The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-06-28
UNIVERSITY or MISSISSIPPI
a BRILL kNT COMMENCEMENT CELE- :
BRATIoN or ITS SEMI CENTEN-
NAL ANNIVERSARY.
Special to Gazette

Special to Gazette.
jackson. Miss, June pa, 800.
The completion OF a half CEN
tury in the life Of an institution
of learning is an event to be COM
memorated, and especially where
that institution is the great uni.
versity Of a great state. The
semi-centennial anniversary Of
the University Of Mississippi was
TO have been observed last fall,
at the opening of the session Just
closed, but yellow fever and
quarantine troubles smash all
programs, and the University
and all other schools in the State
had all they could do to get
moved off on the regular routine
of school work.
The University Of Mississippi
was incorporated February "a,
1848. Its first trustees were: j.
Alexander Ventress, John A.
Quitman, William L.. Sharkey,
Alexander M. Clayton, William
Y. Gholson, Jacob Thompson,
Pryor Lea. Edward Carey vii.
kinson, James M. Howry, John
j. McCaughan, Rev. Francis
Hawkes., Jno. n. Waddel, A. H.
Pegues. There have been ninety
three trustees to date. and of this
number fifty six have passed
oyer the river. In the list are
the names of one cabinet minis
ter, four senators in the congress
of the United States, four repre-
sentatives in congress, three rep
resentatives in the Confederate
congress, three United States and
Confederate States judges. five
chief justices of the supreme
court Of Mississippi, three associ-
ate justices of the supreme court,
ten circuit judges and chancel-
lors, one bishop, eight doctors
Of divinity, nine doctors of law.
Judge j. A. Orr, Of Columbus.
IS the oldest trustee. Forty two
OF the ninety three were appoint
ed prior to, and fifty since his
appointment, in 1872. OF the
fifty-six who have died, thirty
seven died during his connection
with the University.
The present distinguished and
popular chancellor. Robert Full
ton, was a tutor in the University
when Judge Orr first became a
trustee. He was the first-honor
man of the class of 1863. Among
the other members Of that class
were: Judge #. A. Cntz, Rev.
James A. Mecklin, Robert II.
Thompson, Vim. Calvin Wells.
Mr.. Fulton became chancellor in
1892, succeeding Chancellor
Mayes, who resigned.
The chancellors of the Univer-
sity from 1848 to date: George
F. Holmes, A. B. Longstreet,
+. A. P. Barnard, JHo. n. Wad-
dell, a. p. Stewart, Edward
Mayes, Robert Fulton.
The war of 1876 suspended
the work of the University. On
28th February, 1851, one hun
dred and thirty-five of the stu
dents enrolled in the university
Greys, (Co. A.. Eleventh Mis-
sissippi, and Of these thirty
were killed or died OF wounds. 1t
is estimated that fully four-fifths
OF the young men whose names
appear on the rolls OF the Univer-
sity from its organization up to
the beginning Of the civil war,
enlisted in the Confederate SER
vice. During the war the build
ings were occupied sometimes by
Confederate and sometimes by
Federal soldiery. Soon after the
battle of Shiloh they were used
as a hospital. and gave shelter
to about fifteen hundred sick and
wounded Confederates. More
than seven hundred sleep in un-
marked graves in a cemetery
near the University campus.
Through the influence of Pro-
fessors Barnard, Boynton and
others, with General Grant, the
buildings and apparatus were
but very little damaged by the
Federal soldiery. A costly tele-
scope was removed, and placed
in a Chicago observatory, and it
has never been returned.
Immediately after the war, the
students were of class never
before seen in any American COLI
lege. They were the sons of pa
rents who had been prosperous
or wealthy, but whose means,
except their lands, had been
swept away by war. Many OF
these young men had served in