The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-07-12

| there A..
teaching OF the higher sort was IN tno na ala'
| OF the parsons OF that day: that IN 'n9oo
| schools the classics were the OASIS vi Sdu,
| cation. 70 which were generaly auuou
| rhetoric. poetry and grammatcal sluules.
constituting the "humanitles; Inel W.
| also taught surveying and matnemhtics 10 1"'
| as geometry. and possibly as far as trlsonoiiio-
try' In 1900 instruction was also gwen IA
| French, spanish and Italian; Oi n W.
| boardng-schoOls existed in nearly al .he
| counties and towns of the State. where tue
boys attended during the session ana . re-,
turned home at its close. lie saiu tnA' tno
Classics, particularly Latin, were never ocS
ter known and appreciated as nlelai
ture than bv these old coloniass
teachers: they did not have the knowledge on
| syntax. grammar aud philology whicn tneH
| Successors possessed. but .hey gave tho.i
scholars an admiration for the ahcleh,s
which inspired them with the love ior ciass'cal
! literature Tue Greek participies ana tlle i-alih
/ coniunctions did not engross 80 much teach
| ING az they do now but what was lost on the
! linguistic side they made up on the literary.
! They deserved the same praise that Matthew
Arnold bcstows on Professor Longs transa-
| ton of Marcus Aurelius. They dweit with
! Caesar and Cicer0-not as food Tor school
! boys. but as food for men, nOtas classical dc
t0nary heroes but as present source from
| which TO draw example OF life and instruction
of manners. Thus John Page. afterwards
| Governor of Virginia. seems unable TO praise
| too highly q young Virginia the )logical stu
| dent William Price Virginia HlstOrlcal neg
| ister Volume H., page 42i.) lie calls MN ~
| ingenious beloved and faithful tutor, VINO
WIS of the most communicative disposition
| and possessed the happiest talents Tor ex-
planning what he taught. 1T IS highly prop,
! able that Mr.. Prices Mhigsh principles, ana
| his inducing me % admire Roman ana UTeeh
heroes. gave the glory and compiexion 10 NY
PROSPECTS and conduct through me-
Mr.. Meredith gave the same treatment 70
| the subject of secondary education that ne
hal given the primary, collating an enormous
number of facts. most OF them from origin u
records. in relation to the number OF classlcai
schools in tho State the character OF lnstruc-
ton and of the teachers. He was particularly
complimentary and dwelt at treat length u ,oh
the classical schools founded in Central VIZ
pinia and the Valley especially Prince I'd
ward Academy, now Hampden-Sidney; Au-
glsta Academy now Washington and Lee
University. and the Washington anu Henry
Academy. established in Hanover county III
l71S.
sECTARIANIsM IN EDUCATION.
He said that he believed Washington and
Henry Academy 10 have been the first ex-
press nOn-sectarlan academy or college III VIZ
ginia. for find that the trustees are pro-
hiblted from showing particular favor TO any
one denomination of Christians more than
another contrary 10 the design OF this institu-
ton IL this be so it deserves the success 1t
immediately attained. 1t may perhaps claim
to be the germ Of that idea or nOn-5ectarlan-
ism which Mr.. Jefferson Afterwards made the
keynote OF the system pursued at the III
yeisity OF Virginia Would that this resolve
of these trustees of Washington and Henry
Academy mad found more followers IN tins
State This sectarian view OF education mas
been the curse of our colleges throughout this
state. 1t enfeebled William and Mary before
the Revolution, and to-day it IS dong
more to retard the growth OF our
educational facilities than any Otner
cause Ii has frittered away the en-
ergies of our people and divided among
many institutions. none OF which respond 10
the modern demands for higher education.
an amount of wealth and instruction winch,
if consolidated in one great establishment as
in England it was early combined III TWO un-
iversilies. would put Virginia in advance Of
all other States in the opportunities she
would offer for the instruction OF young men.
| Just century ago MIR. Jefferson advanced
the true theory OF education -decentfallza-
ton in primary and secondary education, but
Capitalization in tie highest instruction. IL
| is only by concentrating all the wealth,
talent and means of higher education upon
one institution that Virginia can expect 10
retain the rank in which her great uniyersi-
| ties-the one in colonial time. the other III
| more modern-gaye her for sound learning.
! If the University of Virginia has fallen short
| of the objects sought IN her establishment It
| is largely due 10 this unworthy spirit Of
seotarian jealousy For to this is greatly
TO be attributed the want OF hbe-
rality on the part of our Legislature TO
! the University This spirit of sectarlansm
even finds its way into the board OF college
trustees and men appointed to the sacred
calling of teacher or professor, not because
| thew are best fitted TO instruct, but because
they profess the theological dogmas taught or
nurtured at the particular institution. | trust
! that YOU who are soon 10 take your place as
educators may be filled with the spirit of these
| old trustees Of Washington and Henry Acad-
envy, who believed III eduoatlOnal1 as well as
| civil and religious freedom. For 1t is truth
| of truths that Just in proportion as an academy
or college is filed with a sectarlan spirit. so 1t
is falling to fulfill it's purposes as means Of
| education.
WILLIAM AND MARY.
Mr. Meredith then passed on to the discus
sion of William and Mary College He com
pared its instruction with that of Harvard.
| quoting long list of authorities TO show the
poverty of instruction at the latter place.
Thus, in a work published this year, 1891, on
the life Of John Dickinson. the author tells us
that the course of instruction at Harvard and
Yale was very limited and designed chiefly
for the training Of Congregational clergymen.
| Thus at Harvard the first professor of that
college, the Hollis Professor of Divinity, was
! appointed in l721, and down 10 the beginning
of the nineteenth century only two additional
professors were appointed-a professor Of
mathematics and professor Of Hebrew-yet.
| from the beginning, William and Mary Col
| lege had nearly its full corps OF professors.
having in 1884 a president, six professors and
an hundred scholars. AS early as 1924 the Rev.
Hugh Jones tells Us that IN spite of some de-
| ficcncles the Virginia youth need not 60 to
! England to be educated, If they make use OF
the great advantages of the college at VIII
liamsburg, where they may aud many do, i'm
bibe the principles of human aud divine liter
allure, both III the English and learned
! languages"
Mr.. Jefferson had made himself acquainted
with the organization Of the best semnaries
in other countries and with the opinions Of
the most enlightened individuals on the sub
ject. Ii was with this knowledge of his sub
| ject that he wrote in 1885 TO hr Bannster
professor Adams College of William and
Mary page 39-40l: But why send an Amer
lean youth TO Europe for education; What
| are the objects of the useful American educa-
ton. Classical knowledge, modern Ian
guages, chiefly French Spanish and Italian
mathematics. natural philosophy, Latural his
tory, civil history and ethics. In natural
| philosophy | mean 10 include chemistry and
! agriculture, and IN natural history 10 include
botany, as well as the other branches of these
! departments It's true. the habit Cf speaking
the modern languages cannot so well be ac-
Quired in America but every other article can
as well be acquired at William and Mary Col