The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-08-03
Donations Presented to the Hartford His
torical snciety, July IS, 1894.
Di'' "Ho' W. any En-


From Mrs. Alice A Richardson, widow OF
the late DR.. E. Hall Richardson, mimic bull
let picked up by the doctor on the field of
Gettysburg soon after the great battle. 1t is
considerably battered but whether or not it
was ever stained with blood, Northern or
Southern, can never be known.
From George w. Archer, of Baltimore.
General Catalogue and Circular of st. Johns
College" From this more than century-old
institution have graduated some of Maryland's
most eminent men, among them William Pink
ney, Francis Scott Key and Reverdy johnson.
The pamphlet, of 16 pages, has numerous il
Illustrations, among them five different views
of the college and grounds.
From Harris A. Wilson, of Emmorton. a
photograph of the site of Cokesbury College,
Abingdon, the first Methodist College Ill
America, which was built in 1875, and burnt
by an incendiary ten years later. The picture
includes the present chapel, erected IN the
same year and on the same lot with the col
lege great portion of the lot has been a
cemetery for many years. The date of the
burning as given on the photo is incorrect; it
should be the 4th December Nor was the
chapel burnt, as might be inferred from what
is there stated, though it was saved, only with
great difficulty, being within few steps OF
the college. Rev. Mr.. Fleming, of Abingdon,
had the pictures taken very recently with the
laudabIe object of aiding, by their sale, in the
erection of a new church or chapel on the his
toric spot.
From William S. Forwood, Jr. COnstitu-
ton, bylaws and proceedings of the Bel Air
Lyceum. This society, during its brief exist
ence of little more than two years, embraced,
so far as this record indirectly states, fiftysiX
members of all classes-ministers of the Cos
pel lawyers, doctors, editors, merchants.
farmers, clerks, artisans and probably few
students Two of them were afterwards
judges, and two represented the district in
Congress. There may have been Others whose
names do not appear as the record seems to
have been loosely kept. The constitution and
bylaws were adopted and officers chosen on
10th November, 1S4S. For more than year,
weekly meetings were held, some question be-
ing debated and an essay read. On the Sd
November, after ten months suspension, il
is recorded that 1.-THE citizens of Bel Air and vi
cinity met for the purpose of recognizing the
Lyceum" Henceforward, weekly meetings
were pretty regularly held for about five
months, when there was another break, from
March until October After that, there were
only four meetings-the last on 10Th Decem-
Der, 1850. The questions debated were most
ly of an interesting character. One was,
SHOULD the law granting license for the sale
of ardent spirits be abolished? ~ 1t may not
be without interest to those who are now
vaunting their great progress in this respect,
to know that this question was decided affirm
atively by the assembled wisdom of the coun-
ty-seat and vicinity more than half century
ago. But of all their many details. there can
be little doubt that, with a single exception,
the discussion of the following questio was
the most entertaining, namely, (which is the
most injurious to a community, an unskillful
physician, an illterate schoolmaster, or a
knavish lawyer which, as the record tells us,
WAS ably discussed by Messrs. Cox, Heron,
Bond and Daniel Scott on the part of the ply
sicians; by Messrs Fulton and Beale on the
part of the schoolmaster, and by Mr.. Webster
on the part of the lawyer-when it was decid-
ed that the ignorant physician was, of the
three, the most injurious. Probably just de-
cison but We must protest that the dispar-
ity in numbers in this triangular fight to say
nothing of the brain power, was hardly fair
for the doctor Aud one may naturally ask
here why was not the heterodoX minister
brought into the question ? 1t would at least
have madea square fight instead of the triangu-
lar one which ragged.
But the question which bore off the palm
for entertainment was undoubtedly this
''Do the arts and sciences flourish better under
a republican than under monarchical gov
eminent :" The debate is thus described by
John Cox. Secretary pro tenn, who, by the
way, was something of wag 1.-The ques-
ton was opened and handled in an able man
ner by S. Archer, ESQ.,. i'll the affirmative. Mr..
Fulton answered Mr.. Archers arguments with
much animation and vehemence, shedding
around the arts and sciences of olden times a
halo of glory unsurpassed by anything of
modern times. Mr.. Archer followed, deter
mined not to give it up so, but with spirit as
unconquerable as lion tore the argument of
Mr. Fulton all to flinders and stood up to the
rack of Yankee land, fodder or no fodder
Mr. Whaland followed in the negative, max
ing his appearance like the Aurora Boreais,
lighting up, as he advanced, with greater bril-
liancy the armament of argument and ending,
like a meteor, in perfect blaze of glory.
Mr.. Archer was evidently used up when the
question was decided in the negative Mr..
Whaland, as an aurora borealis and meteor,
will perhaps seem, to those who knew him, a
trifie overdone.
Of the fifty-siX members named in the rec
ord, eleven are still living-eight of them
hereabouts, two in Baltimore county and one
in the city. The others have gone, one by
one, to their last rest, some long since while,
on the graves of few, the first flowers strewn
by loving hands are scarcely vet withered.
From the descendants of Col. George Nc
Causland ''Bacons Laws of Maryland.'' On
Il hy-leaf is written the following: "This
volume is selected from the private library of
the late George McCausland, of Dublin, Har
ford county, Maryland, and presented to the
Historical Society of the same county by his
daughters.
Nov. Sth, 1892"
1t is q valuable acquisition to our library.
From Henry Arthur Stump, of the Balti-
more bar. A photograph likeness of his
grandfather, DIR. George Edward Mitchell,
who, seventy years ago, represented this coun-
ty together with Cecil and kent) In Congress.
A brief sketch of his career will therefore be
appropriate on this occasion.
A sketch was then read.