The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-08-24
ANational University.

| ANational University. fi
It is appropriate in the Centennial year o.
our existence as a Republic, that attention
should be directed to the Institution of learn
| ng brought into existence by the suggestion
of Gen. Washington, and nourislied by his mti-
nificcnt donations. The suggestion is oppor-
tune that to make the University what its foun-
der intended it should be and to enlarge its
usefulness so as to comprehend the wants of
all sections Of the Union, its basis of operation
should be commensurate with the purposes
| intimated.
We understand that large number of prom
inent gentlemen representing every section of
the country, and embracing prominent states
men identified with both political parties, have
| united in call for meeting at Philadelphia
during the fall, and the Centennial ExhiEi-
| zion, for the purpose of taking into considers
ton plan chat has been suggested to give to
Washington and Lee University national
| character sustained by interests from every
State of the Union.
At this meeting it is proposed that there shall
be created CENTRAL or national committee or
Board, with authority to create subordinate
committees or boards, for each State, with a
view to creating a chair, with an endowment
from each State in the Union. Kentucky has
already established the chair Of History and
Political Economy; Missouri, the chair of APP
piled Chemistry, endowed with $50, 900; LOU
lsiana, the chair Of Modern Languages, with
$27, 600; Texas, the chair Of Applied Mathe-
MATES, with $4,000. The people OF Georgia,
Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida,
and other States arc following the example,
The object of the meeting at Philadelphia this
fall, is to stimulate the country at large to an
interest in the great work that Washington
projected, and in this centennial year to inall-
gurate a movement that will be responded to
by each and every State in the Union.
Gen. Washington, in his last will and tesla
ment, expressed an earnest desire for the es-
tablishment, in the central portion OF the Uni
ted States, of an University 'to which the
youth Of fortune and talents might be sent for
the completion of their education, to acquire
.nosvedse in tho principles of ess1a good
government" and in pursuance OF this purpose
he be queathed fifty shares in the Potomac Com
pany to the endowment of an University in
the District OF Columbia, and hundred shares
in the James River Company to the Liberty
Hall Academy, now the Washington and Lee
University, at Lexington, Va. This last en-
dowment now yields to that university the in
terest OF $4,000 annually The Cincinnati
Society, influenced by the example of Wash
ington, presented an endowment to the same
university of $25, 200. In 1926 John Robinson
of Virginia, Revolutionary soldier, donated
to the same institution $4,000. In 1865 Gen.
Robert E. Lee was elected its president. Mr..
Cyrus A. Mccormick afterwards gave $4,000,
and the late Warren Newcomb $4,000, both
Of New York; Mr.. Rothwell Wilson, Of Phila
delphia, donated large number of rare ind
valuable books belonging to the library of his
brother, the late Thomas r. Wilson, whose
name..is conspicuously associated with the Acad-
'emy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. In
addition to these donations the university has
received 900 from r. II. Bayly, of New Or
leans, and $4,000 and a valuable library of
1900 volumes from W. w. Cocoran, Of Wash
ington.
It is believed, with concentrated effort and
the patriotic feeling of the country actively
stimulated during the progress of the celebra-
ton of our centennial, a we'll defined system
may be inaugurated which will resultin Wash
ington and Lee University becoming what
Washington designed it should be and which
should be. Supported now almost exclusively
by the South, it has more or less of southern
partiality about it. With the entire country
interested in its success and usefulness it would
rise above its present level into an atmosphere
and Influence that would baptize it as nation
al institution of learning, appealing to the fos-
tering care Of every State. Sis
Gen. r. D. Lilly, of this State, has been un-
firing in his efforts to place this university in
a healthy, prosperous and eminently useful
condition. If the present movement succeeds.
and we hope it will, it will owe much OF its
success to his efforts. a H9
Mr.. A. NJ. Wheeler, the postmaster at Dam
vile, Va, was shot in the hand by Mr.. W. w.
Keen, jr., on the 9th inst. Mr.. Keen refusing
to explain language of an insulting character
addressed to Mr.. Wheeler, he was struck by
Mr.. Wheeler. A scuffie ensued, during which
Mr.. W. was shot by Keen, and stabbed in the
side by some one else. The parties were
brought before the Mayor the next morning
and Keen was fined $40, C. D. Conrad S. for
striking Mr.. Wheeler, and Mr.. Wise $5for str-
king Henry Johnson. 1t is stated that politics
had nothing to do with the difficulty. 1t ap-
pears. however, that Mr.. Wheeler was attacked
by several armed parties. while he was not
armed.
The South Carolina democrats are all at once
growing virtuous and s'loyal.'' A large meet
ing of that political persuasion was held at
Aekin, in that State, which denounced the
Hamburg murderers, if the report of the MUIR
ders was true. This was in consonance with
the action of Congress on the 18th amendment
and Lords resolution condemning the whole
sale slaughter of colored people for no other Of
fence than that they vote the Republican tick
et In the case of Congress, however, it is sig