Davidson College - Quips and Cranks Yearbook (Davidson, NC)

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COLLEGE

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ACTION This nation asks for action and action now. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the mo- ment . . . We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity . . . We aim at the assur- ance of a rounded and permanent na- tional life . . . The people of the United States have not failed . . . In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. — Inau- gural Address. March 4. 1 33.

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n I r i ' A History of Davidson College ND some seed fell upon good ground that sprang up and increased. So goes the parable of the sower and the seed. Davidson is the fruition of a small seed, sown the spring of 1835 by the energetic, liberty-loving, Scotch-Irish members of Concord Presbytery. A Manual Labor School was established by laying the cornerstone on April 7, 18 36, named for General William Davidson, a Revolutionary hero, for the encourage- ment of liberal knowledge in languages, arts and sciences, and for diffusing the great advantages of education upon more general terms. Prospects for the success of the school were not bright, but the founders cherished a great dream, and into its realization, they determinedly put their time and money and March 1, 1837, had the gratification of seeing their achievement begin its life as an active college. Sixty-five students were enrolled for the first term and the three professors engaged to teach were well occupied. One of the three, Robert Hall Morrison, was selected to act as Presi- dent; and by his personal magnetism and excellence of oratory, contributed a great deal to the prestige of the young institution. Under his four years ' administration, and the longer one which followed of Dr. Samuel Williamson, Davidson grew in spirit and the competence of its faculty and the remarkable scholastic work of its students began to win widespread recognition. Since making possible an economical education had been one of the school ' s original purposes, a manual labor system had been installed and was expected to yield the necessary income. However, this failed because of its unpopularity with the students, and as a result, the early 1850 ' s found a comparatively large number of students at Davidson in search of learning and a faculty capable of imparting it, but a college weighted down in debt and one whose very existence was threatened. The year 185 6 marked the dawn of a new era for Davidson. Mr. Maxwell Chambers made a large bequest to the college and with part of it old Chambers was erected, the re- mainder being used as an endowment fund. New professors were added, more students arrived, and depression disappeared from the campus. Through the efforts of Major D. H. Hill, later to become General Hill, an improved disciplinary system was established during this period and a day of speaking was inaugurated which is known today as Junior Speaking. With the installation of the next President, Dr. John Lycan Kirkpatrick. there also came the Civil War, which brought the affairs of Davidson to the lowest ebb in its history. Interest in the political campaign of 1860 had run high on the campus, and with the election of Lincoln, the resulting rumors of war created great excitement. In vain the faculty urged a spirit of calmness, and by the end of 1861, the student body had almost completely dispersed. In the words of a member of the sophomore class, Fast and furious the tocsin of war Old Chambers Page Sixteen