Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-09

IKE IdnnueS, gOOO name descending from
generation TO generation. Nashville as an
educator has to-day a good name to be-
gin with. We inherit the good viii Of q
vast region of country extending from the
long border line between Kentucky, Mis-
souri, and Tennessee-Arkansas on the north
to the Mexican Gulf and frontier on the
south. There is not county in all this
immense empire in which the name of
Nashville is not known and hOnored as a
seat of literary and religious culture. When
it is borne in mind that the geographical
position of very large portion of this re-
gion viii for generations to come cause
large numbers of youth to be sent North
ward for education, the value of this high
reputation will at once be appreciated by
the Board of Trade. For this most valu-
able interest we are indebted to various
benefactors, whose labors can here be only
glanced at, but whose names viii always be
luminous in the annals of Nashville, and
continue to grow brighter and brighter, as
a wider and still widening circle of grateful
descendants and successors shall enjoy the
fruit of their heroic bravery and self-denial.
The first place on this roll of honor must,
in historic truth, be assigned to the remark
of Tennessee, to the pioneers or early set
tiers of this country, as they are commonly
styled. Upon these men, by Universal con-
sent, is bestowed the highest praise for all
those qualities constituting tough, rough,
hardihood, endurance, fortitude, self
denial, wisdom, foresight, resolution,
courage, strength, skill, integrity, virtue,
have been oft and again the subject of elO-
quent enl0gium BY the distinguished orators
who have so adorned the annals on TeIrrEus-
see. Strange it is that their great fountain
virtues, from whence alone can spring such
good fruit, have been 90 much overlooked.
The early settlers of grand East and lovely
Middle Tennessee were men and women OF
christian faith of the sOundest type. The
Bible, as interpreted by Calvin and Knox,
was their palladium. They were pilgrim
fathers. They came here TO endure all man
ner of danger and hardship that they might
lay the foundation of christian commune
ty, and better the condition Of their chill
dren, whose welfare they preferred to, their
own ease and comfort. By these high and
holy motives, neither more nor less, were
the Plymouth colonists moved, as have been
all successful eolOnists since the days OF the
Patriarch Abraham, whose life and faith
were household lore with our ancestors OF
North Carolina, Franklin and Nero Dis
trict. In common with all christians,
religion and education were with
them of prime importance. Contemporary
with the origin Oftheir towns, counties and
State was the founding of their schools,
academies and colleges. In reading the
pages of HAYWOOD, Ramsey and Putnam,
this fact stands out in living light, Having
not drop of their blood in my veins and
born in an Eastern college, l may freely
express the admiration excited in my mind
by the care and attention given by these
noble people to the cause OF education,
while surrounded by perils, such as per-
| haps were unequalled in the history OF any
| other State. Their efforts were crowned
with success; Sewer, Robertson and then
associates lived to see Knoxville and Nash
vile the seats Of flourishlng colleges, and
transmitted to their successors the imper-
isbable Inheritance of religion and learning
| co-eyal with polity. Thus this municipali-
ty in its very embryo enjoyed the triple In
| heritance of religion, learning and states
manship, and its proud pre-eminence OF to-
day must gratefully be traced back, as We
have thus imperfectly but truthfuliy at
tempted.
Learning having been recognized
| by the founders of the State
as main consideration, Craig
head, Priestly, Hume, and their associates
Trustees of and in Davidson Academy an6
| Cumberland College carried into successful
action the laws and enactments upon thu
| subject pious ministers and eminent schOl
airs thus giving life to the body framed by
Christian business men. Parallel with thi'
institution, we find the Nashville Femal'
| Academy, founded by representative men
| such as Crutcher, and others, Differed witt
! able instructors, and educating noble anC
| refined women. And so the University o
Nashville and the Nashville Female Acad
emy did, for a long period of years, ditfus'
| learning and science, not only among he
| own citizens, but, by reason OF the multi
| tudes of youth of both sexes attracted thithe
| by the WeIl-earned reputation of these insti
| tlItions, throughout the length and breadth
of the entire Southwest.
During all this period of sixty years o.
more. Tennessee was sending her adyen
| furious sons and daughters to subdue anC
neople Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi ana
! Louisiana, and Texas, the vast one State
With all these Tennesseeans, no matte
| from what portion of the State, Nashville
was a synonym forintellectual culture. Emf
grants always look back with fOndest affec
ton and flial reverence to their native land
This feeling has beyond question contri
buted much to deepen the direct impression
produced through the pupilage Of the grea
| number of students from those States,
pupilage in most cases extending through
period of several years.
In this connection an influence which hai
| contributed greatly TO the intellectual FAM
| of Nashville must not be overlooked.
refer to her political or governmental emil
hence. Government is matter OF BRAN
not offorce. Great statesmen are great intel
lects. Their career demonstrates the pow
er Of intellect as compared with that o
| brute force. For many years as the CAPT
tai of the State, Nashville has been fOcu'
of political influence, and through the re
markable line of Tennessee's public men
has acquired national note in the pOlitica
world. Few other cities of America car
i lmpare with her in this respect.
To one of our most energetic bushes
| man the late Hardin p ROstick are vi