Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-26
MUSEUM is GROWING.
MRS. HATCHER DONATES vALuA'
pIE COLLECTION TO COLLEGE.
4 MANUSCRIPT OF LONGFELLOW.

Mrs. Hatcher by the Poets Duugh-
tcr-Mmny other Things OF Great
Interested worthy Example.
The work of fitting up the museum or
Richmond College grows apace one OF
the most interesting collections now De-
ing mt in position is one donated by
Mrs. william T.. Hatcher, wife OF the
president Of the Board Of Trustees, VINO
in her rcal interest in the broad educa-
ton OF tho students OF the College has
turned over her private collection, EN-
bracing original manuscripts, autographs
curios, souvenirs Of travel in foreign
lands. and Colonial and Confederate
relics Believing with Agassiz that every
school should have museum, she mas
endeavored TO place here Things tnat
make history, that others may ENJOY
memorials OF the past ages, as well az
OF the great ones Of our own land. Mrs.
Hatcher's taste and cultivated intellect
has made her a connoisseur in things
literary and historic, and IL Is fortunate
for the college that she is going to be-
stow upon il the results OF her acquisi-
don Such work as she Is doing can
only be done con amOre, and Is or the
unselfsh kind.
Justice Johns picture and the Bible
which has never been read. which 1000
blacks have kissed is in the historical
department; also. description of the OPEN
Ing Of the Valentine Museum, an old
Richmond Inquirer, and the first Dis
patch published after the close of the
war I'm 1868.
Probably the most interesting thing in
the collection is an original manuscript
copy Of the poet LOngfeiIOw. never pub
lisned, sent to Mrs. Hatcher recently by
his daughter who occupies the old home
in Cambridge. Accompanying it she sent
a letter, in which she said her father
was in the habit Of jotting down thoughts
as they came to him, and this was one
written in 1861 she sent also, a fine
photograyure OF the old home as it is
at present which also was once the
headquarters Of General Washington.
The epaulets worn by General Butter
are here. presented by Mrs. Brown, Of
Albemarle; collection Of stones from the
palaces Of the Caesars, IN Rome, the
Catacombs, the Coliseum, and specimens
Of gold ore from Fluvanna mines
also, very large, finely-cut white
topaz from Brazil, presented by Mr..
Frank, one Of the jewellers Of this city
A large picture of the interior Of ST.
Peters, at Rome. showing the high al
tar its wonderful perspective, Corin-
THAN columns and marbles, hangs over
the collection.
\ BATCH OF CURIOS.
Other interesting articles are cane
made Of cactus plant, brought from Brazil
by Mr.. Ficklin, OF Albemarle; petrided
wood from a river in Texas and old
letters from Dr. Jeter in the year 1925;
colonial rclics-some very primitive:
cloth woven at home in colonial
days, foreign stamps, street-car
tickets coin. and many interesting
curios from different countries; a very
old Bible: a gourd more than one hun
dred years old in good condition; picture
Of st. Cecilia. the musical saint. presented
by Abb Art Company; pendulum Of
the clock that hung in the Old and. new
Grace-Street Baptist church, rescued from
the fire. cigars presented TO Dr. Hatcher
by c. II. Sturgeon when visiting him at
his home. in 1883, IN London; a knife used
by Louisiana Tigers, picked up at battle
Of Manassas; old delft china. ia use in
family for more than a century. a col
lection Of brass and iron candlesticks,
showing improvements that led up TO the
brilliant lights Of the present day; one
very primitive iron candlestick and
suffers kept in use by old family SER
wants; articles of dress of the colonial
period; the first long dress worn By a
dame of that periOd-waist Of the Kate
Greenway style, skirt, very narrow; bon
nets. br0che shawl hand embroidery;
spectacles OF brass frame (of the cart
wheel ORDER; oil calico, more than two
hundred years old, brought 70 this coun-
try by one of the first settlers
The museum Of the college is now in
its home I'm the James Thomas Memorial
Han. and morning can be most enjoy
ably and probably spent examining its
treasures.
FLOWERS FROM THE CATACOMBs.
There are pressed flowers from a garden
over the CAtacombs OF St. CaliXtus, pre-
scented by the monk conductor; grasses
from the tree under which General Wash
ington took charge Of his troops; d button
cut from the Blues uniform OF a young
soldier-boy leaving for Cuban war; origi-
nal paper drawn up by y. w. Snead, law
yer in Charlottesville, for purchase Of
property Of the Albemarle Institute now
the Rawlings Instituted. with the auto
graph signatures of William 2. Isaiah,
John Broadus. A. p Willard, and A. f..
Dickinson; mourning Herald with death
ana memorial addresses OF Dr. Jeteff
Richmond Dispatches containing picture
and memorial addresses OF Professor II.
II. Harris and Or. NJ. -. Hoge; from Sc
cOnd battlefield of Manassas. presented by
Mr.. WestwOod Hutchinson, two pieces OF
shell, sword-bayOnet; canteen from first
battlefield; three mlnie-bals one large
ball; two buttons worn by WestWOOd
Hutchinson. OF Company -, Thirty-ninth
virginia Battalion, Confederate States
army, piece Of coral (white) from
Pacific Ocean; Francois confines; raw
silk from Beirut; cigarette holder
Of olivewood from Jerusalem, con-
trbuted by w r. L. Smith;
old hair trunk with brass tacks. used
before Revolutionary war similar TO the
one that Becky Sharp used when starting
home with Amelia Sed!ey from boarding
school; picture Of G. II. Sturgeon painted
on ivory purchased by his direction:
flowers preserved in alcohol from Jefler-
son Dayis's grave: a miniature brooch
painted on ivory handed down through
generations, Of great age; picture Of
Burns's cottage on box made Of wood that
grew near there; mosaic pin purchased on
the Coliseum. Rome; silhouette picture
Of John Randolph Of Roanoke; silhouette
picture Of Eye Consecrated Maiden" By
r. A. Brock an unique book OF auto
graphs Of 200 Baptist ministers OF two
generations. collected from old letters. In
GLIDING that of c. II. Surgeons letter
and a number from Baptist ministers in