The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10
EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
OF HALF CENTURY AGO
BY BENJAMIN BLAKE MINOR.

favorable circumstances. striving to serva
his native State and postcrity In o nobla
manner. similar to that OF his illustrloua
stransmontnnc predecessor. i
Az 30 many years havn elapsed, 1t may
DO we'll to give some account OF the
members OF TINT standing committee. OF
ita chairman, Munford. notioo has all
ready been taken. Ito was also the COM
pilcr of ono OF the Codes of Virginia,
and named for the eminent Chancellor,
who so beautifully befrLsnded his father
ana probably led him to become tho ex-
cellcnt translator, In verse, Of "tIomers
Illud.
Mr.. Mncfhrland was, with some man.
nerIsr1, Il gentleman OF pure Christian
character. of good taste and /! sound 5udgt
rnent, n lawyer Of high standing, a good
writr and pleasing speaker, and for
many yoars, the courteous president OF
the Farmers Bank
DR.. Nelson was an eminent physician
and the bro tlcr-in-law OF another, DR..
George Watson.
& Mfr. Osborne was an Intelligent and
well Informed merchant. who came from
Petersburg about 1S4l lIe was brought
up in London by q, Mr.. Dunlop. Mr.. y.
v. Daniel, Jr., was tho son OF Judge
Daniel. OF tn, United States Supreme
Court. He was then at the Richmond
bar: but became tho president OF the +.
s. II. II. r. Co. and was n great fayorltH
with Mr.. NIoncure Robinson tho cons
trolling spirit OF that company. s
MIR. Brooke was Il lawyer the prosecute
ing attorney in tho Circuit Court OF
Richmond. and a son-in-law OF Judge
Henry st. George Tucker.
Mr. r. T. Daniel wns lawyer, bril-
liant and eloquent, and WAS Attorney
General for the State. He and p. v.
Jr were cousins. 5iAi5t5V s5t III
Mr.. Heath was man OF fine literary
attachments and of great geniality, tho
author OF the novel. Edge ELI, ]" the
first edition or the Southern Literary
Messenger and for many years tho first
auditor OF Virginia.
Colonel T. II. Ellis was tho promoter
OF every good thing OF superior courtesy.
FIe was once n hardware merchant, but
became the president OF the James River
and Kanawha Canal Company.
Mr. Minor 1s still living. and moving
among US. Mr.. G. A Meyers was @ law
yer and possessed fine literary taste and
attachments. He was a son-in-lawt OF
that great debater. Governor ard United
States Senator VIM 3. Giles. He was for
years president OF tho City Common
Council, and was ono OF those who cona
verted tho Old Academy into tho A tho
:aesum, where Thackeray, Kane and 9th
ers delivered lectures.
Mr. Gooch was an alumnus OF the Uni-
yersitr and the CON OF Claiborne Gooch,
| who was an editor OF the Richmond En-
rlneer. and postmaster OF this city. But
death cut short the promising career OF
young Gooch.
Mr., Cowardln vas tho founder and af.-
| forwards editor 1T the Richmond Dis.
| patch Flo was a city delegate in the
| Legislature.
No doubt the newspapers did. as they
were requested. spread far and wide. tho
proceedings OF that famous August nleet-
! ing: but tho then editor and proprietor
| OF the Southern Literary Messenger was
so deeply interested in them that he
printed them in his October number, LILO,
with as emphatic an Introduction and en-
dors.ment as he could conceive. He was
on the most friendly terms with Govern
or Mcdowell, but could not fall to take
| him to task for some severe things,
| witch he uttered in his speech, though
| by way OF stimulus. concerning our dear
old mother. Mr.. Mundford's address IS
worthy OF an attentive perusal.
This meeting In Richmond produced
!! practical fruits. Henrico county moved
] in tho IA ramount cause Immediately, ana
| ut the next session OF the Genera AS
! scmbIy. In 1876, through the instrume ntal-
.l6ity of William NJ. Burwell, Samuel a.
Jcwett and their coadjutors. a Dill was
passed which established a ge1seral sys.
ten. with some optional features, oI
public schools. tits highly probable thae
| but Tor that fratricidals war, Virginia
would have had long ago system OF
1 popular education in operation throush-
out her borders.