Smyrna times., 1936-06-18
HIGH
SCHOOL is
REDEDICATEI


course in American history. had
learned it informally in Delaware.
A month before I was born my
father, then resident of Smyrna,
was elected to the State legisla-
ture, as a member of the House of
Representatives; and I now have
in my possession his copy-one of
the few copies now extant-of the
printed Journal of the regular ses-
sion of 1861. The frequent gaps
in historical writings are we'll i'll
ustrated by the fact that in a rela-
lively recent and somewhat volum-
inous history of Delaware no men
tion is made of what I had been
accustomed to regard as the most
important incident of that session.
The secessionist movement was
then in full swnig, and one of the
absorbing questions of the day was
that of the future attitude of the
border States. Although the ter
ritorial area of Delaware was
small, is strategic position was not
unimportant, and there came to
Dover a Southern delegation, the
spokesman of which was Chancel-
lor Dickinson, of Mississippi. The
legislature decided, as a matter of
courtesy to sister States, to hear
his plea, and joint convention of
the Senate and the House was held
for that purpose. Immediately af-
forwards, however, my father Of
fered in the House of Representa-
tives a resolution expressing disap-
proval of secession as a remedy
for the differences between the
States; and this resolution was
promptly adopted by the House
and, after some delay, by the Sem
ate. Delaware was afterwards
represented in the Peace Confer
ence at Washington, but the reso-
luton of the legislature had defin-
itely fixed her attitude towards the
preservation of the Union. On the
other hand, after the war ended,
the prevailing sentiment in Della
ware was in favor of restoring to
the Southern States their constitu-
tional autonomy. 1t therefore is
not strange that I should have
come to cherish the sentiment, so
happily expressed by Chief Justice
Chase, "An indestructible Union of
indestructible States" Nor has
the Importance of this sentiment
ever appeared to me to be greater
than it is at the present time, if
the principle of individual liberty,
on which our political and social
system was founded, is to be pre-
served.
Moved With Family to FELTON,
In 1870 my father, who had then
removed to the new town of Fell
ton, took the initiative in estab-
fishing, under an act of incorpor-
alton, The FELTON, Institute and
Classical Seminary. Next to him.
self, the most substantial contribu-
tors to the founding of this school
were Nathaniel P. Luff, my uncle
by marriage, and James B. Conner,
whose daughter, Mrs. Clifton, be-
came a resident of Smyrna. Of
FELTON, Seminary, as it was popu-
larly called, the principal was Rob-
ert H. Skinner, a native of the
eastern shore of Maryland, who
eventually died of a wound which
he received at Antietam. Mr.. Skin
ner, who was one of the finest char
acters have ever known, was as
sisted in his work by his wife, a
native Of Pennsylvania, who was
exceptionally accomplished and
gave lessons in drawing and paint
ing as well as in modern languag-
es. In due course an adequate
building was erected. and for some
years the seminary had a prosper
4 GUS career as a boarding and day