The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1870-05-04
From the Southern Collegian.
ALAMBY WELLINGTON MILLER.
T TCONoLUDED.1

LIE university session Oh Iooo--' ""1
spent by young Miller, so far as the out side
world could see, in the quiet pursuit of his
college studies. A student in three schools,
he graduated in two, viz, Modern Lam
guages and Natural Philosophy. Of History
and Poetry, he was, during this year, close
reader. He assiduously practiced the art
of composition, and has left much unpub-
lished manuscript, in both prose and poetry.
Whilst prose essays on, historical, political
and speculative subjects exhibit intellectual
cultivation, and that mental fullness which
may result from labor, yet it is Poetical
composition that manifests the inner-life of
sentiment, heart and high thought.
have already given some extracts from
home letter, not for the justness of the
criticisms, but rather to exhibit youthful
development;ase1sHew not for its intrinsic
merit, but to manifest the sentiment and
feeling of boy of eighteen, will venture
to extract from many manuscripts, almost at
random, three verses of poem thrown OFT
in leisure hour. 1t may be single ray,
but it shows the light of the soul:
"Long years ago bird who wended
Her way to some far distant land,
Upon river bank descended,
And left her footprint on the sand.
"Lightly she rose and left the river,
And onward kept her thoughtless way,
The sand she pressed forgets her never,
And hard rock bears her print to-day.
"Thus will my heart, till its warm beatings
Are stilled for e'er in deaths cold shade,
Cherish the memory of our meetings
And keep the impress thou hast made"
X
The session Of 1867 .-8 closed his Univer-
sity course. He graduated in the four re-
naming schools. and was, by the laws of the
Institution, compelled to pass satisfactory
general examinations IN review on all the
subjects embraced in the curriculum, in or
der to secure the Masters degree, which was
awarded him.
His academic honors this session were re-
garded by his contemporaries as remarkable,
but they fell far short of his real achieve
ments. During portion of this year he
was one of the two editors of the University
Magazine. He was the editor elected by
the Jefferson Society, of which he was an
active member. In this monthly periodical
he published during the session eight prose
articles and three poems. Some of these
essays are quite elaborate. One especially,
entitled, "The Future Rulers of the World, !"
exhibits a considerable acquaintance with
the science of Anthropology.
1t is customary at the University for a
committee of the Faculty to examine all the
articles furnished by the students for ,he
Magazine during the session, and to award
prize medal to the author of the best
In June, 1868, the committee were una .
to determine which of four essays was
deserving of the prize. The difficulty
ever, vanished, when upon calling
authors, it was found that all ft
from the pen of young Miller.
One of his college-mates of tn
son--a mature mana distingu
Der of the Law Glass, and now
lawyer in this State, thus 8
"My acquaintance with him
constant daily and hourly
observation of his habits
conversations with those wh{
him in the lecture room, and
es in the Society. The cb
ture of his mind was its
vigor, which rendered his
trenchant and incisive, anC
ations always easy and u
never an excessive studeI
any nervousness about
standing. His intellect
Dor, or plod-he was new
ious. Though far from
ison between his labors
and the style of his the
constantly deepened m
original vigor of the ii
frame SO slight, H
spire his body; and
witnessed his slmo
strength, activity ant
nasium, often wondC
could embody such
of the same session
study was Mathemati
and long and iatrica
light. have seen
with an unfinching
uuered at last.
Indeed, in hi
er was deeply
for Mathematic
even then, in the resclut ,ated
radical, and the solution OF - pro-
bIsms, was very remarkable, and / might
add, that from his earliest boyhood and
throughout his life, he manifested decided
turn for Mechanics. In department so
purely material he was inventive, ingenious
and skillful. allude to these pecullarities
of mind and taste, lest it might be inferred
from his subsequent manifestations of imag-
inatiop both in prose and poetry, that his
intellect lacked those solid qualities which
usually accompany a practical and mathe-