The Hazlehurst signal., 1885-10-22
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
An Interrr~stinE Letter from Hon. J. 8.
Sexten.

trip 10 TIE OnlNcrsU! Oi MississipP,
which was very interesting to me ,and
n few notes Of which may prove Of IN
tcrcst to hose Of your readers, who
have sons there, and Others who feel
an interest In the University. II has
been Zen years since ! left the school,
and NATURALLY expected 60 find mate
rial changes in the place. In some
respects, this anticipation proved true,
in others II did not.
The Campus has been very much
imprOvcdin appearance, by planting
out shade trees and by the growth Of
Bermuda grass which Is now thor
Oughly set upon il, and forms a soft
green carpet all over the grounds.
The DormitOrics have also been great
" improved by the erection OF long
double vcrandahs in front OF each,
which are modes Of neatncss and
comfort. The Lyccum and chapel
remain unchanged. The Faculty re-
mains nearly the same, and the Pro-
fcssOrs seem delighted to meet the old
students and are very solicitous about
their welfare. ! must have answered
a thousand questions about ''the
boys' and probably asked MS many;
and 1t was very gratifying to lie to
learn that, of the three hundred stu
dcn.s, VINO were in attendance there
ten years since, most Of them are do
ing well, there bcirg but few wrecks
in the number, and most Of them be-
ing engaged in some honorable pur-
sui, for Il livelihood. Another very
gratifying feature to Inc was the fact
that death has caused no vacant
chair in the old Faculty, and time
has dealt gently with their features,
and mingled but few more "silvcr
threads among the gold' since | saw
them last.
Ispcat most Of my time with DIR.
Wheat Of Oxford. (.Tack Wheat Of
CopiaD. I attended SUNDAY school
Win him aud .hcard h.n deliver n
sp'crG:d lecture % a class Of thirty
Young men, who seemed to appreciate
the golden opportunity they now en-
Joy. This mans heart and hand has
always been open to the students and
friends Of the University rs wei! as To
all mankind, but lic seems to feel an
almO.. supernatural interest in tine
pcoD'c of Copial county, the home Of
his boyhood, and well llc may for her
people appreciate the fact that in him
CoDiah cOu ,,y contributed as big II
brain AID as generous hear, as ever
adorlcu nc Faculty of the University.
| also visited Gen. Sears. met him in
his s.udr, and it Is a study indeed.
lIc wea sa "bad?c of honor In the
way Of u wooden log and is moi 80 ac-
tive as hc Otherwise would be. on
that account. but his brain works
while his body rests, and he is one Of
the best posted men in the
State. lie is just ns eloquent OH the
last report from fashionable watering
places. and socic,y notes generally. as
he i Oh pure mathematics, and that Is
sa, ing a grca; deal. rs his old students
well know.
nc., v..si,cd DR. Quinch. who is q
walking Encyclopedia Of Latin text
books. and who ''nevcr fOrgcts u
rule. lie is probably the best
known of any lay member Of the Bap-
tist church in the State and by his con-
sistcnt walk, and big hcartcdncss,
has made himself an honor to the
church, and II blessing to the Univcr-
s.ty. lie is the only member Of the
anti-bc,lum faculty. During the war
he saved at tlie University, at the re-
qucs. Of the ci,izcns Of the Staic and
prcsc we'd the property, Mt Onc time
probrb y saving II from being laid in
vase by the Yankee soldiers, by his
carncs. p'cGd'rgs. was highly en-
tc taincd by his excellent wife, and
finally asked what had become of the
title girls whom ] had frequently seen
kiss the old students in childish sport,
and to my as:Onishmcnt was pre-
sentcd to two beautiful grown young
ladies, one of whom il now u member
of the SepiOr class o: the University.
am not growing old ut al, but these
girls are "mighty big for their age. {"
next visited DR. johnson, who was
rather pc. Of mine while at schoci'
He came to the University fully i'm
pressed with the fac, that "a man
ought to know English, II nothing
else, "and being Of the Baptist pcrsua-
sion he has never rapos .atizcd from that
opinion, and by dint of energy ard
ability has placed the English depart
ment of the school upon high and
excellent footing. l also met Prof.
Fulton, upon whom the mantle Of
his grand old father-in-law, DIR.
Garland, has fal!en, and he wears 1t
well. ! Twas pressed for time and did
not meet Gen. Steward, the Chancellor
Of the University. He came there after
l lcft and is making an excellent chan
cellor. did not have the pleasure OF
meeting Prof. Little or the professor
of chemistry, but learned that