Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-02-17
University That General Howard
Help Found.
Purpose Of LITTLE College nj Cumberland
Gap Is to Divert strong WIN Of the
Mouptsineer from Wrong 20
Right work.

'
Tenn, OF which the late Gen. -. .. How
Rrd Of This city was ono of the founders.
General Howard took most active in
terest IN the university up to The very
last wears of his life The article in cot
icr's is entitled "I.incolu's Best Mouu-
nent" and contains the following inter
estng facts regarding the university:
In the name Of Lincoln there has come
70 he, under the silent watchfnlncss Of
Cumberland Gap, which hs@ witnessed so
much Of history In tho making. little
college whose purpose il la to direct the
strong will az the mount 5jneer ont Of me-
dteval feudtsm into modern industrial
Americanism, TO divert that strong will
from wrong work to right work.
Lincoln knew these people. They arc
the people from whom he came They are
sturdy stock, honest ard generous. No
poverty can blight their sense OF hospital
,ty. but they will permit no cncroachnent
so long as there is n cartridge left
They live IN the land which vas forE"'-
ten when the course Of empire TOOK its
westward wav. 10 tic deep valleys. pro
tected against the invasion OF civilization
by the high barrier which shadows tde''
rude homes. these mountainocre have
lived. little dist urhod by the outer world
through the better part Of two centuries.
Except during the Civil war the only
fire OF conflict they have seen has been
that which internationally flashes and
fades in feuds among themselves.
When Gen. -. O. Howard was confer
ring with President Lincoln over cam
paign in 1863. the president put his finger
on the map where Kentucky. Virginia an
Tennessee join pointed out the signif-
IL, ,,Il ,l,.
general the people were loyal to the flag
and could he trusted. \ few months later.
when General Howard was moving his
soldiers through this region, he found ali
the president had told him to hc true,
These simple mountain folk fed his sol
diers. clothed them with their homospun.
and even took their shoes in winter to
give to those whose footGoar had worn
ont. The grateful general did not for
get.
STRATEGIC POINT IN CIVIL. WAR.
The Gap is the only iuncture where the
mountain folk OF eastern Tennessee, south
eastern Kentucky, and southwestern Nir
Einia can meet. Long before Booues dav
Il was the mountain gate through which
passed both the Indian aud the huffa To-
There in the early dave were held the
Etedt NOlllltHl pdTlHfU'S where ' llllltll
Clay and Jackson came that thu people
from the high hills might sec them and
hear them expound the aggressive poll
cies of their time. The Gap was an i'm
rortant strategic point throughout the
civil war.
The war over. this mountain gateway
fell back into its old sleep. In 1856. how
over. a representative of English capita a..
Looking for an Oppprt unity for iuNest,,1C,t
came through the Gap and found. he
sides the virgin forests. rich deposits If
ore and vast fields of coal. To reach this
wealth railroad came. a mile tunnel was
bored under the hummock Of the Gap. and
Al the Tennessee end the tiny town IF
Cumberland Gap was born.
Rut the lima gination of the promoters
of this industrial enterprise ran riot. Th"v
built the palatial Four Season hotel, at
cost of more than half million dol
lars. and a sumptuous sanatorium. The
American disposition to live near main
Travelled roads was fatal to this maGnih-
cent dream In the last struggle of The
enterprise the proprietors found that they
were employing upward of 10 servants to
provide comfort for five guests
Concident with the failure OF the Four
Season came "A spell of financial depression
and the industrial enterprise that had
lnred the railroad through the Gap van
ished. But the railroad remained.
APPEALED TO GENERAL HOWARD.
The Rev, A. A. Myers. n teacher preach
er from I1illsdale, Mich, then arrived.
He attempted to supply the school needs
of the community by creating Harrow
academy, so named by Lady Pauncefote.
wife of the then British amba ssadOr. It
thrved modestly. Mr. Myers learned tina:
the abandoned sanatorium could be
bought. He wrote 20 the scholarly Gen.
q. o. Howard Of Vermont, and appealed
to him to come to the Gap and help.
Genera Howard had never forgot en-
I.incoln's interest in the mountain people
nor his own experience with them 50
when the call came he went. TO her hon
or he II recorded, Mrs. Myers pledged the
only thousand dollars she possessed fol
the purchase of the property which was
10 be the founda ton Of n modest college
Of national significance
WITH the vision of n patriot Genera
Howard saw the opportunity. I'VE Will
raise the money he declared 1--WE VIII
call this sanatorium building Grant i. zee
nall We will choose for our college col
ors blue and gray the insignia of a re-
"i'teu people we VIII build something
bigger and better than a Harrow school
something that will remind us not Of n
little thing in England hut of n big thina
In America We will build n living me,
mortal to the great president, and it shall
he maintained by grateful Americans for
the benefit of Americans for the good OF
America. II shall be known as the Lin.
coin Memorial University"
So the Lincoln Memorial University was
horn. There it stands with its sroup OF
buildings and It's 100 students at the mid
land Gibralter Of America" monument
TO General Howard. a flower Of democ
racy, a school which is teaching Lincoln
like folk the lessons taught by Presidcn
Lincolns life.
SIX IMPORTANT BUILDINGS.
On the campus stand six importan
buildings and a dozen smaller ones. Mr.
Carnegie has contributed library. !
commercial school is comfortably house,
in a. cottage. And Chs acres of blue-gras
land constitute the farm which makes /
POSSIBLE for most of the boys to put them
selves through school. There are dormi
tories. music rooms. dairy, training shops
printing plant. barns. and big concret
sio.
1t costs a boy or a girl about 1925 a yea
TO cover all the needed expenses in at
tending Lincoln Memorial University with
out self-aid. but there are few student
who come with any such endowment
~.