<hi rend="bold">Letter from Cornelia Phillips Spencer to Charles Phillips, April 26, 1869:</hi> Electronic Edition. Spencer, Cornelia Phillips, 1825-1908 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 Sarah Ficke First Edition, 2005 ca. 16K The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2005

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 Cornelia Phillips Spencer Papers (#683), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Letter from Cornelia Phillips Spencer to Charles Phillips, April 26, 1869 Cornelia Phillips Spencer 7 pages, 4 page images 1869 Call number 683 (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.

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Spencer finishes her letter on the first page, writing her conclusion perpendicular to the opening text. Throughout the letter, she also writes postscripts in the side and top margins of the pages. Page images have been repeated so as to be parallel with the text, but the page images have not been reoriented to match the text's orientation.

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 </bibl> </taxonomy> </classDecl> </encodingDesc> <profileDesc> <langUsage> <language id="eng">English</language> </langUsage> <textClass> <keywords scheme="unc_history"> <list> <item> Any special keywords assigned for this project </item> </list> </keywords> </textClass> </profileDesc> <revisionDesc> <change> <date>2005-08-02,</date> <respStmt> <name>Sarah Ficke</name> <resp/> </respStmt> <item>finished TEI/XML encoding.</item> </change> </revisionDesc> </teiHeader> <text id="unc09-33"> <body> <div1 type="letter"> <pb id="unc09-33-p01" n="1"/> <head>Letter from <name key="pn0001592" reg="Spencer, Cornelia (née Phillips)" type="person">Cornelia Phillips Spencer</name> to <name key="pn0001357" reg="Phillips, Charles" type="person">Charles Phillips</name>, April 26, 1869</head> <opener> <dateline> <name key="name0000165" reg="Chapel Hill, NC" type="place">Chapel Hill</name><lb/> <date>Mon. April 26. /69</date> </dateline> <salute>Dear <name key="pn0001357" reg="Phillips, Charles" type="person">Charles</name>,</salute> </opener> <p>There are one or two points I wish you would assist me with in writing about the <name key="name0001146" reg="University of North Carolina" type="organization">Univ.</name> When that long letter comes, as I hope it will this week, tell me what was the <hi rend="underscore">method</hi> of teaching in <name key="name0001146" reg="University of North Carolina" type="organization">Chapel Hill</name>. Was it in any important respect different from that of other universities in this country? Was it different under <name key="pn0000268" reg="Caldwell, Joseph" type="person">D<hi rend="sup">r</hi> C.</name> from what it afterwards became under the <name key="pn0001638" reg="Swain, David Lowry" type="person">Gov</name>?</p> <p>Can you give me two or three well digested paragraphs on this subject? Were you ever an advocate for the voluntary system of the <name key="name0001163" reg="University of Virginia" type="organization">Univ. of V<hi rend="sup">a</hi></name>? I know <name key="pn0001360" reg="Phillips, James" type="person">Pa</name> was not. What were the advantages & what were the weaknesses of our methods & general management?</p> <p>It is six o'c a.m. & as I write, <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">June</name> & <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Nora</name> are sound asleep. I look out o' winder & see <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Simon</name> coming slooming along. He is to start to <name key="name0000934" reg="Raleigh, NC" type="place">R.</name> today driving <name key="pn0000119" reg="Battle, William H." type="person">Judge B's</name> car down, & is coming here to get a commission<pb id="unc09-33-p02" n="2"/>from me touching some handles for the drawers of <name key="pn0001362" reg="Phillips, Laura Caroline (née Battle)" type="person">Laura's</name> bureau. We have been quite excited over a gang of robbers which have made their appearance round town these moonlight nights. Three negroes in U.S. uniform & two men have been lying about for several days — strangers altogether & disreputable looking every way. Last Friday night they broke into <name key="pn0000119" reg="Battle, William H." type="person">Judge B's</name> house & into the upper office, but took nothing. I had just gone down a day or two before & removed books &c. They were supposed to be in search of clothes. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Old Lenny</name> heard the fuss & got up & went out — heard the talking in front of the house & supposed it was in the grove & went no further. So in the morning the windows of the dining room were found broken open & door of office. Then they came up to <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Martling's</name>, got inside the house & struck a light. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Mrs. M.</name> waked <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Mr. M.</name> who got up. They ran out of the house, he followed into the street. One of them turned & fired at him. He screamed "murder" till the neighbors heard. But whether they tho't murder as applied to <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Martling</name> was a good idea or not, nobody stirred! The<pb id="unc09-33-p03" n="3"/>thieves then went on composedly to <name key="pn0000282" reg="Carr, John W." type="person">Mr Carr's</name> where they forced open one of the parlor windows & were getting in when the family being aroused, they fled, leaving some of their tools behind.</p> <p>Everybody <hi rend="underscore">sat up</hi> the next night waiting for them. However I have not yet heard of any further attempts. I went round & nailed up our windows, w<hi rend="sup">h</hi> was about all my defense — unless Carlo be some. People are afraid of him. He barks a good deal at night & has a name for being sharp & is big. So I suppose he does as well as if he was better. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Mrs Carr</name> & <name key="pn0000741" reg="Hilliard, Ann "Nancy" Segur" type="person">Miss Nancy</name> were here Sat. afternoon, full of it all of course. I was quite relieved to have another topic than that of <name key="pn0001385" reg="Pool, Solomon (b. 1832)" type="person">Pool</name> & Co. However as <name reg="Hilliard, Ann "Nancy" Segur" key="pn0000741" type="person">Miss N.</name> always will have a dab at them, I learned that $8,000 has been sent up by brother <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Ashley</name>. The party say <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">A.</name> <hi rend="underscore">begged it</hi> from friend of the <name key="name0001146" reg="University of North Carolina" type="organization">Uni.</name> Others however shake their heads & whisper "Common school fund." Of this $8,000 it is proposed to take $500 for expenses of <hi rend="underscore">Com., Ball &c. &c.</hi> I cannot believe they are so foolish. <name key="pn0001385" reg="Pool, Solomon (b. 1832)" type="person">Pool</name> told <name key="pn0000282" reg="Carr, John W." type="person">Mr Carr</name> in their talk, of which I gave you some<pb id="unc09-33-p04" n="4"/>heads in my last, that if no white students w<hi rend="sup">d</hi> come here, he w<hi rend="sup">d</hi> have negroes!! I think <name reg="Pool, Solomon (b. 1832)" key="pn0001385" type="person">P.</name> must say such things just to exasperate. Can you conceive of any amount of kicking as too severe for such a man?</p> <p>I have another letter from <name key="pn0000507" reg="Fetter, Catherine (Kate)" type="person">Kate F.</name> saying she had just written to you. I think <name key="pn0000507" type="person" reg="Fetter, Catherine (Kate)">Kate</name> very well qualified to teach small children. She has a good way & can make them respect her. If she proposed to make teaching a life business, I can imagine that she w<hi rend="sup">d </hi>make a very respectable one & advance as she went on. But you see she only looks upon it as a temporary occupation to enable her to buy her wedding clothes! She mentions <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Maltey</name> having just received a letter of twelve foolscap pages from <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Mary</name>. I don't see how so much writing consists with <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">M's</name> alleged situation. I have always found writing hard work for the eyes & brain. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Hester</name> stops & asks after you. He says "I am so <hi rend="underscore">proud</hi> <name key="pn0001357" reg="Phillips, Charles" type="person">Mr Phillips</name> has got a good place."</p> <p>No preaching in our ch yet. <hi rend="underscore">Your</hi> field I had planted with corn. Friday it was up four inches high. Friday night <name key="pn0001361" reg="Phillips, Judith (née Vermeule)" type="person">Ma's</name> pigs broke in and ploughed the field all up again, nicely. To think of <name reg="Phillips, Judith (née Vermeule)" key="pn0001361" type="person">Ma's</name> keeping<pb id="unc09-33-p05" n="5"/>those animals! She feeds them all over everywhere, over the front fence, out in the street, and that makes them so turbulent. They are all the time rooting & grunting round the fences. Sam says I ought to have them removed <gap reason="[unrecovered]"/>. It is <hi rend="underscore">mighty provoking</hi>.</p> <p>What magnificent nights. I walked the front porch last night alone, till late. How very very beautiful, the moonlight shining through the young foliage of your elms and ashes. So still, so peaceful. Every thing quiet but this raging heart.</p> <p>Breakfast bell down stairs. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">June</name> & <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Nora</name> up. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Nora</name> not yet dressed. <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">June</name> has dressed and made up her bed, while I have been writing.</p> <p>Let me hear from you by return please.</p> <closer> <salute>Best love—<lb/>Your Sister</salute> <signed> <name reg="Spencer, Cornelia (née Phillips)" key="pn0001592" type="person"><hi rend="underscore">C.P.S.</hi></name> </signed> </closer> </div1> <div1 type="postscript"><pb id="unc09-33-p06" n="6"/> <p>12. m. I hear our robbers went towards <name key="name0000934" reg="Raleigh, NC" type="place">R.</name> & on the way yesterday broke into <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Sears'</name> house (family all at ch; & gutted it. Letter from <name key="pn0001467" reg="Ryan, Beck" type="person">B. Ryan</name> w<hi rend="sup">h</hi> I enclose for <name key="pn0001362" reg="Phillips, Laura Caroline (née Battle)" type="person">Laura</name> to read. I am sorry for them all. </p> </div1> <div1 type="postscript"><pb id="unc09-33-p07" n="7"/> <p><name key="x" reg="x" type="person">Tholuck's </name>other Sermon on the Mount is here, also <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">T.</name> on Psalms. I have not seen <name key="x" reg="x" type="person">D<hi rend="sup">r</hi> C.</name> about the other book yet. </p> </div1> <div1 type="postscript"> <p>The scalawag President of <name key="name0001150" reg="University of Alabama" type="organization">Ala Univ.</name> has <hi rend="underscore">resigned</hi>.</p> </div1> </body> </text> </TEI.2>