State

6‘W©odbourne” noccnt nnd spontaneous humor that had a charm all its own. There is a clear aspect of truth and goodness in all his hooks, been use ho relied for effect on the gentle rather than on the more violent emotions. It *u while serving as editor of the Oxford Mercury that he first realized the growing need of a better public school system in North Caro¬ lina. Although schools of a sort had been provided for ten years, Wiley knew that they were functioning but P<x»rly. In 1851. when only one person out of thirteen in the state was able to read and write, he began his crusade for public instruction which won for him tlm sobriquet “educational circuit rider.” Today, however, his title is known as the “Father of Public Schools." Returned to Guilford County The historic* old house in Guil¬ ford Count. v where Calvin II. Wiley first suw the light of day. It was built by his parents dur¬ ing the early years of the last century. When 1 »r. Wiley realized the great need of better educational advantages for the children of the state, he left Oxford and returned to Guilford County. His motive was to estab¬ lish residence among his Presbyterian friends nnd work for election to the General Assembly, where he would be able to introduce legislation to provide for a Superintendent of Public Instruction. By HARRY TEN miles south of Greensboro, in Guilford County, a serpentine road leaves the highway and curves leisurely through a forest of oaks and pines to the old plantation of the Wih-y family, a colonial estate of SOO acre*, purchased bv them in 1754. The parchment deed, bearing the signature of Governor Arthur Dobbs, is said to Ы- preserved by descendants of the original owner. Since romantic Carolinians still look hack to their golden age. they will find here not history alone, but the original home of a busy Piedmont planter of ante-bellum days. Here is a house that Sherman missed in his destructive advent into the stall1. "Wood bourne," now quaint and old, shows signs of architectural elegance, for all its rambling. One enters to view the simple paneling, tin- chair railing, the well-executed old mantels: the plain stairway that leads to the guest rooms on the second lloor. Ill the simplicity of lines, the visitor is convinced that he is back to the solid ideas of early America. There is subdued beauty in this misty, gray old house, standing so Z. TUCKER prim nnd proud on its slight elevation. It is haunted with old loveliness, by the ghost- of departed days; and one can almost hear the lilting Voices of gay young people, and the gravely spoken words of their elder*. It was here at Wood bourne, on February 3. 1810, that I»r. Calvin II. Wiley first saw the light of day. Fond of books as a child, be made a good student at Caldwell Institute, Greens¬ boro, and graduated from the Uni¬ versity of North Carolina in 18-10. While his ambition was to l»e a writer, Calvin II. Wiley opened a law office in Oxford immediately follow¬ ing bis graduation from the Uni¬ versity. Ili> record at < 'Impel Hill was little short of brilliant, for be complete] the prescribed four-year course in three years, and in the mean¬ time wrote his first novel, “Alamance, or the Great and Final Experiment.” Characteristic of the personality of the author, the book contains much of the gentleness of life. There is more sunshine than shadow, more sympathy with the weaknesses of the human rare than was customary with most authors of his day, and an in- As first Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1852, I)r. Wiley toured the state in his buggy, driving his old horse “Hector.” He made long and lirosomo journeys, both by rail and buggy, and carried on u voluminous correspondence- Regardless of the party in power, Dr. Wilev. a Whig, was re-elected to the position of super¬ intendent of schools for fourteen years, leaving it only when all state offices were declared vacant in 1S65. All through the sadness and havoc of the War Between the States, Dr. Wiley bad succeeded in keeping the schools open. The Literary Fund, be¬ gun in 1825 from the sale of swamp¬ lands, he watched with a jealous eye. Not one dollar of this money was touched to carry on the war. ns badly as funds were needed. Ilis schools meant everything to Dr. Wiley, lie made speeches, advised teachers, ad¬ vocated the erection of schoolbouses, and even wrote the textbooks the chil¬ dren used. Under his wise and patient guidance, North Carolina had at the opening of the war wlmt was generally considered the best system of public schools in the entire South. In 1860, under the over-active guidance of this faithful servant, North Carolina ( Continued on page twenty-two)