The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-07-29
LET TER FROM On
W'ELL-KINOWN MAN

~ ~ - - AAANN ANt5 = = ~
Han,pden-sidney. Va July 222... 4 so4. KS
TO Ny Friends in Farmyille and the
S58 County Of Prince Edw I'd s. 3S Il: Il
Ladies' and Gentlemen,-1n view of my
approaching removal from among you,s
III feel that It n is due you, no less than
myself, that I shall express my CRATE
full recognition OF your Kindness during
many years and OF my profound sense of,
obligation for the same lssss
Coming into your county in January
1850. q boy of fifteen years and a stu
dent OF Hampton Sidney College, IL grad y
ua ted in the class 81 1858 along with my
slife-long friends, T.. N Z. Holiday and c.
w. Crawley, we'll known to some of you,
and other noble me m Returning In 1855. j
Z took the course at Union Thcolo gical8
Seminary Then & located at Hampden-l
Sidney completing 1t In 1857, and at it's
conclusion was married to one of the
daughters OF your county 81 r eturning in
1852, having been released from the army
on account Of enfeebled health. served
as volunteer chapla In In the hospitals
at Farmville till the close OF the war, and
as pastor OF the Presbyte rlan Church,
IFarmville, until ". 4 80 y Coming back
once more, as the president Of Hnmpden-3
Sidney, ~ and Its professor off, moral
PHILOSOPHY and Bible studies, in the year:
1893, Il filled these positions with assiduity
|Sunti1 July LIST. Just passed, yhen for re &,
sons not necessary to detail, l rendered
my resignatonsof these offices to the!
trustees OF the college. N
IA During all these years, ~ have been an
earnest worker, have stood for truth and
right. and have sought to serve you,
my generation and the varied trusts COM
mitted to me. II II \; / have failed in any
obligation devolving on me, Il cal mot re-
call 81 It, and 1t was from ignorance or
oversight and no t through design. =
have been associated with the fathers
tand mothers and grandfa fathers and era nd;
mothers of many OF you and a II bier
l5set of ChrlstianNmen and women have
| never known. III have preached In your
;pulpits, married your young people. Wis
lifted your sick, ministered to your sor-s
rowing, done what could for your poor
land assisted In burying your dead .5s5 n;
|iall these exactlng activities 4 have been
cheered and trengtllened by your ri dlys
appropriation. expressed In looks n WORDS
and In deeds. so that years ago $2IF have
come to feel nearer to the people OF
Prince Edward than to any other, and an q
since8the death of my mother, ina Z TINS TINS
is my home. WI 4 5s IA fsS3i
"A distinguished mark q your n fa ~
ble- regard was youchsafed me In the
year 1901 when without any expressed
desire or the slightest effort on my pa IT
You elected me as your delegate * Q & the
Constitutional Convention OF lrgtnia,s
which assembled In the city OF s Rich
mond, June 18th OF that year. More
over. at the conclusion Of the work Of
that body, In mass7mee ting assembled IN
the town of {Farmyille after due gnotlce,5
when had given a full recital Of the 1
salient features of the Constitution and
tbo&, nd
by unanimous vote you pproycd 20 t my
attitude towards all questions thanked
me for tho service I had rendered and
authorized me to vote for the promul-5
cation Of the Constitution without 81 D.
mission to the people. For these tokens
az your favorable regard, ] feel pro-
foundry grateful and shall cherish them.
as i ong as memory lasts. VI
& The greater port lon OF my TIME among Z
you. however, has been spent an cd !,
ucator and scores. and, perhaps, nun
dreds Of your sonslSan1d brothers nave q.
come under my Instruction and IN flu-3
ence during these past twent yea rs
I need hardly9say tliat8EI have done III
in my power for these youths, not
few. Of whom have already attained po- 4
sitions. honor and usefulness. s have
received letters from many OF them from
time to time. and from hundreds OF my
former students co ntalnlng spontaneous
and grateful appreciation OF my work,
and since the publication Of the fact Of
my resignation scores Of such missions
have reached ME, That you may have
fair sample Of such testimony and be
able to judge OF Its value for yourse Ives,
I append. with his consent, an extract
fron1''a recent letter Of Mr. Robert Hen
Ming Webb of SUI ok, Va, q first honor
FRA d ,iate In the "a u y class OF 1901. and
IN the a., NJ. class OF 1902, who has since
tina Il time taken the M. "a degree at the
university Of Virginia, and been elected
assistant professorsof the La TIN language
In that institution, I quote his letter as
| that Of a man, who has had no superior,
| in scholarship or character at Ham pden-
sidney within my knowledge and whose
.opinions and sentiments are believed to
he fairly representative Of much the
larger porportton of those, whose opln-
ions and sentiments ire worthy Of serious
regard, Mr., Webb has heen spending
the summer In the mountains and writes
as follows; q, III ]. = =. f
pulaski, Va. July III 1901
REV. Richard fMcIlwatne. P, p, Han,p-s
s, den- sidney, Va: n,
my Dear DR., AIcIlWaine,-E Ever since
lBI read In the papers the account Of Your
lSresisriation from the presidency OF
sfiampde Sidney, ] have been Intending
to send you few lines expressing my
{bia nh n ~ a In tina old nd IA