The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-08-18
TELLS TIE PAPER IN HIS HONE
TOWN IMPRESSIONS OF THIS
sTATE--A VISIT PAID TO
OLD HONE.

series of articles being sent by Vic
tor Brown Dolliver to the Fort Dodge
Messenger:
As expect TO leave Morgantown
to-day on a journey overland across
the mountain to Kingwood. the place
OF my birta, and that OF all the other
children o; my fathers family. 1t will
be necessary for me to complete my
letter from this point at once.
81 think, by suggestion at least, I
was able to indicate In my former let.
ter something Of the difference In
conditions existing here now and
those that existed here when was
a resident OF the State. 1t is almost
impossible to tell the story OF com
munitys progress by a mere recital
OF statistics Of population. and yet
the fact that Morgantown has In
creased in population since left here.
when It was a mere village with less
than 1000 inhabitants. until now It
Is a modern city Of 10000. does indl.
cate something Of the progress that
has been made, and the mighty
changes that have been wrought dur.
Ing the past generation In my native
State. The growth of a city from
a few scattered houses along the riv-
err bank until 1t has spread over the
surrounding hills. occupying territory
widespread and slightly Is something
that not only is notable to those who
have resided here during all the years,
but is strikingly conspicuous to one
who has been absent during the In
tervening period of growth.
: Perhaps, to illustrate the progress
that has been made In the line OF ex.
tended and improved building. can
use no better example than that af-
forded by the First Methodist EpIscos
pal Church. West Virginia, even
more than Iowa. has long been given
over to Methodism, 1t being cohsid-
cred. when denominational matters
are taken into consideration that the
Methodists lead all the others in
membership. enthusiasm and value
of church property. When I left
here the place OF worship for the
Methodists of this town was what
passed in those days as very fine
church. It had cost perhaps some
six of eight thousand dollars. stood
upon an elevation and was In all ways
a model for the time and few other
communities to copy. On last Sun.
day when my sister and myself sought
the church we were ushered into a
located on an even more
slightly elevation, which has recently
been completed at cost Of much
more than one hundred thousand dol
lars. I think. in all my travels. 1
have never seen church building
more complete In equipment, more
perfect in design or more strikIngly
beautiful in all respects. This not
only indicates that the denomination
has grown In membership and influ.
ence. but also In material wealth and
spiritual activity. It was most graf
flying to me to note the change that
had been wrought, for as boy sup
posed the church that had worship
ped in was about as fine building
as could expect to see on this ter.
restrial globe. But even more strik-
Ing has been the condition Of the
State University campus and build.
ings When my brothers were in
school here and my family resided
near the University there was but one
upon the campus (main col
lege building, Of any pretensions
whatever. This structure cost per-
haps fifty or sixty thousand dollars,
and the State supposed it had ex.
Its resources in its efforts to
build SO greatly. The other building
used for school purposes were subor.
dfnate to this. inferior in cost and
architecture, and altogether unim.
pressive and falling far short of the
modern standards. To-day the beau.
tiful campus owned by the State is
dotted with more than a dozen large
buildings. several OF them costing
over a hundred thousand dollars,
equipped with the finest modern i'm.
provements and furnishing every ia
cility for instruction accorded by a
first class modern State University.
The faculty is grown from mere
handful Of men who taught the linn
tied number of students then in at
tendance, not exceeding perhaps two
hundred and fifty per annum init,