The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-10-07
G { NE r Al L e E.
~~~~>~~,~~-~~~~~>-~~>~~O-~
Ills Installation as President OF Wash
ingtOn College.
l
.es -~cS~~~~~~>~~>~~~-~~~~~~
DETAILS OF THE CEREMONY.
! ~~~~~>~~~~>~S~~~~~<~~~~~~>-N~
Opinion Of Lee ON National
Affairs.
&c. &c. &c.


LEXINGTON, Va, Oct. Q 1855
General Robert f. Lee to-day installed President
Of Washington College. There was no pomp OF parade
The exercises Of installation the simplest possible
exact and barren compliance with the required for
mula Of taking the oath by tho new President. and
nothing more This was in accordance with the special
request Of General Lee. II proposed TO have the
installation take place In the college chapel send nvi
tatons far and wide 10 have band Of music to play
vening airs TO have young girls, robed in white and
bearing chapets OF flowers TO sing songs Of wecome to
have congranlatcry speeches. 70 make II grand ho-
day That this proposed programme not carried out
was source Of severe disappointment to many But
General Lee had expressed his wishes contrary the
choice and determination Of the college and the
multitude and his wishes complied with.
INSTALLATION cEREhoNIEs
The installation took place at nine A. NJ. in recita-
ton Of the college In this seated the
faculty and the students, the ministers Of the town
churches, magistrate and the county clerk, the
two officials being necessary TO the ceremonial General
Lee indicted into the by the Board OF Trus-
tees. At his entrance and introduction all in the
rose, bowed and then became seated Prayer by Rev
DR. White, pastor OF the Presbyterian church, directly
followed To me it a noticeable fact, and perhaps
worthy OF record that he prayed for the President OF
the United States Altogether It was most fitting and
RocKENBRoUGn's srxEcH.
The prayer ended Judge Brockenbrough chairman of
the Board of Trustees stated the object Of their coming
together to install General Lee President OF Washing
ton College He fe the serious dignity OF the OCCASION
but II was seriousness and dignity that should be
mingled with heartfu Joy and gladness Passing brief
euogy upon General Lee and congratulatng the board
and the college, and it's present and future Students
on having obtained one so loved and great and
worthy TO preside tho college, no said
he could say great deal more had IL not
been voted against speech making During the
delivery Of these few words-and they came despite the
prohibitory voting very eliminating TO the dig
nifty Of set well as eloquent speech
LEx's ArrEARAxcx
General Lee remained standing his quietly folded
and calmly and steadfasty looking into the eyes az the
speaker Justice William White. at the instance OF Judge
Bfockenbrough administered the oath OF once
General Lee For the benefit Of those curious
the nature Of oath 70 which CO iera Lee has
just subscribed, and as 1t s BRIEF give II entire. II Is
do that win, TO the hest Of my ski and udg
usn faithfully and truly discharge the duties required
Of by entitled "An act FOE Incorporating tho
rector and trustees Of Liberty Han Afle without
Nh xEvs ervsy 70 rnx WV rREsInsxr
To this oath General Lee at once afhxed hts Gig.
nature with the sscompanyns usual a.a' Of
| qustive enough 70 seek further light than
that revealed in the copied oath look at the act
therein referred to- and, when found, make note of IL
The document In the form stated was handed to the
County Clerk for safe and perpetual custodanshp and at
Rector into the keeping Of the new President con-
gratuatory shaking Of hands followed and wound up
the days brief but PLEASING impressive and memorable
present with the faculty passed into the
apart for the formers nses good sized room, nowy but
GENERAL LKKs's DRES AND APrEARANCE
General Lee dressed In plain but elegant snt Of
gray His appearance indicated the enjoyment Of good
heath-bster, should say, than when he surrendered
his army at Appomatox Court House. the nrst and only
looks and bearing have been often and mnasey described
and Will not dwell upon them here Most pictures Of
him on exhibition come up 70 the average Of fidelity Of
WASHINGTON ooLLyoR
Turn now from the installation exercises and
arity with the subject OF the President elect TO
Description Of the college which he In % preside
nss am I'm into existence n TIA but then Liberty
washington transferred 70 il STATE stocks TO The amount
asure ii which time in same vas ehsngedto washing
ton Academy In 1913 the charter was again modified
after the Cincinnati Society, Of vrGinia donated
twenty thousand dollars which has since been fcl-
ssss . g sss. seasiSS .
the principal endowments q the college The
college suiidng srs ave n number, 10 row,
stories in height On se central building surrounding
the cupola IL nns marble statue OF Washington The
pillars offending along the whole front An the build
ngs have been freshly painted outside and inside giving
the whole new and nes, appearances throughout The
town, and looking down upon ~ and for beauty and ex
tent Of view unsurpassed The towering heights or
counterpart view 20 the old Dundcrberg and Crows Nest
In the rear Of West Point Then thcre the Green
Hills and the salngs Mountains with the rest parts Of
M ron for raj I'M
dulatoOs and the emerald beauty and richness OF their
waving woods In all s glorious loveliness as far as
the soc stretches the expansive fertile and gor
eeously magnificent Kanawha valley. But need not
dwell on the scenic beauty Meantime there have been
been distinguished In the professions, In the world Of
letters and art, In mechanics and
HuyrKR's
General Hunters raidng parry, army rather, that
paid this section OF Virginia VISIT In June 1884 In ad
dtion 10 the destruction OF important grain mills, the
Virginia Military Institute and other public buildings
managed 10 leave the college disagrceabc tokens OF
bcigercnt advent and presence Happily, they burned
none OF the buildings but the books of the library
nearly ell taken away, and the chemical and phi.
losophical laboratory completely destroyed Not saiis.
ned with this, the invading wcarers Of Uncle
samuers blue walked away with their pock-
cts full Of meteorological and geological specimens
u had taken half century to collect, and aid TO
DO the finest IN the The main blame OF all this
nnd however charged upon the rebel General Mctaus
land, Who with fifteen hundred men, had tho audacity
entering and taking the town. This General Nc husband
will be remembered the one who has since been in
dicted for setting fire TO Chabersburr Pa Although the
shells Gew about pretty lively for fne none hit any
of the college buildings although one HIT Prof Campbss
house near by II Is singular fact that this shell passed
through the roof and two floors into the paror whore
barmessy terminated s crratc mission by scycring the
cord by which suspended likeness OF General
Washington The picture fell several feet, hut neither
It, the frame glass the slightest degree injured
Professor Campbell, who told this fact spoke Of II as "
not genuinely classical certainly pleasing and agree
able omen.
THs WARS fvmRRrPrros
While not single Northern college or university was
seriously interrupted by the war-and yet hundreds OF
their students inscribe their mpcrishaby the
scroll Of immot.s., honor by becom..c. geluneer so
dIers-ths has fct bSsH the csse with Southern nst
buttons 81 learning AL these have been coeedwashing
College as well as the rest Az early a. Juno 1861
the college classes here broken up On the whole
the war proved serious Interruption TO the college and
u will take long time ~ from It's damaging ef
fects Saying nothing OF the loss of its library abors
tory and meteorological cabinet referred To elsewhere
has suffered other losses by tho wholesale scait ring o.