The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-01-07
The Educational LAND Gcrip-Inter.
est1ng.Addresso OF Gen. r. III. smisia. !

: z -. 49, sE5gst
The Educational lard scrip-Tuter.
esting. ng.Address OF Gen. IF. III. Smith. Z
The Educational Committee Of the two
Houses Of the General Assembly, according
to adjournment, metagain yesterday after
noon In the Senate Chamber, and resumed
the consideration of the claims Of the yari-
ous colleges of the State for the Educational
gress.
General Francis Hs Smith. of the Virginia
Military Institute, was The first fosdaress
the committees. Het said that Inc setting
forth the claims of the fnstitntn he did mt
eaor intend to say aught to the dispa.
ragement of any college who were m tT1e
field as applicants Tor the donation to G,,f,
OF more Of the colleges Of this State Ee-
had been reared under the sbadowo of Wil.
liam and Mary, and to that time-honoretl
institution he looked with reverence and
respect, and In bis prayers wished. his
friend, Col. Ewalf, God speedin his efforts
to place that college high; in the sphere in
which it rightfully belonged. From the
terms OF this law the State Is made the trls-
tee Of this fund, and the State Will look to
the'State institutions which she has'estab-
fshed as the custodians Of so important q
trust. The character Of the education i'm
posed by this law shall be liberal and prae-
tical for the industrial claims. :.
!. This fact, then, he said, was well estab-
lished, that this law i'm poses upon the State
and the college the fact that the leading
object Of the institution shall be the educa-
ton OF the industrial classes; and this, he
claimed, was q popularity Of the institute.
His colleague Gen. Preston) is really the
father Of the institute, and has been mem
bert and an officer Of the college from its
organization to the present day. The State,
through its legislative body and its EXecu.
tive, has acknowledged the fact that the in
dustrial pursuits have been taught there
since its organization, and our State cared
for its industrial pursuits long before Con-
gress ever thought of this fund. When q
poor young man went to the institute, un-
ike other colleges he was asked: :" My lad,
can you read and write-have you the
groundwork Of education-the four great
rules of arithmetic? If so, you are wei
coined in our college,"
General Smith then reviewed the. history
of many of the professors Of the institute,
in which he stated the fact that twenty
years before the organization of the class OF
applied chemistry Mt the University, Col.
Gillian had instituted school of that class
at the Virginia Military Institute, and that
all the various arts and sciences are there
taught with the view of applying the same
to the industrial pursuits. Only few
years since and all, or nearly all, OF the
newspapers Of this city (the dailies) were
edited by gentlemen who had at the Mill
tary Institute received their education
indeed, every branch of business in this city
and all over the State have representatives
from the institution in which the hero,
StonewalI Jackson, had been an officer.
In ssetehing the various applications tpE
to say that even though the credit Of ocean
telegraphy was claimed by the great Cyrus
w. Field, of New York, 1t was pleasure
for him to state that the first credit was
due to the three pioneers Of this art
Maury, Brooke, and Bergman, all of Vir.
ginia-and he felt honored to have it in his
power to say that two of these gentlemen
were associated with him In the Virginia
Military Institute as professors.
Maury, while pursuing his researches IN
the winds and currents Of the ocean, was
led to anticipate the existence of tele.
graphic plateau from the coast Of Newfound.
land to the coast of Labrador, and that
could an instrument be found to reach the
bottom of the ocean, this plateau would
be found. Brooke, by his sounding
apparatus, reached the bottom of the
ocean, solving problem which hat
engaged the attention of the civilized worlc
from the days of Peter the Great, while
Bergman made the first experiment with
the sounding apparatus of Brooke, an6
found the plateau which Maury had con
jectured. The specimens brought up from
the deep showed under the microscope that
the bottom of the sea was still and unin
flucnced by abrasions or debris, and the
combined work of these sons Of Virginia
Maury, Brooke, and Berryman-really
paved the way in ocean telegraphy.
At the conclusion of General smiths re
marks Professor Puryear, of Richmoni
College. read written memorial which
mad been prepared, setting forth in detail
the advantages of that college. After {
statement by Mr.. Puryear that this memo
rial would be printed and laid on the desk
of the members of the General Assembly
the committee rose, to meetagain this even
ing at O'Clock. sr