THE STATE
A Weekly Survey of North Caro lino
Entered ie<ond flui matter. June 1. 1933. nt the
Сомове»
at Kaleieh, North
Carolina, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Vol. XI. No. 11 August 14, 1943
Sale]
College
II is I he* olilos) college for women
in continuous opera) ion in IN'orlli
Carolina and can trace its line¬
age back to 1772. Its career has
been a most interesting one.
By R. C. LAWRENCE
WK have huil some important
‘lutes in Carolina, two of
which arc carried on our state
Hup. But if the Piedmont hail an em*
Mom all its own. there would be em¬
blazoned upon its banner the date
when the Moravian expedition under
the leadership of Bishop Spnngenherg
reached the Piedmont, pitched their
tents in Forsyth and Surry, and in¬
quired the hundred-thousand-acre site
which they named “Wachovia"
words meaning meadow and stream;
for a land of beauty it was, and in
their coming Carolina received a gift
in sturdy stock comparable with that
which came to it when the stout¬
hearted Scotch arrived in the Cape
Fear section; these people were ns
rugged in character as is Pilot Moun¬
tain, under the shadow whereof they
dwell.
The site of their principal seat was
called Bcthabura. and was intention¬
ally temporary. The ancient town of
Salem was soon established, a town
which has become a landmark
throughout the South. Do you know
what that word means in the tongue
of the Moravians f It means some¬
thing so much longed for today; and
it characterizes these people for they
are a peace-loving folk; and that is
what the name Salem means- -pence.
The Oldest Colleges
Three women’s colleges claim to bo
the oldest in our state — old Greens¬
boro Female College, now known as
Greensboro College, whose charter is
dated in 183S; the now extinct Floral
College down in Robeson which
claimed to be the oldest college for
women authorized to confer degrees,
and Salem College. I leave the final
decision of this question to such au¬
thorities as Dr. Chris Crittenden of
the Historical Commission, Dr. Archi¬
bald Henderson of the University, and
my venerable friend Pete Murphy,
who is a walking encyclopaedia of
Carolina history. But my own opinion
is that Salem is by far the oldest, for
it can trace its lineage hack to 1772.
and can without any boastful pride,
proclaim that it was founded In-fore
the Republic. What is more. Salem
has the unique distinction of being
the only educational institution within
our borders which has never closed its
doors in all the hundred and seventy
years of its existence, notwithstanding
two wars have stalked by its very
doors, bringing within its precincts
nil the “horrors of war and the battle’s
confusion." Although famine was
abroad in the land at the close of the
Civil War, and although it faced all
the fearful ills of Reconstruction,
these sturdy folk kept their college
open', its bell pealed forth the call to
prayer, and summoned its students to
the classroom each day.
It is simply amazing what faith
and perseverance these early pioneers
possessed, when we consider that in
what was practically a virgin wilder¬
ness. in a settlement of only .40 houses,
they undertook to found an institu¬
tion which was to become a mighty
Dr. Howard Rondthaler, present
head of Salem.
fortress for their faith. Hardly had it
l"en founded before the terror of war
came to its very doors, for four tlmu
sand British Redcoats and many camp
followers passed hv on their way to
the famous battle i.f Guilford Court¬
house. In Salem they committed ev¬
ery known form of plunder and depre¬
dation upon the Moravian property,
giving in return only receipts which
represented hut n hollow mockery in
return for the leather, metals and
THE COVER PICTURE
Our cover picture this week
shows Rear Admiral 0. B.
(“Obic”) Hardison, originally
of Wadesboro, receiving decora¬
tion for distinguished service
in connection with the battle of
Santa Cruz, in the Solomon
Islands area. He was in com¬
mand of the aircraft carrier.
"Enterprise.” It was in this
same battle that the "Hornet”
was sunk.
Admiral Hardison is a grad¬
uate of Annapolis and has been
in the Navy all his life.
t
