About
| Collections
| Authors
| Titles
| Subjects
| Geographic
| K-12
| Facebook 
| Buy DocSouth Books
| Buy DocSouth Books
Collections >> The First Century of the First State University >>
Primary document
Title:
Letter from David L. Swain to Charles Manly, September 19,
1856: Electronic Edition.
Author: Swain, David L. (David Lowry), 1801-1868
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
Caitlin R. Donnelly
Text encoded by
Caitlin R. Donnelly
First Edition, 2007
Size of electronic edition: ca. 12K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2007
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:
2007-03-01, Caitlin R. Donnelly 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 David L. Swain to Charles Manly,
September 19, 1856>
Author: D. L. Swain
Description: 6 pages, 7 page images
Note:
Call number 40005 (University Archives, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.
For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see the section Editorial Practices.
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.
For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see the section Editorial Practices.
Page 1
Chapel
Hill
19th Sep 1856.
My Dear Sir
,
Your note of the 13th enclosing certain Resolutions, with
respect to the alledged failure of the Faculty to comply with the ordinances of
the University in relation to disorderly
conduct of students, "on the rail road cars, at circuses, and other
places" which disorderly conduct the Executive Committee have reason to beleive is daily increasing, and
requiring the Faculty in future not only in view of the approaching State Fair,
but on all occasions whatever to execute the ordinances of the University in such a manner as shall suppress the evil, was duly
received and submitted to the consideration of the Faculty.
I am instructed to state in reply that while the Faculty entertain and suspicion,
that the Executive Committee, or any member of it would do
them intentional injustice, they owe it to proper
Page 2
self respect to intimate the opinion, that the allegations contained in the
resolutions are founded in misconception.
Page 2
With respect to daily increasing disturbances among the students, I will content
myself with a reference to my letter of the 12th (the day previous to the
adoption of the Resolutions), as presenting a fair statement of what the Faculty
beleived then and beleive now to be the true condition of the Institution.
The only ordinances which can be supposed to apply to the course pursued by the
Faculty with respect to the misconduct complained of, are the following.
"No student shall absent himself from the University
during the Session without permission first obtained from the President or in
his absence from the presiding Professor. But leave of absence from recitation
may be granted to a student by his Professor or Tutor." Chap IV. Sec.
7. p. 15.
Page 3
"No student shall absent himself from the University nor
shall he attend any election without leave, unless it be to exercise the right
of suffrage." Chap VI. Sec. 11. p. 17.
"A student who shall reside within two miles of the University in the vacation, shall be subject to the laws of the
Institution, in regard to moral conduct so as to
be responsible for violation of them, when he shall apply for admission in the
ensuing Session." Chap VI, Sec. 31, p. 28.
Our ordinary practice for the last two or three years has been to give no
permission to any one to absent himself from scholastic duties, except upon a
written petition, stating that he is authorized from home to make the
application; the purpose for which he desires to leave; and the time that he
expects to return. In all cases when circumstances seem to require it, the
written petition is sent to the parent or guardian with the semi-sessional
report on scholarship and deportment.
There was a circus at Hillsboro and Raleigh last week and about the same time
Page 4
last year. No student attended either by the
permission of the Faculty. There were probably a few persons at Hillsborough
who left here after evening prayers and returned before Prayers, the next
morning, and cases of this kind, no vigilance which the Faculty can be expected
to exercise will at all times prevent. No information however of gross
misconduct at a circus, within the last few months, has reached us except
through the medium of these resolutions. If the names of the offenders shall be
communicated to us, they will be held to the proper accountability.
Page 4
That there has been gross misconduct of the part of the young men, in coming to
and returning from the institution, along the line of rail road, before the
beginning and after the close of the two last sessions, is beleived to be true.
The Faculty beleive moreover, that if the Executive
Committee, were aware of the repeated and earnest efforts, made here,
to produce a better state of things they would award to us the credit of good
intentions at least.
The disorders of which the most numerous complaints have reached us occured at
Raleigh during
the two last winter vacations.
Page 5
The ordinances not only, do not give the Faculty any power over such cases, but
when Dr Hill in consequence
of the misconduct of some young men at Hillsborough, nearly 20 years
ago, proposed to do so, the resolution was opposed by the late Judge Gaston
, and rejected by a nearly unanimous vote on the ground, that it
would be altogether unreasonable, to require the Faculty to attempt to maintain
discipline, at many and distant points, in this and other states, during the
period of vacation, when they might well be supposed, to need rest and
recreation.
, and rejected by a nearly unanimous vote on the ground, that it
would be altogether unreasonable, to require the Faculty to attempt to maintain
discipline, at many and distant points, in this and other states, during the
period of vacation, when they might well be supposed, to need rest and
recreation.I confess I have been surprized and have so intimated to several citizens of
Raleigh that
the gross misconduct of which they complained should have been permitted to
escape animadversion and punishment at the seat of government.
Such things are not attempted here, and if they were, the police would suppress
them very promptly.
Page 6
The Faculty can but regret moreover that information communicated with respect to
these disturbances at Raleigh, has in no instance been accompanied by the names of the
offenders and that repeated inquiries have been made in vain.
I need scarcely state in conclusion, that no one regrets the occurrences more
sincerely than the Faculty, or will go farther than they in lawful efforts to
prevent a repetition of them.
Cover page