Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-12-25

and the committee, one OF whom was the
grand father Of Hon. A. IL. FL. Stuart,
substituted the name of Liberty Hail.
for it, This school was the germ from
which the present University of Washing
ton 81 Lee sprang.
THE WAR AND EDUCATION.
The coming Oh of the war brought trou-
BILE to the school. AT first the boys had
been taught in the log school house, and
they boarded at the farm houses around.
But in 1777 buildings were finished by which
the boys boarded at the school. Their
tuition and board was only s10 los, OF
about $50 in Federal money, a year. Money
was depreciating and this much woudn It
begin to feed a boy. So the farmers had to
take them back to their houses again to
/ board, except where boys father would
furnish provisions to the school at the old
/ prices. Insuch q case that boy was boarded
there at IS los q year. AS the war went on
matters became worse. The older students
were enrolled and carried off to the Cont
mental army. The paper money was so
deprecated that it would buy hardly any
thing. The RectOr-Mr. Graham had now
become the Rector of the school, had to
support himself and family by cultivating
his farm, leaving the Academy under the
immediate care Of William Wilson, who
was afterwards pastor Of the Old Stone
, Church in Augusta. AT last the Academy
gave in and WAS deserted, q few Of the stu
dents receiving private instruction at MI.
Grahams farm house. The Academy
never re-opened on the same spot again.
In 1888, after the surrender Of CORVALLIS.
, Virginia had quiet and new Academy
was built on the spot where the farms OF
MI. Graham, Jos. Walker and VIM. Alex
ander joined, each one giving part OF his
farm for the grounds.
THE NEW SCHOOL
t was not, at first, {; boarding school, for the
pupils boarded with the farmers around
/ The session was opened with prayer and dis
l missed with prayer. One of the academical
laws required the students TO rise and make
: adecent bow When the rector, teacher OF any
, gentleman should come in or go out.
Another was against the use of nick
, names. The pupils in the new school need
2 ed severe laws, for they were no longer the
: innocent sort Of boys who were at the ole
Academy. With waf and soldering COZ
: Tupt manners and vices had come. Some O.
e the charges upon which students were az
i raigned before the Board indicate the
Decentralization. At one meeting in 49,
q students were arraigned for combining
e to burn the Academy" and playing
a cards, drinking and swearing. AS late as
: 1894 student was expelled for callinS
another "blaggard negro-headed rascal
and announcing that he would let people
known that he was the Devil according t.
his Magnitude
:. THE FARE AND THE PRICES.
Later in the year 1794-the students
# paid for board and lodging $3.50 for a ses
sion Of five months. Their bill of fare was.
S fol- breakfast, coffee, tea or chocolate witt
bread and butter; for dinner one course o
l.. bread and meat, (beef, pork OF bacon) witt
+ suitable sauce Of vegetables; for supper
+ bread, butter and milk. Iii that day wilea
( was So cents q bushel, corn ~ cents, bee
O p cents q pound, and pork 81 cents. Il
e October Of that year provisions having
e risen slightly, the Board permitted tn,
V Steward to even up things by taking ava,
: butter from the supper table, leaving tn
n pupils bread and milk.
G. When the new building was finished il
1896, the price Of tuition was increased Il
o e5 q year, board to .elG, and the room zen
q for each student WAS fifty cents a session
unless where five OF more crowded into on
J. room when it WAS 81. 90 for the whole
y In 1896 bIr. Graham resigned, and tire,
years after, died in Richmond.
If A SCENE IN AN EARLY AUGUSTA COUNTY
is COURT.
The facts given above are from a pape
n prepared by Rev. Dr.. Henry Ruffner-on
a series Of histol Acal papers OH Washington
s. Lee University Which are being publish
ed in pamphlet form by the Board OF Visi
tors OF the University. An address deliy
A. cred by Hon. Hugh Blair Grigsby has ais
q been published, giving sketches Of the foun
ders Of the school, for copy of which w
10 are indebted to Judge VIM. Mel tughlin
n In them occurs some interesting history O
! this locality-this III his biography of vii
+ liam Preston:
Let us attend the organization of the coun
tY court OF Augusta, the Augusta OF that day
is stretching along the Blue ridge to the Nort
), Carolina line, and from the Ridge to til.
" Ohio and Mississippi and glorious princi
le pality it was That court was held on tn
J. 9Th day OF December, 1745, in the village 0
- Staunton, which was SO called, probably b,
tnhn in naIa ,t,i tr,,..., do
Governor Gooch who had granted their pat
ents to the early settlers; but whether tn
l. maiden name OF Lady Gooch was Stanton
il OF Staunton was the name of her Englisl
e home, l am unable to ascertain. The com
u mission from the Governor was read; and
0f appeared that John Lewis was appointed th
presiding justice OF the court. He was thel
~ years old, but he was to live seventeen
years more, and to see other counties caryet
out OF his own. Born in the reign of Charlie
the Second, this venerable patriarch saw til
T. entire reigns OF James the Second, of William
- and Mary, OF Queen Anne, Of George tn
I'll First, and CT George the Second, and was t
ne count two years OF the reign of George til
s. Ihird-the first king born on the soil OF Eng
40 land since the birth Of Edward the SiXth--an
n closed his career at Bellefonte, where hi
40 ashes now repoSe, at the age of 81
AZ BY the side of John Lewis sat Hugh Thorn
Is son. ROBERT Cunningham James Kerr, an
ne Adam Dickinson John Madison, the fathe
CT the future bishop and the uncle of the fl
d ture president rises in his place and reads hi
ic commission from Thomas Nelson, Secretar
OF the Colony, as clerk of the new county; fc
it was not until the date of the Revolution
thirty years later, that the courts assumed til
power OF appointing their own clerks. III
court proceeded to appoint sheriff, and job
he Patton was invested with that Office. Thon
IT, as Lewis, another of your trustees, then in til
full flush of manhood having entered his 27t
h5 year, steps forward and reads his commissio
10 as surveyor OF the new county, underline sigi
Il manual of President Dawson of William an