Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-07-20
LETTER FROM DIR. PALMER.
To the Editor Of the South Hestern
PreS6Yte7idn.:


: The promise of jotting down bri
# notes of travel, during my brief al
d sence from home, has not been fo
! gotten but, to the present momen
+ L have been too constantly on tn
wing to redeem it. In this deIigh
o ful spot, however, there is perfeC
4 repose; and it will be a pleasan
: occupation to reproduce such inc
, dents and reflections as my iourner
. to this point may suggest.
! Having seen the South Western
! only occasionally in my rapid move
ments, | cannot tell how full an ac
j count has been given of the com
! mencement exercises at Clarksville
Tenn. Preceding these, the dedica
ton of the new Presbyterian churci
edlfice was an occasion of specia
interest. / did not charge nv
memory with the architectural de.
tails of this elegant structure. which,
perhaps, would neither interest noI
profit the majority of your readers.
Suffice it to say that it is as complete
IN its appointments as the modern
style of church building calls for,
and is finished throughout with a
taste that is nearly faultless. / un-
derstand that the Episcopal Bishop
OF tennessee has pronounced it the
most beautiful church edifice in the
State. Two things mentioned by
the pastor, in his brief narrative on
the day of its dedication, impress
me as worthy of being repeated i'm
! your columns. The first is, that
this expensive undertaking took its
rise in the humble endeavOr to raise
money enough just to repair the old
building. The response to this call
was so prompt as to suggest the en-
largement of the original plan; and
the result is the achievement of
what in the beginning seemed an
impOsSibility. / think we can match
this in the history of our own city
churches; but every fresh proof that
nothing is impossible to Christian
faith and effort deserves to be re-
corded. The second fact is equally
noteworthy: that a church building
had been erected at a cost of more
than forty thousand dollars, and
was dedicated without cent Of in
debtedness; whilst, during this
heavy strain, the contributions to
all the enterprises of the church at
large had steadily increased. 1t
will rejoice the six Synods, which
are united in the effort to build up
a great University at Clarksville, to |
know that such vigorous and no
bic church stands as their represent |
ative by its side to foster it with a
blessed and holy influence.
The directors of the Southwest
ern Presbyterian University desired |
greatly to enter upon the complete |
organization which is implied i'm |
this imposing title. Various diff |
culties were interposed to prevent 4
the Immediate execution of this
purpose. 1t was, however, apparent |
that we cannot afford to wait, as
originally designed, for large en-
dOWment before this should be at |
tempted; and the Board contented
themselves with simply giving no
tice that, at their next meeting, one
year hence, the Institution would
be put upon a University basis, by
the creation of as many coordinate
schools as there should be funds to
sustain.
| am tempted here largely to di-
gress upon the importance of this
University, and its claims upon the
of the Presbyterian Church
in this whole region of the South
west. But the argument is too
large to enter upon in this narrative
of passing events. 1t will be better
to reserve it for articulate presenta-
ton by and by. The financial stress
upon the country during the past
year has interdicted large increase
of the endowment. Nevertheless,
an important work has been accom-
plished in the collection of an old
for building purposes
erection of a large brick building
greatly needed by the University.
AS soon as the different rooms shall
be finished, the magnificent cabinet
presented by the late Mr.. Stewart
can be put on exhibition for the
public, and will be in itself fine
advertisement of the institution. 5
The upper portion of the building,
even in its unfinished condition,
a commodiOus hall for the ]
exercises of the commencement. A /
word or two, briefly, upon these. ]
Two evenings were given up to I
he two literary societies. On the '
irst, addresses were delivered by {
)ratOrs chosen from the societies, '
md were of the nature of a compet-
tive exhibition of forms in training S
II each. These addresses reflected I
.redit npOn the youthful speakers,
whether it were the style or the |
natter of the speeches subjected to
criticism. t
On the second evening, a noble s
discourse was pronounced by the
he Rev. DIR. w. e. BOggs, of Mem S
)hiS. His theme was the impOssi- a
,ility of any real conflict between t
Science and Revelation. The argu- $
nent was unique and solid, we'll q
worthy of being issued from the i
,ress. If its publication has not
,een called for by the students for 5
whose benefit it was prepared, / v
lOpe the suggestion may be con- v
idered by our excellent brother, of t
Orwarding it as an article to the I
southern Presbyterian Review, at t
S. c. /
The graduating class was not t
arge, but apparently composed of p
material. The addresses d
delivered were admirably chaste, s.
nd bore witness to the intellectual C
iscipline under which the speakers Il
ad been trained. The charming b
and taste with which the o
was conceived, was only Ii
qualed by the tenderness and n
athOs with which it was delivered. g
was driven back, in listening to p
hese exercises throughout, upon an fl
Id cOnvictiOn-tha all men are Il
elf-made at last, who are worth k
in the world and that the "
Ollege, after all, is the best, which fl
ffOrds the best drill and the closest Ii
Ontact Of the pupil with the pre- +
eptor. In the earlier stages of edu- 81
alton, the smaller colleges have, on
his account, the advantage over
ne larger and more pretentious. /,
May it please God to give this in II l,
-itutiOn a place in the hearts of our u
eOple, and to raise up the friends .
tho will endOW it with the funds
to put it in the front along g
18th the foremost University in the la
md. Yours, most truly, SC
B. NJ. PALMER. il
THE Davidson County Democratic al
on Monday the 8th inst. m