The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-15

/ -
year to year. the parsons were made subserv
! lent to tho will OF those who employed them
| There were good men among them. but thcil
! character on tho whole was not such rs
to command respect. Lawyers also were
| held In small estoom. and tho condition OF tho
| medical profession was quito low. Tho pre-
| dominant element in Virglnian society was
| Of course. tho nristocrntic class. 1t Is not Of
course TO DO understood that thero was nc
middle class In colonial times. Thcre were
tho tradcsmcn. and there were the proprietors
OF small farms. who were possessed oil FEWER
slaves. These wore scparntel by n line winch
DR.. Fisher deems " impercoptiblo." but which
we believe to have boon visible enough. from
the richcr and moro powerful lind owners.
Tho latter. no doubt. were often in financial
straits owing to their lavish expenditures and
their habit OF anticipating their profits. They
were men. however. Of virie charnc-
tor, capable OF energetic exertion. With
tho spirits and tho manners TO be eN-
pcctcd from a class accustomed to COM
mnnd. To possess numerous horses OF
n choice brood nnd-fow and bad as the roads
were-s,owy equipages. was prevalent ambi-
ton The lonely lilo OF tho rich planters on
their estates unh their lovo OF social inter-
course led to frequent interchange OF visits
among themselves and TO tho excr-
cisc OF n liberal hospitality to strangers.
Tho blending OF high bred courtesy
with temper impatient OF an nflront
is natural to such n class. As. on tho
other hand. there was no town life, tho means
OF intellectual cultivation woro srauty. al
though even In the seventeenth century libra
rios. largo or small. were found In some
Of tho planters houses. The ono subject from
which tho minds OF tho largo landowners was
seldom withdrawn. was politics. In political
discussions and struggles tho intcllccts OF the
leaders o! society were exercised and dis.
ciplncd In word. tho Erginian planters
OF tho seventeenth century. in tastes. habits.
and convictions. wore essentially transpanted
English country gentlemen.
Tho second chapter which Dr. Fisher de-
votes 10 Virginia. in which he carries on
the thread OF colonial annals from the Revnlu-
ton OF 1858 to 1886. is relatively short. For a
long tinic there was q kind OF political apathy
in tho colony duo mainly to tho fact that the
quit rents and other regular resources OF tho
Kings revenue wore generally sufficient to
curry on the Government without tho necd OF
largo grants Of money. Tho first evcnt OF i'm
portancc IL this period is the foundation OF
William and Mary College in 1893. This is
in order OF time tho second among
American colleges. Harvard being first
and lalo third. It was placed in Mid
do Plantation. whittier in 1893 Gov
Nicholson removed tho capital from tho ruined
village OF Jamestown. Middle Plantation now
received tho nnuo OF Williamsburg. and in
honor OF the King and Queen was laid out in
the form OF " and NJ combined. Tho Rev.
james Blair through whose efforts the char
tor OF tho college was obtained. should also be
credited with the extension to tho colony-not
voluntarily. but compelled by orders from Eng
land-of tho benefits OF the English federation
acts to the Dissenters. During tho eGh-
tecnth century the Disorders made largo
contributions to the population OF Virginia
Scotch. Irish. and German settlers planted
themselves In the neiGhborhood OF tho
Potomac, and about 1892 began to pour
over tho mountains into the Valley OF the
Shenandoah. In 1897 there came over at one
time about ono hundred families OF Scotch
Irish. from whom the Alexanders. McDowclls.
and other conspicuous families have descend
ed. A small company OF English families set
tied around Greenway Court. The German
emigrants included Lutherans. Mcnnonites.
some Calvinists. and o few Dunkers. They
built Strasburg and other towns. while the
Scotch-Irish erected their Presbyterian
churches in the region Of which Winchester
is the centre. The father OF Presbyterianism
in Virginia was Scotchman. Fran
els Mackenzie. but the real founder
VI ."e 'Hs.iu oS.e.i"n onuien' Sons'u-
S SIou 90 m'',sn auu .eo -, DUu,' "as
~. wy Voc o0,'u ~ '"no's'
souy q. a"~ u''ol "" w uo.u"e ,iesl
the act Of federation had been extended to
, Dseu.ols. w. .,e .alluity VI 'h's
eA'ension iao oeen u'spu'eo oe'ore VIE man
Gout. Wy res'on nuhuoiph. attorney uenerai'
~ "as oanaurl nlSlos "no op'alneu III Eng
iaho ."e uec'aration fo" the Ateorney-oen-
erai that tno extension mus. s'ana.
Hls polnteu c"e Ny " risnor 'hat during
'ne e.eh.eeh'n century virgin" maze repeat
gu cAor's u S"ecs ''e s'a'e traue' Out tnese
~efo Eehe,ahS u'seour"eou ana .a"arteo ~
.'e i1hHneu governments cenersoh was
tnere'"re Ius''heu III inserting IN the Declnra-
,'on y. 4nuopeuuon'e ."e colnp,a'h. tnat Eng
iuhu Nau iotcvu upoi t"e co,onieS this exc
cr"oie tru,"c' owlhs par'ly 10 na,urai IN
clease aho par,y ~ 'lipot'ut'ohs inc siaVe
popu'a''oh VI ol oe hiu..ip',eo r"piuly' IN
-. "As .'.ooo' ~ i,'o ~ was iGo'ooo'
when 'he WHITES numoereu only I'5.ooo. AS