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

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I 1 VENABLE HALL QUnion Theological Seininaryj at thc turn of the century distinguished by the name of HampdenfSydney. john Hampden and Algernon Sydney of England represented the ideas set forth in the founding of the College: the continuation of human rights and freedom of conscience. The College did not open on November 10 as had been planned bcf cause of several diliiculties. Opposition came early. In the Gazette of November 18, 1777, an article spoke against it by calling Presbyterians dissenters. It was felt that the Church of England should take it over. Mr. Smith replied publicly in the December 9 edition by saying that most of the Trustees were ministers of the Church of England. Rector Smith used common sense in planning for the opening of the College by the iirst day of the coming year. He used the system which was used at Princeton. He placed much stress on the English language, Greek, Latin, Geography, Mathematics, History, and science of Morals. Science and the humanities were equally stressed. Three masters and professors, with the foresight of two additional professors before the end of the Hrst year, were to teach. Further, Mr. Smith stated at the November 23 meeting of the Trustees that the steward was to furnish food for the students consisting of one half of meat and one half of bread. Servants were to be furnished for cleaning the rooms, students were to provide their own beds, buy their own candles, and cut their own wood. The students were to live within a two mile radius of the Col' lege. Mr. Smith stated that he had brought the books for the library, and the students were to rent their books from the library. Although the buildings were not completed, Mr. Smith held the first session on January 1, 1776, as a senior college. The students, besides studying, used their time to help build huts in which eight to ten boys lived. In May, 1776, the walls of the College were only a few feet high, l but 110 students enrolled at HampdenfSydney by the summer. Before the Commons was built, servants brought the prepared food on trays from Slatc Hill Plantation two miles away. With the use of authori:ed lottery, in 1777 funds were raised to construct several buildings. The college plant. faculty, and students body made progress under Reverend Smith's brilliant leadership. The students continued their studies as the Revolution began. And when war threat' ened in September, 1777, all students over sixteen, about seventy-five, formed Prince Edward Com' pany No. 1. Led by John Blair Smith, brother of the president, they marched to Williamsburg. Their uniform consisted of purple shirts and coonskin caps. After several weeks in Williams' burg an invasion had not developed, and the Governor thanked them. The HampdenfSydney boys returned to the Hill. Later they were called to serve near Petersburg. However, not once did HampdenfSydney close its doors alf though the sessions were interrupted. Because of the unsettled conditions of the Revolution, Hampf denfSydney did not receive its formal charter until 1783. These were the stirring days of a new strugf gling college in the hard days of a new struggling country. While Washington led the rising country, Smith led the growing College of Hampden' Sydney. Samuel Smith remained in charge of the College for four years, until 1779. At that time he returned to Princeton to teach philosophy and later to become its president in 1795. john Blair Smith meanwhile became the second president of HampdenfSydney College with a number of Princeton men as tutors. However, the very life of HampdenfSydney College owes much to Samuel Stanhope Smith for the many years of his life that he spent to see an ideal become real and lasting.

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there have been nurtured and