The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-24
SPLENDID RECORD
FOR UNIVERSITY
Virginia's Five Institution Of
Learning Sets Very High
Standard.
IMPORTANT PART In
HISTORY OF COUNTRY
Founded by Thomas Jeffer-
son and Built Under His
Supervision, is Now
Among Leaders.

AS originally organized the Uni
versity of Virginia consisted OF eight
Independent schools-ancient lam
guages. modern languages, mathe-
MATES, natural philosophy, moral PHI
losophy. chemistry, medicine and law.
One of the excellent qualities OF this
system Vas its elasticity; new realm
Of knowledge opened by the advance
OF thought. could be admitted to aca-
demic statehood with as much ease
as "a new State is admitted 10 the
Union; each domain, as 1t extended
its boundaries, could be suhdividcd
and new schools arise, and yet the
original conception OF an academical
union remained unchanged. Hence
the internal history OF the University
of Virginia Is one of constant addition
and expansion. until. at present. the
schools number twenty-sfx. grouped
under six different departments. This
grouping OF the various schools into
departments began in 1897. when the
schools of medicine was elevated to
the department OF medicine; In 1859,
the school q. law was enlarged into
department.. while in subsequent
years, as the Industrial development
eff the South made such a step neces-
sary, were added the departments Of
engineering and the department OF
agriculture.
With his own hand jefferson drew
the plans for most of the original
buildings and personally superintend~
nd every detail of their construction
up TO the time OF his death. Since
then new buildings have been added,
but no change has taken place In the
general architectural scheme and each
building 81 II was erected has seem
ed merely an extension OF Jefferson
plans. From his architectural stud
les jefferson had deduced two cardi-
nal principles OF architecture first,
that for both aesthetic and practical
purposes the classical style al archi-
lecture is unsurpassed: second. that
the architectural effect OF a beauu-
full building is enhanced by similarity.
rather than dissimiiarity. Hence the
architectural scheme of the university
In one of classic simplicity and beauty.
and is married by no iBcongruous
grouping of various styles and periods
of architecture.
Rising above the rest Of the build
ings and facing the terraced lawn,
with It's double rows nf trees on each
side. stands the rotunda. a reproduce
ton on a reduced scale of the Pam
theon. From the foundation wings
of the rotunda extend. on each side
of the lawn. a row Of five paviilons.
each modelled after some famous ex~
ample of Roman architecture; the pa
yilions. designed for faculty residence.
and all but two still used for this
purpose are tolHe..ei one-s,ui'
WINGS, S"'eath'ns stun nts oo' ''ii'o
Ttes, III aIo"t u tne pa,iI'.ns as ~.a'
As '4.s ~. Va W. ~.
~, W ~.'e h "a ~ -. sae
The whole architectural group gives
an Impression of dignity and repose,
mingled with the simplicity OF classic
peau' Naiin'is $50 "a
lawns ahu ~. hiliis use on'et sou,ia-
ny ~ ''o W. .'s ies' a. So
eaait =. " ",ro =,
ihs VIZ s"tn. ~ "a. pa.a az
20 "i.u Ia, -, 1880,
=. ''is NV ns -. ~. ~
arcauas una, give snsh' toucn
-. a ~ ,a.,.. :" 80. -,
sn. " ~, .ne u.s,s.is.s ~ ~ -
ssars a1ses .eiersnn aeaIn latae
pu. ally lhNoisi uoos
oaiiae "s Wv "i.'.A vas
- s,,a hS 49,. a ~,
..ts,,1a,I1. ~, a..
as al ,asr Ins s.eae nre'
Snie" ~ 80 ~ s. am =
pseaa Nv a.. ana .as~ anu ici' "'a''a
ihs ohis .tS .,lass'Ne "a"s
FIRE rrose. hiesns;
me IRE, a'nooen ~ "iousnt siie'
10 the neart u NAM a iosal alum
nus ana caused iireparaoie loss IN the
library or the university then housed
In the second moor or the rotunda
was a blessing IN disguise. * are"
the attention or the Alumni. the
friends OF education and the state Of
Virginia to the need OF Increased IA
cilities for the university. Not mere
~ were the stately rotnnda restored
but the quadrangle OF the lawn was
completed by the addition of three
huiYNgp aractod soufharp and
the central one facing the rotunda
the two Others facing east and west
respectively. The central building
Cabell Hall. contains the main audi.
tortum Of the university, and most Of
the lecture rooms for the academi,
schools: the two others are the me
charJcal Iahoratorv which contain,
the lecture rooms and machine shop,
of the engineering department. ant