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

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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

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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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ITT-1 11l'I11'Xl11l1 11111111 1111- 1111'- L'l'41111,L1' 111-1-1111111. NZIIIIC 111 1111- .Xc1111e111y. 11Ulll'llil1 of 1l1es1- 111111- 11-1's 111'11e1'e11 10 111- kept. U1'111h1-1' 13. The Phy. enter upon 1111- business 11f 1111 A1-11111-111y. R1-1-111111111-1111111i011 uf Nr. Smith, X A 1'1-11111-st 11111111-eased lllUl'9 11111111-11I111'ly to 1'1'. E11u'111'11 1211111 Clllll- 119l'121lll1 C1111g1'1-51111111115 111 l'4l116l'1-1 :111bs1i-1'ip- tions. The 91'1'Pl'1 of 1111- re- quest. 1'11l11111111- f'1l111'f1-111111 111: 111111ks was 111-111-111'1-11 1:l,1I' 21 Lib1'111'y 111 1111- ,X1-11111-11151 1111 W111C11W111 111111'1- ll1il1ll1'V 1111110111 i11 1116 .111111'11111s 1v11i1-11 1111111112 Such was 1111' 111-igi11u1 11f 1111- ,x1'2111I'1ll'V si111-1- 11is1i11g11is111-1,1 115' 1111- 11111111- .11i21ll1l'1t1i'11- Si11111-y, 1-x111'1-ssivv 111: 1-llflsfl 1111-11s 111' 11111-1'1y, 1111111 ci1'i1 111111 1-1-1igi1111s, w11i1-11 1111' 111s1i1111i1111 was 111-sig111-11 111 cherishg 211111 Sll1'1l 1v1-1'1- 1111- 111'i11C1l110F1 11111111 111111-11 11 was Cl'CC1Q11. '111l1' 1-1,-1-111'11s 11f 1111- I,l'0S1lf'1f'1'j', 11s fm' as 1111'-5' 1'1-11110 10 this 111151111-ss 111'1- 1-111111-11 111111 s1111j11i11e11 111 this 111-1-111111t, agree- 111111: 111 2111 111-111-1' 111 1111- '111'11s11-1-s, 1111' 1-11111-1,-1i11g, 111'1'1'111gi11g, 111111 i11s1-1'ti11g: 1111 lIl2l111'l'S 111' 1-1111s1-11111-111-e 1'G11lT111g to the .xC2111f'111'V i11 this 111111k. II31 Extract f1'4ll11 1111- 11l111111l'S 11f the P1'CS1Q15'191'f' of 1111111111-1', 11111111 C'1'1-1-k. 0110111-1' 131, ITT-1. '1'111- P1't'S1l1fV16'l V l'CSl1l1ll'f1 1111- C1'111si111,-1'11ti1111 11f il S1-1111111 1111' 1111- 11111-V111 1-11111-11111111 llf y1111t11, W1111-11 we 11111111i11111us1j' j111'1g'1- 111 he of QFQH1 211111 11111111-1111110 11l1111'11'11l1lCC. As we 11111'1- 111-1-11 1:2lVflll1'G'C1 with 1111- C-111111111115' of N 1' Silllll 311111: Smith, 21 g1-11111-1111111, Xvllfl, wc- are we11 1ll1:t'1l'll1QC1, has 1a11g111 il 1-1111si111-1'111111- 1i11111- with 21p1'11'1i111r11i1i111 i11 New Jersey U11111-gt'-. 111111 u'i111 p1eaS111'1- 111111 111111 110 is 1110111131110 10 take 1111- C'112l1'g6 111 S111-11 El SG1l111121.l'Y if 111- is 111-11p121'1y 1-11c0111'agec1 : XV1' 11111111 i1 1-X111-1111-111 111e1'1-f1i11'1- 1171 1110111111111-1111 111 1-1111' Clilll' gn-g111i1111s 11f itlllll1ll'l'121llC1 211161 Pl'1l1CQ iEc1wr11'11 i11 particu- 12ll', 111111 111 1111 1'l1111'l'S i11 g1-111-1'111, 111 sc-1 s11bsc1'i1'11io11s on 111111, f411'.11lK' 1'1111'p11s1- 111' 111'1,1c111-i11g il 1,i111'111'y, with 21 P11110- s111111i1-111 111111 Ma111e11111ti1-111 u111'1111'11111s, 31111 11t11e1' things ll1'l'l'SS21l'y i11 S111-11 Illl 1111111-1'111ki11g. A1161 XV110ll6VG1' there 5112111 111- I11'11l1G1' e1'1c11111'11g1-1111-111 of 1111s S1'11'1', 111111 1111: Smith 111' 1111y 111111-1' 111-11111-1' pe1-S1111 1-au 111- 9111221291011 3 we s111111 gladly f'1Y111f,'111- 111 1-st11111is11 Z1 SC'l1l1ll21l'f' i11 1Jl'1l1C'G EC1XX'211'1'1, 111' 1111- 1111111-1' 1-1111 11f c11ll1l1DC'l'1ill1f1 cillllllff' 111111 1111117 11 111111e1' 11111' K'2l1'I'.u F1111-11 1V1111i1Ce. c11l'l'1i. 111 1-1111s1-11111-11ce 111' 1111- 1'1,-111,11111111-111111111111 111 1111- P11-s1'1y1e1'y il 1111'g1- 111111 g1-111-1'1111s s11hs1-1'il1ti1111 wus S111-1-11i1y 11111ai11e11, 1-1111-115' i11 1111- 1-111111111-s 111: l'11111'111t11-. 1,1'i111-1- 1C11w111'11. 111111 30