The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-06-12

likewise claims TO be its commercial and lite !
rary centrc), TO one of the extremiiies OF the
State as is Ddwseqnifed TO travel over u large
part of the United States. The telegraph
WAS unknown. Morse, TO whom the Aredlt
Of the invention is gwen, but whetheg it be-
longs to him or Professor Henry be would
not say, was then 10 business In New York,
Of which Canal street was the extreme west.
ern boundary. The new names Of Nebraska.
Dakota, Nevada, &C.. In the West, had not
been heard OF. Postage was at the rate OF
twenty-five cents for the longest distances,
aud shorter distances came down TO nine
pence, and fourpsnce. aud hdpenny, which
coins he presum. many In the audience
had never seen. When people read 10 Cow
per's letters his thanks to his friends for
sending him stamps" they did not
know what be meant. There were no
ner was writing an argument to prove that
the sea could never be narigated by steam.
the fist steamer was constructed and madea
successful voyage. There were no Colts re-
vo'vers, Mine tails, or breech-loading mus
kets. There were no photograph galleries,
where likenesses may be taken faithfully &C
cording to the features, or gaudily according
to the desire of the subject, and BY all classes,
without regard TO 8. race, color, or previous
condition" There were no type.seitlng-ma-
chimes, no sewing. machines, and no sewing
michine agents. There were no lucifer
matches ;people managed TO get a light in the
| night by raking fire out Of the ashes. There
we're no crnoline, or waterfalls, or head
tops, nor square toed boo g. Nor felt
bats. There was no freedman's ou.
reau, no carpet.baggers, no scalaWags,
no universal suffrage. Only landholdsis
could vote, and man might vote on cleo
ti0n-day in all the counties be could visit
where be owned land. California was as
much unknown as those outlandish pisces
Hangtcbon, Nauvoo, &c. Victoria was
girl, II she ever was girl; Louis Napoleon
WAS prisoner in the c'stle of Ham. inere
WIS 10 Pho Mono or papal ipiallibltS;
no Sir John Franklin visiting the Arctic sels
aud expeditions in search Of him; no Ltv.
ing.tore 10 Southern Africa; no Sir Samuel
Baker with his wife taking pleasure excur-
sion to Central Africa to look for the sources
of The Nile. Mesmerism and spiritrsppings
were unknown. There were no discoveries
10 the old Assyrian territory to cobhrm the
| truth of sacred his DRY, and no geology ana
"kindred sciences" arrayed against Moses
Nd Bishop ColeuZo at Port Natal, IN
South Africa, nor theorist to revive the
lucubrstions of Lord NuGboddo, and trace
the origin Of man by natural selection TO
molusk or a tadpole. The first ripples OF
abolition sentiment had just begun to ap
pear. There were no woman's rights except
in The parlor, the chamber, the dining.room.
The nursery, and the kitchen. Lucy Stone
had never appeared uron the platform to an
s.er the question "What rights do you
wal t?' by snrlek,Dg the right TO vote and TO
Ue voted for. The Doctors imitation oil
this shrick was perfect, and elected immense
spplause.] But the right TO vote for. one
man had long been conceded. No Anna
Dickinson Of majestic and rather masculine
proportions had appeared before Richmond
sudieDce.
Dr.. Smith next gave an interesting account
of the institutions Of learning existing In
Virginia fifty years ago, which were Wash
iugton College, Hampden Sidney, and Will
liam and Mary. Some sent their sons TO the
North to get more education. Whetherth
succeeded or not this depouent saith not.
DR., Smith said he was an old faShio0ed Viz
ginian, aud had bellies that Virginia pro-
duced better men and women, aud better edu-
cation, and everything else, than any other
State. For Washington College and Hamp-
den Sidney Dr. Smith claimed the honors OF
creating that sentiment outside OF the Pres
byterian Church which had given rise to
several denomiuationll schools, as Emory
and Henry, Richmond College, Randolph.
Macon, &c. The people OF the North State
we're in advance OF US in the care OF their
women. Some of the girls were sent to
Philadelphia "to be returned in good
order"
Umi,ting many interesting details for want
Of time pass to mention the three or four
lessons deduced from DR.. Smiths Memo
ries %:
/. He had in a org observation of stu.
deuts at college seen the results OF diligence.
Try" accomplished wonders. 81 can't"
never did anything.
2. We should lie ashamed TO talk OF hard
| ships and scarcity 10 respect to the support
| OF our institutions when we consider the
circumstances under which this school was
founded. 1t then took pocketfu Of con.
tineutal money to buy decent breakfast.
Consider the distances Of hundred OF miles
travelsed by our fathers on horseback to
reach their Presbyteries, &C., and the other
dIilirullie, of those days superseded by our
modern facilities. Dr-smiiB here read from
IN old catalogue the names Of some earlier
| trustees, of whom he gave exceedingly in
terestipg "reminiscences JAMES Norton, the
"solid coumn" OF revolutionary fame; X.
n. TCnable, Mathew Lyle, William Bcrktl
whose works and whose sons are with US
(Henry and William); NJ. and Henry E. Wat.
kin>: DR.. Rice, who said " specta young
m,u"; Jonathan L. Gushing (presidenD
nutiYc of New Hampshire, en speaking Of
whom Dr. Saith laid lie never would use the
term :. .nkec" 10 any offensive sense.
3. The Increase OF popular education. The
system now in operation in Virginia was
proposed in 1884 by Thomas Jefferson
and George Wytha; but Mr. Jefferson said
ga good law was defeated by bad proyso,
which gave the magistrates the veto power
in each county," Again, in 1912. the sane
system was adopted in convention from b
Drojet y hich DR.. Smith had the honor to
draw. DR.. Smith showed The advantage OF
education to workingman, and compared
the fog of ignorance that separates the intel
Iect from the hands in the execution OF ne
cbsnicsl tasks TO the fog that bid the light
house and drowned the sound OF the bell on
the steamship Schiller, lately lost on the
English coast.
4 On the sui ject of female education,
DR.. Smith said that the tiood OF raise notionS
know abroad is only to be met by sound
tanning. He concluded his address by an
affecting allusion to the hand laid upon bis
head. and the prayer Of his mother, twenty
four hours before he came to ibis cohege.
That hand had ever been since upon nus
head, and if his life had conferred any oene-
6t uoon the world it was due TO that Elnhu-
cnce.
At the close of the address, DR.. Atkinson
announced that the college would De re-
onapa6 an the first Thursday in SeDtem.