Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-04-11
Well-KnoVn Educator Dead.

: A WGll-knOWl EdQCdtOr Dea(
REV. DR.. r. II. PHILLIPS PASSES AWAY
NoRFoLK-uIs FUNERAL IN sTAUN
ToN-A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AN
woRKs-A GOOD MAN GONE.
&C, &C, sc.
A telegram was received here, on Monda
last, announcing the death that morning at
g o'clock, at his residence in Norfolk, of Rev
r. Fl. Phillips, D. d., for thirty-two yea1
the Principal of the Virginia Female Inst
' tute in this city. The telegram stated tina
his remains would arrive at o'clock Tues
day afternoon, for interment in ThOrnros
cemetery, by the side of his wife and othe
members of his family, who lie there.
Rev. R. H. Phillips who died in his 79t
year. was born in Fredericksburg, Va, an
after graduating at Yale College was Oh
dained to the ministry of the Protestan
Episcopal Church in Maryland in 1884 b,
Bishop McIlvaine. He otficiated Temporal
rily as rector of Christ Church in Norfolk
and afterwards as rector Of parish in the
Diocese of Maryland. His health made il
necessary for him to give up the regular
ministry and he resolved to devote his life
to teaching. He first taught in Maryland
The Virginia Female Institute at Staunton
for which the ground was broken in 1916
was finished the following year and Mr.
Minor was it's first Principal. He was sue.
ceeded by Rev. Mr.. McElroy, and he by MI
| Phillips in 1949. He made the school a
great success and it's fame spread through
out the Southern country. The original
building of the Institute was crowded with
pupils up to the opening of the year 1861.
When the civil war came on the D.,
d. & B. Institution was taken by the
Confederate Government for a hospital,
and the pupils there were removed to the
Virginia Female Institute, the fortunes of
which had already been impaired by the
opening of hostilities. Mr.. Phillips became
Captain and A. @. M. in the Confederate
army. He was captured at Arlington, Mel
son county, by Gen. Hunter on his raid, and
was confined in prison at Camp Chase for
ten months. Among his companions there,
was Mr.. G. G.. Wheat. who was captured at
tine same time.
After the war closed and Mr.. Phillips
was liberated, he reopened the Virginia
Female Institute and soon had it so crowd
ed with pupils that the Mozart building
opposite was erected to serve as an annex
to it. At the height of it's prosperous ca
reer his health failed and about 1879, he
suffered stroke of paralysis which wholly
disabled him from active life and from
which he never recovered. The Institute
was taken by Mrs. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart in
1881. Mr.. Phillips moved to private res
idence on Madison street, where he lived
the life of a patient and accomplishing in
valid till 1886, when he moved to Norfolk,
the scene of his earliest ministry, with his
family. There he has lived up to the close
of his life, and the Norfolk Landmark
speaking Of his residence there, says: CAT
ter eleven years Of patient and uncomplain-
ing suffering, during which he was to those
who were privileged to enter his sick room
living epistle of the power and beauty OF
the Christian religion, he has entered into
his rest. He will be long cherished in the
memories of the clergy and laity of the do
cese Of Virginia and of a large circle Of
friends all over the country" Of the one
hundred and twenty-four clergy who were
Mr.. Phillips fellow ministers of the do
cese of Virginia in 1850, only about twenty
three are now living.
During his long residence in Staunton,
Mr.. Phillips was not only successful edu-
Gator but was besides apublic spirited Cit
iZen interested in every enterprise to ad-
vance the city. He was one of the leading
spirits in the erection Of the present Masonic
Hall building, the building occupied by n.
Wayt & Bro, the National Valley Bank
building, and other prominent edifices. He
rose Cemetery. He was an earnest
Mason and was a charter member Of
Stevenson Commandery Knights Tenn
plar, besides being member of the
Blue Lodge and the Royal Arch Chapter.
He had been Chaplain of all three. In life
he expressed the wish that at his death the
Templars should bury him with their SER
vice. He in early life married Miss Thorn
of Fredericksburg. She was lady Of
lovely character and was an important aux
iliary in his management of the Institute.
At her death the pupils there erected to her
memory the first memorial window put in
Trinity church here. Mr.. Phillips leaves a
brother, MI. A. X. Phillips, in Fredericks-
burg, and two daughters, Misses Florence
and Kate Phillips, and a son, Mr.. Henry
Phillips.
On Tuesday afternoon, the remains ar
rived at the c. Il 0. depot where a large
crowd was gathered to receive them. One
of the most interesting features of the
gathering was the presence of some forty
OF fifty Of his old pupils whose residence is
in Staunton. In many cases mothers and
their daughters, both Of whom had been pll-
pills of the departed teacher, were present
In the procession were the Knights Ten
plar and the Blue Lodge Of Masons, and at
their head marched the Stonewall Brigade
Band which had volunteered it's services
The Virginia Female Institute was repre-
scented by it's Principal, Mrs. Gen. J. E. B
Stuart, with her pupils dressed in deeI
black, and Rev. DR.. VIM. A. Harris Of the
Wesleyan Female Institute, was also pres
emit with delegation of pupils from thai
school. The pall-bearers were Col. ]. H
Skinner, Judge J. N. Hendren, Maj. Z. c
Elder, Capt. F. B. Berkeley, Capt. H. M
McIlhany, DR.. B. M. Atkinson, and Messrs
w. L. Lushbaugh, A. f. Kinney, P. H
Trout, w. A. Burke, and Jos. F. Tannehill
The funeral services took place at Trinity
| church and were conducted by Rev. NV q