Transylvania University - Crimson Yearbook (Lexington, KY)

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'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,

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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-

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d B 'amin Franklin Its first President, the Rev. James 'in CD1 ' john Adams . f C of the books of James Lane Allen, an alumnus Moore. was the hero o oglay was a professor in, and later a trustee Of, the Ui 'hc,wHcge'f iienrypavis was a student here before he entered West institution. lctfegsolg Masque who was the First object teacher in the West l'-lint. lhc gifts? la Botanikal Garden in Lexington, Once taught in Tran- 'l'i me founder O me th first doctor in the West to employ .w,1i..mi.i, as did Dr. Samuel Brown, C U . ,. b I, H 15, jnqeph Buchanan, a genius almost as erratic as Rafinesque, i, , 'rut 10 - ' - -C niet! -1 horseless carriage which astonished the citizens of Louis- e.u.y iuvc - Q was first exhibited. He and Professor Benjamin Peers both mile nhcrc it . ascii the l'cstalouian System of teaching. . Nniiicnnit graduates of Transylvania have been elected to the Unlted g, .,. Sr-nite -ind 'ts many as eight were members at the same time. . .ls 5 - ' ' K' lan-r .iininni have occupied positions as Judges of the Supreme Court of the liautrtl Stan-Q, .ine has served as Vice-President, and one was the President .ti tm- xnnthr-rn Confederacy. Transylvanians were active in the founding .iff fl1.tll.lL:l'llil'lliUi- the Institute for the Blind in Louisvilleg of the Hos- gmi 1--z the Insane at Lexington, of the Orphan School established in lfxztxrgt-txt .nu-r the ravage of the cholera in 1883, and, later, of the Orphan s tw-12 .rt Xlidway. Scores of men now filling the highest positions of trust in i txt-not r--nnt it their greatest honor that they are alumni of Transylvania l1:w.r'iwi:t-. lr- tvtntu to 'l'ransylvania's peculiar relations to other educational in- -tzazrs llt-r first rival, Kentucky Academy, was established in 1794, 1-fi lt.insx'lx'.iuia Seminary had been in active operation less than ten years. iifsl' tn-1 -t-minaries were later united in Transylvania University. This .1 n .tori-lnot ln- permanent, however, because of the religious differences ...Q-:fig its --ttiuials, and the Presbyterians soon withdrew. ' lx: iNl ll1t'lll'Sl charter of Centre College was granted and in 1820 the l irnv- XlttChord, an alumnus of Transylvania,was chosen as its President. Nm tht' lletlilluing Centre College drew students from Transylvania ' f f, f l Um ll the 5UDDort of many of its most influential friends. The X TC' ' TEX'-'Q ' ' ' ' - , - - . N ' 1511 lt -Wil Df0hD6fCd wonderfully, so that it is not exaggeration to fx' ::1.s:1.iy -Q, -K -x - . , f 5' .i T' in M2116 UCHVCCW a college in America has a larger number -- a---itngtzistzetl alumni. lzt lNjl - ' , . , cl--L U W ' tfll iXUllUChS Conference of the Methodist Church decided to 't-it .TSR .1 fgvju 1 1 t . U31 0 SUCCCed Bethel Academy, which had been conducted l 1804. In 1822 a charter was obtained for .XZIQU-it Lirrllfvs - '- . -' -- ' 2 . v ' . . . 3.cCh.1mC A member of th O6 Q3 1U5t graduated from Transylvania University, .a::.i as President W- h C ht College faCUlfY and was connected as Professor ' 't Allgusta College for th z::1..:r: Xlctht-dist control unti C greater part of its history.