Miller School of Albemarle - Blue Ridge Blast Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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A 1 i l -L,-1,.-r V ,-W, ..... E ,l l Z D 1 lil P' l'. I i il' I l il x K l I y . I . I F .l r in ,,. r l 1 l ? products of orchard and vineyard. Under such circumstances the broadest oppor- tunity was offered to support the assertion that a boy is a power for good or evil. The following session, '80, the teaching force was increased by the appoint- ment of Mr. E. G. Taylor and Mr. YN. O. Wfhitescarver. It will thus be noted that within two years the munber of pupils was greatly increased and additional room provided for their accommodation. No other teachers were appointed till the session of 1882. 'With the beginning of that session Mr. WL H. Seamon as teacher of sciences, and Mr. C. G. Taylor as superintendent of shops began their work at the School. The frequent accessions to the corps of teachers indicate the con- tinuous expansion and development of the work for which the institution was established, and which is clearly defined in the will of the founder. The machine- shops had now been completed Cfor the time beingj and admirably equipped for ,wood and metal work. Up to this time instruction in the sciences had not been introduced. , The session of '82-'83 marks an epoch in the enlargement and steadily grow- ing educational work of the School. In September. '83, Mr. VV. B. Richards entered upon his appointment as teacher of Languages, and Mr. T. U. Taylor as- sumed charge of the Department of Drawing, Surveying and Applied Mathe- matics. The recognition of a Primary Department dates from the opening of the session of '83-,84. Mr. G. A. Beck was placed in charge of this department. Two additions to the corps of instructors are noted with the opening of the session of ,84-,SS-lxdf. A. H. Davis succeeded Mr. Richards as teacher of English and Literature, and Mr. I. VV. Calhoun, jr., as teacher of Languages. The near future had much to reveal. There were pronounced rumors to the effect that girls would be admitted to the School, and almost before we could realize what this would mean to us the edict had gone forth, and in November, 1884, the doors of the great Miller School were opened to girls, with Mrs. Isabella Coleman in charge of this interesting department. How keenly we resented their coming, but marvelous were the changes that followed! Boyish laughter soon turned into a sickly, sentimental grin, the long, long thoughts of youth H with which our brains had teemed now gave place to schemes by which we could cir- cumvent Mrs. Coleman, the ever watchful. Rabbit traps, swimming hole, baseball were as if they had never been. The girls had come and we were all in love! Six years have taken their Hight and the scenes are suddenly and rapidly changing, and it is nearing the time when some of us who helped Captain Vawter to' set things in motion must leave these familiar surroundings and cast our lot with' the untried world. is -1- ' ' 1 x N - I. ' A V, A :sz Mr. Baylor was a master of'French, German and Latin. The latter language 34

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we bathed in the reservoir saw the extermination of dogwood at the Miller School. The Captain used it up-and us too. During the greater part of the session of '78-'79 there were enrolled only twenty-one pupils fthe session closed with thirty-threej, such was the spirit of aversion to the school by the people of the county. The magnificent results achieved by the institution and its marvelous expan- sion have effectually dispelled former prejudice, and to-day there are ten candi- dates for every vacancy. The record of the first twentyfone pupils is of especial interest, as teachers, inventors, expert mechanics, druggists, etc., they have been singularly successful in their undertakings. The first session of the Miller School was essentially one of organization and experimentation, and in view of the absolute lack of a similar work in Southern institutions at that time, it is truly surprising how rapidly the various departments were set in motion. The session of ,79-'80 saw a marked increase in the number of pupils, and to the teaching staff was added Mr. R. B. Shepherd. Wfith the new pupils we cheerfully divided honors in piling rocks and brush, and with genuine concern' endeavored to see 'that they should excel in this branch of manual labor. I The first few years were active, busy years with all of us, but we found ample time to set rabbit traps, to fortify ourselves with potatoes to do battle with the watch in the dead hours of night, to assemble around a chicken fight, and to visit neighboring orchards and water-melon patches. It was after an expedition of this nature that one of the boys, dreaming he was jumping a stream of water to escape the irate owner of the water-melons, leaped from a dormitory window forty-four feet from the ground, but Dr. Smith ,soon made him whole again. The shops were begun soon after the opening of the first session and were pushed to completion. The rapid growth of the School in popular favor made additional room necessary. The main building, as T first remember it, was the shape of the letter T, in '81 the south wing was added, and in '84 the correspond- ing wing, giving the present shape of the letter E. Teachers, officers and pupils occupied the main building-the attic fioor then, as now, was used as pupils' dormitories. Cn the second floor were the various study-halls, chapel, classrooms, drawing- rooms and private rooms of teachers. The first fioor was given up to reception rooms, administrative offices, parlors, dining-halls, etc. In the basement were to be found the printing-room, lavatories, kitchens, laundry, store-rooms and class assembly-rooms. A boy may have sometimes mistaken a store-room for an assembly-room, or lost his way in the dimly-lighted passages, and found himself face to face with choice articles of the preserving and culinary arts, and luscious is ' :s 33 -....--.,-ww. .. ..,... '-

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was as his native tongue, and to this day I recall the terror that seized upon me when in a hopelessly unprepared condition I responded to the usual command of Ho! ho! sir, will you please go to the board, sir, chalk in hand, and translate and parse the following sentence? In clouds of chalk-dust the fields of the Belgians were again laid waste. He taught the boys printing and telegraphy too, and his hobby was bee-culture. Instruction in Descriptive Geometry, free-hand and mechanical drawing were under the direction of Mr. Shepherd. At times Descriptive Geometry is calculated to tax the patience of teachers and pupils, and on occasions blackboard, desks, boys and Mr. Shepherd seemed to spin round in a vortex of forceful language and impassioned protest. Mr. Shepherd possessed many talents. A superb musician, he could sing any part or play any instrument, a graceful actor, he organized a theatrical company which from time to time gave excellent plays and in which we gazed at him in open-eyed wonder, realizing even inlour inexperience that here was genius of no mean order. A splendid athlete, he provided for gymnastic sport, horizontal and parallel bars, rings, trapeze and other appliances, which were situated on the lawn between the main building and the shops. Mr. E. G. Taylor directed the Primary Department and gave instruction in bookkeeping. I am glad to note that Mr. Taylor, always faithful to his work and his pipe clings to both with the steadiness that characterized him in earlier days. No institution has ever had more inspiring teachers than Mr. T. U. Taylor and Mr. VV. H. Seamon. In Drawing, Physics and Civil Engineering Mr. Taylor's work was of the highest order. His thorough and accurate teaching and friendly interest greatly inspired and influenced his pupils. The Department of Physics, Chemistry and Botany were then provided for in the main building, the Chemical and Botanical Laboratories in the basement of what is now the Girls' Department. A prodigious worker himself, Mr. Seamon enthused his pupils in Chemistry, Mineralogy, Geology and Botany. In these several branches the work of the class- room was supplemented by practical work in the field, and his pupils who accom- panied him on trips over various parts of the country gained many valuable lessons. It soon became apparent that under Mr. Seamon's direction the Department of Sciences was destined to become an important factor in the educational work of the school. He designed the Chemical Laboratory building and superintended its con- struction. The foundation, for the most part, was dug by the boys of his classes. Dr. Smith, then as now, ministered to our bodily ills, with unerring judgment. YV e never could fool him, though I will venture to say that at one time or another we feigned every ill that flesh is heir to. Under his wise and skillful practice the school has reached and maintained a record for healthfulness that is unsurpassed. S5