Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-05-23
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.


The Trustees of .Stecart College to tie
Directors of the Southeastern Uni
versity, IN Memphis Assembled,
GREETING:
The Synod of Nashville at its late
meeting in Chattanooga, ratified the
plan Of the Southwestern University
and also rendered your body the Insti-
tuition under their charge as suitable
nucleus on which to develop said Uni
versity. We, therefore, the servants
of the Synod, and the immediate Gu
rators of Stewart College, located at
GAINESVILLE, Tenn, desire to make the
tender in due form, and also to set
forth, in brief, the advantages we have
it in our power to offer.
L. We tenderall our grounds, build
ings, endowments, apparatus, cabinets
and franchises of ali sorts, as follows !:
l. The grounds contain some FIVE
acres, more or less. The main college
building consists of centre and two
wings. The centre contains twelve
rooms suitable for college purposes
The wings containing each eight rooms
are now adapted to family uses, but
may be readily arranged for recitation
and lecture rooms, By removing tenn
porary partitions. The other building,
also OF brick, contains sixteen rooms
including an Office in the yard. 1t is
now used as boarding house, but may
easily be adapted to college purposes.
These entire grounds and buildings
cost fully $4,000, or more, before the
war, when the expense of building was
much less than it is now.
2. We have $50, 900 in good and SOL
vent securities, yielding six per cent.
interest regularly paid, and besides we
have upwards of $1,000 of solvent in
dividual notes enough to make our en-
dowment full S3S,000 of six per cents.
B. We have s., 900 worth of approved
apparatus, chemicals, and other col
lege furniture in good order and re-
Gently purchased.
4. Our cabinets are unusually fine,
being the amateur and life long work
of our beloved and honored friend
and patron. Prof VIM. NJ. Stewart.
The mineral cabinet alone, contains
full three thousand varieties Of choice
minerals, and quite large proportion
in duplicate. They are unusually fine
hand specimens, many of them having
cost from - 90 to SIC 90 apiece. No
pains nor expense has been spared to
secure fine specimens and they are
gathered from all parts of the world.
So, also with the geological collection
of which Van Uxom's collection val
ued in the first case at $4,000 has
been made the nucleus.
The value of such collections de-
ponds in large measure upon the de
mand. Perhaps it would be safe to
put down their value at s20,O 600. though
they have no doubt cost vastly more
than this. These items taken all to-
gether make up at least $4,000 in de-
sirable form.
III. In addition, the corporation of
the city of Clarksville has given $50
600 in Tennessee Bonds, bearing inter-
est at SIX per cent. upon the condition
that the Southwestern Presbyterian
University shall be located at Clarks-
vile. This fund is in the hands of
Trustees ready to be turned over to
you. We transmit herewith copy of
the act of appropriation and all the
facts connected Herewith.
Ill. In addition, we have a good
and solvent subscription made to the
Trustees of Stewart College of S26, 355,
payable partly, in one and two years
and partly in one, two and three years,
which We tender on condition of the
location at GAINESVILLE.
". We have also purchased, eondi-
tionally, for the University 19 acres of
additional lands adjoining the college
grounds, for which the sum of S.. go
is to be paid. after deducting SUBJ
scription made by one member of the
family, from whom purchase was made.
This price is less than one half of
what the propertyis valued at for city
taxation. This purchase viii give the
University a body of twenty-four acres
of desirable grounds, a plat of which
we do herewith transmit to your body.
Now, these various items taken to-
gether, make an aggregate of over
$4,000, which we offer in the form
enumerated above as the pecuniary in
ducement to locate the proposed Uni
versity on this nucleus.
V. We have a patronage of one
hundred and twenty five students IN
the institution to serve as nucleus to
larger success.
VI. OF course this tender is made
unencumbered with debt, and unem-
barrassed with the present Faculty,
who will give place to the reorganiza-
ton by your Directory.
VII. We tender you location made
desirable by reason of its healthful-
ness, accessibility, religious and moral
influences and cheapness of living.
l. The health of the city is most re-
markable There has been no epidemic
of any sort here since 1885, when
cholera prevailed to some extent in a
part of the town which was then small
and poorly improved. There never
has been death among the students
of the College since its first organiza-
ton in 1853. Nor has there been a
case of serious sickness in the four
years since the re organization.
2. Clarksville is accessible by rail
and by the Cumberland river, from all
points. The Great Southern line to
Milan, Humboldt and Memphis, passes
this point, and makes US easy of access
to all the Southwest. The railroad
connections via Nashville with all
points East and Southeast, are also
good.
The college itself is pleasantly stu :
ated in the edge of the city, full half a
mile from the square, but contiguous
to much of our best population.
3. The religious and moral influences
of the city are salutary. All the de-
nominations are strong, and the Clarks-
vile people are church going people
Almost all of our leading men in all
the walks of life are pious men, and the
community is entirely free from that
sceptical and semi infidel class SO COM
mon in many towns and cities. The
fact is invaluable as a guaranty that
the students in their respective board
ing places and other associations shall
meet with proper religious influences.
4. Living too is cheap here, for pro-
provisions are as cheap as they are
anywhere in the bread and meat pro-
ducing districts of the West. Board
can be had in private families for 81 30
per week. with everything found ex-
cept washing. Clubbing and mess
h ,lP' rates would not be more than
$3.50 per week. So many of those who
are seeking an education are poor that
considerations of this sort become of
prime importance.
We would also beg leave to say that
our Institution was named in honor of