The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-07-20
REV. ISAAC ANDERSON. D. D.
By PRESIDENT s. w. BoARDMAN.
ID. ID. LII. d.

ca ny opccldi request, anu was
read at a memorial service held in
the Presbyterian church, May %,
1892.
f. E. MOORE.
"T0 Rev. Isaac Anderson,
Says his immediate successor, Pres
ident John J. Robinson; ''is the
constitutional Presbyterian church
indebted for the growth and extern
sion and stability which it now en-
joys, in East Tennessee and many
portions CT the South and West,
more than to any other man living
or dead"
Concerning President Anderson,
the late DR.. Allen of Huntsville Ala
bama wrote as follows. 81 have been
inPhiladelphia and Boston, and have
heard their greatest speakers; l
have been in London, Liverpool and
Manchester, and have listened to
the preaching of their most distin-
guished ministers, but DR.. Ander-
son is ,the greatest man l ever
heard" The soil of Tennessee con-
tains the dust of several U. s. Sena-
tors, and other eminent citizens, in
GLIDING Il President of the United
States, but it may doubtless be safe
ly said that the greatest man who
ever adorned East Tennessee was
Isaac Anderson. Rev. Henry A.
Nielsen, Editor of 1.-THE Church at
Home and Abroad" said that he
never fully understood the unique
position of East Tennessee during
the war for the Union and in the
affairs of the Nation, until he visit.
ed Maryville College, which. incar-
mated the very spirit and genus Of
DIR. Anderson.
His greatness consisted chiefly
in the immense breadth of his mind
which rose to views so broad, aims
so high, and sympathies so unre.
stricted as characterized his
work in life. East Tennessee was
settled by many of the choicest
families of Virginia. The. Scotch
Irish from Derry and elsewhere,
who had emigrated to Rock
bridge county,Va., and the vicinity,
were distinguished for their love of
learning, and their devout piety.
They were morally the elite of the
Old Dominion, and shared in the
highest degree the advanced senti-
inents of such patriots as Washing
ton and Jefferson. Liberty Equsli-
ty and Union, and the education OF
the masses of the people were their
greatest ideas. Jefferson was no
stronger advocate of his famous
declaration that all men are
born free and equal than was Isaac
Anderson.
Jefferson, it is well known, ear y
proposed the emancipation of slaves
Washington emancipatcd his
own slaves, and lamented that he
could not earlier ensure their free
dom Jefferson and Washing
ton were both full of schemes for
universal education. Washington
endowed in part, Liberty Hall, af-
forwards called Washington Col
lege, which is situated in Rockridge
county, and at which President
Anderson was in part educated.
That Institution.which is now call,
ed Was hington and Lee University
from the fact that Gen. Robert E.
Lee was until his death it's Presi-
dent. Washington also left in his
will a legacy for national Institute
to be established in the City OF
Washington, the National Capital
Jefferson the lifelong scholar never
ceased from his eXer ions until he
had secured at last, little before
his d3ath, the establishment, near
his own home, of the University of
Virginia.
These ardent desires for popular
education which distinguished
Washington and Jefferson were
not shared by all of the older fam
of the Eastern and Atlantic cOun-
ties of Virginia: Hence progress
in the work of education in the old
er portions of the State was not
very rapid; but the Scotch-Irish OF
western counties were as enthuas.
tic for schools as Washington him
self; a, d when, in their enterprise
they removed into the new settle
ments of Tennessee, they brought
the love of schools and books with
them. This was eminently true o.
the family in which Isaac Ander
was the oldest son. While he be-
came the most illustrious mem
Der of his fathers household, ye
three of his brothers became Cir