Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-26
Mr.. Mckinley to Attend Reopening
Of University Of Virginia.
an ELABORATE PROGRAM ARRANGED
Ex-Presidents Harrison and CIeye-
land Invited to Attend.
SKETCH OF THE INSTITUTION


his public duties will permit him to do so.
The board of visitors and the faculty of
the university have also invited former
Presidents Harrison and Cleveland to be
present at the ceremonies, and so great Is
the desire of all connected with the insti-
tuition for them to attend that President In
gals of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Company has rendered to Mr.. Harrison the
use of a private car to and from Indian
apolis, and President Spencer of the South
ern has made like offer to Mr.. Cleveland
for his conveyance between Princeton and
Charlottesville.
Mr.. Spencer has assured President Nc
Kinley that if he will attend the Inaugural
place at his disposal special train to leave
Washington and Charlottesville, respec-
lively, at any hour he may name.
History Repeats.
At the ceremonies attending the opening
of the University Of Virginia there were
present the President Of the United States,
James Monroe and former Presidents Thos
Jefferson and James Madison, and as there
are two ex-Presidents now living, 1t Is
hoped to have them and President McKin-
ley to witness the Inauguration of the re-
stored buildings
Among those invited to be at the festivi-
ties. besides those already named, many Of
whom have accepted. are: Governor Tyler
Of Virginia and staff, Attorney General
Montague, Lieutenant Governor Echols
all the living former governors of the state
all the ex-rectOrs of the board of visitors
the presidents OF all the leading institutions
OF learning in the United States, and three
In Canada. the president and each member
of every alumni association of the Uni
Versity of Virginia in the United States
very large branch Of the association being
in Washington; Mr.. w. T. Harris United
States commission of education; j. W.
Southall, superintendent of public institu-
tons of Virginia; Chancellor McCracken of
the University of New York, Mr.. James
Wilson. Secretary Of Agriculture; Sir San
ford Fleming of Queens University, Kings
ton, Canada; Mr.. Samuel Spencer of New
York, Mr.. NJ E. Ingalls, Of Cincinnati, DR..
J. l.. M. Curry, agent of the Slater fund
Washington. D. c.; Surgeon General Van
Reypen Of the navy, and many others.
The Order of Exerctses.
Strictly speaking, the ceremonies will be-
gin Sunday evening, June II, when the
baccalaureate sermon will be preached by
Bishop I. U. Dudley of Louisville, KY.
Monday morning an address to the liter
airy societies will be delivered by Represent
tatiVe Joseph w. Bailey of Texas; Tuesday
will be Inauguration day. There will be
an ode by Mr.. A. &. Gordon of Stanton,
Va, former rector of the university; and
an address by prominent New York law
yer, James &. Carter. The restored build
ings will be formally turned over to Gov.
Tyler for the state, by the rector Of the
board. Mr.. Charles +. Jones of Monterey,
Va. An address to the alumni will be de-
livered by Rev. DIR. Mckim of Washington,
d c. During the evening a reception will
be given by the board and faculty to all
of the alumni who NAY be present, about
LOO of whom are expected.
Original Plan Retained.
prominent member of the faculty Of
the university said:
The chief building of the 'AcademicaI
Village, planned by MIR. jefferson, was
and will be. the Rotunda 1t has always
been the most conspicuous and the most
beautiful. No recent structure has de-
prived it of its eminence. 1t caught and
detained the eye of the casual visitor and
it never became Indifferent to those who
saw 1t every day, from year to year.
After forty years CT familiarity with it's
graceful outlines. the gaze of residents
here would often linger in admiration on
its harmonious proportions, it's noble
portico. the richness of the Corinthian
capitals, with their acanthus leaves, hiding
the urn they embraced, and above them
the great hemisphere fifty browning the
simple but majestic pile.
THE University Of Virginia is an in
stance of evolution under the superinten-
dence Of controlling and directing mind
The Albemarle Academy, beginning in
March. 1914. passed into the Central Col
lege in February. 1916. and this, a few
years later, became the University Of
Virginia"
AS is already known. the Rotunda was
badly dame ged by the fire Of October u,
1885. This has been repaired. The re-
stored RotuLda presents on its southern
point reproduction Of it's ASPECT when it
came from the hands of Jefferson. as exact
as the skill of the builder can achieve.
The stately columns with their grace
full Corinthian capitals of white marble,
the cornice. the pediment, the swell Of the
noble dome. have all been conscientious
ly restored. The northern face shows an
elevation similar to the southern, but the
porticc is much less In depth. The side
elevations present a novel and digniied
aspect. The two terrace rooms are con-
nected by cOlonnade in continuation Of
that on the lawn. The fiat roofs of the
wings and the connecting colonnades,
guarded by a handsome baluStrade, fur
nish a pleasant promenade about the main
building. while the vistas between the
it's height to spectators approaching from
the east or west.
Some Prominent Features.
The interior partition walls have been
removed to the level of the portico floor
and, at that elevation, have been bridged
with heavy steel beams, between which
the Gustarino floor arches have been
thrown. Upon this floor there Is support
ed a handsome Corinthian peristyle. whose
entablature carries the main gallery at a
height of twenty-eight feet above the floor
From the entablature springs the inner
shell of the dome; from the main wall
springs the outer. The two meet at the
eye In the crown and are tied together by
Intern ediate braces. The space between
the wall and the peristyle is subdivided,
by perforated iron floors, into five book
tiers, three below and two above the gal
lery. The capacity of the main library
room will be between $1,000 and 100000
volumes.
The new court at the southern end of the
lawn Is 800 feet wide and 200 feet deep.
The academical building occupies the
southern side. the Rouss physical laborato-
ry the eastern and the mechanical labora-
tory the western side.
The academical building contains the
public hail. capable of seating nearly 500;
a general assembly room, seating about
800; five large and six small lecture rooms
and space which may be utilized hereafter
for three or four additional lecture rooms
The physical and mechanical laboratories
have like facades and general similarity
of arrangements. In the former the central
member of the building contains a large
amphitheatrical lecture room, lighted en-
tirely from above, with the general labora-
tory on one side and the apparatus room
on the other. An extension in the rear of
tho lecture room contains six 10 :.