Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-07-02
RICHMOND, JULY 2, 1924.
COLLEGE OF WILLI.a.M 4 MARY.

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& COLLEGE OF WILLIAM T. MARY
The Visitors will Monday and IL probable that
In. question of a removal of the College may be agated
during session. Under these circumstances, the follow
Ing has been rendered publ caon In
openng columns for Its reception, may permitted
n, add that whilst assigns the strongest
Of the College, there good grounds question
whether the writer's plan for the subsequent distribution
its funds in respects upon large scale
,f opers,ions.-Under present impressions, should
rather preserve College, than extend 1t into an
Il university.
III TO The Editors Of The Enquirer.
GENTLEMEN: The suggestions which have
E.IlateIy appeared in the newspapers with res
Inject to William and Mary College have ex-
,cited considerable interest among tine friends
liof liberal learning in the lower section of the
state. Having had the opportunity Of becom-
ling pretty well acquainted with the system vi
81 this institution, laid down in its charter and
statutes and also Of observing, for series of
years, its practical operations in detail am
enabled to form toleIably correct estimate
Is of the causes Of its present depressed condi-
Htion. am convinced that various crcum-
stances connected with the location and The or
n ganzaion of college, are highly inimical to its
81 prosperity and that they have, for more than
Uhalf century, conspired to defeat the efforts
&Of the visitors and professors, 10 maintain it IN
n its proper rank or relative importance among
the similar institutions Of our country, will APP
pear from the history Of the college during
that period.
Tue state of the college, with respect to
/ public sentiment aud patronage, is at present
4 unusually discouraging. But in consequences
H of the foresight anu good management of its
4 trustees and officers, its income has greatly
4 improved within the last twenty years. and
g while it may be considered as prospecting 10 lis
means, il Is, to great extent, unsuccessful in
A the accomplishment of its ends. The crisis
4 of its fate has, il is believed, at last arrived ;
Il and there is good reason to expect an issue
y the most iav Ourable 10 the views of its found
ers, To the honour vi the cUmmonw eaith, and
y to the qualification of every friend of liberal
4 education in Virginia The enlightened state
q OF the pubic minds forbid any less favourable
j anticipation.
To comment on certain of the circumstan-
ces that have always proved adverse to the
prosperity of the college. depending on lis
A popularity of plan; or TO detail the pernieions
usages, which, having grown out of an i'll con.
ccIved system, still remain uncO,rected might
4 wear the appearance of iDvidous reflection
4 on the wisdom of the dead, or on the dls,n-
I terestedness and active virtue of the living. IL
z is enough that the character and Tendencies
Of the evils are now well ascertained and
& remedies, AS may, in due season, be applied
& with safety and efficacy.
When assert that The college is unsuccess-
q full, do not mean that the courses of instruc-
tiun winch 1t embraces are defective ; but thai
it fails in filing up its several classss To the ex-
tent which might reasonably be exp, ctrd (;
aud that the usefulness of the institute q is of
consequence, 0nt commensurate vita its
4 means Yet caudour demands the acknow
Judgement, that the Average nunibrr of stu
dents who have matricua,rd annually, for the
last seven years. has been equal 10 that of any
seeeu years. taken in successIon, since its fuun
daiian. In this estimate, the boys who al
tended the grammar school, formerly con-
nected with the college, are not taken into the
account. The truth is, The college has at ali
times been most distinguished by the iewness
OF its students. Yet every one, who has been
acquainted with its economy and management
for several years past, Knows well, that gener-
Gus zeal for its advancement 10 reputation and
usefulness has been manifested 10 the bourd VI
pisitOrs. Perhaps IL VAS IN error in the view )
of thai liberal aud enlightened bod, that IL
was not at an early pellod p,ac-d uuder the
ultimate protection aud fostering guar dianship
OF the legislature. Ii it should fall, the ruin
Cannot Justly be- attributed III the professors
who arr subject TO the control Of the visitors
this event wruldbe the joint result of an I'M
favourable locatioD, and imperfect orgaoiza
ton of its system. au1 an injudicious distribu
tion Of official authority There have been
changes Of presidents aud lecturers, new laws
have been enacted from time To tune, +" for the
government OF the corporation Of professors
and new rules for the regulation of the students.
But the causes of failure still remaining, old
prejudices against the college have become
inveterate; and even, while both visitors aud
Professors atppar to have been zraiousiy in
tent upon liberal and upright discharge oil
their respective duties, new sources of popular
dissatisfaction have sprung up in almost every
session of the ten preceding years. This is
sufficient to evince the existence of some radi-
cal imperfection in the plan of the institution
or IN the principles upon which its operations
are conducted. Ii is a consideration necpssa-
riiy depressing TO the minds of the professors
that the best imaginable combination of taIeots
activity, and prudence, in the faculty, must
ever, under existing circumstances, prove io-
capable of sustaining the college ON truly
respectable footing.
Much of what is important in the plan oil
the college is connected in some degree with
It's present location, and could not be adva1
taseously changed, unless the establishment
We're removed to more pOpulous town.
colleges Instituted upon the clustering systen
have declined rapidly daring the last century
over all Europe. They have yielded, unde
the Iohuence of an improved state Of genera
Information, and more eolarged views of edu
cation, to the superior success, and more ex
tensive usefulness, Of what may be termed IN.
social system. But ii is well known that tin
sytem cannot be successfully adopted, wher,
there is not very considerable population
an energetic local government, aud an sctjv,
police. The city Of Richmond. which cnm