The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-23

which they are not qualified, and to which
they have not been called, They vii, natm.
rally be bad advisers.
Fourth. The management Of literary
and theological institutions should ho few
in number. The curators of the ITnivcr.
sity Of Padua were but three I'm number.
The curators should be chosen eynresslr
| for that purpose. IF the management If
universities are deposited In the hands Of
men selected for other purposes, of course
there will he corruption and ineftlciencv,
| VIC position should be one of very HIGH
hohor--one which would be appreciated hv
,nn oluer OF our ministers and elders.
v ben the number is increased so that tho
position is not one of dignity ana honor
goodbye to the advancement and imnrova'
| mcnt OF the institution. Having laid down
the general principles for the government
! OF the curatorS. the selection of nrofessors
] and other practical details should he left
| entirely to them.
Fifth. What do we mean bv sav;no that
| the Church needs university education J.?
| W mean something better than the catho.
itclty prevailing in the American Tract So.
Guy III It's last DAYS and III the University of
| virginia: The same remark applies here as
the truth, but the whole truth. So orr
literary institutions should teach not mere.
y Christianity, but Calvinism. There are
| TWO Ideas OF university. The od Euro.
psan universities were for youthful stu
dents-mere boys-and not for college
| graduates. They We're nothing more than
| large grammar schools, and the only thing
| That made them universities was that they
| taught all the branches then known. Such
are our American univcrsities-with the
iq';i'lhcatlon that there is an addition of a
post graduate course. Is this all that we
mean! IL so, / fully concur that this is
best done in smaller colleges.
| The modern German university is diff
ferent institution. The gymnasia, with one
or two hundred students, are the seats of
the real work. The universities are mere
clusters of lectureship. There are no reci-
tationsg no means OF compelling study or
attendance, and no examination. eycent
when the student applies for degree. Is
this what we want? / fear not. There are
not enough young men in our Southern
jthurch who want such an education to
support such 4 university. and there pro-
| badly will not be for u century to come.
Even III Germany consider them a literary
luxury, and that it is the gymnaSa that do
the elhclent mental training. We have no
tlme Tor any such toppery Il, there prevails.
sixth. Is it competent for this General
Assembly to take measures for such Il uni
Ycrs!ty: think it is. The Convention has
no power to commit the Church, but
It has the power TO overture the Assem-
bly,, and 1t can commit the Church. If it is
true that certain persons are willing to give
to such an institution, and that thew will
not contribute to lower purpose, it is the
path Of wisdom to utilize that zeal, to
make good use of The fortune Providence
throws in our lap. Can we not begin and
make tentative effort at once with these
funds! \ board OF clirat0rS might be APP
pointed by some competent authority. who
Woad appoint professor Tor post gradll-
a;es, and lend that teacher 10 any institu-
ton who would afford him shelter and
proper convenienceS. III that institution
did not conduct itself properly the profess
sor would be removed by the curators.
Another one might DC loaned to another
college. and when the fund is sufficient
| they might all be recalled, and centercd on
| some one point. This is probably the way
in which the thing would grow.
| The Convention must consider whether
! the acceptance Of these funds would not
| prove 4 stimulus to the friends of local in-
stitutions, who would have to strive TO
secure the loans Of these professors thus
supported by the funds donated. This is
| the course adopted in the case Of the Miller
donation to. the University of Virginia.
| The executors of Mr.. Miller have made
treaty with the University, which can be
enforced by law, that they will loan pro-
! le>>or Of applied chemistry if he is properly
| provided tor, and the result IS the erection
of IS fine school in this branch as there is
| OH the continent.
! The claims Of existing institutions should
| not he intcrtcrcd with. We should cure
| fully avoid everything that looks like an adj
| ditlOnal tax on our Impoverished Church.
l -, ln hut rI1p
only to those exceptional rich men OF whom
we have been told in ia" preceding debate.
The Educational Convention III session
at huntsville since Monday ceased Thurs
dav. 4 unanimous overture was made to
the General Assembly setting forth the
principles guiding prcSbyterian> in defence
OF education, and asking the Assembly to
| take action-iir>t, TO secure the liberal sup
port Of existing colleges second, TO dis
| courage the multiplication Of such lnStitu-
tons !; third, to provide for the receipt Of
donations for the establishment of great
university; and, fourth, to Use the income
of such donations for existing colleges till
the university is established.
| G'hc first letter OF our reporter at Hunts
vile reached Us after we had made up the
| account which appears in another column
of the proceedings of the Educational Con-
yention and the General Assembly Of the
| Pre- .by terian Church. The following eX-
tract from his letter will explain some
| things in the other report:
| Virginia was ably represented in this
! Convention. and, while there was not /.
| strong stand taken against the paper which
| was passed and forwarded to the General
Assembly for final action, yet it is not to he
SUPPOSED that this scheme of q great uni
verSity will not be warmly contested on the
| floor of the General Assembly. The paper
| forwarded from the Convention to the AS
| Scmbly is not in itself IL cOmmittal of the
! Prcsby terrain Church to ecclesiastical con-
| troll in such matters. The paper is Il COM
| promise of opinions as it stands, and it yet
| remains to be seen what will he the result.
| | notice on the floor Of the Assembly
| from Virginia Key. Drs. r. l.. Dabney,
| VIM Brown, Z. L. Baird. I. Pryor, 4. l..
| Peck, S. j. Baird, j. L. kirkpatrick, and
a. ID. Pollock; Rcrs. j. \. Aaf, X. L.
Beng, Il. K. Houston, W. L. Wilhelm, and
John Johnston. Perhaps Virginia has not
often had i stronger representation III The
| General Assembly than this year. There
are ten ruling elders from Virginia, whose
| names likewise are familiar to the Virginia
public as men of enterprise, active business
| relations, eminence and ability. There is
| but one vacancy in the Virginia delegation
of TWENTY-FIVE members. This morning
was occupied in the appointments OF stand
4 ine committees and the reading OF reports
| which passett immediately into the hands
| of these committees. The reports as they
| were read show that, OH the whole, the