Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-07-18
DIR. Ruffner, the Father of Our
Public School System

~', July AOt A0O
issued handsome magazine SO
& ton of thirty-two pages devot,
" to the educational interests of vi
% ginia. Among the nearly ha
: hundred institutions of hight
. education, sketches of which wei
- printed in this special issue, al
4 Lexington's two Institution
: Washington and Lee Universal
i and Virginia Military Institute.
i A picture Of DR.. William f
; Ruffner of Lexington appears II
: the magazine and the leadin
article is sketch of this distin
guished educator under the It'll
"The Father of Our Public Schoo
SYSTEM" Following are excerpt
from this article:
DR.. William Henry Ruffner, tn
father of the public-school system
In Virginia, now in the eighty
third year of his age, is quietly
spending the advanced evening Of
a most useful life in Lexington, tn,
beautiful mountain town in which
he was born ard reared.
1t is no exaggeration to say thai
there is no man in Virginia who is
more generally beloved than DR..
Ruffner. All the people of Vir-
ginia love and revere him, for there
is not a school boy who does not
know something Of the great work
this grand old man has accomplish
ed for his State. His was q work
that will live and be his monu-
ment long, very long, after be shall
gone.
DR.. Ruffrer was born in the year
1924. His father, DR.. Henry Ruffuer,
was distinguished Presbyterian
divine, who was for many years
president of Washington College,
now Washington and Lee Univer
sity. The subject of this sketch
received from this college the
degree of MA. in 1916. He after
wards took three courses in
Psychology, one under his father,
at Washington Cellega; another at
Union Theological Seminary, at
Hampden-Sidney, Va, and the
third under DR.. w. Ii. McGuffey,
at the University of Virginia, thus
fitting himself, unconsciously, for
the great part he was tc play in
the educational future of Virginia.
Courses in theology in the insti-
tutions of bis own State. as we'll as
at Princeton, N. j., prepared him
for the ministry, and from 1849 to
1851 he was chs plain at the Uni
versity of Virginia. On leaving
the University he became pastor of
the Seventh Presbyterian church,
Philadelphia, of which lie remained
the spiritual director two years.
In 1853 he resorted to farm life as
a means Of restoring his broken
health, and never resumed minis
terial work, though it was not
until 1874 that. by his own request,
he was relieved of his sacred office
BY the Lexington Presbytery.
DR.. Ruffner was elected Super
ntendent of the Public Free
Schools of Virginia IN 1870, having
,een the choice of the legislative
caucus on the fret ballot in com
,any Of fifteen candidates. In this
contest the only one he ever entered,
lis adviser and endorser was Gen.
Robert Z. Lee, and an eloquent
pokesman in his behalf was Hon.
William A. Anderson, his townsman
nd friend, now the Attorney
General OF Virginia.
Within thirty days after his
lection, DR.. Ruffner was able to
eport to the Legislature a scheme
or school system so satisfactory
hat he was at once required by the
mmittee on Schools and Colleges
, prepare a school bill to be con-
dered by the Legislature. This L
measure was rea dy in
,venteen days, and DR.. Ruffner .
'ked for criticism from leading g
lucatOrs of his acquaintance, in a
uding DR.. Barnas Sears, agent of a
lie Peabody Fund, who had been 81
.esident of Brown University, and az
rof. John B. Minor of the Uni d
'rsity of Virginia, neither of
hem was able TO suggest any F
lprovement. n,
To the statesmanlike and far nj
cling wisdom of DR.. Ruffner, Vir~
MIA is indebted for her system of h,
blic schools. Every important &c
lie that has been made in the o.
ate since 1870 in the cause of pub
education has had DR.. Ruffner
it's inspiration, and to him lie
ing the establishment OF the "
stem of schools on @ strong
d enduring basis. In the
of the system none but
pan of his vigorous intellect,
courage and powerful thu
,umentative ability would have It,
IN able to defeat all the opposi. n'
n arrayed against it iu legisla trc
e halls, in the guberxatsriel
'ir aud on the judicial benz Ia. m
Iile at presen. be is known out. wa
e the State chiefly as scientist, yea
The years that are swiftly rolling bar