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

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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

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COLLEGE

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sounded: fast and furious the students fled the college hall to stem the invader ' s march. Even some of the professors left, and in the fall of 1861, there were only twenty-nine students. In order to give employment to the four remaining professors, preparatory students were accepted, but their presence was most distinguished for the disorder it caused. Privations of every sort were necessary for the demands of the Confederate army, and although no degrees were awarded in 1865, the college can boast of never being closed and merely shortened its term until April of that year. Almost miraculously. President Kirkpatrick was able to open college at the regular time. He appealed at once to the trustees for certain innovations and won their support, remaining in his position long enough to see the faculty almost doubled in number. His post had been difficult during the war but he held his ground admirably. Upon the foundations which Dr. Shearer set up. Dr. Henry Lewis Smith, his successor, began a period of further growth and expansion. He was consumed with the ideal of a college of superior moral and spiritual quality capable of attracting the best youth of the South. One of his first steps was to promote a campaign of writing and speaking on the importance of a college education. Few presidents have shown the initiative, energy and versatility which characterized Dr. Smith. He was suc- cessful in raising funds for the college and before he finished his tenure of office, the college plant had been enlarged by the addition of five new buildings. Thus the seventy-fifth anniversary, coming at the close of his administration, gave those interested in Davidson good reason to rejoice, not only because of all that had been accom- plished, but because of the brilliant prospects for the future. Dr. William J. Martin, the Pro- fessor of Chemistry, became the new President and the college continued to grow and prosper. The trials of another war period were survived and when a severer test came with the burning of Old Chambers, before the flames had died away, the faculty and student body assembled around the old well and pledged themselves to carry on. Expansion followed with the building of New Chambers in 1925, and the receipt of the Duke Endowment the next year. Dr. Martin retired in 1929 and Dr. Walter L. Lingle was secured to fill his place. The prosperity of the college at present, despite the difficult times, is eloquent testimonial of his faithful administration. He has continued to perpetuate the high ideals and noble traditions of the college and has won for her many staunch friends and admirers. His hands upheld by faculty and students, one can confidently predict even greater things for the future. If one of the stalwart members of the original committee which met in session at old Prospect Church could return to the campus today, he would marvel at the changes which have taken place. Were he to remain on the campus to acquaint himself with the faculty, and sense something of the spirit of the student body, he would remark that the ideals involved in its founding were the same, only clothed in new raiment: that the seed had lived, and had brought forth fruit in abundance. ' • u n NLW CHA.MliERS n Page Seventeen