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Title: Letter from Dialectic Society Members to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, April 18, 1856: Electronic Edition.
Author: University of North Carolina (1793-1962). Dialectic Society
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Bari Helms
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Brian Dietz
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 11K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-07-06, Brian Dietz finished TEI/XML encoding.
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Dialectic Society Members to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, April 18, 1856
Author: [University of North Carolina Dialectic Society
Description: 3 pages, 3 page images
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
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Originals are in the University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Letter from Dialectic Society Members to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, April 18, 1856
University of North Carolina (1793-1962). Dialectic Society



Page 1
Chapel Hill No. Ca. Apr. 18th /56

To the Executive Committee
of the
University of North Carolina

We have been appointed by a large and respectable body of the members of the Dialectic Society to ask your permission and assistance in the formation of a new Society. As the two literary societies exist by virtue of an act of the board of Trustees — and as the board are supreme in all matters relating to the university, we respectfully submit ourselves to their authority and have no desire to take any step, towards the organization of a literary body without their express approbation.
The following are our reasons for presenting this petition.
In the first place, the Dialectic Society has become so large and unwieldy that the literary duties cannot possibly be performed with much advantage to anyone, We think therefore that two efficient societies may with advantage be formed of one inefficient one.
Secondly the number of students is amply

Page 2
sufficient to support three societies.
Thirdly, the Dialectic Hall is composed of members from different sections of the country between whom the most violent enmity has sprung up which instead of subsiding has been steadily growing worse and worse for several years, until peaceable union is now no longer possible.
We therefore respectfully submit to the Executive Committee, whether unceasing hostility and bitter hatred which defeat the most important end of a body constituted for mutual improvement, are preferable to peaceable separation.
Your committee being members of the Senior class and having no personal interest in the establishment of a new society, but having a perfect knowledge of things as they exist in college can say that an expeditious and favorable answer or even a favorable intimation from the Executive Committee, in case no definitive answer can be obtained before the meeting of the Board at commencement, would do much to prevent disorder among the students.

Very respectfully —

Clement Dowd

Wm. Bingham}Com.

Stuart White




Page 3
The committee beg leave to add that they have taken the liberty to address you on this subject by the advice of Gov. Swain an[d] Judge Battle .

Com.