Washington and Lee University - Calyx Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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scope of the University must be continually broadened and its equipment kept adequate. On January 19th, 1907, the country united in paying tribute to the memory of the South ' s peerless chieftain. Especially, as was most befitting, did Wash- ington and Lee University honor him, on this the centennial of his birth. In- spired by General Lee ' s wonderful life and character. President Roosevelt, in a public letter, on the occasion of this general celebration, concluded thus: I hope that you will take advantage of the one-hundredth anniversary of General Lee ' s birth by appealing to all our people, in every section of this country, to commemorate his life and deeds by the establishment at some great representative educational institution of the South, of a permanent memorial that will serve the youth of the coming years, as he, in the closing years of his life, served those who so sorely needed what he so freely gave. The suggestion made in this paragraph was immediately taken up by the press of the country ; of the Northern papers, notably the New York Evening Post and the Outlook, and a great many Southern papers, appeared with editorials urging the establishment of such a memorial at Washington and Lee University. There was no public suggestion of any other place. It was taken as a matter of course, that General Lee ' s own school, impregnated with his ideals, was the logical spot to establish this memorial. Emboldened by the many suggestions which came, from both private and public sources, the Lee Memorial Association was formed in Richmond, Virginia, on March 8th, 1907. It was resolved to raise, by public subscriptions, $100,000 to be used for the rehabilitation of the Lee Memorial Chapel and for the endowment of the Robert E. Lee Chair of American History, The movement received the hearty endorsement of Marse Rob ' s veterans in their Annual Reunion in May. Soon after the close of the Reunion. Ex-Governor D. C. Heyward, of South Carolina, a distinguished alumnus of Washington and Lee, consented to head the movement. It has been decided to broaden its scope in view of Governor Heyward ' s acceptance and the gratifying interest shown throughout ' the country. ■• ' ? 1 i As now conceived, the movement will be national in scope. It is proposed to go before the people of the country and ask for $1,000,000, with a view to broadening the influence and power of Washington and Lee University, nu TT

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has said that no one of the University ' s Alumni, loyal as they are, but would leave the final choice of schools to his son. And we can well believe this. That the choice is inevitably for his parent ' s Alma Mater detracts not one whit from the heritage of independence of action and thought which has been so finely perpetuated m our University ' s history. Moreover, Washington and Lee is as truly national as it is democratic in spirit. Many of the great institutions have their clientele : no church, no state, no section, no nationality dominates the student attendance of Washington and Lee. From all denominations, from all sections it draws equally and gives equally of its rich store. To speak of the distinctive features of this Mother of Schools would be an endless occupation. Look into the lives and deeds of her sons, the great and the humble alike, and see stamped indel- ibly on their characters the spirit of independence, the spirit of self-reliance, the spirit of democracy — the true spirit of Washington and of Lee. Founded upon the bed-rock of Scotch-Irish determination and fostered in the vigorous sunshine of personal freedom and bold endeavor, Washmgton and Lee stands today, the great exponent of sturdy, mdividual effort. Of late years there has been injected into her already healthy vitality an invigorating fire. Progress and enterprise, directed by a firm and energetic hand, have animated her very life. A handsome Science Hall, said to be the most conveniently arranged in the country, has been erected; a new Dormitory has supplied a long-felt want; the old buildings have received a much needed renovation and repair; a splendid heating system has been extended to all the college buildings; the Department of Chemistry has been provided with more commodious and adequate quarters; a complete system of granolithic walks has been laid through the campus; a magnificent Library, strikingly beautiful in appearance and well arranged, has been built; Wilson Athletic Field has been wonderfully improved. But progress once begun is never complete. In the modern era of rapid development, a step forward is not an advance unless followed by another. To accomplish her mission, to render useful the labors of a century and a half, to do her duty to the youth of Amer- ica, Washington and Lee must keep abreast of the times. If she is to perpet- uate the ideals of the past she must look to the future. If the Spirit of Wash- ington and Lee is to be as much a reality a century hence as it is today, the

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thus to give adequate expression, not only of admiration for General Lee, but of appreciation of his services. An advisory committee, which includes some of the men highest in the nation ' s respect, has been appointed. Plans of a very definite nature are being made, and Governor Heyvvard announces that he will be ready to launch the movement in a very short while. Already several unsolicited gifts have been made. It is patent that the Lee Memorial Endowment means much to Washington and Lee. It means a Greater University — an institution of unlimited influ- ence for good; it means that at last the hopes of years are about to be realized. Let us not forget in our contemplation of material progress, the essential char- acteristic s of independence, high collegiate standards, intellectual honesty and democracy which have formed so vital a part of our Alma Mater ' s past. In the end they alone constitute all that is worth rescuing from oblivion. They are our traditions, to be surrounded by an impenetrable wall of respect and mem- ory. Without them all the massive growth of which our University is capable can not overreach the limitations of a sordid conception. With them ever pres- ent, it becomes a living, breathing organism, capable of attaining heights of power undreamed, and in its triumphant course using material progress as a means for the personification of long existant ideals.