Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-29
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY.
Mr. Jencr>On's Conception-its Lorn-
tion and 0peuIng.


returned report which contained, n
addition to many Of the most important
laws We now have on our statute-bookS,
a complete scheme for a system Of pub
He schools. 10 which. rs a capstone. he
added provision for the establishment oi
a State university. IL was not until l'a
that the Legislature acted upon the edu-
cstional part of this report. and then
only 40 far as to establish on paper
system OF free schools. without making
any provision for a university. In lSl2
having but recently laid aside the mantle
of Chief MAGISTRATE Of the United states.
Mr. Jefferson was called upon by conf
mittee of the citizens of Albemarle coun-
ty At his home Monticello, for his
advice in regard to the establishment of
a high school in that county. He at once
advised the establishment OF college
instead OF high school. and soon in
fused some of his enthusiasm into the
gentlemen of the committee He himself
contributed ,l,Ooc. which example eight OF
the committee at once followed. and the
sum SO contributed formed the nucleus
for the erection OF Central College"
To Mr. jefferson was left the selection
of the site for the new college and tc
him no location seemed more lifting than
the gentle slope. about "A mile to the west
of the little village OF Charlottesville.
surrounded. as it was. by country rich
I'm all that makes Gods earth 50 beau
tiful Dotted here and there We're ample
woods. now rising dark ana solemn i'm
masses of evergreen and now glorious
in a rich exuberance of colors. the land
rising In smoothly. undulating waves tc
the westward until II mingles with he
foot hills of the Blue Ridge.
THE SITE SELECTED.
Here he and his coworkers decided TO
build their college, and here. nested at
the foot of Monticello" was Central
College located No institution Of learn
ing. in this country certainly. ever had
more distinguished sponsors. Presidents
jefferson Madison. and Monroe brought
their united powers of mind To the task
and the desired result was assured, but
not attained without much labor ana
many disaPpontmentS. one building and
a single row Of dormitories had been
erected. when Gn 1873 the legislature
through the untirius cXertOns Of MI
Jefferson. ably supported on the noot
of the body by Joseph Darlington Cabell'
authorized the use of $1,000 annually FOL
tn primary education of the poor. and
$500 TO endow and support university
THE COMMISSION APPOINTED.
The commission appointed to select the
location of the proposed state University
met the following spring at RockiiSh Gap,
in the same inn now part Of the hotel
az Mountain Top.
To quote from Professor Schele de
Nere's semi-centennal catalogue of the
University of Virginia He tMr. Jeffer-
SOM had shrewdy foreseen thar COM
netting interests would conflict with his
own wishes and especially with the Sc
lection Of a site for the new uniyersity
His sagaclty was not 40 fault, for various
other towns. and among them Lexington,
where an institution. endowed by Wash
inetOn himself was already doing much
good. urged their claims through able
representatives.. But he was fully pre-
pared 20 meet them. and came armed
Cap-a-pic. He first exhibited Ia the
board an imposing list Of octogenarians
who were still iivin- In hs neShbOrhOod
and thus proved more cOnclIsiVely than
al reasoning could have done. the re-
parkable salubrity Of the climate OF Al
bnmarle Having thus completely defeat
ed his adversaTies who founded their
special claims for the valley upon its
s-Derior healthfulncss. he next produced
a piece Of cardboard. cut in the shape Of
the State Of Virginia. and showed by a
glance that Central College Was actually
the territorial centre OF the Common
wealth. thus establishing strong argu-
ment i'm favor of his own choice But
b. did not rest there. By another in
geniOus device he proved. on a similar
piece Of board, on which he had. with
painstaking industry. entered the popula-
tion OF every part of Virginia that he had
succeeded IN selecting neary the centre
Of the population also He Also showed
by practical demonstration that Central
College was the centre Of gravity OF the
state as shown on the cardboard: and
thanks 10 the practical proofs Of the
wisdom Of his choice and the almost
paramount prestige which his name cX-
ercised on the commissioners. they agreed
unanimously that Central College should
be hereafter the University OF Virginia" "
THE CHARTER GRANTED.
In 1919 the Legislature granted charter
for the new Institution. and work was at
once begun on the plans for the build
ings. OF which Mr.. Jefferson was him
self the chief architect. borrowing largely
from the magnificent works Of art that
had been his chief delight and study in
Europe Each Of he buildings according
TO his plan. were to be OF Il different
s,vle of architecture. bur so artfuily ar
ranged as 10 make a perfectly harmOni-
Gus whole. and To- give a beautifully
classic outline 10 the beholder
White the work On the buildings pro-
gressod Mir. Jefferson Was also busiiy oc.
professors He Was determined 70 have
none hut the best. ana as he soon found
that the most capable men in this coun-
try were already engaged he had TO
turn 10 Europe. In 1924 he commissioned
his Youthful friend, Francis Walker Gil
mer t. secure for him IN Europe profess 4
sors qualified 10 hOld positions In The
institution he declared should be the
leading one in this country. This wisdom
M. lea.
men so secured Charles BOnnycastle
and Robiey Dung.ison. well known to
science and medicine. respectively:
Thomas Hewitt Key and Charles Long
both of whom We're afterwards recalled
70 Europe 10 supply important positions In
their home universities. and John r.
Emmett. a nephew OF the famous man
of that name. and whose son has won !
such a reputation IN surgery In New York
city. Hon. George Tucker. OF Bermuda |
was chosen FOR the Chair of Moral philo- |
.ophy. and John Tayloe Lomax for thai |
Of law.
sOLEslNLY OPENED
On the 7th OF March. 1875. the unver- |
sity was solemnly opened In the presence /
OF the professors and forty students !
which number was increased during the /
session to l2}.
Mr. Jefferson WAS the first rector OF !,
the Board OF Visitors and continued To |
hold that position up TO the time OF his |
death. Upon the board also served ex- |
Presidents Madison and Monroe. the lat |
ter OF whom lived for some years on the /
university grounds in the house now oc- !,
cupied by the chairman OF the faculty.
Mr. Jefferson continued to take the