  Title: History of Randolph-Macon College, Virginia The Oldest Incorporated Methodist College in America Author: Richard Irby Language: English Produced by Meredith Dixon (R-MWC 1984), Melissa Reid, and James Dixon HISTORY OF RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE, VIRGINIA: THE OLDEST INCORPORATED METHODIST COLLEGE IN AMERICA by Richard Irby (A. B. 1844) PREFACE.The following resolution, adopted at the last annual meeting of the Board of Trustees, will answer as a preface to what will be given as a history of the oldest incorporated Methodist college in America now in existence, and can be pleaded as an excuse, if any be needed, why one so inexperienced in authorship should make this effort to rescue from oblivion what is left of the records and information now obtainable in regard to this, comparatively speaking, venerable college. "On motion of J. J. Lafferty and W. H. Christian, "Resolved, That the thanks of the Board be tendered to Richard Irby, Esq., for his labors in the collection of material for a connected and authentic historical account of this college, and that he be requested to continue and perfect this work, and that all friends of the college be requested to give him their cordial aid and co-operation." HISTORY OF RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGEEARLY EFFORTS OF METHODISTS TO FOUND SCHOOLS.JOHN WESLEY, the founder of Methodism, was in every sense a highly educated man. His education began at the knee of one of the wisest and most accomplished women that ever lived to bless the world. It was continued at Oxford, but did not stop there; for he believed, and acted on his belief, that a man's education should continue as long as his intellectual energy survives. The great business of Wesley was to spread scriptural holiness over the world, beginning at his own home. To accomplish this great end he sought and utilized every practicable agency. Early in the course of the great movement he put in motion, he established the Kingswood School, which he aimed to make as thorough, practically, as Oxford and Cambridge, and free from the surroundings which hindered evangelical believers in attendance on those schools, where he and his co-workers had encountered so much opposition and ridicule. At this school were to be allied in holy matrimony religion and learning, which godless hands had sought to put asunder; for he valued education and learning severed from, and unhallowed by, religion as worse than worthless. Following the example of this great leader, Asbury, the "Pioneer Bishop of America," sought at an early day to carry out the same plans. But the difficulties he encountered were different from those Mr. Wesley met in many respects. At the close of the Revolutionary War, he found a continent over the broad area of which was spread a population of about three million of people. These people had just come out of a war of seven years, impoverished in every species of property except their broad acres of forest land, worthless until subdued by the sturdy husbandman. The currency of the country was well-nigh worthless and irredeemable in gold and silver. The great and controlling idea of the people was the restoration of wealth and material resources. This meant and required hard and constant work, which pushed aside schools and all other enterprises of the kind considered as of secondary importance. At that time only about eight colleges were found in the States, and these were slimly endowed, if endowed at all, and but poorly patronized. But bold, and trusting in God, Asbury began the work of establishing schools, hardly waiting for the clearing away of the smoke of battle. At the time he was made General Superintendent, or Bishop, (1784), there were in the United States 14,988 members in the Methodist Episcopal Church. These were scattered broadcast over the States bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Georgia. The bulk of the membership was found in the Southern States. The Minutes for that year give New York City sixty members and Brunswick Circuit (Virginia) four hundred and eighty-four, and other circuits in Virginia more. In the year 1784 Dr. Cummings (in Early Schools of Methodism, New York, 1886) thinks Bishop Asbury founded the first Methodist academy ever established in America. It is reasonable, however, to put the date a little later, say 1785, for his services as General Superintendent did not begin till later, inasmuch as Mr. Wesley's letter appointing him to the place bears date September 10, 1784. This school or academy was located in Brunswick county, Virginia, on the road leading from Petersburg to Boydton, at a point about midway between the two places. He named it [Illustration: EBENEZER ACADEMY]* *The Ebenezer Academy building is still standing, but it has been changed somewhat since it ceased to be used for school purposes. The cut used here was made from a pencil sketch of it made by Mr. Short, who lives near, and sent by Rev. J. Carson Watson, in whose circuit it is located. The walls are of stone, one of which has become injured; otherwise, the old house would be good for another century. For a number of years this academy was controlled by trustees appointed by the Bishop or by the Annual Conference, and enjoyed such supervision as the Bishop was able to give, which, with such arduous labors as demanded his energies, was of necessity but slight and occasional. On this account, and other accounts incident to the times, the control of the academy was lost to the Methodists, and went into the hands of the county authorities, which control never was regained by the Church. But it was kept up as an academy for many years, and at it many of the most prominent men of the county and counties adjacent were educated wholly or partly. In this way it did a good work for the people of its day, and was the forerunner and prophecy of another school not far away, which, under better auspices, though not without difficulties, has lived to bless the Church and the world in this nineteenth century. The first regularly incorporated Methodist college in the United States was Cokesbury College. It was located near Baltimore, Md. It was in operation only a few years. Augusta College, Kentucky, was the next. That has long since ceased to exist. In the period preceding the division of the Methodist Episcopal Church, there were thirty-one literary institutions controlled by this Church, of which three were exclusively for females and several, co-educational. Seventeen of these were located in the Southern States. Of the thirty-one, only seven colleges have survived, viz.: Randolph-Macon College, chartered February 3, 1830; Wesleyan University (Connecticut), chartered May, 1831; Emory College (Georgia), 1837; Emory and Henry (Virginia), 1838; Wesleyan Female College (Georgia), 1839. Dickinson College (Pennsylvania) chartered in 1783, but did not become a Methodist college till 1833, and was opened as a Methodist college September, 1834. Alleghany College (Pennsylvania) was chartered in 1818, and came under the control of the Methodist Church in 1833, and was opened as a Methodist college the same year. It will thus be seen that all these male colleges which survived, were opened under Methodist patronage, nearly simultaneously, viz.: Wesleyan University, October, 1831; Randolph-Macon, January, 1832; Alleghany College, November, 1833; Dickinson College, September, 1834. This point of time thus became a marked starting-point in the history of Methodist colleges. Since this turning-point was passed, the number of them has increased as rapidly as the membership of the church, and can now be counted by the hundreds, making the Methodist Church foremost in the great work of Christian education. It may be noted here that all of the above-named colleges succeeded to buildings which had been used for school purposes, more or less complete, while those of Randolph-Macon were built wholly out of new material. It is probable that the idea and purpose moving Bishop Asbury to found church schools, had never gone entirely out of the minds of the Methodists of Virginia, notwithstanding all the failures and disasters which had befallen the early enterprises. They found no school in the Conference territory of high grade where they felt safe in sending their sons. William and Mary College was under the control of the Episcopalians, and its location was noted for excess in worldliness and free-living, which did not invite Methodists, whose rules forbade such customs. The atmosphere of the college and town was unsuited to Methodists, and they were looked upon as unfit for the society of the so-called best people. Hampden-Sidney College, originally non-sectarian, had come under the control of the Presbyterians, with whom, in those days, Arminian Methodists did not think it safe to let their sons remain too long, lest they should become Calvinists. Washington College was then a feeble school, and remote from the eastern portion of the State, and outside the Virginia Conference. Under these circumstances, and for what were esteemed good reasons, the Methodists of the Virginia Conference, then composed of the eastern and middle portions of Virginia and North Carolina, moved in the matter of establishing a college of high grade. A resolution, adopted by the General Conference of 1824, recommending "that each Annual Conference establish a Seminary of learning under its own regulations and patronage," had the effect to direct the attention of the church throughout the connection to the subject of education. So almost simultaneously the New York Conference, with the Virginia Conference, moved towards the establishment of a college, as recommended by the General Conference, the result of which was the founding of the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., and of Randolph-Macon College at Boydton, Va., the two oldest Methodist colleges, originally incorporated as such, now existing in America. The credit of first planning or founding Randolph-Macon College has been awarded to Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh and Gabriel P. Disosway. The former was a prominent minister in the Virginia Conference, and was justly esteemed by his contemporaries as an orator second to but few, if any, of his time. Dr. Bennett, in Memorials of Methodism in Virginia, says: "Perhaps no man ever left a deeper impression on the hearts of the people among whom he labored. In every city where he was stationed, in every district, in every circuit, there are thrilling recollections of his preaching…. He was not simply an eloquent preacher, he was a wise, skillful, practical workman in the vineyard." Dr. W. A. Smith, third President of Randolph-Macon College, said of him: "Dr. Leigh had few equals in the pulpit. He filled a large space in public attention, and wielded a wide and undisputed influence among his brethren in the ministry." He was a native of Perquimans county, N. C., born November 23, 1795, but for many years prior to his death resided on his farm near Boydton, Va. Gabriel P. Disosway was a native of the city of New York, of Huguenot ancestry, born December 6, 1799. He took his A.B. degree at Columbia College, New York, in 1821. In early life he became a citizen of Petersburg, Va., and married a Virginia lady. He was a pious and devoted Methodist, and by his superior education and literary abilities exerted a wide and salutary influence on the church circles of his town and day. Having been a college-bred man, he may have suggested to Dr. Leigh the founding of a college, or the latter may have sought the advice and co-operation of Mr. Disosway, and thenceforth the two worked together as co-laborers in this good cause. Dr. W. A. Smith inclined to the latter view of the matter, for he says (Funeral Discourse on Rev. H. G. Leigh), "Regarding all the circumstances, the prominent position held by Dr. Leigh in originating all the preliminary measures, and his personal activity in advancing them, we have always considered him in a good sense the founder of Randolph-Macon College." Mr. Disosway returned to New York in 1828, and thus the college ceased to have his active co-operation with Dr. Leigh, which might, and doubtless would, have been very acceptable and beneficial. He lived to an honorable old age, giving much of his valuable time to the great interests of the Church of his choice, and also to the great religious institutions of his State and the country, with a number of which he was closely identified as manager or director. He also wrote frequently for the press, and was the author of several books, one of which particularly was highly esteemed, viz. The Old Churches of New York." The college, many years ago, recognized the claims of these co-founders to the gratitude and remembrance of succeeding generations by placing on the walls of the chapel marble tablets, suitably inscribed and dedicated to their memory. The enterprise of establishing a college in the Virginia Conference took definite direction, and resulted in practical action at the session of the Virginia Conference held at Oxford, N. C., March 2, 1825. In the minutes is this entry: "After some discussion on the recommendation of the General Conference (of 1824), 'That each Annual Conference establish a Seminary of Learning, under its own regulations and patronage,' the whole question was referred to a committee of twelve—six ministers and six laymen—to consider and report the best method of establishing such a Seminary with suitable constitutional principles." The following constituted the committee ordered: John Early, Hezekiah G. Leigh, Caleb Leach, Charles A. Cooley, William Compton and George M. Anderson, of the Conference; and Gabriel P. Disosway, Joseph B. Littlejohn, John Nutall, Lewis Taylor, Joseph Taylor and Jesse H. Cobb, of the laity…. "The College bill, which was laid on the table, was taken up, and, after some amendment, was adopted." It would appear from the constitution of the committee, that John Early made the motion to appoint the committee, and this was probably the case, because he was then, and for many years afterwards, a leader in the business of the Conference, and, therefore, the prime mover in the enterprise, had enlisted his active interest in the matter. We shall see that this prominent position was held by him for many years afterwards. This was all that was done at this Conference. At the next Conference, held in Portsmouth, Va., February, 1826, the committee was increased by adding George W. Charlton and James Smith, ministers, and Robert A. Armistead, Arthur Cooper, Jesse Nicholson, local preachers, and J. C. Pegram, Cary Jennings, laymen. On the 20th the committee made a report, and the report Was laid on the table. On the 22nd the College bill, which was laid on the table, was taken up, and after some amendments it was adopted. On the 23rd the "Select Committee," recommended in the bill adopted on the days previous, was appointed, viz.: Hezekiah G. Leigh, George W. Charlton, James Smith, John Early, Thomas Crowder, Ethelbert Drake, ministers, and Gabriel P. Disosway, Robert A. Armistead, William Clarke, John C. Pegram, laymen. This committee reported at the succeeding Conference (1827) a "Constitution" for the College, which, after some amendments, was adopted; and it was further "Resolved, that every member take a subscription paper and use his influence and best exertions to obtain subscriptions for the benefit of the College contemplated to be founded within the bounds of this Conference." At the Conference of 1828 a new committee of seven was appointed "to see that all the preachers pay a due and diligent attention to every regulation and matter appertaining to the establishment of the College contemplated, and to employ an efficient agent to make collections and obtain subscriptions for the same, and to maturely consider the advantages of every place proposed for its site, and to report thereon to the next Conference upon which the location of the College shall be fixed." LOCATION AND NAMING OF THE COLLEGE.At the Conference of 1829 the committee appointed the year previous made a report. The Committee had met at Zion Church, in Mecklenburg county. The citizens of Brunswick offered $20,000 in subscriptions on condition that the College be located at Physic Springs, about four miles from Lawrenceville, the county seat, and not very far from the old Ebenezer Academy. The citizens of Mecklenburg offered a parcel of land near Boydton, the county seat, at a very low price, and $10,000 in subscriptions, with some possible advantages from the Boydton Academy. The location was fixed at or near Boydton, probably, mainly through the influence of Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh, the prime mover in the College enterprise, and Howell Taylor, a very influential Methodist of the county, together with Hon. William O. Goode and Col. William Townes, men of great popularity. The site selected was also very near the line dividing the States of Virginia and North Carolina, and probably more accessible to the people of the two States at that time than any other eligible location, and was considered healthful, as well as the centre of a refined community. The county of Mecklenburg was one of the largest and wealthiest in the State, and its people and the people of the adjoining counties of North Carolina were friendly and homogeneous. The report of the Committee was confirmed by the Conference, and the Committee was authorized to apply to the General Assembly of Virginia for a charter. This the Committee proceeded to do, and Mr. Goode, of Mecklenburg, presented a bill to incorporate the "Trustees of Henry and Macon College" Friday, January 15, 1830. After going through the several readings required, and having several amendments made, on motion of Mr. Alexander, of Mecklenburg, the title was changed, making it to read, "An act to incorporate the 'Trustees of Randolph-Macon College.'" The bill so amended was passed by both houses, and became a law February 3, 1830. The Act in part is as follows: "1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That there be, and is hereby erected and established, at or near Boydton, in the county of Mecklenburg, in this Commonwealth, a seminary of learning for the instruction of youth in the various branches of science and literature, the useful arts, agriculture, and the learned and foreign languages. "2. And be it further enacted, That the said seminary shall be known and called by the name of Randolph-Macon College. "3. And be it further enacted, That Hezekiah Leigh, John Early, Edward Cannon, W. A. Smith, William I. Waller, Thomas Crowder, Moses Brock, James Boyd, William Hammett, Caleb Leach, Matthew M. Dance, Lewis Skidmore, Augustine Claiborne, Ethelbert Drake, Henry Fitts, John Nutall, James Wyche, John P. Harrison, Grenville Penn, Walker Timberlake, John G. Claiborne, Howell Taylor, James Smith, Joel Blackwell, John Y. Mason, James Garland, Richard G. Morris, John W. Lewis, William O. Goode, and Nathaniel Alexander be, and are hereby, constituted and appointed trustees of said college, who and their successors shall be a body politic and corporate by the name of the 'Trustees of Randolph-Macon College,' who shall have a perpetual succession and a common seal, and by the name aforesaid they and their successors shall be capable in law to possess, purchase, receive and retain to them and their successors forever, any lands, tenements, rents, goods, chattels or interests of any kind whatsoever, which may have been already given, or by them purchased for the use of said College; to dispose of the same in any way whatsoever they shall adjudge most useful to the interests and legal purposes of the institution; and by the same name to sue and implead, be sued and impleaded, answer and be answered, in all courts of law and equity; and under their common seal to make and establish, from time to time, such by-laws, rules and ordinances, not contrary to the laws and constitution of this Commonwealth, as shall by them be thought essential to the good order and government of the professors, masters and students of said College." It will appear above that thirty were constituted trustees. Of the thirty, twelve were travelling preachers of the Virginia Annual Conference, and eighteen were local preachers and laymen. The name of Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh heads the list, as, by courtesy, was proper. All were members of the Methodist Church, except the following: Judge John Y. Mason, John W. Lewis, William O. Goode, and Nathaniel Alexander, the three latter prominent citizens of Mecklenburg county. Of these a number lived to take an active part in the affairs of the college for many years. The last to pass away was Judge Garland, of Lynchburg, who died a few years since at a very advanced age. It is well known for whom Randolph-Macon College was named—John Randolph, of Roanoke, and Nathaniel Macon, of North Carolina. How it came about that a Christian and Methodist college should have been named for men who were not professed Christians, and who had never, so far as is known, shown any preference or kindly interest for the Methodist Church, has been a question of interest and speculation. The most probable solution of the question is that the name was determined very much by precedent. The oldest college in the State, William and Mary, founded primarily and specially for educating "the savages" in Christianity, was named for the King and Queen then on the throne. Washington College was named for Washington, the hero of the day (1782); Hampden-Sidney for the champions of liberty and human rights (1783), all of them Christian colleges, but named for public men, representatives of the sentiments of the periods uppermost when they were founded. Following the precedents set by these colleges, the names then most prominent in Virginia and North Carolina were selected, John Randolph, of Roanoke, and Nathaniel Macon, one living on the south side of the Roanoke River and the other on the north side. Neither of these men was in any way connected with the College, nor did either, so far as is recorded, ever manifest any interest in it by making a contribution to it or otherwise, but both were very popular in their native State, in whose service they literally spent their lives. John Randolph has been called an infidel by some Northern writers, but those who knew him best represent him as far from having been such, though he lived at a time when infidelity was far from being uncommon among public men. At one time, at least, he was a professed believer in Christ, and never gave up his belief, however inconsistent in his life, at times, he may have been. Hon. J. K. Paulding, a distinguished author and public man, in a letter accepting membership in one of the literary societies of the College soon after it was built, wrote of these men: "Randolph-Macon combines the names of two very distinguished men, with whom I was acquainted; with the former, long and intimately. Mr. Macon was one of the wisest, most virtuous men I ever knew. His integrity as a private man was only equalled by his devotion to his country and to the great principles of liberty, of which he was a most faithful and devoted advocate. Indeed, I may say, with perfect truth, that in the simplicity of his habits and character, as well as in the purity of his principles, he realized more than any man I ever knew the example of a steadfast, stern, inflexible republican. "With Mr. John Randolph I was on terms of intimacy for more than twenty years. He was a very extraordinary man, whose life and character should be delineated by one who could analyze them thoroughly and explain their strange apparent inconsistency. To me it always appeared that but for the weakness of his physical constitution and the almost perpetual sufferings it entailed upon him, he would have been one of the highest models of a high-minded gentleman, as well as one of the wisest, most consistent statesmen of the age. But his physical infirmities and sufferings impaired the vigor and consistency of his mind, while they often soured his temper, and caused those sudden caprices, which lost him many friends, and made his greatest admirers almost afraid to indulge in the society of one the charm of whose conversation was otherwise irresistible. This, however, I will say of him, that whatever may have been the infirmities of his temper, his principles were of the most high, and, indeed, lofty character. His integrity was exemplary, and his devotion to the great principles of liberty consistent and profound. "The life and character of Mr. Macon young men may safely make the objects of their imitation throughout, while Mr. Randolph is rather a subject of admiration and wonder. Virginia should be proud of him as an orator without an equal among his contemporaries and as a man who, with all his faults, was possessed of many virtues of the very highest order." Looking at the matter from our present standpoint, it seems strange that a more suitable name was not selected more in accordance with the special character of the object of the institution, the blending of the highest culture of the mind with the elevation of Christian character. [Illustration: REV. JOHN EARLY. First President (1832-1868) of the FIRST MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.The first meeting of the Board of Trustees appointed under the act of incorporation, was held at Boydtown (so it reads), Mecklenburg county, Va., April 9, 1830. The following members were duly qualified and took their seats, viz.: A committee was appointed to draft rules for the government of the H. G. Leigh, who had been acting as Agent for the College in securing subscriptions and funds for the College enterprise, under the appointment of the Virginia Conference, was elected Agent to continue the same work. A committee was also appointed to secure land for the location of the College. This was the work of the first day. At the second session—the next day—Rev. H. G. Leigh, from the Committee to Draft Rules, etc., reported the rules for the government of the Board, which were adopted. Rev. W. I. Waller submitted the following resolutions, which were adopted: 1. That a committee be appointed to prepare an address to the public generally, and to the ministers and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church particularly, requesting their aid and co-operation in procuring funds for the establishment of Randolph-Macon College. 2. That a copy of the address be sent to each presiding elder and preacher in charge of circuits and stations within the bounds of the Virginia Annual Conference. William A. Smith, Moses Brock, H. G. Leigh, and William I. Waller were appointed on this committee. It was further resolved that an additional Agent be appointed. John W. Lewis was elected Treasurer of the Board. H. G. Leigh, from the Committee to obtain drafts for the College Building, reported three—one to cost $30,182, one $20,569, and one $19,238. The first resolutions adopted in the direction of building was to appropriate $14,000 towards the purchase of land and the erection of a College building. It was also resolved "that it is expedient to establish a Preparatory School to Randolph-Macon College as soon as the building can be prepared for that purpose," and $1,500 was appropriated to its erection. A "Committee on Building" was appointed to obtain the best model for the College building, and contract for, and superintend the construction of, the same, and also the building for the Preparatory School. Rev. H. G. Leigh's salary as agent was fixed at "the usual salary of a The first financial report by the agent was made as follows: Monies subscribed, . . . . . . . . . . . $9,135 90 The offer of the trustees of Boydton Academy to sell the same was not accepted. The committee authorized to purchase land for the College made report, and the committee was empowered to purchase land from several parties at an average of about $5.50 per acre. The agent reported that the subscription of Mecklenburg county was $10,000. It was ordered that the subscription paper be deposited with the Treasurer. The first Building Committee appointed was as follows: Hezekiah G. With a subscription list of less than $20,000, including the county subscription, a large portion of which, in those days, as in the present, was uncollectable and worthless, this band of workers went forward, "not knowing whither they were going," but, like Abraham, trusting in the Lord, whose spirit had prompted the enterprise, that he would bring about a successful issue. Could they have foreseen the difficulties ahead, the work probably would never have been undertaken, nor would Columbus ever have discovered a new world if he had foreseen the difficulties which were before him. It is not untimely to pause and dwell on some of the actors in this work. The chairman, Rev. John Early, who was afterwards Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was at this time in the prime of life. He was not a college-bred man. He probably valued college education as highly as he did because he felt so keenly the need of it. He was, however, in the best sense, an educated man, and a man among men. From his early manhood his brethren and fellow-citizens manifested their appreciation of him by calling him to the highest positions in the church and in the state. The latter, however, were not accepted by him. It may be safely said that no man ever lived in Virginia who was more intimately or more widely known than John Early. No man ever knew more men. Few ever had more seals to their ministry. Not neglecting his own peculiar work in the church, he was always foremost in everything that he esteemed promotive of the good of the church and the state. From the outset he threw into the college enterprise all his great energy, and gave it the benefit of his large practical sense, because he felt that the church, as well as the state, was in need of such an agency. Under the charter, as subsequently amended, he was elected President of the Board of Trustees, and retained that position for about forty years, rarely ever failing to attend the annual meetings, when attendance involved days of tedious and difficult travel over rough roads. When over eighty years of age he was found at his place in the Board. Doubtless his latest prayers were for the success of the cause to which he gave many of the years of his manhood's prime. Randolph-Macon College will never let the name of John Early be forgotten. His portrait adorns the Trustees' room, and his eyes look down every June on his successors in the Board of Trustees, who are laboring to carry forward the work which he and his co-laborers commenced in 1825. The first secretary, Rev. William Andrew Smith, was another man of power, a self-made man, as such men are commonly called. He accepted the "call from on high" to do great things. He was endowed with a wonderfully fertile and active mind. When fully aroused in any cause his heart espoused, he was a power with the people and with deliberative bodies. Commencing active service for the College as Secretary of the Board, he lived to become the President of the College from 1847 to 1865. When he took charge of it, the College was at the lowest condition financially as well as in patronage, that it ever reached. Full of faith and zeal himself, he infused new life into it and animated its friends with fresh courage and zeal. Realizing that an endowment was absolutely essential, in 1855 he undertook to raise $100,000 for it, and succeeded. Of this endowment more will be said further on. [Illustration: REV. LEWIS SKIDMORE. Original member of Board of Another self-made man among the corporators present was Lewis Skidmore. In native talent of a peculiar order, he was second to none of his associates. He had, however, none of the ambition of some of the others. For power of argumentation on any subject he took in hand, he was equal to the foremost. He said once, when asked at what college he had graduated, "I graduated at the anvil." When the hammer of his logic struck it shaped or shivered the object it struck. As punctual as a clock, the day before the Trustees were to meet, his rotund form would be seen about the same hour rising over the western hill as the sun was going down. Space will not allow particular reference to the other members of the William O. Goode was a representative man. He was a member of the Legislature, and brought forward the College bill. He was a member of the State Convention of 1829 and of the Congress of the United States for several sessions. Nathaniel Alexander was a wealthy planter and a man of fine education, and represented his county in the Legislature more than once. John W. Lewis was a lawyer of prominence, and served as Treasurer of the The fact that these men were on the Board will show that sectarian bigotry was not so strong in olden times as some have been inclined to believe. Rev. John G. Claiborne served on the Board for many years faithfully and efficiently, and outlived all of the original members. At the second meeting of the Board of Trustees, held October 30, 1830 (Rev. John Early, chairman, presiding), the Building Committee reported the plan for the main College building, with cost of erection. William A. Howard and Dabney Cosby were the contractors. The plan embraced a centre brick building fifty-two feet front by fifty-four deep, with wings east and west sixty-seven and a half feet each, making a total front of one hundred and eighty-seven feet, all four stories high. The contract price for the same, except painting, tin roof, casement of the library, and seats in the chapel, to be finished in "a plain, workman-like manner, of the best materials," to be $14,137, and it was to be ready for occupancy by the spring of 1832. The committee also reported the purchase of two hundred and fifty-seven acres of land from several parties, including previous purchase, the several tracts forming a solid body. Rev. H. G. Leigh, Agent, made report as to the finances, as follows: Monies collected to date, . . . . $ 941 59 Rev. William Hammett, an eloquent Irish minister, was appointed agent for soliciting additional funds. Of the subscriptions made by citizens of Mecklenburg county, the name of William Townes heads the list with $1,000, the largest subscription to the College funds in early times. He was not a Methodist, nor a member of any church, but he was one of the earliest and best friends of the College. On the early subscription lists there were about five hundred names. The third meeting of the Board of Trustees was held April 15, 1831, Rev. John Early, chairman, presiding. The following items of business transacted are noted: Rev. Thomas Adams, a local minister, of Lunenburg county, was elected in place of Rev. James Smith, who resigned his membership. A "Stewards' Hall" was authorized, the cost of the building of which was not to exceed $4,000. The chairman of the Board was authorized to advertise that the Board would proceed to elect at the next meeting (in October, 1831) a President, Professors, and Masters. The salary of the President to be elected was fixed at $1,000 for the first year; salaries of the Professors for the first year, $800. The fourth meeting of the Board was held October 13, 1831, Rev. John At this meeting Rev. H. G. Leigh, Agent, reported subscriptions amounting to $9,873, and Rev. William Hammett, $13,047, in all $22,920. The South Carolina Conference was formally invited to unite and co-operate with the Board in the support of Randolph-Macon College, with the proviso that should the Conference agree so to do, the Board would elect six members Trustees from the bounds of that Conference. Rev. Martin P. Parks was appointed the Agent to communicate with said The Building Committee reported the centre building walls up and covered in and the wings well under way; also, the purchase of additional land. The committee to whom was referred the matter of nominating a President Mr. William O. Goode, member of the Legislature, of Mecklenburg county, was appointed to ask of the General Assembly of Virginia aid for the College. FIFTH MEETING OF THE BOARD.A called meeting of the Board was held April 4, 1832. At this meeting letters were presented and read announcing the declination of Dr. John Emory to accept the presidency of the College, and of Rev. Robert Emory to accept the chair to which he was elected. The letters were as follows: New York, February 17, 1832. "REV. AND DEAR SIR: My conviction of the importance of time to enable you to make suitable arrangements for the opening of Randolph-Macon College at the appointed period, induces me to avail myself of the occasion of your assembling in Conference to communicate to you the conclusion to which I have come, on mature reflection, in regard to the high and honorable post to which you have kindly invited me in that institution. "I trust I need not repeat here how sincerely my best wishes attend your exertions in the cause of education, nor the pleasure I should take in contributing any small service in my power towards your success. "Considering, however, the confinement which such a situation would require of me, the studies to which it would oblige me to devote myself in order to discharge its duties as I would wish, and the effect which such a course would be likely to have upon my health, already needing rather relief from the arduous duties of my present post, I am under the necessity of declining the acceptance of your kind invitation, and beg you for me to make this communication to the Board over which you preside. "Be pleased, at the same time, to accept for yourself personally, and to convey to the members of the Board, the assurance of the deep sense I entertain of the obligations you have laid me under, as well as in behalf of my son as in my own; and that you may at all times command any service which it may be in my power to render as friends of the important institution under your care. "Very respectfully, Rev. and dear sir, yours, "J. EMORY.""To the Rev. John Early, Chairman, etc.. of the Board of Trustees of Randolph-Macon College, Va." "New York, November 3, 1831. "REV. AND DEAR SIR: Yours of the 15th ultimo was duly received, and would have elicited an earlier reply but for the absence of my father, whom I wished to consult previously to communicating my own views of the subject. "I take, however, the earliest opportunity after his return to express through you, to the Board of Trustees, the high sense which I entertain of the flattering honor which they have been pleased to confer upon me, and at the same time my regret for the necessity which I am under of declining its acceptance. "My anxiety to prosecute thoroughly and with an undivided attention the study of a profession is such that neither my desire to promote the interests of education, nor even the temptation of the honorable post which you have offered me, and the agreeable society which I should enjoy in Virginia, are sufficient to withdraw me from a course in which my father has had the kindness to yield me his acquiescence. With the best wishes for the prosperity of your institution, and a hope that you may secure for it the services of one whose ability (though certainly not his desire) to serve you will be far greater than mine, I remain with great respect, "Yours, &c., R. EMORY. "To the Rev. John Early." Prof. Landon C. Garland and Rev. Martin P. Parks accepted the chairs to which they had been elected at the previous meeting. Their letters of acceptance were as follows: FROM LANDON C. GARLAND."WASHINGTON COLLEGE, December 13, 1831. "DEAR SIR: Circumstances not altogether under my control have prevented me from replying to your communication of October 15th as early as I wished. Having given to its contents that mature deliberation which their importance surely demanded, I feel myself prepared to give a final decision. "The only ambition of my life has been to devote all my time and talents to the promotion and welfare and happiness of our common country; and that situation which would enable me to do this most efficiently I have ever esteemed most eligible. Contemplating in this spirit the important and extensive field of useful labor which Randolph-Macon College presents, I have felt it a duty incumbent upon me to obey the call which you so politely communicated in behalf of its Trustees. And through you I beg leave to assure them that this discharge of duty accords with every impulse of the heart; and I do trust that by a vigorous and united exertion with those associated with me, we shall in some humble measure redeem the pledge, which by our acceptance we make both to that body and to the world. "Yours very sincerely, "LANDON C. GARLAND."To the Rev. John Early." FROM M. P. PARKS.PETERSBURG, VA., April 3, 1832. "REV. AND DEAR SIR: I hereby acknowledge the receipt of your official letter informing me of my election to the professorship of mathematics in Randolph-Macon College. My answer has been delayed until the present that I might have an opportunity of consulting the Virginia Conference, of which I am a member, before replying definitely to your communication. The Conference at its last session having advised me to the acceptance of the professorship tendered, it is hereby accepted. And in accepting it, which I cannot do but with diffidence, in view of the important duties and high responsibilities therewith connected, I beg that you will present to the Board of Trustees my acknowledgements for the favorable light in which they have been pleased to view my qualifications for the department to which I am called. "For the institution now growing under their auspices I cherish the warmest regard, and so far as devotion to its interests can ensure success, I hope not altogether to disappoint the expectations of the Board. More, it is presumed, need not be promised; less could not be required. Offering through you to the Board my most Christian regards, I have the pleasure to subscribe myself, dear sir, "Very respectfully yours, "M. P. PARKS."Dr. John Emory was subsequently elected Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was one of the most honored and beloved Bishops that church ever had. It was soon called to mourn his sudden and untimely death, which occurred while he was in the prime of life and in the height of a most useful career. His name is made honorable by its association with two colleges of the church—Emory College, Oxford, Georgia, founded in 1837, and Emory and Henry College, Virginia, founded 1838. His son, Rev. Robert Emory, was subsequently president of Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, and was most highly esteemed by the church. His name is known and repeated to this day as the christian name of children whose fathers were under his care and tutelage at Dickinson College. At this meeting the Board found the Preparatory School in operation. It had been opened in January, 1832. The first principal, Rev. Lorenzo Lea, A. M., was not able to take charge of it promptly because of a previous engagement at Chapel Hill University, North Carolina. He did commence his work, however, early in the year. His place was temporarily supplied by Mr. Hugh A. Garland, brother of Prof. Landon C. Garland, a graduate of Hampden-Sidney College, who afterwards was clerk of the House of Representatives of the United States, and the author of "The Life of John Randolph, of Roanoke." The Preparatory School had during the first term a patronage of thirty-eight. The Board ordered for this School an assistant teacher. In order to extend the influence and patronage of the College, the Board took steps to secure the cooperation of the Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, offering a representation on the Board of such as should be nominated to it by the Conference. SIXTH MEETING OF THE BOARD, JULY 4, 1832.Rev. Martin P. Parks, professor-elect, requested by the Board at its last meeting, appeared and delivered "a learned, eloquent, and patriotic address" before the Board and the public. The same gentleman, who had been appointed by the Board to visit the South Carolina Conference to invite their cooperation in the College enterprise, made a report of his mission, and laid before the Board the response of the Conference, which was as follows: "The committee to whom was referred the address and resolutions of the Board of Trustees of Randolph-Macon College, report: "That they have had the same under consideration, and been favored With an interview With the esteemed agent of the Board, Brother Parks, and from all that has been presented to them, and which they have duly weighed and examined respecting the College, have come unanimously to the conclusion that the Conference ought to regard it with favor, and accordingly do recommend the following resolutions: "Resolved, That the establishment of a well-endowed college, purely literary and scientific, in a desirable place in the Southern Atlantic States, and under the direction and control of a Faculty and Board of Trustees, consisting, and perpetually to consist, of members and friends of our church, is an object of first importance, vitally interesting to our Zion, and deserving of the best wishes and assistance of all our friends. "Resolved, That Randolph-Macon College, of Virginia, instituted under an ample charter, of the State of Virginia, and now shortly to be opened under the auspices of the Virginia Conference, possesses every reasonable prospect of soon becoming in all respects all that the friends of literature and religion, and those of our own church, especially, could desire, and is entitled to, and ought to receive, the preference and patronage of this Conference. "Resolved, That we earnestly recommend the Randolph-Macon College aforesaid to all our brethren and friends of the South Carolina Conference, and will cordially receive an agent and second his efforts when such an one shall be sent to solicit aid for the College. "Resolved, That we accept a share in the supervision of the College approved by the Board of Trustees, and nominate six suitable persons of the ministry and membership of the church indifferently within our Conference limits to be elected into the Board of Trustees on our behalf. "All of which is respectfully submitted. "(Signed) W. CAPERS, Chairman. "On motion, it was resolved unanimously that the above report he adopted. "The Conference then proceeded to nominate the following Trustees, viz.: "Teste: WILLIAM M. WIGHTMAN, "Secretary. "DARLINGTON, S. C., January 30, 1832." The above nominees of the South Carolina Conference were elected members of the Board. George W. Jeffries, of North Carolina, was elected a trustee in place of The Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was invited to unite and co-operate with the Board on the same terms and conditions offered the Georgia Conference. An agent was appointed to visit these Conferences in order to secure their co-operation. John Early was appointed to visit them. The Holston Conference was likewise invited to cooperate with the Board, and Rev. William Hammett was appointed to visit that Conference. The Finance Committee reported the receipts and expenditures to date, as follows: Receipts, . . . . . . $11,350 02 Appropriations for the first year (including salaries of agents of the A steward for the Boarding Hall was elected. The price of board of students was fixed at six dollars per month at the Steward's Hall. On motion of Rev. William Hammett, Rev. Stephen Olin, of Franklin It was ordered that the College be opened for students on October 9, 1832. Prof. Edward Dromgoole Sims, A. M., of LaGrange College, Alabama, was elected Professor of Languages. Dr. Olin and Prof. Sims subsequently accepted the positions to which they were elected. Their letters of acceptance were as follows: "Rev. John Early, "DEAR SIR: I hereby announce to you, and through you to the Trustees of Randolph-Macon College, that I accept the presidency of that institution, as conferred upon me in July, 1832. I design to resign my professorship in Franklin College as early as I can, consistently with duty and propriety, and hope to be at Randolph-Macon at least as early as the next commencement. "Yours very respectfully, "S. OLIN."ATHENS, GA., January 9, 1833." "LAGRANGE, ALA., August 7, 1832. "DEAR SIR: Your letter communicating the result of the late election of officers for Randolph-Macon College was received eight or ten days ago. "In relation to the Professorship of Languages, to which the Trustees have done me the honor to invite me, I have to say: In a previous letter to you on this subject entire freedom to accept or decline was reserved by me until I could procure more satisfactory information from Brother Paine concerning the prospects of the institution. At this time there exists no objection in my mind, and accordingly I now make known to you, with pleasure, my acceptance of the appointment, and desire you to communicate the same to the Board of Trustees. "Please accept for yourself and them my sincere regard and best wishes. "With brotherly love, ED. D. SIMS. "REV. JOHN EARLY"The acceptance of Dr. Olin completed the Faculty, when it came, several months after the College was opened. Rev. M. P. Parks, professor-elect, acted as president until Dr. Olin entered on his duties. The first Board of Instruction was as follows: Rev. Stephen Olin, A. M., D. D. (Middlebury College, Vermont), President and Professor of Moral Science. Rev. Martin P. Parks, graduate West Point Academy, Professor of Landon C. Garland, A. M., Hampden-Sidney College, Virginia, Professor of Rev. Edward D. Sims, A. M., Chapel Hill (N. C. University), Professor of Languages. Rev. Lorenzo Lea, A. B., Chapel Hill (N. C. University), Principal of It will be appropriate and interesting to give sketches at this point of the men composing this first Faculty of the oldest Methodist College now in existence in America by date of incorporation; not simply on that account, but because they were mostly men of great ability, and made their mark on the times in which they lived in a way and to an extent that few others, if any, have ever done in the South. Dr. Stephen Olin was a native of Vermont, as was Dr. Wilbur Fisk, who, contemporaneously with him, was moving on a parallel line at the Wesleyan University, in Connecticut. These names, Olin and Fisk, the Church, and the alumni of the colleges they presided over will never let die. Wherever the initials "S. O." and "W. F." are seen in any catalogue, it will be readily understood that they respectively stand for these names, and they are common now, over a half-century after the principals ceased to live. President Olin was a graduate of Middlebury College, Vermont. He took the first honor in his class. From too much confinement and over-study his health gave way. On this account he went to South Carolina, and took charge of an academy at Cokesbury. He was fortunate in casting his lot in a very religious community, whose leading men, patrons of the academy, were pious Methodists. He had had no acquaintance with Methodists. He was not only not a Christian, but he had been much troubled in his religious belief, and was inclined to he skeptical. His views were changed by reading Butler's Analogy and Paley's Evidences. It was the rule and custom at the Cokesbury Academy to open the school with the reading of the Scriptures and prayer. This requirement he had to carry out. One day while engaged in prayer he was powerfully convicted, and immediately sought pardon, and found peace in believing. Very soon afterwards he felt called to preach, and entered the ministry, and after a few years he joined the Conference, and was appointed to a church in Charleston, S. C. His health, however, allowed him to remain but a short time in the itinerancy. He accepted a professorship in Franklin College, Athens, Ga., at which institution he remained till he left to become President of Randolph-Macon College. [Illustration: REV. STEPHEN OLIN, D. D., First President of Rev. Solomon Lea, who was associated with Dr. Olin during his presidency at Randolph-Macon, gives the following points in regard to him: "In his physique he had large frame and limbs, but was well proportioned. He had dreamy eyes and sallow complexion, indicating deep affliction. He never saw a well day, and yet he faithfully attended to all his duties. I have heard it said that he thanked God for his affliction. Like Paul he could glory in his affliction. He preached but seldom on account of his health. I shall never forget his sermons. The impression made by them seemed to follow me day and night for weeks and months. His style and manner were peculiar, differing from any other man I ever heard. His language was simple, pure English, free from technicalities and pompous words. His manner rather labored, not from loudness of voice, nor from gesticulation, but his profound thoughts elaborated in his giant mind seemed to struggle for utterance. There was no attempt at what is called eloquence. I have heard most of the great preachers of the day, some of them yery great, but I never heard the equal of Olin." Rev. Leroy M. Lee, D. D., long a member of the Virginia Conference, and editor of the Conference paper, said of Dr. Olin: "He was the only truly great man I have ever seen of whom I do not feel constrained to say, on analyzing his character, "'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view.'" Rev. W. M. Lewis, D. D., of Missouri, who spent several years of college life under him, said of him: "He was of large and majestic form, a physical and intellectual giant, a paragon of moral and religious excellence, a perfect model of a Christian gentleman and scholar and pulpit orator. In my opinion the church has never had a better or greater man." Rev. W. B. Rowzie, long connected with the College as Financial Agent and also as Chaplain, said: "He was a genial companion. No one could he in his society without feeling that he was in the company of one of the first men of the age, and yet he was modest and unassuming, as if unconscious of his greatness." Dr. John E. Edwards, who visited the College frequently in its early history, wrote: "Dr. Olin's personal appearance impressed me as no other man ever impressed me. The Greeks would have deified him as a god." W. F. Samford, LL. D., of Alabama, who graduated at Randolph-Macon College in June, 1837, wrote: "Physically, intellectually and morally, Stephen Olin was a giant—as veritable a one as Og, king of Bashan. He might well rank with the 'mighty men who were of old, men of renown' facile princeps among all the great men I have ever known. The etymology of this word, by which I have designated him, gigas, suggests its appropriateness—a man of violence and terror. Without the restraints of divine grace his passions were volcanic, his ambition boundless. He once told me that before his conversion to Christianity he 'would have bartered a crown in heaven for a seat in Congress.' How humble, how patient, how loving he became as a disciple of Christ! 'Great, humble man!' exclaimed Dr. Leroy Lee, of Virginia, when he met him at the Conference in Lynchburg in 1835. Olin had disclosed his whole heart to Lee in a rebuke which he administered to him for a display of untempered zeal in a debate on the Conference floor—'What business have you with any feelings in the matter? A man of God should be gentle and easy to be entreated.'" It may be thought that the estimates of Dr. Olin above given were partial, and hence not fully reliable. It is proper, therefore, to give the opinion of Rev. Theo. L. Cuyler, D. D., one of the most distinguished ministers of the Presbyterian Church, and one of the best writers of the present century. He speaks of him as President of Wesleyan University, Connecticut, about ten years after he left Randolph-Macon: "In physical, mental, and spiritual stature combined, no Methodist in the last generation towered above Dr. Stephen Olin. He was a great writer, a great educator, and preeminently a great preacher of the glorious gospel. During the summer of 1845, While I was a student for the ministry, I spent some time at Middletown, Conn. Dr. Olin was then the President of the Wesleyan University, and was at the height of his fame and usefulness. Like all great men, he was very simple and unassuming in his manners; with his grand, logical head was coupled a warm, loving heart. When his emotional nature was once kindled it was like a Pennsylvania anthracite coal-mine on fire. These qualities of argumentative power and intense spiritual zeal combined made him a tremendous preacher. No one doubted that Stephen Olin had the baptism of the Holy Spirit. "In physical stature he was a king of men; above six feet in height, he had a broad, gigantic frame and a lofty brow that resembled the brow of Daniel Webster. The congregation of the principal Methodist Church in Middletown always knew when Dr. Olin was going to preach; for the astral lamps were moved off the pulpit to prevent their being smashed by the sweep of his long arms. He was a vehement speaker, and threw his whole man, from head to foot, into the tide of his impassioned oratory. In the blending of logical power with heat of spiritual feeling and vigor of declamation, he was unsurpassed by any American preacher of his time. His printed discourses read well, but they lack the electricity of the moment and the man. Thunder and lightning must be heard and seen: they cannot be transferred to paper. As I recall Olin now (after the lapse of five and forty years); as I see him again in the full flow of his majestic eloquence, or when surrounded by his students in the class-room, I do not wonder that the Middletown boys were ready to pit him against any president or any preacher on the American soil. There are old graduates of the University yet living who delight to think of him and to speak of him, and to assert that "'Whoso had beheld him then. "In August, 1851, I paid a visit to Professor Smith, whose wife was my kinswoman, and on my arrival I learned that the President of the University was dangerously ill. The next morning my host startled me with the announcement, 'Dr. Olin is dead!' He had fallen at the age of fifty-four, when he was just in his splendid prime. There was great mourning for him throughout the whole Methodist realm, for he was a prince in their Israel, who held an imperial rank above any of his contemporaries. He took a large life with him when he went home to heaven; and valuable as were his writings, yet his imposing personality was greater than any of his published productions." Rev. Martin P. Parks, Professor of Mathematics, acted as President of the College from its opening session, in October, 1832, until Dr. Olin took the place, March, 1834. He was a minister in North Carolina when elected professor. He had been educated at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where mathematics was taught more thoroughly than at other schools of that day. He was a brilliant preacher, and on that account he was put forward frequently, like his contemporaries, Hammett and Maffitt, to advance the enterprises of the church. Of his administration of the College not much can be said. His military education had much to do with making the laws exacting and minute. Rev. Solomon Lea (quoted above) said of Professor Parks: "Professor Parks was a great and good man, a fine preacher, was of a sad, morose temperament, arising, no doubt, mainly from his physical condition, as he was a great dyspeptic, and the most nervous person I ever met. He could not bear the crowing of a rooster or the bleating of a calf; this, together with other considerations, had the tendency to make him suspicious, cold, and envious, so much so that Dr. Olin remarked to me that he had to go often once a month to Parks' house, read a portion of the Bible, and then pray together, and part with expressions of mutual love and kind feelings. This was often done by Dr. Olin. Poor Brother Parks, great and good man as he was (for I never doubted his piety), finally yielded so much to his temperament and jealous feelings as to resign his position, withdrew from the Methodist Church, and joined the Episcopalians." Professor Landon Cabell Garland, first professor of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and Geology, was a native of Nelson county, Va., of which his father was the clerk. He was born March 24, 1810. At the age of nineteen he took his degree of A. B. at Hampden-Sidney College, Virginia. Immediately afterward he was elected to the chair of Chemistry at Washington College, Lexington, Va., where he continued till October, 1832, when he took charge of the same chair at Randolph-Macon. Bishop Fitzgerald, in Eminent Methodists, says of him: "His change from Washington College to Randolph-Macon was characteristic of Dr. Garland. There was more money in the one place, but more usefulness in the other. He was a Methodist, and he felt that Methodism had a paramount claim to his services." This was indicated clearly in his letter of acceptance of the place. Few men ever filled chairs at two colleges at an age just past twenty-one. This will indicate what estimate was placed on him at so early an age, and what was proven in this case to have been fully correct, by his long service of sixty-five years as an educator. Nothing but a most natural and remarkable modesty prevented him from becoming as conspicuous as he was well entitled to be, unless it was that he spent his long life in the South, the Nazareth of the nation, out of which few "prophets can come," if we judge by The Cyclopedia of Biography, which side-tracks such men as Garland and Duncan, whose names will shine "forever and ever" when thousands of those given in full, with portraits, shall have been forgotten, as if they never had lived. If a man could be too modest and retiring Dr. Garland was such a man. Notwithstanding this, he lived to become President of Randolph-Macon College from 1836, after Dr. Olin left, till 1847, then Professor and President of the University of Alabama, Professor in the University of Mississippi, and finally Chancellor of the Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Tenn. In all these high places he influenced for good hundreds of young men whose praise is in all the churches and homes of the land. When he died, in 1895, these multiplied hundreds rose up and "called him blessed." If Virginia ever gave birth to a man who did more real service to the manhood of the South, his name and place would be hard to find. Prof. Edward Dromgoole Sims was born in Brunswick county, Va., March 24, 1805. He was the grandson of Rev. Edward Dromgoole, one of the pioneer Methodist preachers in the State of Virginia, and one of the trustees appointed by Bishop Asbury for Ebenezer Academy, before referred to as the first Methodist school of its kind in the State.* He was a man of talents and great influence, and a member of the original Virginia Conference. One of his sons, George C. Dromgoole, was a member of Congress for many years, and was probably the most talented and influential member of the Virginia delegation in his day. * This school was established in 1796, instead of 1786, as the Prof. Sims took his A. B. degree at the University of North Carolina in 1824, and his A. M. degree in 1827, and was a tutor at that University for three years. He was a Professor at LaGrange College, Alabama, at the time he was elected Professor at Randolph-Macon. Like Dr. Olin his personal appearance was very marked. He was a man of great dignity and gentlemanly manner, and a most devoted Christian. Though not endowed by nature with the mental power of others of his associates, he nevertheless, by industrious application, became a fine scholar and a model professor. He was the originator of the "English Course" in colleges, of which more will be said further on. His department embraced the "Ancient Languages." The Preparatory Department was under the control of Rev. Lorenzo Lea, an A. M. of the University of North Carolina, and a native of North Carolina. His contemporaries spoke well of him as a man of fine accomplishments and skill as a teacher. He also had been a tutor at his Alma Mater. Thus equipped, Randolph-Macon College entered on its career—a career full of unforeseen trials and difficulties. It was to a great extent a new experiment, and the great need of the College, without which few, if any, have ever lived beyond a sickly existence, that is, a proper endowment, was a desideratum unprovided for at this time. The funds on hand and subscriptions did not suffice to supply the buildings necessary and other outfit. Other colleges of the Methodist Church in distant States had entered on the same course. They had gone down or were soon to go down. This one now to be launched, under the good providence and blessing of God, was to survive the chill of poverty and the disasters of war—cast down often, but not destroyed. After over a half-century of struggle it was to anchor in a safe haven. Hope kindly blinded the eyes of those who launched the ship and prophesied a prosperous voyage. Faith sowed in tears ofttimes, and after many days gathered in the precious harvest. It was to be indeed Alma Mater to many sons, and daughters, too, and a mother of many other Methodist colleges, blessing every State in the South, some of them surpassing in outfit and endowment the mother. As a loving mother rejoices with and in her daughters, so does Randolph-Macon rejoice in the colleges of the church she has lived to see grow and flourish. |
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