The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-03
Major Venable's Retort.

~ lne loIlOWlnS extract OF tho proceed.
ings OF the board OF Visitors OF tho
University OF Richmond In your Mon
days Paper, page q:
Another project for tho public good.
which llls grown out OF the unver-
slty Idea, comes from prominent Pres
byterians, in connection with tho pro-
posed removal OF Hampdcn- Sidney to
Richmond, and tho usc Of the old COL
lcge building.
The suggestion Is made TINT tho
Presbyterian Church In Virginia cstab-
ish at llampden-Sdney great indus
trial school FOR colored boys. with a
Theological department. for tho train
Ing Of colored preachers. similar to
tho institution now maintained by this
Southern Presbyterian Church at Tus-
caoosa. Ala. Halnpden- Sidney lies In
the heart OF tho black belt of vir-
glnia. The old seminary building. Just
opposite the college. Is idle. and no
serted equipment IL the college We're
moved Furthcrmore. practically the
only community about Hampton Sid
ney are the professors and their
families and those who keep student
boarding houses, oil Of whom would
no doubt move with tho college. The
neighborrood would then be practically
destitute OF white people, making II
In many respects suitable position
for an Industrial institution for tho
education OF colored boys.
ut is doubtful. however. Il tho Pres
byterians Of Virginia will feel able
to undertake this expense ut time
when the cost OF removing the college
and thoroughly cquipplng 1t IN new
and suitable quarters will be heavy"
While / am averse ordinarily to
! write for publication. yet my indigna-
ton at tho. proposal. or rather sug-
gest.on, made by the prominent Pres
.byterinns OF Richmond" to take away
our college and school, the heritage
| from our fathers, who. being as much
| interested In the education of the
| young men of the country as can be
| any OF the Richmond people, gave OF
| their means to endow Hampden-S Sid
nes College, to be established In Prince
| Edward county. Va, which has been
| maintained for over n hundred years,
| educating many OF the first men OF
| the country, not only fitting them for
| the most prominent positions of life
| Intellectually. But moro than that, the
young men who have been SO fortunate
| as to receive their education ~ Hamp-
den-Sidncy College have had the pccu-
| liar advantage OF being surrounded by
| the most elevating, cultivated, Chris
tian society, which they could have
received in no other section OF Vir-
| gnia more fully than here. And more
than that, this school, under the noble
band Of men who have governed 1t for
| years. has been moro especially q
| school for boys, whose training here
| has fitted them for q standing In the
| universities to which thoy may nave
| gone, second to none in Virginia.
Hampton Sidney College is sur
rounded by thickly-settled com.
munity of highly refined. cultivated
| white people, and no community IN
Virginia can show higher class OF
| white cultivated people, who have $1,000
| for truth, honor and government de
| Tense under ell circumstances. AND
| even though we may be located in
| what your "promincnt Presbyterians'
| chose to call the '.blaek belt OF Vir-
| ginia" when your whita districts "efc
unable to protect yourselves against
| the despotisln OF reconstruction Gays
| YOU looked to the Fourth District, or
"bluek belt" to deliver you from lhe
thraldom OF negro rule.
am reminded by this project Tor the
public good by the "promlnen,t p res
byterians'' of q very Important n.s.oi 49, r'1
t hSab When the King a, Of Israel laid coyetous
i eyes upon Naboths vineyard. his enter,
prising wife, Jezebel, sent sons OF beliai
to testify falsely against Naoo.n ta at.n
mercifully as compared to this proJecs
OF this Presbyterian son of Beial; h a:.i
Naboth stoned to death and took ms
vineyard, while this son OF Belhi pro-
poses to Afrteanize-which Is + Ten , nns,
thckly settled and delightful 81 con- conf
munitcs OF virginia-yea. OF the world
by the same. false testimony used 20 20
destroy Naboth He 1. alleges ,a shat us
destitute OF white population making y
suitable place to send a lot OF negroes
ungoverned. as they are. TO threaten
the homo and family OF every gentleman
No, sir if BY your congested wealth
you are able to take our school from us
and carry it to the city OF Rschm nm, e.
people, you cannot truthfuiy say for tbs
benefit Of education. for in remoy ~,
Hampden-s Sidney you will but have FOL
lowed the, example OF those , mo hi pse.
destroyed the benefits and grown OF M
Presbyterian Church in country churches
For example, In the West Hanover pres
only three have regular services every y. r.
Sunday For in removing the candidates
for the ministry near to the city, ming
ling daily with the attractions and az
they will be no more willing to 60 INT.
the small country neishborhoods ant
labor among the purest and best peopl'
In the world whose SURROUNDINGS d ssy,i mtg hnv,
a repetition in q few years in nino
degree Of the falings of Lot. who sough
the city, became one OF Its people an
almost lost In the e great C, des1r@et G
lighted than the writer TO see Richn,Itn.
prosper and establish her great ,ulniy,er
. stiles il 1t is wise to do SO. with ne
own capital and for the benefit Of he
own people not with Ogden o., Rookie
Teller money, and be subject to tniiuenc
OF Northern money and Northern BOOKS
but to be governed by our own peoPIl
for our own good. But II you are t
establish your great university DO IS s
with your own means and your own IN
telligence. leaving the schools OF til
, different communities as they were es
ties. Don't destroy and pull down NyI, an an
3 remove the smaller schools and colleges
!. for it cannot be denied that they ar
doing greater. purer and nobler wor
. isolated from the temp tatons OF the city
: preparing the young. men after years 9
. association and training In the nome
Of refined communities, thereby enablln
them better to be prepared TO pc bene
: nted by their university life after tlei
. characters have been, sufficiently estaE
! llshed to Withstand the temptations c
!, 'i' There is another great wrong whic
: would be inflicted upon the residents 6
a Hampden- Sidney village by the remove
!, of Hampden-S Sidney College, which l ar
y satisfied has not occurred to the PUBLIC
Q snirited and nOble gentlemen at the hea