The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-05
TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM
For the VALLEY VIRaINIAN.1
D rrs

"
my addressing this communication to you.
l. nave Tor years regarded your paper the
most ably edited, il not most widely circu-
lated paper Of the Republican partyin
Virginia. That being so, it will be seen
by more eyes there, which may insure its
4 publication herein the organ of that party
Which gave Blaine 9,000majOrity, and one
OF the county representatives at Harris
burg, ten thousand, Ii may surprise the
eyes there, to see the fact mentioned. that
any one county in these United States can
boast OF publishing at least t1ce71ty-ice
newspapers, OWNS tlceaat3-QRe national and
half as many private banks, has forti-one
townships and seven boroughs. Yours, the
Largest in Virginia, having six, as much
territory, perhaps, and population, as one
OF the States, and beyond doubt pays more
revenue than Delaware. 1t can boast
truthfully of being the best 'farmed, and
having the highest assessed land, which
Yields. It's owners more gain per acre, than
the same sized piece of terra .t17na, as We
/ believe, on the globe.
Nearly century ago. in an humble cabin
IN hollow Of ISreal's Mountain. a foot
hill OF the Blue Ridge, in Jefferson's ma
tive county, amale child was born. AS an
urchin, OF perhaps ten years, we first hear
OF him gathering the locks of wool from
the brlars, plucked from the sheep feeding
In the quilted fields near his home. Knit
| by him into stspeaderS and sold at nine
| pence pair, are the means whereby he
put the first money in his purse. Time
passes, when presently we find him i'll the
| city OF the Hills, y as Lynchburg is appro-
| prlately called, writing his name high up
! on that column upon which are found the
names OF Girard, Peabody, Johns Hopkins,
| Peter Cooper, Corcoran, and Others 1clsich
| alone has been reared lreSt of the Atlantic,
and THREE MILLIONS of dollars are set
apart to educate the orphan children of his
not5ce and adopted counties.
After the ''old bell, - which passed be-
fore our eyes some days ago. on its s'Holy
mission, " had rang out its clarion notes in
l176, a singular coincidence occurred in
the history of his native and your adopted
counties, and this county Of Lancaster and
the county of York. The action of the
British at Philadelphia and at Richmond,
made the county seats Of each of the four
time the State capitol, but with pre-
pondefance Of honor here, that each for q
time was the capital OF the United Col
onies.
But there is another singular coinci-
dence Of names, in Jefferson'S and Buch-
annans ndt5re counties, which in these
latter days, involves an interesting bit of
history, as touching subject now assum-
ing National importance with big n,
that of education.
Somewhere about 1888, Thomas Penn
granted patent for 217 acres of land, a
parallelOgram in Marrow Township, a few
miles west of this city, to Michael MAYER.
On it in 1744, the famous DR.. J ohm Con-
molly, the pet Of Gov Dunmore, was born.
I our readers familiar with the early his
tory OF your county will recall him. He
changed the name of Fort Duquesne, after
1t was called Penn, to Fort DatRmOre. Elk
anime your old records and you will find
your County Court adjourning at Staun-
Ton to meet at Fort Dunmore, and cice
Uersa. In 1858, Connolly broke up the
Court there, and sent some of the Justices,
prisoners, TO yoGr torn. All this by way
OF parenthesis, In 1749, Mayer sold that
tract Of lapd to John Miller, q Blacksmith,
In this town. In 176l. Miller bought and
patented, 224 acres adjoining the above,
nearer here, and laid out town called
Nele Millersville. In Jefferson's native
county, it was Samuel Miller, who after
k15ttjRg satspenders, caused the opening of
the ''Miller's School," some six or nine
years ago.
Here, almost in sight of where Buch-
anan was born, was this town of Millers-
vile laid off, as we have Stated
y ct here is another remarkable coinci-
dence in the name of Miller Being mixed
up in what you are all struggling for so
earnestly in Virginia, without regard to
class-col0r-or previous condition, the
cause Of education.
When Sam Miller first saw the light, the
poor boy did not even have the benefit OF
the 'old-ield -schOol-maSter. - At that
day, and down to 1854, when the bit of his
tory in which MilleTSville is conSpicuously
involved which | am about to illustrate.
Virginia and Pennsylvania were on the
same footing, so far as the character and
qualifications OF the common school
teacher were concerned, each was gradu-
ate, with the highest honors, of the "Old
field system" You, in Virginia, are
making your first experiments, cutting
your eye-teeth, as it regards the Normal
School System, " your Legislature, with a
pralseWorthy purpose, having appropriated
500, 200, for her first school, at Farmville,
i'll Pr. Edward. AS there is spice of TO-
nance connected with the history of Penn
sylVania's first effort, as shey near thirty
years ago, cut her eye.teeth, and as lessons
may be learned by Virginia, from her sis
terS experience, we are sure you will be
interested in this brief sketch. t
a few large hearted citizens, in 1854
sought to improve the "old field school
master" They built in the village of
Millersville, what they called an academy.
The Hon. j. z. Wickerham was at the
time, county superintendent of schools. He
has been prominently identified with the
cause of education in his county and state.
and as the representative of our common
country as minister to Denmark, assumed
q National reputation. In 1866, the citi-
zens referred TO, rendered to him the use
OF their academy, and u thousand dollars
TO meet the expense, and asked him to in
vite the teachers of the county to assem-
Bile and receive, at his hands, three months
alast'3etjon. A large number assembled,
and to him it was labor of love- as hehad
for several years looked longingly to such
consummation. ''Those men builded bet
ter than they knew" 1t was the acorn
planted-the pebble dropped in the lake.
1t was taken hold of by the State, and
made the first Normal School, Mr..
Wickerham may be said to have been the
father OF the system. A public spirited.
liberal board of trustees have theoretically
watched over it. In grounds, buildings,
and furniture, they have spent near $780,
900. -Four hundred pupils, (both seXes,)
are most comfortably boarded and cared
Tor, with four OF five hundred more, all of
whom are instructed by an accomplished
corps OF, on an average, five teachers. This
system OF having both sexes in the same
institution, has been most carefully oh
served, and the generally conceded opinion
with those best prepared to be the Judges,
is that the mixed system is the best. We
nave had SeVefaI opportunities, IN person.
OF seeing the operation of the Millersville
School, and cannot hut regret that Vir-
ginia had not, at Farmville, made her first
Normal School an exact pattern after this.
Pennsylvania has nodded NINE others af-
ter this. Virginia, West Virginia, and
sixteen other states have sent their youth
here.
You viii recall the fact that in 81, Prof.
Ruffner, at the time State supt, of schools.
invited the principal of this school, Prof.
Edward Brooks, and a half dozen of the
professors, both sexes, to aid him in a
Normal School at Front Royal. Prof. ].
Oyern Lyle, one of the number, said to us
q few days ago 1.-The Virginians captured
the entire party, and all looked back to the
weeks spent in Warren county. as an ousis
in LIES journey" This is not ALL DR..
Rutfner paid two visits to Millersville, in
the past year, and to use the language of a
distinguished Virginian, writing to us
from FarmVile, "he is most pronounced
in his opinions of the merits of theschool. -
He has shown his faith by his works, in
| offering several of the professors here, of
| both sexes, more liberal pay to go to Farm