The Brookhaven leader., 1884-08-07
OUR STATE UNIVERSITY.
rrespopdence vicksburg Post /.

| Correspondence vicksburg Post:
| Most Mississippians know tina
the State University is situated q
Oxford in the northern part of tn
State, but we are afraid that this Il
the narrow boundary of their knowl
edge of an Institution OF which W,
have just reason to be proud. Ok
ford itself is a fourlshing littl,
town of about two or three thous
and inhabitants, and is situated or
the Lafayette county, hills-one. o.
the healthiest regions. in all Mis-
sissippi. The thickly thronged bus
mess houses, the handsome and
couimodious churches, the. bank in
a neat nnd attractive building, and
the Court House with its well-train-
ed bar and excellent Judges, he.
speak material prosperity, and indi.
cate energetic and industrious
citizens.
The University campus and
buildings lie about one mile west OF
this attractive little town, and on
the opposite side of the Illinois
Central Railroad. The campus or
inclosed grounds, on which are
built the Professors residences,
dormitories and recitation building,
occupy the level summit of an oak
covered hill. IL contains about
twenty-five acres of ground, and is
laid off artistically with winding
walks, sown with beautiful orchard
and meadow grasses, and planted
out in the most beautiful of our ma
tive trees-the oak, magnolia and
silver-maple predominatiDg-and
presents during the Spring and
Summer months retreat fit for Az
cadian Pan. The buildings consist
|Iof,three dormitories, each capable
of rooming seventy-two students; a
lyceum or main building, contain
ing the reading room, library, Pro-
fessors' lecture rooms, Chancellor 8
office, a chapel, various Professors
houses, an ivy-mantled, triple tow
cred, astronomical observatory, and
an airy. summery locking structure,
with trapeze and o horizontal bar
or so in it, bearing the attractive
and prctentious appellation of a
gymnasium. AS the buildings were
all put up in the days when archi-
tects regarded the cube and paral-
lellopipe as models of beauty, they
all, with the exception of the lyceum
and observatory, offend terribly :he
aesthetic senses, but are all commo-
dious and comfortable. This, after
all, is the first requisite of build
ing. The lyceum is built after the
model of the columncd Greek temple
SO fashionable fifty years ago, and
the observatory, with it's many cor
ners and rounded towers, is medicv-
al enough in aspect to make the eye
return to it again and again with
unceasing enjoyment. The dark
green ivy climbs boldly up the
highest of its turrets and hangs
over in long green streamers, and
the velvety mosses and quaint Itch
ems that love damp, soft brick, mes
tie in the various chinks and crew.
ces of the walls. So much for the
buildings of the University.
The chemical laboratory, occupy
ing nearly the entire basement of
the lyceum, is complete in every re-
spect, giving the inquirlng young
scientist ample opportunity to push
his investigations to the furthest
bounds. Prof. r. W. Jones presides
over this department and renders it,
though naturally dry, one of the
most attractive studies in the cur
riculum. While We were here there
was not an experiment, however diff
cult or apparently, unimportapt,
that was not performed before an
interested class with consummate
skill ahd never falling ability. The
physical apparatus, in the words of
the Professor of the department, is
ample and contains the largest cleo
trical machine in the world. There
is wanting, however, a good and
powerful telescope, the one used be-
ing hardly mediocre in power The
library contains about six thousand
volumns. and on, it's shelves are
found the kings of thought, whether
in poetry or prose, whether in histo-
ry, fiction, science or song. The
reading room is supplied with the
leading English ana American
newspapers and magazines. Both
it and the library are kept open
three hours daily, and besides the
students and faculty have the priv
ifege of taking out any book or mag
|Iazine and,1 keeping it two weeks.
Some of the very pleasantest days of
our life were spent in that well filed
library loiling in its easy chairs and
gathering the jewels of knowledge
that flashed with snch, bewitching
splendof in its books. 81
L The faculty consists of q chancel-
lor, twelve professors and two tu-
tors, and teach all the departments
usually taught in first class colleges.
Nearly all Of them are courteous
and polite gentlemen and treat the
young men more like they were hu-
man beings with feelings and not
Iinanimate objects without pride or
selfrespect. Another excellence In
II A IL - A 4. /. =.