The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-04-24
The EPISCOPAL HALL.
History, Progress, Good Feat
uleS..
Entertainly Set Forth BY the Warden
Key. James Sheerin.

IldfftN; one Vi Tie hOfgdutOWu
churchmen, and this became the
nucleus of the future Church Hail.
1t was an old brick house, part of it
having been standing for so years,
but strong and solid, as they built
in those days. 1t contained eight
good sized rooms, had small colo
NAL front porch, and two fine old
fashioned side porches, but was with
out modern improvements. The
Bishop at once ordered the construc-
tion of an annex containing six bed
rooms, kitchen and dining room of
ample size, and two good bath
rooms. A new front porch was also
ordered ten feet wide and forty feet
long, making delightful place of
recreation tor summer The result
was building not overpretty, but
comfortable, and large enough to &C
commodate from Is to 20 students,
besides the warden's family and the
necessary servants
This addition was not ready for
occupancy until late in November.
OF course the result of the delay was
that the Hall was never full, but a
good average of ID was kept up the
balance Of the year, some of them
being amongst the most respected
students in the University. SO en-
couraged did the Bishop feel that in
June he let the contract for another
addition of Il rooms, a third bath
room, and Is feet more length to the
dining room. This made building
Of Al rooms in all, larger than any of
the local hotels, heated by steam
and lighted by electricity, compar-
ing most favorably with the dormi
tories of great eastern colleges, both
from the standpoint Of size and
looks. But, unfortunately, this adj
dition was also delayed by the Sc
we're transforms OF the summer A
worse summer could not have been
found for building, and it is only
right to say that Messrs. Huston and
Domain, the contractors, deserve all
praise for their earnest efforts, in the
face of tremendous obstacles, to
complete the building in time for the
opening of the university. Mr.. Hus-
ton, who had personal charge of the
work, was as anxious as the Bishop
himself could have been to see that
everything was done rightly and in
time. He and the architect, Mr..
Jacobs, deserve great credit for their
good management, and efforts to
make it the handsome, well-finished
building it now is.
1t would be foolish to say that
there was much quiet with 35-to 40
boys in house. The best of regu-
lated families have their trouble,
and particularly where there are two
or three boys Those who are ia
miliar with the dormitories found in
Eastern Universities, where there is
no personal supervision, are aston
ished at the quiet and comparative
freedom from pernicious pranks seen
in this church dormitory. Clergy
men who recall their seminary days,
when men ought to have been adj
vanced enough to know better, would
find the students at this Hall much
more amenable to the rules OF ode
cency and order than were the
members of the famous theological
seminaries. And yet there is no eff
fort here to quench the smoking
flax of youthful exuberance, nor to
break the bruised reed of boyish de-
sire for legitimate fun. There is
only the attempt to mildly regulate
and direct these natural functions.
The colleges and seminaries referred
to seem to fall into riotous disorder
simply because there is no healthy
regulator or control. An effort has
been made to stimulate the spirit Of
"home rule amongst the students.
To further this, an organization call
ing itself "the board OF control has
been formed. Membership in it is
only allowed to students who have
gained the rank of college men" or
who are at least Is years old. 1t is
the duty of the Board to control all
minor matters of discipline, and to
see that nothing detrimental to the
Halls reputation is done 1t is con-
sidered an honor to belong, and great
good may result from this effort to
put the burden of control and disci-
pline on the shoulders of the stu
dents themselves.
There are at the time of writing
this, 35 students in the Hall, and in
spite of many faults, some men who
have had wide experience assert
that you could not get 35 as clean
boys together in any school known
to them. Noisy boys, and even one
or two immoral ones, have gotten in
at times in the past, but, after kind
ness and persuasion failed, there
was never any hesitation about
sending them off for the good of the
others 1t has been the sad duty of
the warden to do that with several
in the past months. and it is hoped
that the lesson will be severe enough
to keep out that kind for the future.
In explanation to some who have
thought otherwise, it should be said
here that the 35 students in the
Hall are not all of one church. There
are no questions asked of them or
their parents, further than what
church they prefer to attend. The
warden only advises them to go reg
ularly to their own church. There
are boys of several of the great de
nominations in the Hall; five or six
of its very best boys being earnest
members of the Presbyterian and
Methodist churches. There are also
students of every department in the
university, from law and medicine
down-or-up. And there are repre-
sentatives Of nearly all the college
fraternities. "All sorts and condi-
tions" of students are found in the
Episcopal Hall.
There is one great difficulty in
this university, which more espec-
tally affects the management Of halls;
it is the fact that great part Of the
students are altogether too young
and unfit to be given the freedom of
college men. This is due to the
preparatory department. When that
is abolished, a ''halF' will be just as
necessary for the exercise Of right
eous influences over the young men,
but IL will not he place of misery