Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-06-08

| Princeton, when Mr.. Graham was there
as a student. The manuscript lee
lures Of the President of Princeton were
copied and used for text book in the
same branches by the students at Liberty
Hall. Degrees were conferred, and
at the first formal commencement of
which the records of the Academy make
mention. Sept. 14th, 1855, a class of twelve
graduates took the degree OF Bachelor of
Arts.
EVOLUTION.
The ascidian Augusta Academy was
being evolved with certainty It had been
the Augusta Academy, "'Liberty Hall ;;
the ''seminary," the college of Wash.
ington in Virginia." and now in 1871. it
became by act of the Virginia Synod a
Pathological Seminary" But the Trus-
tees didn't take to this so kindly and ar
ranged that instead of 1t 'tOivinity as a
branch of Science, taken in connection
with the Science of Human Nature
should be taught in Liberty Hail." This
was agreed to and lasted until Mr.. Graham
ANo1StACd LIZ 1tOOs 10y VhC ID w VI uheuI dl
selection the evolution then took an oppo-
site turn and Law School was establish
ed with Paul Darlington Of the Supreme
Court-of Virginia for the Professor. This
however only lasted from 1903 to 1909.
When the civil War broke out in 1851, it
was called Washington College, though the
students there organized an infantry COM
pany. called the Liberty Hall volun-
teers," which was assigned to the 4th Va.
regiment, Stonewall Brigade. and was
successfully commanded by James J.
White, one of the college professors, Hen
ry Ruffner Morrison, Hugh A. White and
Givens b. Stricken. In 1864 it was sacked
by Hunters troops. In 1865, on the oath
Of August, Gen. Il. E. Lee accepted its
Presidency. In 1871, after his deAtb, its
name was changed to washington and
Lee University, and there its period Of
evolution ended in a great institution of
learning"
THE DONATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
MADE TO IT.
Few lists of college donations in this
country present as many curious features.
Take them as they come. In IVA, $4,000
as the result of the patronage of Hano-
yer Presbytery; 1896, $4,000 the gift of
George Washington the father of his
country; 1903, So, 900 the gift of the
"CincInnati Society" composed of surYiv-
ing officers of the Revolutionary war;
1SDG GdG bo rrIff oF hn pcb
Irish trustee Of the college; 1855, SIS, 900
by citizens Of Baltimore and New York;
$10,0 900 by Warren Newcome of New
York; at several dates total of $4,000
by Cyrus II. Mccormick; 1869, $250,0OO
by George Peabody Of London; 1872 and
other years, $31 800 by w. W. Corcoran of
Washington. Then follows s25, 900 by
Lewis Brooks, Of Rochester, n. Y;
$780, 600 by Col. Thos. A. Scott Of Phila
delphia; 81, 600 by II. H. Houston of Phil
adelphia; $4,000 result Of a concert given
by Col. j. Il. Mapleson in New York;
800, 900 by the will of Vincent L. Brad
ford of Philadelphia; $4,000 by Mrs.
Evelina H. BireIy of Baltimore; $1,000 by
Col. M. &. Harman; $42 900 bequeathed
by r. H. Bayly; S., 900 by f. o. French;
81 900 to Santini fund, and other gifts
SO that to-day the University has total
of invested funds of 5000, 494 o.. The
committee make just recognition of the
valuable services Of tbs late q en-. r. D.
Lilley, the agent Of the college, to whose
presentation of its cause were due many
of the royal gifts it received.
THE ALUMNI SOCIETIES.
There are societies of the Alumni of
the University, in Tennessee, Louisiana,
Kentucky, New York, Texas, Maryland,
West Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, and
any number Of them in Virginia. The
officers of that in Staunton, are Judge John
Howard McCue. President, and Capt. T.
q. Morton, Secretary, and in Waynesboro
Rev. A. r. Cooke, President. and James
A. Fishburne, Secretary.
THE ALUMNI.
The list of the Alumni sparkles with
names, and CLOVIS with fami
liar ones. Senators, Governors, Generals,
Ministers ran all through the pages. We
are glad to see that Augusta county held
its own from the first graduating class to
the last. In the first list of graduates of
the old Augusta Academy stands the
name Of Gen. Samuel Blackburn, the
famous soldier of the Revolution and
author of the Anti-duelling law. And in
the last graduating class, 1856 81, was
William Ballard Smith of Augusta, G. E.,
a. B., NJ. A, who took the Honorary
in 80; the Taylor Prize Scho-
larship in 'S3; the F. .. French Scholar
ship in '85; the Robinson Prize Medal in
'85; the Young Prize Scholarship in '86,
and the Cincinnati Grafton in '67.
Having mentioned the interest with
which we have perused the list of alumni,
we may add one feature which will not be
80 Interesting to the alumni themselves
it is a painful breach of confidence in the |
N alter of giving away the ages CT many
an old boy who is to-day figuring in our
midst as middle aged at the most.
END OF ANOTHER SCHOOL.
1t is somewhat of a coincidence that |
just IS we finish this sketch Of the birth |
and growth Of Washington and Lee, we
read a paragraph in the Charleston, Ka-
nawha Star describing the tearing down,
last Tuesday, Of the old Mercer Academy |
there, which was founded in 1918 by Col. |
David Ruffner; the first Principal of |
Which was his son, Henry Kuffner,
who was Rector of Washington College
in 1886 and afterwards its President; and |
the last Principal of which under its orig
inal organization was D. l.. Rutfner, his |
grandson, who graduated at Washington |