of the
poor colonists was found except the one word "Croatan" carved
on the tree, and no "cross" was to be seen.
484 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
Governor White must have been a very unnatural man not to
have made a search for the pour h)st people, especially as his own
daughter and granddaughter were among them. At any rate, he
did not search much, for he said the weather was so stormy he
could not stay long on the coast. They soon started for England
and left the beautiful forests silent once more.
Thus the noble attempts of Raleigh at settling any place in
America came to naught. The fate of the "Lost Colony" will
never be known as long as the world lasts. Many ideas have been
formed about it, but the most probable is that the colonists, giv-ing
up all hopes of seeing their people again, married among the
Indians, and their sad story was soon forgotten.
A great many years afterwards a tribe of Indians was found
in North Carolina who, in many ways, resembled white people
and who claimed to be descendants of the lost colonists. It is
pitiful to think of these poor colonists never seeing one of their
kind again, but it is more pleasant to think that they were not
altogether destroyed by the cruel Indians.
The Legislature of North Carolina has recently made pro-vision
for a Normal School in which teachers of the Croatan
Indians are to be educated. It is a creditable act and we do well
to remember the friendly tribe that once sheltered the poor colo-nists
who made an effort to settle in our State.
EUROPE.
Our "European Party" now numbers just one hundred
and ten persons. It is the largest organized company of educa-tors
ever to make a trip across the ocean to visit a foreign
country.
When you get to Morehead City don't wait for introductions^
but "go ahead and get acquainted" with all your co-laborers.
Particularly should you know intimattdy all who will comprise
the big family of your Eur()j>ean fellow-travelers from the As-sembly.
TPIE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 485
Your teachers' tickets to the Assembly at Morehead City
will be good to bring oiir European party home until September
1st. It will be very important for you to be at Morehead City
during the Assembly, if possible, as yon will there get much
information about the tour that cannot be had otherwise.
When we land at Glasgow we must remember that for twenty-four
days thereafter we will be traveling in a foreign country
where everything is vastly diiferent from the way we have them
at home, and we must be prompt to adopt ourselves to the man-ners,
customs and habits of those people without the slightest
complaint—thus we make friends who will deem it a pleasure to
do anything for us towards making the trip delightful and bene-ficial
to each one of our party. We feel sure that the one hun-dred
and ten ladies and gentlemen of our truly representative
party of North Carolinians will be C|uick to become real travel-ers—
happy, contented, social, patient, accommodating, observant,
watchful and considerate; and when you return from this vaca-tion
tour you will say that you would not have missed the trip
for ten times the expense of it, and these six weeks will long be
remembered as the brightest and merriest period in your life.
Not a single effort will be spared towards making this vaca-tion
tour as pleasant and profitable to each person as it is pos-sible
to make it. Each individual person can aid very materially
in keeping the enjoyment and interest at the maximum by enter-ing
fully into the spirit of the social feature which must prevail
throughout the tour. Specially is it necessary, for your own
pleasure, that you realize that you are a traveler and, as other
travelers do, yon must make up your mind to "take things as
they come." Don't expect to travel by rail, steamer or coach
and always have as much space and comfort as if you were sit-ting
by your fireside at home, because that will be unreasonable.
If your steamer berth is about as large as a berth in a Pullman
sleeping-car try to be satisfied with the one as you have to be
with the other. If you think that a first-class $70 berth on the
Georgia is not so good and roomy as a $200 one on a Cunarder
we admit that it is true, but we also know that the Georgia " will
486 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
get there all the same" (pardon the expression) with just as
many pleasures and just as safely as any other steamer that
crosses the Atlantic. You will have as much fun (!) in being
sea-sick on a small steamer as on a large one, the only difference
being that on a large vessel it is farther "to the rail," and herein
the advantage is in favor of the smaller ship as suiting the pas-sengers
better.
The IiNTER-States Railroad Commission, at a meeting on
May 1st, ordered the railroads throughout the country to cancel
all "party rate tickets." The Secretary had about completed
arrangements for an all rail route for our European party to New
York and return, but this decision annuls the "party rate"
which was to be given us. It may be that our route to New
York, from Morehead City, will be by water so as to get a
special rate (not over $] 6) for the round-trip, including state-room,
and meals most of the way. This will be cheaper than the all
rail route, because sleeping-car berths and all meals were extra.
Two excellent water routes are offered to us, but a decision is not
yet made, as the Secretary wants to get the lowest possible rates
for the party, and a change of trip from Morehead to New York
may be made only a few hours before our departure. This is the
reason that it is necessary that all our party should be at the
Assembly, as no definite information as to changes can be given
to any persons who are not present when the changes are made.
If we go to New York by steamer we will leave Morehead City
on July 1st, and it may be necessary to sail on June 30th to
reach New York in ample time. Again we must say that mem-bers
of our party who do not go to the Assembly will, of course,
pay regular fare to and from New York, and wmII have to take
the chances of getting berths arranged to suit them. We have
selected "Earle's Hotel," corner Canal and Centre streets, in New
York, to spend the night of July 3d, but we may arrange later
on so as not to need a hotel at all—it being one of the Secretary's
rules never to make an arrangement ahead so fixed that it cannot
be promptly changed at any time for the greater convenience,
economy and comfort of our party.
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 487
The following list comprises the names of all members of
our European party, as the number is now entirely completed:
Eugene G. Harrell, Raleigh.
John N. Harrell, Raleigh.
Rev. M. M. Marshall, Raleigh.
Rev. Bennett Smedes, Raleigh.
Charles Root, Raleigh.
Joseph D. Boushall, Raleigh.
M. A. Capehart, Kittrell.
J. H. Petty, Asheville.
W. L. Weber, Bingham School.
H. L. Smith, Davidson College.
VV. J. Martin, Davidson College.
A. H. Slocumb, Fayelteville.
W. H. Micbael, Wake Forest.
J. P. Haskitt, Kiuston.
R. A. P. Cooley, Nashville.
C. C. Cooper, Nashville.
J. B. Boddie, Nashville.
J. Bryan Grimes, Grimesland.
J. B: Brewer, Murfreesboro.
Dr. Thomas E, Anderson, Statesville.
John D. Moss, Athens, Ga.
. R. S. Payne, Jr., Bingham School.
J. M. Callender, LaGrange.
R. C. Berkley, Jr., LaGrange.
F. B. Brown, Enochville.
John C. Leslie, Concord.
Charles F. Wadsworth, Concord.
Robert B. Cannon, Concord.
M. C. Braswell, Battleboro.
James Hobgood, Battleboro.
S. E. Gidney, Shelby.
J. R. Overman, Goldsboro.
Dr. Edward Ferebee, Belcross.
John S. Cunningham, Cunningham.
Rev. W. G. Starr, Danville, Va.
C. H. Walker, LaGrange.
Mrs. J. B. Neathery, Raleigh.
" John J. Fray, Raleigh.
" Joseph Parker, Raleigh.
" J. C. Von Buhlow, Hickory.
" V. L. Pendleton, Warrenton.
" W. H. Chadbourue, Wilmington.
" M. L. Brodnax, Sharp.
" Frances Church, Florence, S. C.
" Jas. G. Kenan, Kenansville.
" B. L. Reed, New Bedford, Mass.
Miss S. Isabel Graves, Mt. Airy.
" Sudie Faison, Statesville.
" Maude L. Alford, Greensboro.
" Lizzie J. Clark, Lewiston.
" Sara B. Willits, Marion, Ohio.
" L. W. Garrett, Medoc.
" M. Sitterson, Williamston.
" Sophie Clement, Mocksville.
" Bettie Clarke, Oxford.
" Mary F. Dickson, Morganton.
" Bessie Neeley, Salisbury.
" Jane Yancey, New York.
" Verlester Rhodes, Durham.
" Bettie Moore, Williamston.
" Irene Cartwright, Wakefield.
" Mamie Everett, Brooklyn, N. Y.
" Eloise H. New, Richmond, Va.
" Emily Kenan, Kenansville.
" Sue S. Cunningham, Cunningham.
" M. S. Cunningham, Cunningham.
" Otey M. Carringtou, Cunningham.
" A. L. Pearson, Raleigh.
" Mabel Upchurch, Raleigh.
" S. C. Wells, Raleigh.
" E. A. Baker, Raleigh.
" Susie Elliotte, Danville, Va.
" Helen Fowle, Raleigh.
" Mittie Dowd, Raleigh.
" Florence Slater, Raleigh.
" Beatrice Holmes, Raleigh.
" Emmie McVea, Raleigh.
" Kate Fuller, Raleigh.
" E. A. Lehman, Salem.
" Gertrude Siewers, Salem.
" M. E. Chitty, Salem.
" Sophie E. Butner, Salem.
" Sue L. Cumming, Wilmington.
" Jennie Allen, Wilmington.
" Anna Mebane, Wilmington.
" Emma Chadbourne, Wilmington.
" Jessie Kenan, Wilmington.
' Annie H. Philips, Tarboro.
" Minnie Smith, Glenn Springs, S. C.
" V. L. Wilson, Clarksville, Va.
" Lillie Lea, Cedar Hill.
" Mary Grimes, Grimesland..
488 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
Miss Eva C. Hill, Purcepolis. Miss Bella Skinner, Grimesland.
" Julia Brewer, Murfreesboro. " Efia L. Sells, Ocala, Fla.
" Anna Lewis, Goldsboro. " Cora S. Zeigler, Ocala, Fla.
" Agnes Eppes, City Point, Va. " S. O'H. Dickson, Winston.
" Mary Eppes, City Point, Va. " S. O. Reiabart, We.stminster, Md.
" Mary E. Herndou, Danville, Va. " Addie Taylor, Claresville, Va.
" Fannie L. Starr, Danville, Va. " Maggie A. Ward, Raleigb.
" Addie L. Henderson, Danville, Va. " Flora L. Terry, Ansonia, Conn.
" Annie Hickey, Danville, Va.
' " Persis Giles, Greenwood, S. C.
Miss Mary Giles, Greenwood, S. C.
LETTER FROM MI^JOR FINGER.
Raleigjh, June 1, 1889.
The following persous have just passed through a two years'
course at the Normal College at Nashville, Tennessee. They are
now ready for employment in their chosen profession, and any
school hoards or individuals who may be seeking teachers may
communicate with them: A. E. Booth, Boomer, Wilkes county ;
Miss Mary S. Brown, New Bern, Craven county; Miss Jose-phine
Forrest, Hillsboro, Orange county; George J. V. Hord,
Shelby, Cleveland county ; Robert B. Horn, East Bend, Yadk'in
county; John R. Johnson, Lassiter's Mills, Randolph county;
James W. Kirk, Albemarle, Stanly county; Thomas V. Kirk,
Gold Hill, Rowan county; Joseph E. Smith, Raleigh, VV^d^e
county; A. R. Weaver, Weaverville, Buncombe county.
S. M. Finger,
Superintendent Public Instruction.
The new schedule on the Atlantic and North Carolina Rail-road
puts the trains at Morehead City at 7:45 p. m. instead of
about 10 o'clock as heretofore. This is an excellent schedule.
CLASSICAL DEPARTMENT
GEO. T. WINSTON, A. M.,\^^^^.^.^^^ r„.,.., Httt n r
E. ALEXANDER, Ph. d., I^^^'"^"^'
Chapel Hill, ^.C.
Note to Publishers :—Books and exchanges for review or notice in the Class-ical
Department maj- be sent direct to the editors at Chapel Hill, N. C.
THE /\GRICULTURfiL CHSRIICTER OF THE ESRLY
ROMANS.
It is an old theoiy, accepted hv historians and based upon tra-dition,
that the early inhabitants of Italy were a commercial
people, who came in ships acro.ss the ocean from A-sia or Africa.
The Romans themselves' boasted of a descent from Troy, and
Roman literature is full of references to their Trojan ancestry.
Virgil, whose poetic talent was scarcely greater than his knowl-edge
of antiquities, has embodied in the ^"Eneid the accepted tra-ditions
and the current belief of the Augustan Age. ''^-Eneas
with several hundred, or possil)ly several thousand followers, fled
from the burning of Troy, until, under the guidance of Fate,
they reached Hesperia, the Land of the Evening Star. They
brought with them the gods of Troy, and thus transferred from
Asia to Italy the seat of universal empire." While this tradi-tioH
has not been accepted in all its details by modern historians,
it has not been agreed until recently that whoever the people were
that settled Italy, and from whatever country they came, their
migration was. by water and not by land. The rapid and won-derful
growth of the Roman power has served also to support
the theory that they were a commercial people and that their
supremacy was begun and maintained by commerce aud trade.
Certainly, in those days of imperfect aud dangerous navigation,
none but a commercial people, I might almost say a sea-born
people, would have goue with wives and children across the ocean
in search of a uew home.
490 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
Recently the attenticMi of Roman historians has been turned to
this subject; and it is now maintained by Monimsen and others
tliat Italy owed its early population to migrations by land,
coming in through the north of the peninsula. A careful study
of early Latin customs, beliefs and laws shows that they were
not a commert'ial people, but intensely agricultural. Those
interested will find the arguments and deductions of the great
historian well set forth in his History of Rome. The object of
this paper is to suggest a diiferent course of thought, along lines
comparatively new and unexplored, tending to the same conclu-sions
as those reached by Monimsen.
Knowing the chief occupation of a people and their character,
we may thereby know in a general way what sort of words will
constitute their language. A people inhabiting the heart of
Africa must employ a vocabulary very different from those liv-ing
in Greenland. The daily occupations and surroundings of
the two peoples, being different, are expressed by words equally
different, both in sound and in meaning. A pastoral people will
employ a vocabulary abounding in pastoral words, while a com-mercial
people will necessarily make large use of commercial
words. A language whici) contains no word for mountain, nt)r
ocean, nor ice, must belong to a people living far from the ocean
in a mild climate and without mountains. Even the nioral
qualities of a people are mirrored in the words of their language.
What would we think of a people whose vocabulary contained a
thousand different words meaning to commit murder in a thou-sand
different ways? If we could know the language of the
angels would we find therein any wt)rd meaning to lie or to
hate? Wiiat sort of language would it be if a people were
composed entirely of college sophomores or cross-roads orators?
How rich in sorrow and malediction would be the laup-uao-e of a
people of whom every man had fifty motliers-in-law !
Let us reverse the process and learn the character of the early
Romans from their languao-e. If thev were commercial we mav
l(jok for many commercial words, and besides we may expect to
find words once purely conmiercial afterwards employed with
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 491
incaniugs eiilariicd, changed, and aj)i)lical)l<j to thoughts and
ideas not coninu'rcial ; even to other arts, trades and sciences, or
to literary e.\})ression. In our own times we speak of the "ship
of State," or,of a ])()litician "trinnning his sails" to catch the
breeze of popular favor; a jaunty young damsel may be called
a "piratical craft" or a "clipper"; while the other sex is occa-sionally
" half seas over" or "three sheets to the wind." How
many young lives are "stranded" on the "shoals" of vice? or
"shipwrecked" by the "storms of life"?
Our dailv convei'sation and our literature of all kinds, espe-cially
re-ligious, whei'e there is most need of it, are full of w-ords,
phrases, metaphors, similes, drawn from the sea. They show,
what we know, that our ancestors were a sea-faring, sea-loving,
and highly commercial people.
In the Latin language there is a remarkable scarcity of nauti-cal
and commercial words; and of these even the commonest,
simplest and most necessary seem to have been borrowed from
the Greeks. In Latin literature there are almost no metaphors,
similes, or images taken from the sea; and even when the sea
itself is describetl, as in the xEneid, it is in language rather agri-cultural
than nautical. When we look for I^atin nautical words
adopted into other trades, occupations and professions we do not
find them. All this is not the result of accident. It shows that
the early Latin vocabulary was poor in nautical words, and there-fore
that the early Latin peo[)le were not sailors. What, then,
was their character? An examination of a few words will show
that it was intensely agricultural, and that the rich, varied and
powerful Latin language ^yas built upon a basis of agricultural
words. When such words as puto, to think; lego, to read;
senno, a discourse; stella, a star; mollis, gentle; alturii, the deep
sea; versus, a verse; delirius, crazy; egregius, excellent; Jitcfer,
a judge; scientia, knowledge; renius, an oar; multljjlico, to mul-tiply,
and thousands of others in daily use in all departments of
life; when these words can be shown to be originally agricul-tural
in use and meaning, is it not clear that the early Latins
were almost entirely agricultural in character, and that they bor-
492 THE XORTH CAROLINA TEACHER,
rowed or adopted an agricultural word to express the new ideas
created by their advancing civilization and changing occupations?
Let us look at some of these words more closely.
1. Alo, alere, means to feed, to nourish, to frain up plants,
vines. From it come altitudo, altitude; exalto, to exalt; and
probably the English word old. Alius means originally fed,
trained; then well-grown, tall, height. Or downwards it means
not high, but deep. Altum, the deep, the sea, a farmer's word.
2. The Latin words computo, deputo, disputo, reputo, imjnmi-tas,
palnitet, etc., all derivatives from puto, represent the agricul-tural
idea of cleaning, clearing up, cleansing—being akin to
purus, pure.
Puto, to think, meant originally to clean, to cut, prune, am-putate;
then to discriminate, to think.
Lego meant at first, to pick; pull, pluck; then to select;
finally to read. From the same stem came legio^ the selected (se-
]ego=select).
Gemma, a bud, swelling, a gem, a precious stone.
Egregius (e-grege), selected fronj the herd, select, remarkable,
beautifid.
Delirius (delirious), de-lira, from the furrow, applied to a plow
animal tha:t will not keep in the furrow, meaning willful, vicious,
obstinate, peculiar, crazy.
Versus, a turning back of the plow at regular points, {verse)-
opposed to prose, (proversus) a going straight forward without
turning back.
Caper, a goat, gave the idea of caprice; pecus, producing pe-ennia
and peculium, indicates the universal property in sheep
and cattle and not in goods or ships ; plicare, to fold, plait, made
simplex, duplex, multiplico and the like words.
Subtilis, subtle, was a weaver's word. Rivales is from rirus,
a stream ; tribidum, tribulaiio, contrite, etc., from tero, to rub, to
thresh grain.
From molo, to grind up fine, came mollis, mellow ; mola, meal,
mill; melt, smelt; mors, murder; motalis, morbus, remorse, mor-bid,
etc., etc.
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 493
Sero, to place, to put, to plant trees, to sow seed, has given the
Latin language dis.'^ero, to discuss; sermo, a discourse; series, a
succession; servus, a slave, sors, chance, that which we sow;
ronsors, a partner ; sterula, stella, the things sewed in the sky,
the sky seed, the stars.
The root Ju appears in jugum, a yoke; juago, to yoke or join ;
judex, one who joins, binds, decrees; jus, the law, which binds.
Ars, art, a word l)elonging to the highest civilization, is de-rived
from aro, to plough, and meant originally the one great art
known to and useful to the Latins. Strange to say, remits, an
oar, and ratis, a boat, are from the same stem and mean, there-fore,
the plows of the water.
In conclusion, we see that the Latins were originally a strongly
agricultural people. Looking back from the summit of the
centuries we perceive from the career of Rome that her greatness
and glory lasted while she cultivated agriculture. The type of
Roman which the world accepts and loves to remember is not
the trader, nor sailor, nor even the soldier, but the man of hard
and inflexible character, trained in the fields of agriculture for
the field of battle or the field of ijovernment. G. T. W.
BOOK NOTICES.
Leaflets from the Note-book of an Arch/EOlogical
Traveler in Asia Minor. By J. R. S. Sterrett. In this
pamphlet Dr. Sterrett gives, in the form of a lecture, a most in-teresting
account of his experiences and adventures while en-gaged
a year or two ago in the exploration of Asia Minor. He
is too modest to say it, but it is nevertheless true that the results
of his labors have reconstructed our map of a large section of
that country by discovering the true sites of many ancient cities
and towns. Besides this, he made copies of vast numbers of
valuable inscriptions. The publication of the latter is an achieve-ment
of which the American School of Classical Studies at Ath-ens
may well be proud.
494 THE NORTH CAROLIXA TEACHER.
This lecture is full of interesting passages which we should
like to reprint if space permitted. Here is something about Ro-man
mile- stones:
" The RoQian tnile-stone was a block of rousjhly bewu limestone, about four feet
iu diameter at the base aud about niue feet hisb. It tapered off jfradually toward
the top in a cone-like fashion, bein^ about one foot and a half iu diameter at the
bluntlj' rounded top. The majority of these mile-stones were inscribed, in Latin,
of course, and these inscriptions give not only the name of the emperor under
whose reitjn the road was constructed or repaired, but, what is a matter of 2;reat
importance for the history of the time, they give the name of the Roman gov-ernor
duriue: whose term of office the road was constructed or repaired. 1 found
in all about one hundred of these mile-stones.. * * * There is something awe-inspiring
about these' hoary guardians of the Roman road, simple and rough
though they be. Like the Roman sentinel of old, they are still true to their
trust, eloquent and stately reminders of the mighty deeds of mighty Rome. Four-teen,
fifteen hundred years have passed over them ; they have witnessed the pro-longed
death struggle of the imperial city of the seven hills ; they have seen em-pires,
nations arise and grow wanton in the pride of strength only to return to
the nothingness from which they sprang; but still they stand proudly erect, sim-ple,
austere, sublime, in the silence and solitude of the desert, bidding defiance
to time and to man."
The pamphlet is published by the University of Texas, at
Austin. We presume that copies may be had for the asking.
E. A.
A Concise Vocabulary to the First Six Books of
Homer's Iliad. By T. D. Seymour. Boston: Ginn & Com-pany.
The author of this Vocabulary has made it "from the
Iliad itself,", to meet the special needs of students beginning
Homer. In one hundred aud five pages all the words which
occur in the first six books are defined, and a good deal of tersely
worded information added.
There are teachers who object to the use of special vocabidaries.
For our part, we can see no I'eason why the pathway to a lan-o;
nao:;e should not be made as smooth as the nature of thinos will
allow. There is little danger that it can be made too smooth.
We do not think, however, that this book is iu any way more
desirable than Keep's translation of Autenrieth, except in com-pactness,
clearness of type, and arrangement. Autenrieth's
Homeric Dictionary, covering both the Iliad and the Odyssey, is
fiir more useful to the student of Homer, though it is certainly
convenient to have both of these helps. E. A.
the north carolina teacher. 495
The Seventh AnxNUal Report of the American School
OF Classical Studies at Athens. This incliicles the reports
of the managing' committee for 1887-'88 and of tlie antuial
directors for the fifth and sixtli years of the school.
The work of the school has been done so quietly that few peo-ple
are awan- of what has been accomplished. "Four volumes
of papers have been published, and accepted by the world of
scholars as valuable additions to our sum of philological kuowl-edge.
An excellent working library has been gathered, together
with the scientific and photographic instruments most needed in
exploration. The school has conducted excavations at Thoricus,
Sicyon and Icaria, at each pla(;e developing some interesting or
important facts. A beautiful, large and commodious building
has been erected, on a charming site, immediately adjoining the
home of the British school." About thirty students, most of
whom are now teaching in American colleges, have, been connected
with the school and have brought back that enthusiasm which
personal contact with the Grecian land always gives. Eighteen
colleges contribute each about |250 annually to the support of
the school. It is expected that Dr. Waldstein will be secured as
permanent director. Even with the disadvantage of a yearly
change of directors, a success quite equal to that of the British,
German and French schools has been achieved.
The account of the Icarian excavations, given in this report,
is of great interest, an interest which is increased by five or six
well executed plates of objects discovered. A good picture of
the beautiful building of the school is also furnished. The report
closes with lists of publications of the school and a convenient
circular of information for those who expect to study in Athens.
The Secretary of the Managing Committee, Mr. Thomas W.
Ludlow, Yonkers, N. Y., will send the annual reportii r/ratis to
applicants. E. A.
Homer's Odyssey, Books I-IV. Edited liy B. Perrin.
Boston: Ginn & Co. It is somewhat remarkable- that no satis-factory
edition of the Odyssey has been published in this coun-try.
The Iliad, at least the first six books of it, has been cred-
496 THE XORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
itably edited by Aiuericao scholars; but little has been done with
the Odyssey, except in Merriara's excellent Phceacian Ejyisocle.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Iliad is read chiefly in
preparatory schools, where the need of annotated texts is sup-posed
to be greater, while the Odyssey is usually reserveil for
college classes. Notes are needed, however, by the student at all
stages of his reading, provided that the notes are good. ^ Sonie-tinies
it is a relief to take up a text-edition and get rid of all
comments. Shakespeare was wise, though he meant something
quite different from our application of the words, when he made
Richard say :
"I have heaiTl that fearful comnienling
Is leaden servitor to dull delaj-."
Editors, like the rest of us, are prone to say much about mat-ters
that are clear enough of themselves, while they leave obscure
points untouched; as if, not having meat at hand, they try to
make up for it by stuffing students with mush. Mush is said to
be a good food for people who like it.
Merry's edition of the Odyssey is widely used in England and
this country, and it is deservedly popular; but it fails to meet
the wants of our students, as is true of very many text-books
})repared by English scholars. When the Englishman is at his
best nobody's best is better. We have done nothing, for exam-ple,
that approaches Jebb's Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus Coloneus
and Antigone.
A somewhat thorough examination has failed to show anything
but excellence in Dr. Perrin's work. His rare skill as a teacher
has made ])lain to him exactly what is needed by the student of
Homer. Nothing is lacking, nothing is overdone. The notes
are rather plentiful, but not too much so for the first books of
the poem, and they are brief and pointed. The German edition
selected as a basis is that of Ameis-Hentze. Teachers and stu-dents
will be glad to know that the preparation of Books V-XII
is also in Dr. Perrin's hands. If the remainder of his work is
done with |he skill that is shown on every page of the portion
already issued the words with which this notice began will iiap-
THE NORTH CAEOLIXA TEACHER. 497
l)ily cease to he true, so far as half of the Odyssey is (concerned.
A\'e h(,'artily eonimciid this excellent edition. E. A.
Ci'LTURE Obtained from the Ancient Languages.—
There is hut one j)()ssih]t' analogy to the singular position which
the childi'en of Hellas occupy in our past, and that is to be found
in the unique importance of the children of Israel in every edu-cation
which is to establish sane and stable religious conviction.
The lessons which Jewisii thought and Jewish history can and
must teach us are taught unceasingly and are taught well. These
lessons do not depend for their right understanding upon a
detailed study of Hebrew, the less so because the more essential
i-eeords of Christianity are lodged in Greek writings, though
their inspiration is Jeviish. The insight into beauty, on the
other hand, which is given us by Greece is not to be gained at
second hand, through translations and explanations. We need
all the help which translations and explanations can lend, after
hard work on the intricacies of the original Greek. The beauty
of every Greek masterpiece is inseparable from the words of the
original, for the excellence here resides in a perfect union of
shape, sound and sense. The influence of the diligent study of
Greek issues in a subtle refinement of the taste, a "purification
of the emotions," to borrow Aristotle's phraseology. This
refinement cannot, in after life, be taken out of the pocket and
exhibited; it cannot be bought and it cannot be sold as can the
useful scientific knowledge of a specialist. And yet it is precious,
and yet it is useful, and yet this revelation of lofty truth clothed
in beautiful words themselves a part of the very truth, and
uttered in musical measures which are the charms whereby false-
Ifood is tamed, must be made to every man whose character we
would fashion in the best way. In such an essential matter as
this there can be no question of second best, and therefore, in
order to make right education possible, the head work of pre-paratory
Greek study is imperative and unavoidable.
—
Louis
Dyer.
NORTH CAROLINA TEACHERS' ASSEMBLY,
OFFICERS 1888-'89.
GEO. T. WINSTON, President, Chapel Hill, N. C.
DAVID L. ELLIS, Treasukek, Dunn, N. C.
EUGENE G. HARRELL, Secretary, Raleigh N. C.
The Sixth Annua! Session will be held in the Assembly Building at the Atlantic Hotel,
Morehead City, N. C, June ISth to July 2d, 1889.
ASSEMBLY NOTES.
June 18th is the day. Are you ready for the sea-side?
Every mail brings au immense pile of applications for Cer-tificates
of Membership in the Assembly.
Ex-Governor Thomas J. Jarvis has written to the Secre-tary
signifying his intention to attend the Assembly this session.
We take pleasure in adding the name of Colonel William
Johnston, of Charlotte, to our list of Life Members of the
Assembly.
Write to Mr. R. B. Raney, Manager of the Atlantic Hotel,
Morehead City, N. C, if you desire to secure a room in advance
of your arrival.
Children's Day! The entire day, June 20th, will be given
specially to primary work in the school-room. What teacher
can afford to miss this day's work? Can you?
The Secretary is busy issuing Certificates of Membership
for 1889. Have you .secured yours? The railroad agent will
ask you to show it when you call for the Teachers' Assembly
ticket.
Everything is in splendid order at the Atlantic Hotel.
Bath-houses, electric bells, gas, water-works, boats, etc., etc., are
all thoroughly repaired and put in first-class condition ready for
the arreat buildina: fidl of quests.
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 499
"Outside OF tlie National Educational Association the North
Carolina Teachers' Asseml)ly is not only the most enthusiastic,
but also the most lihcral and proo-ressive in the country."
—
Edii-caiional
News {Philadc/p/iia, Pa.).
Every North Carolina teacher wants to hear our popular
" Zeb Vance" in his opening address to the Assembly on June
U)th. North Carolina has never produced a man more univer-sally
beloved than Senator Vance.
See the address of the Treasurer and S?cretary of the
Assembly, at head of this department, and don't delay sending
the fee for your Certificate of Membership for 1889, or you may
be troubled in getting it just as you want to start for Morehead
City.
If you desire a school or a teacher for the fall term don't fail
to report to Mr. D. L. Ellis, Chairman of our Teachers' Bureau,
as soon as you get to Morehead City. There will be many school
officers and committees at the Assembly looking for teachers for
their schools.
Major Finger, State Superintendent of Public Instruction,
wants to see every County Superintenrlent at Morehead City on
"Superintendents' Day," June 21st. Tliere are very important
matters to be considered by these most important school officers
on that day.
Go to your railroad station agent at once and ascertain if he
has received full instructions concerning the Teachers' Assembly
tickets. If he has not yet been instructed, and has not the tick-ets
on hand ready for sale, let the Secretary know it immediately.
This is very important.
It ls likely that the teachers will have the pleasure and
privilege of meeting more of the men who have governed North
Carolina at the Assembly this session than have ever before
attended any one occasion. We expect to have present, ou "State
Day," Governor D. G. Fowle and ex-Governors Vance, Jarvis
and Scales.
500 THE NOETH CAEOLIXA TEACHEE.
The Secretary, in behalf of the Assembly, returns thanks
for the nice things so kindly said about our Teachers' Assembly
and the programme for the coming session by educators and
editorial friends throughout the entire South. We trust that
many of the teachers and friends of sister States may find it con-venient
to be present at Morehead City during the Assembly in
June.
When the Teachers' Assembly bell rings on Wednesday
morning, June 19th, wa shall see our great hall filled to its utmost
with expectant teachers and friends of education, ready to begin
two weeks of the most attractive and valuable educational and
literary work ever prepared for an organization in this State.
We know that many hundred readers of The Teacher will be
there ready to fully enjoy every day of the session.
We have received a number of communications indorsing
various members of the Assembly as President for the coming
year. We would be glad to publish all the letters, but in view
of the very fair and sensible letter from Professor Holt upon
this subject we feel that the gentlemen whose names have been
suggested for President will prefer that the nominations shall
not be published in this way. We trust that this explanation to
our friends who have written the letters will be satisfactory with
the further assurance that The Teacher indorses every word
that they have said about their favorites for the honorable posi-tion
of President of the North Carolina Teachers' Assemblv.
In teaching reading call attention to the punctuation njarks,
and teach that they are not so much for rhetorical pauses as they
are to assist the reader in getting the idea of the author. Illus-trate
upon the blackboard with a sentence how a change of punc-tuation
changes the idea, as thus: " I said that he lied; it is true,
and I am sorry for it," which may be changed to the opposite
meaning by punctuating it thus: "I said that he lied, it is true:
and I am sorry for it."
EDITORIAL.
fl CONTINUOUS TERM OF SCHOOL.
We fear that the Legislature made a mistake iu amending
the .school law so as to require the public schools in the country
to be kept open one continuous term in the year or not kept open
at all. It is undoubtedly better, for some reasons, that there
should be only one continuous terra where there is a limited fund;
but, on the other hand, it will work a hardship to our agricul-tural
people, for the reason that it will be almo,st impossible to
select a time of year for the public school where a continuous
term would meet the requirements of all the people in the dis-trict,
whereas, heretofore, a two months' school in summer, after
the crop was " laid by," and a term of same length iu winter,
when work was over, have accommodated the people generally.
We fear that the present law will give a much lower average
attendance in the country schools during the next two years. A
summer school is a necessity in many sections of our State, and
however objectionable this time may be it suits the convenience
of the farmers' children and therefore should be allowed. The
average attendance in the public schools is exceedingly small,
even at best, and we cannot afford to make any laws which will
tend to lower this average by closing the schools at the most con-venient
time for the farmers' children. We want to have and are
working for a four months' school term iu every district in the
State, and while we can bring large numbers of the children into
the schools two months in summer and two months in winter,
without interfering with farm work, we doubt that many of the
larger children can be kept in the schools from the farm for
four consecutive months at any time of the year; The greatest
good to the greatest number should be the object of all legisla-tion,
particularly where it pertains to public schools.
502 THE NORTH CAROLIN^A TEACHER.
We wish each teacher a most pleasant, profitable and restful
vacation.
The Teacher wants a catalogue or circular of every scliool
or college in North Carnlina. Please send us a copy of vour
latest and we may be able to use it to your advantage in some
way.
In our list of books adopted for use in the pul)lic schools by
the State Board of Education are Webster's series of diction-aries.
We know this })leases the people of North Carolina, as
the Webster's School Dictionaries are used in the State at least
twenty times more largely than every other series combined, and
they are already found in nearly every school in the State where
a dictionary is used.
Have you enjoj^ed The North Carolina Teacher, an-i
have its monthly visits during the school term been iielpful to
you? Cannot yon now afford to commend it most sincerely to
your fellow-teachers at the Institutes this summer? We shall
try to make the next volume even better than the preceding ones
and yet more valuable to each one of the six thousand North
Carolinians who are regular readers of the journal.
Every 'TEACHER or school officer is invited to write for The
Teacher his views, full}' and freely, upon any educational mat-ter
of interest to the profession in North Carolina. Each cor-respondent
is, of course, alone responsible for his opinions, and
it is the intention of this journal to give every opj)ortunity for
fall expression of opinions, reserving the right oidy to strike out
anything that may be strictly personal in an article. With this
single restriction the pages of. The Teacher are freely open to
yon all.
With this number of The Teacher closes the sixth volume
and the journal will now take its usual vacation, as its readers
also wdll, during the months of July and August. We hope
that your vacation may be a pleasant one, full of rest, recreation,
and preparation for the work of the next school term. We
expect to meet many of The Teacher's friends at the Assembly
in a few days, and we shall be glad to render them any assistance
THE NORTH (WROLIXA TEACHER. 503
at IMoreliead City towards making their sojourn pleasant and in
every way beneficial.
It is a habit with some of our superinteu<lents of city schools
to make their annual reports au essay upon their peculiar methods
and views of teaching instead of a detailed statement of the
actual work done in the schools during the year. Several annual
reports of su[)eriutendents are now on the editor's desk and we
must confess that they give but little information strictly about
the schools under their charge. They seem to be mainly defences
of some of their particular views u|)on the subject of education.
We have no reference to any special report, but to many of them
in general.
There is no prouder name under Heaven for a man or
woman to bear than North Carolinian, and yet it would be more
appropriate if our State was called simply "Carolina." We are
justly entitled to the name for many reasons, specially because
the first permanent settlements were made within the borders of
our State (1663), and when the dividing line was run between
the two States, in 1724, it was to separate "South Carolina from
Carolina," and the names of the two States should now=' be as
they were then designated. We have "Virginia" and "West
Virginia," and so we should have "Carolina" and "South
Carolina." This is the feeling which makes us sing "Carolina,
Carolina, Heaven's l)lessings attend her," and "Ho, for Carolina,
that's the land for me."
The Committee of Examination has awarded the prize,
a gold medal, offered by the editor of The North Carolina
Teacher for the best essay on "The Lost Colony," to Ethel
Bagley, of Mr. F, M. Harper's school, Raleigh. The con-test
was a sharp one, as there were a number of excellent papers
sent in by the young people, and the committee was a long time
at work l)efore a decision could be made. We sincerely con-gratulate
all our little friends on their good and careful work,
and we hope the successful competitor may be stimulated to even
greater literary victories throughout all her school-days. The
medal for the best review of "Easselas," by members of the
504 THE NORTH CAEOLIXA TEACHER.
Young Folks' Reading Club, was awarded to Miss Sudie Hun-ter,
of Dr. R. H. Lewis' school, Kinston. The able committee
said that it was one of the best essays which they have ever
read prepared by a pupil of a school.
A number of leading; educators in this conntrv are workina:
faithfully to get rid of the ''psychological hobby" which is
being so recklessly ridden by some teachers. The psycliologists
hold, among other absurdities, that there is no beginning of men-tal
emotion in a child except by impressions from without; and
the followers of such a ridiculous theory are being lieartily
laughed at and their hobby is spoken of as "psychology run
mad." We trust that all such madness will steer clear of North
Carolina schools. The so-called "psychologic law of human
development" is simply a fine-spun theory of Herbart, Pestalozzi,
Beneke, and other foreign enthusiasts, and it found its way to
this country in the general immigration drift, and it was speedily
adopted by those for whom everything foreign possesses a fasci-nation.
We are glad to see that such theorizing has a tendency
to remain at the North where it first lands.
How beautiful are the invitations to school commencements
this season ! Surely all the schools must have enjoyed a prosper-ous
term. We return thanks to all friends who have so kindly
remembered the editor and we wish it were possible for us to
accept each iuvitation of these hundred or more now on our desk.
Even if we were not attracted by the beautiful invitations and
the interesting programmes we could not fail to have a yearning
to attend the exercises when we read the names of fair friends
which are on the dainty little cards that accompany many of
these invitations. At times such as these we think it is very
uncomfortable to be so busy that it is impossible for us to leave
the editor's desk. It adds to our uncomfortable absence to know
that even now as we write this paragraph many a school chapel
in North Carolina is ringing with sweet music and merry voices,
amid lovely scenes made still more glorious and enchanting by
sparkling eyes and wavy tresses, gracefid forms and fairy-like
raiment, such as constitute some of the fascinations of " the sweet
sirl graduates."
THE KOIITH CAROLINA TEACHER. 505
SBOIJT OUR TEaCHERS SND SCHOOLS.
Miss Lula Stewart has a iiootl schoul at Lake Comfort, Hyde couutj-.
Miss Etta B. Pitts is teachiusi; at Kuott's Island, Currituck county, and has a
o'ood school.
Mu. J. T. Brocii has a flourishino' school at Demia, Buncombe county, with 11.5
pupils enrolled.
Mk. Willie H. Clendenin, of Alamance county, is priucipal of a flourishino;
school at Shannon, N. C.
Professor John D. Mirkick, of Maryland, has been elected President of
Davenport College for oirls.
Misses Manie PIancock and Novella Brogden received mention of special
distinction in Elocution at the commencement of Kinstou College.
There were eight medals awarded at Princeton College, New Jersey, this year
and five of them were won by North !!arolina boys, all alumni of Davidson Col-lege.
Hurrah for the Old North State !
Mrs. Charles D. McIver has accepted a position in Peace Institute as teacher
of the Primai-y Department. Mrs. McIver was a very successful teacher before
her marriage and we are glad to again have her excellent work in the school-room.
Mr. Howard E. Strudwick, of Auburn, who is a native of London, will sail
for Europe on Juue 24:th, and he has kindly offered to attend to a number of mat-ters
in London for our party in regard to tickets, etc. He will join us at the
Midland Grand Hotel, in London, and go with us to Paris.
Mr. J. Y. JoYNER (University N. C.) has been elected Superintendent of Golds-boro
Graded Schools, to succeed Superintendent E. A. Alderman, who resigned
to take charge of the State Teachers' Institutes. We congratulate the schools of
Goldsboro on their selection, as Mr. Joyner is a teacher of "the first water."
Professor F. P. Venable, Professor of Chemistry at the Ur ersity, has ss^iled
for Europe, v.'here he will remain until the re-opening of the University in the
fall. He will chiefly devote his time to the prosecution of his studies in I he Ger-man
University. He is one of North Carolina's most thorough and scholarly
instructors.
Mr. E. McK. Goodwin, of the North Carolina Institution for the Deaf and
Dumb and the Blind, and Superintendent W. A. Blair, of Winston Graded Schools,
have been appointed delegates from North Carolina to the World's Sunday-school
Convention, which meets in London July 2d. They sail from New York Juue
19th, on the steam-ship Bothnia, and will remain abroad three months.
North Carolina teachers extend a most sincere and cordial welcome to Miss
Jane Long on her return to the State from the West, and specially is Peace Insti-tute
to be congratulated upon the addition of Miss Long to its already excellent
faculty. This lady is one of the best teachers which our State has produced, and
during her residence in the West she made a fine reputation in the public schools
at Minneapolis.
5
506 THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER.
The commencement exercises of Kinslon College, on May 28tli and 29tb,
were largely attended and very enjoyable. The graduates were Misses Sudie
Hunter, of Kinston, and Cora Dunston, of Washington. Medals were awarded for
proficiency to Misses Sudie Hunter, Sudie Parrolt, Delia West and Master Wayne
Mitchell. The valedictorian of the class was Miss Cora Dunston. The address by
Rev. Thos. H. Hume, D. D., on the 29th, was a masterpiece of literature and elo-quence.
Dr. Lewis has resigned as president of Kinston College, preferriiisj to
have a smaller private school in future, and he already has more students entered
for the fall term than he desires.
The commencement and alunuii centennial of our University, June 4-6, was a
grand occasion, bringing together hundreds of the graduates of the institution
from all parts of the continent, and thousands of friends to witness the exercises.
What a happy reunion of alumni, representing graduating classes from 1824 to
the present I The class banquet was a splendid affair and the bursts of eloquence
which filled the chapel, in response to the various toasts, have never been equaled
at the University and the strong love for the Alma Mater has grown a thousand
times stronger in this happy reunion. The editor of The Teacher returns
thanks for the honor of being a guest of the alumni on the occasion.
The "commencement exercises" given by the pupils of the Murphey School,
in Raleigh, on May 24th, were exceedingly enjoyable. The programme was
arranged by the seven private school teachers who have been using the building
since the graded school closed in April, and the pupils all acquitted themselves
with the highest credit. The teachers of the public school have each had a most
prosperous school since the close of the graded school, and their work has been
very successful, even more so than the former graded plan, and their salaries have
been much larger than before. Each teacher has employed his or her own meth-ods
of teaching and the results have been in every way satisfactory to pupils and
patrons.
The annual examinations of Raleigh Male Academy were completed on Fri-day,
June 7th. The school-rooms were packed with patrons and friends of the
institution when the reports of the school term was submitted by Captaiu C.
B. Denson, associate principal of the academy. The examinations prepared by
Professors Morsou and Denson are very rigid, and the record as made by the boys
was highly pleasing and satisfactory to tbe patrons. In all the classes a large
majority of the students earned over ninety per cent of perfection in the exami-nation,
many of them reaching ninety -seven to one hundred per cent. At the con-clusion
of the announcement of distinctions the audience were afforded the rare
treat of an address by Hon. W. N. H. Smith, our distinguished Chief Justice.
His remarks, in presenting the certificates of proficiency to the boys who had oo
faithfully earned them, were full of profound wisdom and exceedingly valuable
advice as to forming such habits for the future as shall promote a most success-ful
and useful life. He paid a marked tribute to the excellent principals of the
Raleigh Male Academy and the very high character of the institution.
THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHER. 507
IN MEMORIUM.
" Death hath made no breaeli
In love and sympathy, in hope and trust.
No outward sign or sound our ears can reach,
But there's an inward, spiritual speech
That greets us still, though mortal tongues be dust.
It bids us do the work that they laid down
—
Take up the song where they broke off the strain ;
So, journeying till we reach the heavenly town.
Where are laid up our treasure and our crown,
And our lost, loved ones will be found again."
Rev. R. H. Morrison, D. D., the first President of Davidson College, died at
Lincolnton, May 13th, 1889, aged ninety-one years.
Rev. Charles Phillips, D. D., Professor EmerihiK of the University of North
Carolina, died in Columbia, S. C, on May 30th, 1889, in the 69th year of bis age.
His entire life was given to education, as a teacber, preacher and writer. His
influence over students reached beyond the class-room, and helped mould charac-ter.
As a preacher, he was broad, catholic, and full of charity ; as a neighbor, he
was generous, warm-hearted and sociable ; as a citizen, his influence was active
and powerful for srood government and good morals.
HOFV]H sy THE i)H/\!
A
joyoua auiviMSf^ i^EUNiON
FOR
AND
Fifteen Happy Days Spent at the most Delightful
Ocean Summer Resort upon the Atlantic Coast !
ATLANTIC hotel, MOREHEAD CITY, N. C,
JUNE 18th to JULY 2d, 1889.
OYER 3,000 PEr^gG]^];; /IT'ltENDED TJIE gES^IO]^ OF ISSS!
A grand gathering of North Carolina Teacliers and their friends at the sea-side,
away from the dust and; heat of the interior. Tlie most pleasant and
profitaljle meeting for a North Carolina Teaclier to attend during the vacation.
A magnificent programme, musical, literary, educational and every exercise
of the very highest ortler of merit.
The social enjoyments and the hoating, fishing and hunting are unsurpassed
by any place or in any company to he found in the South.
Board at the immense Atlantic Hotel only $L00 per day to all members of
the Teachers' Asseuibly. Railroad rates only about three cents per mile
ONE AVAY FOR THE R0UN1>TRIP.
Fees for membership, .?2.00 for males; §!L00 for females, and certificates en-title
holder to all the privileges of the session.
Full programme of exercises will be issued soon.
GEO. T. WINSTON, President,
University, N. C. EUGENE G. HARRELL, Secretary,
Raleigh, N. C.