USA > North Carolina > Biographical history of North Carolina from colonial times to the present; > Part 18
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*Report of Conductors of County Institutes in North Carolina, 1889-90, page 15.
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lic Instruction. His report of June 30, 1890, contains this sig- nificant utterance relating to the establishment of a State normal college :
"To those who are still skeptical as to the wisdom of the training-school movement. I would add one more reason why the school should be es- tablished and be liberally supported by the State. Under our present sys- tem of higher and collegiate education, a white girl, unless her father is comparatively wealthy. cannot, as a rule, get the scholarship necessary to make her a first-rate teacher. Her brother can get it at the University and colleges of the State, because in those institutions about three-fourths of his tuition is paid by the State and the churches. Up to the present time the State and our leading churches have adopted the suicidal policy of refusing to help educate white girls, except in the public schools. The girls who would, if prepared, make the best teachers for the State's children, cannot even get the scholarship necessary to become teachers, One of the results of this is that two-thirds of our public school teachers are men, whereas two-thirds, at least, ought to be women. The State ap- propriates nothing for the training of white .women, except the $4000 for the Institutes. . It appropriates $8000 to the training of colored teachers and uses it in helping-both sexes. In this way the State appropriates as much to train one negro woman as it does to train four white women, for there are about twice as many white as negro women in the State. By the help of the State, the churches and the philanthropists, a fair opportunity of getting an education is given to every white boy, negro boy and negro girl in North Carolina. Neither of the three has to pay more than one-fifth of the expenses of tuition; but the white girl must pay for every cent of hers. If the training school shall be established for white girls, it will make education possible to thousands of girls who, under present condi- tions, must grow up in a state of ignorance and dependence worse than al- most any other form of slavery. In addition, North Carolina will secure teachers better than she has ever had and who will bless her because she has blessed them."*
His report thus emphasizes the justice and the wisdom of State provision for the higher education of white women. An objection urged against the former bill for the establishment of a teachers' training school was its co-educational feature. In 1891 Mr. Mc- Iver and his friend and associate, Mr. Alderman, were again before
. *Reports of Conductors of County Institutes in North Carolina, 1889-90, pages 20, 21.
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the Legislature with a bill for the establishment of the much needed institution, but this time, with the co-educational feature omitted. The bill passed almost without opposition, and thus, more than one hundred years after the University was chartered, the State established its college for women. Of this college the board of directors, consisting of one member from each Congressional dis- trict, elected Charles Duncan McIver President.
Now it was that this people's servant sought to build a people's college, not a thing of brick and stone, but an institution both worthy of and representative of the State that gave it birth. It should be an open door of opportunity to every worthy white girl, however poor, however rich, within the borders of the common- wealth-a means of fitting her for good and useful citizenship. A woman's college for North Carolina women it should be, char- acterized by sound learning, liberal culture, earnest living and high thinking, but not by narrow specialization on the one hand, nor by a profitless striving for showy accomplishments on the other. The best that a State could give should be theirs; the best that educated woman could give should be the State's. In this spirit was the institution conceived, and in this spirit has the State Normal and Industrial College lived, and grown and labored, presided over, inspired, guided and led, by one who has not spared to give to it all that man may give.
It is doubtful if any other public institution was ever in so true a sense the product of the unselfish love and labor of one man. As to him in largest measure are owing its conception and crea- tion, so to him are due its internal and external workings, the policy which characterizes it, and the success which it has achieved. And this is true not merely in the larger matters pertaining to its general management, but in all the details relating to its work and administration. The college plant and its equipment, the depart- . ments of instruction, the courses of study, the various organiza- tions, the ideas for which the institution stands, the spirit it ex- emplifies, the work it seeks to accomplish, its relation to the pub- lic and the relation of the public to the college-all these, in a very true sense, find in him their source and sustenance, and this, not
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in a spirit of formal oversight and official dictation, but through the living spirit of creative work and fellow service.
And to what extent have these ideas been realized, and what fruit have these labors borne? Let him answer who can estimate the value to State and nation of over 3000 women, who, in the short space of fourteen years, have availed themselves of the ad- vantages here provided, and with increased power of usefulness and enlightened zeal for service have passed on teaching lessons of right thinking and right living to more than 200,000 North Carolina children. Let him consider that the students have come from every county in the State, that they represent every respecta- ble calling, profession and industry, and every form of honest labor in which the people of North Carolina are engaged; that there is not a county in the State in which representatives of the college are not to be found actively engaged in public service ; and, finally, that two-thirds of all the students enrolled, and more than nine-tenths of those who graduate become teachers in North Caro- lina. A veritable fulfilling of his prophecy this-education made possible to thousands, and the State blessed in her teachers because she has blessed them!
We would willingly dwell at length upon this phase of Doctor McIver's work, on the intimate relations he sustains to the State's College for Women, and on the influences which through it he has exerted upon public education. What this virile man has done in supplying strength where of old existed finishing-school superficiality, how he has inculcated ideas of ser- vice, how he has made vital the conception of woman as a citizen, how he has diffused abroad a spirit of wholesome democracy- and all this through constructive labors, preserving, strengthen- ing, and multiplying the influences that make for culture and true womanliness-this, did space permit, we would willingly em- phasize. But the mere suggestion must suffice, for things unsaid press upon us and on details we may not linger.
Important as are these services, they constitute but a part of the faithful labors which have won for him State and national recognition as an educational leader and statesman. State appre-
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ciation may be said to find expression in an editorial appearing in one of our leading North Carolina daily newspapers which, under date of January 24, 1904, asserts that he "has been a leading force in every movement looking for progress, educational or otherwise, in North Carolina," and concludes by saying, "When the history of this decade is written, the story of the public service rendered his State by Charles Duncan McIver will be one of the brightest pages in that splendid volume of patriotic achieve- ment. There is not a man in the State who has made himself felt so powerfully and so helpfully for progress."
The national point of view may be taken as indicated in an article on Public School Leaders appearing in the July, 1905, magazine number of the Outlook. Relative to the topic under consideration it says :
"In the Southern States there is no man better entitled to be called a . champion of the public schools, and of the whole idea of popular educa- tion, than Charles Duncan McIver, of North Carolina. . He is a man of intense earnestness, energy, insight and common sense. For the past twenty years his voice has been raised in behalf of popular education, not only in every county of his own State, but throughout the South and in great national assemblies. There is no abler speaker on this subject than Doctor McIver. He has been the soul of the forward movement in his region, and he is now chairman of the Campaign Committee inaugurated by the Southern Education Board for the promotion of universal education."
The wide variety of this public service is indicated by the posi- tions of honor and influence thus far held by Doctor McIver in the course of his busy life. In addition to the fourteen years of his college Presidency and the work already referred to as con- ductor of State and county institutes, superintendent of Summer normal schools, and chairman of the committee that secured the establishment of the Normal and Industrial College, he has been a participant in all the important work of the North Carolina Teachers' Assembly and its President in 1892; a worker in the Southern Educational Association and its President in 1905, and an active member of the National Educational Association, serving at various times as chairman of its Committee on Resolutions,
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member of its Committee on Education and Taxation, President of its Normal School Department, and member of its National Council. During the administration of Governor Elias Carr he served as Proxy to represent the State stock in the North Caro- lina Railroad Company. He was one of the organizers of the Southern Education Board and is the efficient chairman of its Campaign Committee and a leader in the movement for local taxa- tion for public schools throughout North Carolina. To him is owing the organization of the Woman's Association for the Bet- terment of Public Schools. He has since its organization been a member of the State Literary and Historical Association, and is Vice-President of the State Library Association. A loyal son of his Alma Mater, the University of North Carolina, he has served it officially as trustee and member of its Executive Committee, and has liberally and heartily supported every movement for the pro- motion of its influences and welfare. In recognition of his public services the University has conferred on him the honorary degrees of Doctor of Letters and Doctor of Laws. In presenting him for the latter degree, Doctor Charles Alphonso Smith, dean of the graduate department, said :
"I have the honor to present . . for the degree of Doctor of Laws . . Charles Duncan McIver, President of the North Caro- lina State Normal and Industrial College for Women. As State Institute Conductor from 1889 to 1892, he first showed himself peculiarly fitted to be a molder of educational thought. A firm believer in the education of all the people, he has devoted his rare powers of organization and appeal more especially to the education of women. 'No State,' he declares, 'which will educate its mothers need have any fear about future illiteracy.' That this sentiment has at last found recognition not only in the educational creed, but also in the educational policy of North Carolina is due more to Doctor McIver than to any other one man."
To add to this already long list the various local organizations, city and county, to which he has belonged, such, for example, as the Young Men's Business Association, the Industrial and Im- migration Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Guilford County Board of School Improvement, and the North Carolina
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Reunion Association-to mention all such organizations and to specify the committees on which he has served would be to convert the latter part of this sketch largely into a catalogue of society and committee names. Interpreted aright there is a profound sig- nificance in this long array of social, industrial, educational, busi- ness, literary and historical associations, since it indicates not only a healthful interest in national, State and local affairs, but a wide and intimate familiarity with the agencies of progress and a whole- souled enlistment of his energies in all movements that promise to promote the public good.
It is as a public speaker and orator that Doctor McIver is most widely known to the general public both in his own State and be- yond its borders. The demands thus made upon him are frequent and at times almost continuous. It is his custom to carry with him a pocket calendar on which are noted the dates of promised ad- dresses. When a new appointment is sought, he consults his calendar, names the nearest unfilled date, and thus, by an unending process, adds to what he calls his "incidental and vacation work." Appointments are often made several months in advance and it is not unusual for him to have every available date filled for six weeks in succession. The acceptance of these invitations is de- termined by the opportunity for service afforded by the particular town, city or community from which comes the call. If any doubt arises the chances are nearly always in favor of the smaller and weaker community, and the message is carried to the few hun- dreds that gather at the cross-roads, store or country church rather than to the larger number who assemble in opera house or city hall. The message, too, has reference to the needs and special condi- tions of time and place, and thus constitutes a sowing of good seed in suitable soil, for it is safe to say that Charles D. McIver never addressed an audience without having a distinct end in view and that end the provoking to good works. There are few places in North Carolina where his voice has not been raised in behalf of some public measure. Large audiences, too, in great cities far removed from his native State, have greeted this educational leader, and from his lips heard wholesome truths relative to our
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educational progress. Thus he has been invited to make educa- tional addresses in more than one-half of the States in the Union.
His favorite topics are, of course, those that relate to education, but as this is among the most comprehensive of subjects, his ad- dresses may be said to embody a wide range of themes. He is not a man to deal in generalities, but with a particular purpose in view selects a timely theme, appropriate to a given audience, and seeks by means of a clear and forceful presentation of facts to accomplish a definite result. He will, for example, address a body of lawmakers on the duty of the State to make liberal pro- vision for the education of its citizens-the citizens themselves on the advantages of local taxation for public schools. Or, the "Teacher as a Citizen" will perhaps be the subject of a talk to teachers, and when urged to repeat it before a general audience, he will respond with an address on the Citizen as a Teacher. Although an interested student of our past history, he seldom „ draws upon its storehouse for the materials of his public dis- courses, but prefers to live in the present and in it to find the chief objects of public concern. With him the past is our heritage, the present our opportunity, and the future-a result of the labors of to-day. To the work at hand he therefore addresses himself, and though he sometimes sees visions, he never dreams dreams. All his speeches, whether intended primarily for men or women, and whether addressed to students, teachers, civic organizations, or the general public, have this one thing in common-they all, without exception, emphasize the duty of public and community service.
While relying chiefly upon the power of the spoken word as an agency in conveying his message to mankind, he has not been unmindful of the influence of the pen. Amid the duties of official life and the numerous outside calls made upon him, he has found time to write much that is of more than passing value. His newspaper and magazine articles, his educational campaign docu- ments and official reports, and his speeches, revised and prepared for publication, these, if gathered together, would doubtless com- prise several goodly volumes, and would constitute a valuable ad- dition to the literature relating to education and civic ideals. His
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writings, like his speeches, are clear and forceful discussions of topics pertaining to education and public service.
The life here sketched would seem to leave little opportunity for the enjoyment of the quieter pleasures of home, and the leisure and happiness which home suggests. But the life here sketched is but the outer and visible workings of an innner life which finds its center in the home and family. In Miss Lula V. Martin, of Win- ston, North Carolina, Charles D. McIver found a life companion whose Christian graces of character and powers of intellectual sympathy render her the true encourager of worthy efforts and a wise judge and rewarder of success. Four children, a son and three daughters, add happiness to their union. A simple home is theirs, blessed by generous affection and pervaded by an atmos- phere of hospitality and genial courtesy-a home where culture and quiet refinement are justly esteemed and where trust in God and faith in humanity remain unquestioned and sincere. Their religious faith is that of the Scotch Covenanters, adhered to in its simplicity, but lived in the spirit of Christian rather than of sect. They have amassed no wealth, yet none would call them poor, for love and confidence here bear choice fruits, and mutual sympathy and helpfulness add that which mere worldly wealth is ever powerless to bestow.
Twenty-five years have elapsed since, diploma in hand, Charles D. McIver passed from college halls into the larger school of life. In the prime of his vigor and usefulness he bids fair to add to them twenty-five other years rich with the fruitage of abundant harvests. The work already done he may not do again ; but work there will be for his willing hands to do and he will do it with his might. He has accomplished much, and in the doing of it has taught us to demand of him, and of ourselves, and of all men-more. This, we suspect, is as he would have it, for his message to his fellow man has been: Live more abundantly through more abundant service, striving hopefully for the larger things of life.
Even as the proof sheets of this sketch were passing through the press, there came to Charles Duncan McIver the call-"Enter
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into rest." The story of a people's grief is indicated by the fol- lowing tributes, few among hundreds, all expressive of the keen- est personal loss, yet eloquent, also, in gratitude for a life so nobly spent in the service of humanity.
From Press Correspondence:
"The tour of William J. Bryan through North Carolina began yesterday afternoon (September 17, 1906) with the departure of his special train for Greensboro accompanied by a large party of prominent citizens. The trip to Greensboro started auspiciously, but was saddened just as the train left Durham by the death of Doctor Charles D. McIver, the leading educator and most useful citizen of North Carolina. The death of Doctor Mclver came as a great shock, and it spread the shadow of a great sorrow over every person on the train. On account of the sad and untimely end of his friend and traveling companion Mr. Bryan declined to speak at Hillsboro. At Burlington he said :
"'I am sure that you will agree with us that this is not the time or occasion for a political speech. Doctor Charles D. McIver was the man who first invited me to North Carolina twelve years ago, and I have never been in your State since that he was not on the reception committee and the first to greet and cheer me. His life, perhaps, more than that of any man I knew as well. illustrated the value of an ideal. He was an educated man whose sympathies were with the uneducated. He moved in the highest circles, yet snapped the golden cord, unselfishly lifting others up. His death is a loss-a fearful loss-to his country, his State, his city of Greensboro, to the glorious institution of learning which is now his monument, to his family, to his party and a great personal loss to me.'"
From Daily Industrial News:
" 'Charles D. McIver is dead'-as a pall this sentence fell upon Greens- boro yesterday afternoon. And not to Greensboro alone, but to the entire State is the loss-not alone to the State, but to the entire educational world. For Doctor MeIver had made for himself a place in his chosen field of work that cannot be filled. To the education of the South, espe- cially the women of the South, he had devoted his life.
"Through his work will he live in the history of North Carolina, but even aside from his work he will not be forgotten by the multitude who called him friend. He is gone with much already accomplished, and yet with apparently much still before him. In the prime of manhood he was suddenly stricken and taken from the field of useful endeavor-dead but not forgotten. Yes, gone in the body and gone from the sight of mortal eyes, and yet not wholly gone, for never will his memory fade
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from the minds and hearts of those who love humanity and love those who loved humanity, and of such in the fullest measure was Charles Duncan McIver."
From The Daily Record:
"This entire community was shocked beyond expression by the sad in- telligence of the sudden death of Doctor Charles Duncan McIver. Not only has Greensboro and the State, but the nation as well, sustained a severe loss. Men-great men-die every day, but their places are soon filled and they are almost forgotten, but it is no exaggeration to say that to fill his place will be a task of difficult proportions. He was a lovable man. Every one of the thousands of young women who attended the .Normal loved him; he made their lives pleasant; his great aim was to make the poorest girl, the friendless girl, feel that she was at home; that poverty was an honor if honorably worn.
From The Greensboro Telegram:
"It is no exaggeration to say that Greensboro was panic stricken yesterday afternoon when the news went from lip to lip that Doctor McIver was dead.
"It is quite impossible to fully realize all that the death of such a man means to the community, to the State, and to the nation.
"The debt that the womanhood of the State owes him can never be paid. To him is to be traced in the last analysis all the influences which have flown from the Normal College for the uplift of North Carolina women, for he was the Normal College in the sense that it was his creation. He it was who both planned and executed, overcoming seemingly insuper- able obstacles by his titanic energy and determination. From first to last the institution bore the impress of his powerful personality, and his in- fluence will ever be felt in its future history.
From The Charlotte Observer:
"The news of the death of Doctor Charles D. McIver will carry a shock from one end of the State to the other. Upon the subject of education he was an enthusiast; an always rational, intelligent enthusiast. No man in our history has done more to forward it. His own institution, the in- stitution which, one will say, was born to him, which he nursed and fostered, was the object of his special and natural affection, but in the whole field he was a champion, an advocate, and in his death the cause has lost a stalwart friend. It will be difficult to fill the vacancy which his death has created. It was a proper tribute paid him at Greensboro last evening that there was no political address, but that the meeting was made one of memorial."
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From Bryan's eulogy on Doctor McIver, delivered in Greens- boro, on Monday night, September 17th :
Professor McIver has shown us what man can do. He has not only shown us, but did what man ought to do. He has given us an ideal of life, and I am coming more and more to believe that the ideal is the important thing. .
"I believe that Professor McIver's life was a success. We have a great man, Rockefeller-the richest man in the world-and if I had to choose between leaving the record of Professor McIver and leaving the money of Rockefeller, I would a thousand times rather leave McIver's record to posterity. I will tell you a test of whether life has been a success or not. We all live amid an environment. Sometimes we are only known to a little circle, sometimes to a larger circle; but when we die there is going to be a just verdict, and that just and honest verdict is the thing that we ourselves, when we come to take a proper view of life, will be more interested in than the houses and lands that we leave for our children to quarrel over, and I have thought that it can be said that a life has been lived successfully if, when it passes out, we can say of the person, as we can say of this dear friend of mine and of yours :
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