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

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Fragment, Recounting the Circumstances of the Establishment of the College I'l'l1cfwllnwi11g isa 1'c1n'mluctiun uf a tlainagetl lllil1lllSC1'l1ll clepusitecl in thc Uvllcgc l.llrl'il1'f' several years agu by the executurs of the llcv. G. XV. llanne, ll. ll., late rcctur of flilllllltll Parish, llanrille. Va., a Ql'1ltlll2lll' of thc Uullcge, uf thc Class of IHQEP, anal for il year or twu a nu-nilwei' uf thc Faculty. The facts set flown are in the lllillll those given lmy Fuutc CSIQQ-tclics uf Virginia, lst Series, pp. 35323-3973, lvut there are niinur variatiuns fi-uin Fuutt,-'s narrative which inalic the tlucunient valuable: and the furln ut sulrscri :tion is not given luv llr. Foote. It is the age uf the nianuscri rt. . . ., 1 lluwcvcr, which lcncls it interest. Fruin the reference to the Preslryteriaii clergy nf Virginia, Known in their cullei-c-tive capacity lu' the nalne uf the .Pleslmlvtery nf llanuvcr. it aplncars that this relic is almost as eltl as the Fullege, the Pres- lwtcrv of Hanuvcr liavine' lvcen mlivitlecl in the veal' ITSU llloclffe Hccurtls of V l 1 - 'T' 7 the lD1'QSllyl01'lZl11 Church, ln. 52Ill. l'l1'e11i the wormling, the manuscript seenls tw anteflate the Charter.1 1 T T4 Int rnduct ion. 'l'lue Play. of Hanover anxious to pruniote luiorality anwl religiuul. The cultivation uf Science is ever esteemed an object of great i1npu1'ta11ec lwy thc wise and guecl. They who have turnctl their attcntiun to it with thc nmst success are always the must anxious tw pmiiwte it ainongstt others. That lillcralit'v uf sentiment, that relinenicnt of soul, that capacitv fur public usefulness, and that unaflectecl niorality anal religion. which usually 2lCl'O1l11l2lllf' real knuwlellgc, are strung influcenicnts to thc jucliciuus, tu desire an ex- tensive elilfusiun ut' its salutary influence. The l,l'l'Sl.l'Yll'l'l2lll Ulergy in Virginia have uniforinly illlllffll at this fruni their tirst settlement in the country. In their cullectirc capacity they are known by the nanle of the l'1'eslm.vtery of Ilanuvcr: they have in general la goutll sliarc of learning. and have the lmruniutiun of nlurality anal religion much at heart. lingagctl lw such motives, they lumt- repeatedly instituted anal patrunizetl SCllllll2ll'l9S of 28

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O11 April 27, 1574, P1'11f1-ss111' Blair w11s 111111'ri1-11 t11 Miss Elllxll D1111111111 Smith, of 13111ti111111'e, who, witl1 111111 tl2lllQllTl'1', Miss 112111111 t'. 11111113 s111'1'i1'es hi111. lt, 1111s 1101-11 the g111111 f1'11'tu111- of 1111- XV1'11I'l' 11,1 1illUXV this l'Xl'11lIl1il1'f' 1111111 s1i1111ewl111t i11ti11111t111y for the past tifty-f11111' yf'i1l'S. 11111111 the 111111 f'l11l'l'l'l1 1111 his studies 11t lv. T. SC11111Jill'f', tl11-11 l11e11t1111 11t l11111111111-11-Si11111-'1', the other t111111 up his work at the eollege. '11111'U11g11 11111. 11111111211 111111 lif1-11111g f1'1l'1141, Prof, L. l.. H1111111111y, we were 1j1'l,11lg11t t11g1-t111-1' 11t 1111 early 1111y, 111111 11s the .V021l'S 1111115 1'1111e11 by 11ur 1-1-111ti1111s have be1-11111e- 1-111se1' 111111 1'11'1s1-1', 11s we lL'21l'lll'l1 to kuuw 1-111111 other better, 1111til iu 1ooki11g 11111-k 1 c1111 1-111-1111 1111 1l1U1'0 111l111f11'11, 11'l1111fl1l. l1111111r1111le 111111 11'11S1'1VO1'1lly Christi1111 1111111 111111111g 1111 llly RCtl11i1l111il11l'l'S. As 21 sf-h1Q1l111', P1'11fess11r Blair st1Q11'111 i11 the f1'Ull11 1'il11k, l12lV111g.1' 111-1111 111111'1- t,h1111 0111111 1111111111 t11 take up w111'k witl1 i11stit11ti1'111s of larger l'l11,1HWl11C1l1 111111 wi11er 1'e1111t11ti1111 than 1l111111111011-Si111111'1'. Early i11 his p1'Uf0SS1U11il1 career he published a little. book 1111 Latin pr1111u111'i11ti1111, which 1-1-eeivecl wi11e 11p1'11'11v111, exerted 21 large i111111e111'e 111111 1Jl'U1'1g1l11 its H1l1l1H1' i11t11 t11111-11 with lllilllf' uf tl1e 11111st, seh111111'1y 1111111 i11 the COl1111l'f'. Not long 2lf191' he 1'eeeiv1-11 the l11111111'111'y degree of D11ct1'11' of Literature f1'O111 NN'21Shi11g1U11 111111 Leo 1711ive1'sity. ,Xs 21 t1-111-l1e1' he w11s 1Dll11C1ll21l, l'Cglllk1l', C2l1'Gfll1, 1-1111si11e1'11te 111111 1l10l'1lI1g11, 11e111111111i11g' uf 11is stu111111ts 1111 ilt,16'1111211'G st111111111'11 of 11tt11i111111-11t. As a 111Gll11J01' of the 1:111- lege faculty, while i1111epe111le11t, i11 the f111'111ati1111 111111 expressi1'111 of his 11pi11i1111s, he XVQIS 21lYVi1f'S sy111p11tl1eti1f with the j1ll11Qll10111S of his eolleagiies, 111111 ever 1'U2lK,1y t1'1 e1111eu1' i11 the 1lli1111tC1li111C9 of l11w 111111 Ol'L1C1' 111111 i11 the 11111'1pti1111 uf such l11CilSl11'9S 11s 1111pe111'e11 to 0111111111011 to the 1111111111-tio11 of 11111111y c11111'11et1-1' 111111 S1ll111011S h1111its 1111 the part uf t111-1 f'U111l1 e11t1'11st1111 to 11ur 0111-11. As E1 gf-11t11-1111111 he was 11111111tr11si1'e, 111111 at iirst s1'11111-wl111t 1'est1'11i111111, 1111t 1111si1y 21Pl11'Oi1k'11Cl1 111111 evi11ei11g' every e1e111e11t t1111t goes t11 111111111 up t11e 111L2'1.1'1,111'11 111111 we-11-111-1111 s11ei11l i11sti11et, 3114.1 111 f11st1-1' XVllil1l1VG1' is 11111111te11 111 evoke p11rit,y, integrity 111111 l111p11i11ess. .Ks il clll1'1ST12l11 he XVIIS 1'Ggll1211' i11 2l11G11llZlIlC'O 13111 the 111'1'1i111111e1-s of 11iVi11e 1VU1'S11l1j, gc-111-1'1i111s i11 111i11ist11ri11g t11 the 1111111' 211111 other b1-11e1'1'111111t 11bj1-11ts which 2111l'HC'1ZGC1 l1is 11tte11ti1111, but wholly 11ist1'11stf111 of 1l1l1lSl'1f for 11115' gr11u1111 of s111v11ti1111 111111 l'l'S1111g 111111111 1111 the grace of G1111 11s 1'1-V1-111011 i11 the g1 1spe1 of 11111' Lord Jesus Uhrist for the hope 111' t'1Cl'1121l life. Altugetllei' it 11111111111-s t11 1119 that he is 1111 1111111ir1111111 11111111-1 to set 1Je1f1Q11'11.1'111111g 111011 for i111it11ti1i111. l 1111 11111 111111111 T11 s11'v 111111 he 111111 att11i11e1'1 pe1'fe1'-ti1111, 13111 for strength HIIC1 purity of Qh111'11cte1', 1'11r 111111gi1111ee 111111 st1-1111f11st111-ss to what he 11111101111 to be right, for 111111111 11ee11111p1is111111111t of XV11211 he set 11ut 111111 11tte111pt1111 T11 1111 i11 life. few 1111111 1-111111111-11 111111 llC1'112lllS fewer still, if illly, l.li1VO excelled hi111. RICII.Xl1I1 MCl1.1v.x1N1H. R1C11ll1111ll'1, Xril., SQ1l101ll1JC1' 21, 1909. 27

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lil-l Hut impeded by the old Episcopal estaldislinient. The design of erecting an Acad'y entertained. with the reason of it. The tirst attempt in 1772-but unsuccessful. The next in the year l774 successful. Mr. Saiu'l S. Smith a principal in the affair. His capacity. The success of subscrip- tions very great. learning in their diii'ere11t circles. Hut the Slllilii degree of iniiuence which they possessed in the lower country under the cstablislinient ot' an Episcopal Church, and the uarrowness uf their private fortunes, rendered their efforts of that sort Very feeble: and no reniarliable advantage was derived from their siuall, local schools. t'onvinced of the necessity of soinetliiug more extensive and popular, they endeavoured to erect and lmroinote by subscription, a public Academy: in which the various parts of Science should be taught, and which should render education more conveniently attainable. in counties remote from the seat of Governineiit, where the twollege of lYillian1 and Mary had been long before established. ln the year 1772 an attempt of t-his kind was made, but thro' some fatality, the benevolent design niiscarricd. Two years afterwards when they had recovered a little troni their discourageinent, it was repeated with greater success. At this time the Rev. Samuel Stanhope Sniith arrived in Virginia: a 111311 well qualiticd in inany respects for conducting such a design. He had been for sonie years employed as a Professor in the College of Nassau Hall, New Jersey, with much credit, both on account of his abilities and conduct. Tho' a young inan. he was fully equal to the task of supcrintending the scheine in con- templation. The Presbytery, therefore, inunediately turned their attention to hini as a principal in the atfair. And through their solicitation and the earnest desire of 111any respectable characters aiuoiigst the people, who had beconie acquainted with his nierit, Hr. Sniith consented to take upon hini the direction of such an Institution as has been nientioneflg provided the expedient of a suhscrip- tion, in case it be tried, should succeed. This measure was no sooner resolved on than it was put into execution. and the success of it was as great as it was unexpected. In a few months several hundred pounds were subscribed: with which, considerable buildings were erected and a 29