Transylvania University - Crimson Yearbook (Lexington, KY)

Page 14 text:

The lnfiuence of Transylvania University On Education -?,,Li.i--- 'l'h min facts in the history of Transylvania are more or less familiar, C 1 L 1 it the influence which the University has exerted upon education outside of ll is ,tt-it wills may not be so fully realized. In a recent address Dr. Thomas 1 l ' ' . . ltentnn Xlicirtney gave an interesting account of the relation of Transylvania ional institutions in the West and South, and it is through his ktnrlncss that we present the following facts concerning the University itself t.. other ctlncat .intl its intlucnce on certain educational tendencies and on their realization. litre institution is the oldest college west of the Alleghany Mountains .uiii is .i tnnnntnent of our early national endeavor. It dates back to 1780, when .i tiuasi-charter was granted through an act of the Virginia Legislature t-- test certain escheated lands in the County of Kentucky in trustees for a g..ihh.: school. In 1783 this act was amended, the powers of the trustees t-iiiirtgetl .intl inure clearly defined, and the public school was named Transyl- x.tnt.i beininary. lt began its first session near Danville, Kentucky, February 1. 1785. lhc Seminary was removed to Lexington four years later. ln 17 -1 a rival institution, called Kentucky Academy, was established num-r l'rt-sbytt-rian auspices at Pisgah, eight miles southwest of Lexington, .tar-1 i-pt-tit-ti in October, 1795. In 1798 these two seminaries were by joint f'1'i1il1'1l 1 their boards united by act of legislature under the name Transyl- -. .1:.t1'nix't-rsity, which began its first session on Ianuary 1, 1799. The first In . .t-nit-tint of the L'niversity was the Rev. James Moore, formerly a Presbyte- .fri ziiintstcr, but at the time of his election an Episcopalian minister and the Ne? tcvtur -it Christ Church. A college of good standing for the times was 1-visor:---,Q s f . tt yt ir, nhnntatned. At the very first meeting of the board of trustees -1 V111 'ss t . 1 - a - . 1 fr' -it law and professors of chemistry and surgery were appointed. 1 Q, ' t eginning of the famous law and medical . ,s y' ,' . . , , . ll' 1' -11-lilmsfcr, were not fully organized until later. ' l'1 1 91 lf3'15YlVHn1a's history from 1798 to 1818 may be character- !. i .is uric yf 4 tg ' ,M V. Y Z ' fn-fmlltlfil gfOMh and of excellent preparation for the future. ..t .i.i.n.ier of students in attendan ij-Pwt' lHt1fQiiryfghlpS xx-ere b N ini Wim Un V I 'I . . ce was not large, and in these twenty - wenty-two degrees, tncludin ho In lx X D , E-I norary degrees, were conferred. iicmmlc IlyzgsillourtaceHblsollilygaigisgraduate of- Yale and 'a Unitarian minister. anus: brilliant era of the Universiai lfisnihivinch ended In 1827, IS by far the lcofvlazlifidtl and enlarged for all the dels OW. Under him the ficulty was were Caged -1 ' . t Dartments, and men of high repute I0 nil the xarton- - 5 Chalfs- The number of students increased rap-

Page 13 text:

As a teacher, Professor DeVVeese is thorough and just. He not only in- structs in the courses of which he has charge, but he conducts helpful discus- sions and gives wise advice concerning the practical problems which his stu- dents are likely to encounter in their ministry and in life. He is always a kind adviser and a sincere friend who seeks to understand his students in order that he may increase the efficiency of their work and aid in the devel- opment of their characters. lfVhat they my of him, all who know him fl11'11lf,- that he is a cultured Christian gentleman, broad in his learning, firm in prin- ciple, modest in manner, loving in heart, and sincere in action.

Page 15 text:

'gafwa-41, - ' .,,-i,:.vw,,, . . idly and the sphere of th , , y . en e . e relative importance of Transylvania among the American colleges is shown by the fact that in 1821 it lacked l f Harvard. The Deriod following Dr. Holley's resignation is naturally marked by some loss of prestige for the institution. It was a period of depression during which the departments were maintained, but often only by heroic exertion 'd a-mi great difficulties and against strong opposition. Finally, with the elec- tion to the presidency of the Rev. Henry Bascom, there came a second era of great growth, which, however, continued ignation in 1849. A reorganization in 1856 made Transylvania mainly a state school for teachers. After about two years the state withdrew its aid and the beginning of the Civil War closed the departments of law and medicine, while the col- lege waned to a local grammar school and the history of old Transylvania University came to a close. e institution's influence was greatl eict d d Th On y our of having as many students as for only a short while after his res- At the time f1798ll when the act uniting Transylvania Seminary and Ken- tucky Academy was passed, another act was passed which reserved the public lands of the state for the use of seminaries of learning to be established throughout the Commonwealth. This wise legislation was largely due to the influence of Judge Caleb Wallace, who had aided in the founding of Hampden- Sidney College and Washington and Lee University, and who was a Trustee of Transylvania Seminary, later a Trustee of Kentucky Academy, and the principal promoter of their union. Thus was provided a remarkably compre- hensive system of state education, composed of seminaries of high school grade, having Transylvania as their head. Many of these academies were established and endowed, but they enjoyed only a brief existence as state schools. However, most of the colleges later founded in Kentucky were suc- cessors to the stronger of these academies, for example, Centre, Iientucky Wesleyan, and Georgetown Colleges, and the University of Louisville. The common school system also has been advocated and aided by Tran- sylvania alumni and professors. XVilliam T. Barry and john Pope served on first commission appointed to prepare and report on a system of common schools for the state. An enthusiastic advocate of the establishment of a State Normal School was Professor Peers. Credit for the passage of a law providing for the organization of the first public school system of the state must be given to Judge VVilliam F. Bullock. It may not be amiss to mention here a few other honored and prominent men who have been connected with the University. The roll of its first board of trustees contains the names of John Bradford, editor of the first newspaper in the West, and of Isaac Shelby, first governor of Kentucky. Contributions to the endowment funds of Transylvania were made by George XVashington,