History of Randolph-Macon College, Virginia Part 22

Captain Richard Irby. No. 2. Lieut. Richard Ferguson. No. 3. Lieut. S.

Hardy. No. 4. Lieut. E. H. Muse. No. 5. Lieut. A. D. Crenshaw. No. 6.

Corpl. B. I. Scott.]

INTERLUDE.

BEFORE entering upon the subsequent history of the College, this writer would take this occasion to refer to one of many omissions, which he has noted in revising the pages already printed, a point of special interest and importance. This is the religious element in Randolph-Macon College.

The College was the child of the Methodist Church, established, in large measure, to educate young men for the ministry in accordance with the ideas and usages of the church of that day. Religion was the first and foremost consideration--religion as taught and emphasized by the Methodist Church--religion allied with education. At the first opening of the College a chaplain was appointed for it by the Conference, a man who was as complete a model of the Methodist minister as could be found, William B. Rowzie, a walking, living epistle of Christ, "known and read of all men." One better than he could not have been found to inaugurate the religious life of the College.

Never in the history of the church in Virginia has Methodism, in its spirit and economy, been more thoroughly exemplified than it has been at Randolph-Macon. The morning and evening sacrifice of prayer and praise noted every day of work. Preaching in the chapel was had twice on Sabbath and prayer service was held on Wednesday evenings. Students were required to attend morning and evening prayer and Sunday morning service. Besides this, the members of the church were organized into cla.s.ses with leaders, according to Methodist usage, and cla.s.s-meetings were regularly held once a week. Thus was exhibited a complete practical example of Methodist economy as prescribed in the _Discipline_. The result and fruit of this work was a high state of religious life. Every year, or oftener, this life took the form of great religious activity, and sweeping revivals occurred, bringing well-nigh all in the College and many outside under spiritual influence, and many converts into the church. There were few years, if any, when some such revival did not take place. Of many it could be said, "This and that man was born there"; many who not only became Christians themselves, but went forth from the College to preach the gospel throughout the Southern land. Many here were drilled in Methodist usages, and thus prepared to become cla.s.s leaders, stewards and Sunday-school teachers and superintendents after they left College. A large proportion of these became presidents of colleges and princ.i.p.als of high schools and academies, in which they inaugurated the same system of "religion in earnest." These schools shared the same benign and gracious influences, and in turn became "fountains in the desert," from whence "streams broke out," reaching even to the ends of the earth, "making glad the city of our G.o.d," and causing "the wilderness to bloom and blossom as the rose."

It may be thought strange that fathers belonging to other churches and others not religious were ever found sending their sons to a college which was thus permeated with religious life as taught and practiced by Methodists. But in many cases they did send them.

This writer, whose acquaintance with the College extends over a period of nearly sixty years, makes bold to say that he has never known a student to change his church membership during all that time and become a Methodist. He has known cla.s.s-leaders who had been at home Presbyterians and Episcopalians, but after leaving College they resumed their work in their fathers' churches, none the worse for having for a time worked in "Methodist traces."

As to calculating the ultimate effects of all these causes and influences in time and eternity, it were as vain to try to calculate or measure them as it would be

"To bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades Or loose the bands of Orion."

COLLEGE HISTORY AFTER THE WAR.

THE period immediately succeeding the surrender of the Confederate army at Appomatox was one of the darkest and most discouraging that any civilized people was ever called to face. Virginia had been for four years the battle-ground over which great armies had marched and counter-marched and fought. Every home had felt the torture that "tried men's souls." Widows gathered their fatherless children around them to share the last crust of bread together, not knowing whether even that much could be found to-morrow. For miles along the highways over which the armies had marched, the bare chimneys only, marked the sites where comfortable houses had sheltered happy households. The farmer had his land left--that could not be carried away; but few had any teams to break the ground, and many had not the seed needed to sow the fields.

The last cow was in many cases driven away or killed. A noted Federal general had boastfully reported to the general-in-chief that so completely had he devastated the fairest and most fertile section of the State that a crow could not travel over it without carrying his rations with him.

Richmond, the capital city, after withstanding two sieges successfully, had been, in large part, made a bank of ashes. Petersburg, beleaguered so long, was a scarred and battered wreck. Fredericksburg, Winchester, Norfolk, and many other towns, were little better off. Some of the railroads were stripped of their rails--all of them in bad plight and almost without any equipment for business, if any business were to be found. The labor system, which had for centuries been used to cultivate the land and gather the crops, had been at one stroke subverted, and virtually destroyed. None had been found for months afterward to take its place. With the people at large it was a struggle for existence and a fight with famine.

One of the saddest scenes this writer ever witnessed was at Nottoway courthouse. A few days after the surrender at Appomattoax, he was summoned with other citizens of the county to attend a meeting called to confer with the military officers as to the best plans to be devised to prevent suffering among the people. Just as he entered the courthouse, where a number of people were a.s.sembled, he saw a venerable man of more than three-score years and ten standing before the officer, with tears streaming down his furrowed cheeks, and heard him say: "Every sc.r.a.p of meat, every grain of corn, everything in the way of food I had, has been taken from me. I know not where I shall get my meat or bread to-morrow."

This man had been for many years one of the foremost men in the county, a Senator in the General a.s.sembly of Virginia, and for many years a Trustee of Randolph-Macon College.

But poverty and penury were not all. The people were humiliated and despondent. Their State, "the mother of States and statesmen," had now the tyrant's heel upon her neck, and was styled "District" (No. 1), a "conquered province"--her governor, first a refugee, then a prisoner.

Military satraps filled the seats of judges and magistrates. The ignorant slave was often shown more deference than his former cultured master. Most of the flower of the manhood of the State had died by the sword or disease. The boys and girls of the next generation were growing up without the means of education, and helping to eak out a living for their widowed mothers.

Such, in brief, was the condition of Virginia in the period succeeding the close of the war.

What could the Trustees of the College do under such circ.u.mstances as now surrounded them? The endowment gathered at such an expenditure of time and labor was in large part lost. The investments made were in bonds and stocks of more than uncertain value, some not worth the paper on which they were printed. The College buildings, libraries and laboratories had all been impaired and damaged by non-use or abuse.

There was no money in hand to repair and refit them. Our own people were too poor to furnish it. Those who had devastated the property, and added injury to insult, could not be expected to restore what they had destroyed.

Nevertheless, it had been but a few months after the surrender before a meeting of the Board was called to be held in Petersburg, August 23, 1865.

At this meeting a quorum was lacking, and the Board adjourned to meet on September 13 following, at the residence of Richard Irby, in Nottoway.

This adjourned meeting was held, and a quorum was present.

One of the first matters attended to was the appointment of a committee consisting of President W. A. Smith and four others "to estimate the damage to the College incurred by the occupation of it by the United States troops _after the surrender_, and in behalf of the Trustees to make application to the proper authorities of the government for payment."

On motion of D'Arcy Paul it was--

_Resolved_, That all the Professor's chairs be declared vacant.

A provisional arrangement was made to open the College for school purposes, but this arrangement was not carried out.

A further plan was provided for taking care of the College property, and the Board adjourned.

The next meeting of the Board was held at the College July 11, 1866, with eighteen members in attendance. The chairman of the committee appointed at the last meeting to a.s.sess and press claim for damages to College, reported that the committee had not been encouraged in their efforts by the military authorities in Virginia.

Judge E. R. Chambers was appointed to prosecute the claim.

It may save time here to say, as has been said before, that this claim was never recognized by the government.

The Finance Committee made a report of the Endowment fund and liabilities of the College:

Bonds of the city of Petersburg and interest, ... ... $19,000 Bonds of the State of Virginia, ... ... ... ... . . 3,000 ------- (Cla.s.sed available),... ... ... ... ... ... . $22,000

Bonds Southside Railroad Company, guaranteed by city of Petersburg,... ... .$15,800 Stock Petersburg Railroad Company, 8,000 ------- $23,800 ------- $45,800 ------- Private or personal Endowment bonds, ... ... ... . .$24,900 Legacy of W. B. Jones, ... ... ... ... ... ... . .500 ------- $25,400 ======= Confederate bonds, ... ... ... ... ... ... . $37,000 Confederate currency, ... ... ... ... ... ... . 7,536 ------- $44,536 =======

Leaving out the Confederate bonds, which were worthless, the balance of available and possible a.s.sets were $71,200 Liabilities as far as known, ... ... ... ... ... 8,854 ------- Net a.s.sets, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . . $62,346

This, under all the circ.u.mstances, might be considered a favorable showing, and the credit of it is due to the faithful Investing Agent, who also showed his skill and faithfulness by bringing through the war the "Savings and Insurance Company," of which he was president, free from wreck.

The resolution of the Virginia Conference in regard to the removal of the College had been allowed to sleep since the committee's report, in March, 1864. It was again brought forward by the following resolution, offered by Richard M. Smith, Esq.:

"_Resolved_, That a committee of ------ be appointed to ascertain what accommodations and on what terms and what inducements generally can be obtained for transferring Randolph-Macon College to Petersburg, Richmond, Lynchburg, or any other place, and also the earliest day at which accommodations can be at command, and report to an adjourned meeting of this Board."

This resolution was defeated by a vote of 12 to 6.

The following, offered by Judge E. R. Chambers, was then adopted:

"_Resolved_, That it is inexpedient and injudicious to change the location of the College."

The ayes and noes on this were recorded, as follows:

_Ayes_.--William Townes, Sr., C. S. Hutcheson, W. B. Rowzie, William Townes, Jr., William Carter, T. P. Jerman, R. B. Baptist, N. Head. J. P.

Moore, O. H. P. Corprew, N. Alexander, E. R. Chambers, L. M. Wilson--13.

_Noes_.--Richard Irby, D. S. Doggett, R. M. Smith, J. C. Granbery, T. S.

Campbell, J. C. Blackwell--6.

Dr. W. A. Smith, at his own request, was excused from voting.

It was resolved to take steps to re-open the College as soon as practicable.

The degree of A. M. was conferred, under the law, on the following: Leroy S. Edwards, Thomas J. Overby, and J. Davidson Blackwell, A. B.'s of former years.

Dr. William A. Smith tendered his resignation as President of the College, to take effect at once. The resignation was accepted by the Board, and resolutions were adopted expressing the high appreciation of him and his work, which had extended over a period of nearly twenty years.