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

Page 14 text:

H IMPDEIV-SYDIVEY COLLEGE The statement has been made that Virginia at this time furnished as many students to the I ' niversity of Pennsylvania as did Pennsylvania itself. It was at this juncture that Dr. Socrates Maupin, a brilliant graduate of the I ' niversity of Virginia in the academic and medical departments, joined with five other physi- cians in the attempt to obtain a charter from the legis- lature, in order to start a medical school in Richmond, rhis attempt failed, but the trustees of Hampden- S dney College promptly joined vith these gentlemen in establishing, under the charter of the college, the Medical Department of Hampden-S dney. A lot was given by the City of Richmond, an infirmary was built, and classes began with a fidl school. This arrangement continued until 1853, when the Medical College of Virginia became a separate entity. In 1 861 the Virginia Assembly gave $30,000 to the college to build a hospital, on condition that the insti- tution be deeded to the State. Hampden-Sydney has reason to look with pride upon this beginning of a great medical center. SAMUEL DOAK Samuel Doak, Sr., in his youth came from North Ireland into Chester County, Pennsylvania. So did Jane Mitchell. They married and removed to Augusta County, Virginia, where Samuel Doak, Jr., was born in 17+9; in that part of the county which afterwards became Rockbridge, and within the limits of the New Providence congregation. Young Doak received his early school training in an academy which had been organized in 1749 by Robert Alexander, a graduate of Dublin University. The Dr. Smith ' s two sons, Samuel Stanhope Smith and John Blair Smith attended school. In the spring of 1776, Samuel Stanhope Smith per- suaded Doak to join the teaching stafi of the new col- lege; and here he taught and studied. In October, 1777, Hanover Presbytery licensed him to preach. He preached for a time near Abingdon, Virginia, and then went to the Holston Settlement in Tennessee, where he founded New Bethel Church. Those were troubleous days. Cornwallis was giving trouble, and Major Fer- guson, under his direction, was laying waste the coun- try, as he moved north through the region near the headwaters of the Broad and Catawba Rivers. When a messenger crossed the mountains and re- ported the condition of affairs to the settlers on the Watauga and Holston Rivers, hundreds of Virginians enlisted under William Campbell ; 480 men enlisted from the congregation of Samuel Doak and nearby communities. Doak was no pacifist. When these men ivere ready to march, he appeared and asked the Lord that victory be given them. His prayer was answered at King ' s Mountain. He was a member of the Convention of 1784, which framed a constitution of the new State of Franklin; and he had a clause inserted providing for a State University. Settling in Washington County, Tennes- see, he organized Salem congregation, built a church, and established an academy. This grew into Wash- ington College. Here he remained until 181 8, when his son took charge, and the father removed to Cireene County, where he opened a classical academy, which became Tusculum College. Morrison rightly calls him The pioneer Headmaster of Tennessee. Belhaven College, Jackson. Mississippi, revived and thoroughly reorganized by Dr. R. V. Lancaster, Class of 1884, who also served as first President of the new institution. school had come under the control of Rev.- John Brown, pastor of New Providence, In 1773, young Doak entered Princeton College, where he remained two years. He then taught in Dr. Rob- ert Smith ' s school at Pe iuea, Pennsylvania, vhere JOHN BLAIR SMITH In the Hislorical Summary in our col- lege catalogue, names of colleges and universities are given which were founded, revived or reorganized by men identified with Hampden-Sydney. John Blair Smith was the first President of Union College at Schenectady, New York, 1795-99- His life was one of great usefulness. His brother, Samuel Stanhope Smith of Pennsylvania, a graduate of Princeton, Austin College, Sherman, Texas. Dr. Daniel Baiter, Class of 1915, was the prime mover in establishing in 1849 this college which awarded the first degree in Texas. tlO]

Page 13 text:

A HISTORY DF HAMPDEN-SYDIVEY S FAMILY TREE INTRODUCTION Virginia, the Mother of Statesmen; Hampden-Sydney, the Alma Mater of Educators. In 1929 it was discovered that Hampden-Sydney had a larger percentage of living graduates registered in Who ' s Who in America than any other college or university. Thus was recognized again the bountiful contribution to state and nation which the small but great institution has made. The remarkable record of leaders which the college has given the professions and callings is well known to readers of this volume. But there is one phase of this illustrious record which this book attempts to honor , Hampden- Sydney has been a potent founder of colleges, universities, and high-grade academies. The college is the trunk from which have branched out some of this nation ' s greatest institutions of learning. On the frontispage is presented in simple design form a list ol the schools which Hampden -Sydney ' s sons have founded or revived and starting in this section are twenty short sketches on the Aim; Mater and some of her sons who have become distinguished edu cators. Dr. Joseph DuPuy Eggleston, President. Emeritus, of the college kindly consented to pen these sketches. Nothing could be more fitting than that one whose work has so shaped the college ' s receni history should write these sketches, for Dr. Eggleston and Hampden Sydney are one, and his knowledge of and love for the old college are unsurpassed. A great educator himself, he has presented here in brief form the lives of those who have nurtured the family tree and made Hampden-Sydney the Alma Mater of educators. — Editor ' s Note. MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF HAMPDEN- SYDNEY COLLEGE Prior to 1776, William and Mary, a College of the Establishment, vas the on]y college in Virginia. Through the initiative of the Presbjterians, Hamp- den-Sydney and Liberty Hall (afterwards Washington College, now Washington and Lee University) were started in that year. Morrison (Dictionary of Biog- raphy, p. 289) says that Of the three colleges of the State before 1825, Hampden-Sydney, next to William and Mary, was the most important. Fairfax Harrison (The Harrisons of Skimino, pp. 84-85) says: Hampden-Sydney was at this time the chief edu- cational center in Virginia and indeed in the South. . . . The youth of the new nation, bred in principles of ' liberty, ' demanded teaching which recognized the tendencies of contemporary thought. As a re- sult, there were founded two schools in Virginia, both dominated by the Ciceronian novi — the Scotch- Irish dissenters who had poured into Virginia through the Valley and were the sinew of the Revo- lution. These were Hampden-Sidney and Liberty Hall at Lexington, since known as Washington and Lee. Hampden-Sidnej ' , established in 1776 in Prince Edward County, was controlled by the Pres- byterians, drawing largely upon Princeton, whence came its methods and its teaching staff. In 181 5 it had already an honorable roll of alumni, includ- ing William Henry Harrison, afterward President of the United States, and by its educational oppor- tunities attracted many who, like Burton Harrison, were not Presbyterians. . . . In 1830 Randolph-Macon began its notable career in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and a few years Dr. Joseph DuPuy Eggleston, President of the College, 1719-193?, and author of the historical sketches contained in this volume. later Richmond College, through the initiative of Ed- ward Baptist, a Hampden-Sydney graduate. In 1827- 28, with the potent support of Joseph Carrington Ca- bell, an alumnus of Hampden-Sydney, Jefferson ' s great vision took form in the University of Virginia. In 1823 the Theological Department of Hampden-Sydney had grown to such an extent that Union Theological Seminary was established at Hampden-Sydney as a separate entity . The impression prevails that the col- leges of that day had very narrow courses, and laid stress only on Latin, Greek, and mathematics. Hamp- den-Sydney had from its birth the best equipment that could be bought for its science department. Hebrew was, of course, included in the curriculum for the bene- fit of the theological students of the college, and in 1826 Col. Louis Gasperi was the teacher of French, Italian, and Spanish. The University of Virginia, in 1827, had an an- atomical school, but beyond this there was no medical instruction in any of the institutions in the South (ex- cept Kentucky, which was too far away). The young men of the South who wished to enter the medical pro- fession went North for their training, unless they were satisfied with the instruction they could secure under private tuition. In 1837, as has been pointed out. Dr. John Peter Mettauer, an alumnus of Hampden-Sydney, opened a school for medical training, and allied it with Ran- dolph-Macon College. The tradition is that he was, for some reason, at odds with the Hampden-Sydney authorities, and for this reason did not ally the school with his alma mater. THE 1941 K LEIDDSCDPE [9]

Page 15 text:

became the first President of Hampden-Sydney at the advanced age of 26. John Blair Smith, at the ad- vanced age of 19, became first assistant to President and Professor Samuel, in 1776. While teaching, he was studying for the minis- try under his brother ' s tui- tion. On October 26, 1779, at a meeting of Presbytery at Prince Edward Court House (now Worsham), he preached what might be called a trial sermon, and Presbytery licensed him. The older brother went to Princeton as President in 1779, and the younger brother succeeded him, having reached the mature age of 23. John Blair Smith in 1777 had become Captain of the Hampden-Sydney Boys, a company vhich donned their distinctive uniforms of purple shirts and coon- skin caps, and marched to the defense of Williams- burg, then the capital of } ' irginia. While administer- ing the business of the col- lege as President, and while teaching classes, he was in constant demand in the pulpit, and evidently had great evangelistic powers. It was assumed by some of the members of the Board of Trustees that, because he gave time to preaching he was neglecting his duties as President; and friction arose. This, however, did not stop him from preach- ing the Gospel with great power and with wonderful results. In 1789 Dr. Smith resigned as President in order to give himself entirely to pastoral and evangelistic work. He was pastor of Pine Street Church, Philadelphia, ' 791-95. and w-as President of Union College, 1795-98. He returned to Pine Street Church in the spring of 1799, and died on August 22 of that year from an at- tack of yellow fever. In 1785 the College of New Jersey conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinitv. JAMES BLYTHE James Blythe (October 28, 1765-May 20, 1842) was the son of James Blythe and his wife Elizabeth, immi- grants to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Sprague (vol. 3, pp. 591-599), quoted by A. J. Morri- son in his Dictionary of Hampden-Sydney Alumni, states that they were from Scotland; Dr. R. L. Dingus of Transylvania College, Kentucky, says they were Scotch-Irish stock. Either way, they were Presbv- terians, and wished the boy to receive a thorough edu- cation and to enter a learned profession. At first James, Jr., didn ' t take to a classical education, but after driving a wagon to and from Charleston, South Carolina, he chose the lesser evil and returned to school. Taking four years at Hampden-Sydney, he gradu- ated in 1788, in the same class with Cary Allen, the • first missionary to Kentucky. While at Hampden- New 20-floor hospital of the Medical College of Virginia. Richmond, Virginia. This flourishing medical school was estab- lished under the charter and seal of Hampden-Sydney College in 1338. Sydney he determined to enter the ministry. It seems probable that this decision was reached because of the great revival at the college in 1786-87, in which Cary Allen was a leader. Dr. A. J. Morrison (following Sprague, vol. 3, pp. 591-599) says that young Blythe studied theology under James Hall of North Carolina. Licensed by Orange Presbytery to preach, he went out to Kentucky in I79t, and in July, 1793, was ordained and installed as pastor of Pisgah Church, where he preached for more than forty years. On August i, 1793, he married Miss Margaret McElroy, a native of Rockbridge County, Virginia (March 8, 1775-January 28, 1835). In 179+ he became interested in the establishment of Kentucky Academy, and with Rev. David Rice (a former trustee of Hampden-Sydney), made a trip on horseback to Philadelphia, New York, and other East- ern cities to raise money; receiving a gift of $100 from President George M ' ashington, a similar amount from Vice-President John Adams, and $50 from Aaron Burr. Over $10,000 is said to have been secured on this trip. The Kentucky Academy and Transylvania Seminary were merged January i, 1799, becoming Transylvania University, and Mr. Blythe was elected to the chair of mathematics, natural philosophy, astron- omy and geography (E. Forman, in The Kaleidoscope, vol. 8, p. 32, says geology). In 1804, on the resigna- tion of President James Moore, Professor Blythe was appointed Acting President, and continued as such until 1816, continuing also his teaching. He then sev- ered his connection with the institution, but in 1817 was elected Professor of Chemistry. This position he held until 1831, when he left the state. In 1 832-1 836 he was President of Hanover College, Indiana, and then became pastor of New Lexington Church, ten miles from Hanover, where he preached THE 1941 KALEIDDSCDPE [UJ