Hampden Sydney College - Kaleidoscope Yearbook (Hampden Sydney, VA)

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it down with him. Samuel Stanhope Smith, the first president of Hampden-Sidney, was tutor in Princeton in the years 1770-73, and he and Madison undoubtedly knew each other very well. This explanation must also be given of the presence of the books to which attention is now directed, and in this case the explanation is given with confidence. This lot tconsisting of four books, each containing the signature of John Wither- spoon, sixth president of Princeton, probably equals in interest any other lot of four books that can be found in the library. The volumes are : 1. The Christian Minister. By Thomas Gibbons, D.D. tLondon, 17725. This book contains the following: To the Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon from the author, 1772 2. U The Religion of Nature. London, 1725. 3. Useful and Important Answers Freely Given. By David Miller. London, 1751. 4. Harmony of the Four Gospels. By James MacKnight. London, 1756. The signature of Dr. Witherspoon in each of these four volumes is undoubted. Witherspoon was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, be it remembered, fac-similes of which, with the names attached, are broadcast through the land. And it is almost certain that Samuel Stanhope Smith brought the volumes here, for Smith was the son-in-law of Witherspoon. In reference to the book presented to the library by Thomas Read, the remark was made above that it at one time belonged to 4' S. Smith. This Smith was probably Samuel Stanhope Smith, who, we may suppose, sold some of his books before he left Virginia to return to Princeton, or gave them away, some to friends and some tothe college-or the academy, as at that time it was. It is unfortunate that the books do not make perfectly clear the story of their travels from Princeton to Hampden-Sidney. It would be a satisfaction to know their history beyond a doubt, for Witherspoon was a most remarkable man-remarkable alike for his learning, for his common sense and for his heroism. A lineal descendant of John Knox, he inherited, along with Knox's blood, the great reformer's spirit. Passing to the books associated with the earlier presidents of Hampden-Sidney, we note: 1. Goldsmith's Animated Nature. -1 volumes. The inscription reads: Presented to the Philanthropic Society by its friend, Drury Lacy, April 17, 1822? It is not altogether certain that this was Drury Lacy, the president of the college. It may have been his son. 2. One of Calvin's works, presented to the college by Archibald Alexander. The date is not given. 3. A French translation of Ovid. The name of Moses Hoge is written on this. I4

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been written by the Colonel Thomas Reade, who was a member of the first Board, or by a contemporary of his, nor isthe name spelled with the final e. Whether or not, however, the writing is that of Col. Reade may be settled hereafter, as there is a con- siderable quantity of his writing still in existence. The following list of four books is made up of those containing what are supposed to be the signatures of members of the Hrst Board, there being no indication, however, in any case as to how the book came into the possession of the library. 1. Works of Dr. Thomas Sydenham QLondon, 1769j, Nathaniel Venable. 2. The fourth volume of an edition of the Spectator, brought out in Glasgow in 1749, John Nash. 3. Rollin's Roman History QDublin, 1740j, Francis Watkins. 4. Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and Use of History, James Madison. In reference to the supposed signature of James Madison, it must be admitted that considerable doubt hangs over the case. The volume containing it is much mutilated, the front of the book up to the title page being gone 5 and the supposed signature comes on the last Hy-leaf, of the book. The writing is large and carelessly done, and on the same page is a J, a James Mad, and also what appears to be a still further attempt at the writing of the name James Madison, but all of this is indistinct. The whole page looks much as if some one had been doing just a little practice in writing. All this seems to be against the theory that we have here a genuine signature of Mr. Madison. But we must remember that Madison was once young, and, as others, not averse to writing his name in a careless manner in the back of one of his books. And when fac-similes of Madison's signature are compared with this writing, the similarity, making due allowance for difference in age at the times of' writing, and for other things, is rather close than otherwise. In Grigsby's The Virginia Convention of 1776, fac-similes are given of Madison's signature as a man of about sixty and as a man of eighty-two. These differ from each other, as we might expect, far more, in fact, than does the supposed signature differ from either. There seems to be no difficulty in accepting the writing as the writing of Mr. Madison when a young man and in a hurry. The date of publication of the book is 1770. Madison was born in 1751, so that in 1770 he was nineteen years of age. He graduated at Princeton in 1771, but continued there another year, doing further work under the guidance of Dr. John Witherspoon, the president. We may even suppose that the book came Madison's way some time in this year of special study, and it would still not be too late for him to write in the manner exhibited. There is no way of determining how the book got to Hampden-Sidney. But when the early connection of Princeton and Hampden-Sidney, through the teaching force of the latter, is recalled, a possible explanation of the presence of the book here is at once suggested. Some one of these Princeton-bred instructors may very easily have brought I3

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John Holt Rice left two memorials of himself in the shape of books : 1. Epicteti Manuale QGlasgow, 17441, in which is written, Union Society, from J. H. Rice. 2. Brookes's General Gazetteer tPhiladelphia, 18065. In this is written, Presented to the Union Society, by Jno. H. Rice, 1824.7 The handwriting in each case is evidently that of Dr. Rice. While the signature of John Witherspoon is the only signature of a signer of the Declaration of Independence that the library possesses, there is a set of books trhree volumesj that probably was presented by another signer, namely, Benjamin Harrison. These three volumes make up the complete set of A Defence of the Constitution of the Government of the United States, by John Adams qPhiladelphia, 17973. In these volumes appears the formula, Presented to the Union Society by Benjn. Harrison, Esqr., of Prince George County. This was not written by Mr. Harrison himself-Harrison's signature is known-but it was probably written by some one here at the college. It is recalled that Mr. Harrison's seat was Berkeley, in Charles City County, not Prince George, but it is argued that Charles City and Prince George are not very far from each other, and that the latter county contains several famous seats of the Harrison family, and that for these reasons the writer of the inscription may have gotten the two mixed and substituted the one for the other. It must be remembered that 1Vm. Henry Harrison, the son of Benjamin Harrison, the signer of the Declaration, was educated at Hampden-Sidney, and was one of the founders of the Union Society. A book extremely interesting in itself connects the name of John Randolph, of Roanoke, with the college. This book is Fables of Mr. John Gay, with an Italian Translation by Gian Francesco Giorgitti fLondon, 17731. It was presented to the Philanthropic Society in 1854 by Wyat Cardwell Thomas, of Charlotte County, but has in it the book-plate of John Randolph, which shows beyond a doubt that it once formed part of his library. John Randolph's opinion of this college in 1806, judging from expressions that he used in a letter to his nephew in that year, was not favorable, but later on his opinion completely changed. For the Rev. Moses Hoge, president of the college from Oct. 30, 1807, to April, 1820, he had the highest admiration and regardg and in 1816, in speaking of his plans for two orphan boys, the care of whom he had assumed, he said : I propose to place them at Prince Edward College, under the care of Dr. Hogue, after they shall have undergone some preparatory tuition at Mr. Lacy's school. So we may be sure that if John Randolph knew of the present resting place of his copy of Gay, he would be gratified. In the first volume of The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. Tillotson QEdinburg, 17603, there is the probable signature of Jacob Ducbe. Mr. Duche was a, T5