THE CLEARING SKIES
1870-1880
The torturing issues of the past are now settled. Mr. Cocke will let
them pass to practical oblivion while he presses on to larger
realizations. Of course annoying problems will continue to dog his
steps, but they will not wear the malignant aspect so familiar in the
strenuous years. His ideal is a flying goal, and he will never see his
loved college free from growing pains. The happiest decade of work that
he has yet known is before him. He stands on its threshold with hope
assured, and his face is lit with thanksgiving as he beholds the clouds
receding, and the sunshine flooding all the sky. It is a time to grasp
his hand and shower him with congratulations. He has now completed
twenty-four years of toilsome labor beside the little sulphur spring.
Into the holy enterprise he has grandly flung himself, his property and
his family. Never had a man a more tactful and sympathetic co-worker
than he found in his wife. Without one murmur of complaint she has
shared all his burdens and cares. Her feminine quietness and grace have
matched his masculine push and executive force. In him is a certain
rugged virility which is delightfully supplemented by her charm of
patient gentleness. With a noiseless and tireless efficiency, she has
managed the domestic details, while he has handled the administrative
affairs of the school. In the apportionment of praise, he would resent a
bestowal that made her unequal to himself; nor would he fail to
recognize the services of his children. Since the wedding bells rang,
thirty years ago, nine have come into the home [Joseph J., Leila V.
(Mrs. Joseph A. Turner), Sallie Lewis, Mary Susan (Mrs. C. W. Hayward),
Rosa Pleasants (Mrs. W. R. L. Smith), Charles Henry, Matty L., Lucian
H., and Bessie (Mrs. J. P. Barbee)]. Brought up in an atmosphere of
service, all of them have, for longer or shorter periods, loyally served
the institution.
The new session of 1870-'71 began with the registration of eighty girls.
The Trustees at this juncture stepped to the front with a cheering note,
announcing that the Institute was "Getting on a firm basis," and
expressing their intense gratification at its increasing popularity and
patronage. They emphasized their high appreciation of the system of
instruction, and the thoroughgoing diligence of the President and his
faculty. All honor to these men who were sensitive to merit, and who had
the grace to crown it with praise. These men also had learned that human
progress is not much accelerated by whips of fault-finding and rebuke.
In all their official records there is not an instance of clash between
them and the President, nor even a hint of cross-purpose or loss of good
understanding. When we think of the rough road they had travelled
together, and the bewildering tangle of issues with which they had
grappled, this concord is as surprising as it is honorable. An obstinate
and wrangling Board could have crippled him cruelly. These harmonies
were due to two facts: first, the absolute confidence of these gentlemen
in the judgment and business capacity of Mr. Cocke; second, his
reciprocal confidence in them, accompanied by the most cordial respect
and courtesy. At the Board meetings through this decade they will not
forget the value of commendatory resolutions, and it is pleasing to
mention now, that this congenial partnership never knew a jar in all the
after years.
Never was sunshine more grateful to the flowers, or music more cheering
to a tired spirit, than were the tokens of the spreading fame of
Hollins to the soul of Mr. Cocke. Golden appreciations by distinguished
men began to be spoken and written. Here is a tribute from Professor
Edward S. Joynes, of Washington College, Lexington, Virginia: "I am
intimately acquainted with the history of Hollins. It is an Institution
of the very highest character, certainly second to none of its kind in
this State. It has existed for upward of twenty-five years and been
conducted upon the very highest standards of moral and intellectual
education. Its success and permanence have been due to its merits alone.
It is an unendowed Institution, founded originally by benevolence and
supported by public patronage, and by the energy and economy of its
administration. The President is a man of ability and of the highest
personal character, and no Institution in this State has a higher claim
on the public confidence." Dr. John A. Broaddus, of the Baptist
Theological Seminary, Greenville, South Carolina, wrote his estimate: "I
know of no better female school in the whole country, and very few, that
for a moment, can be compared with Hollins. The instruction takes an
ample range, and is able, skillful and honest." The Rev. Dr. J. L.
Burrows, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, stated
his view: "In beauty and healthfulness of location; in attractiveness
and adaptableness of its buildings; in tasteful adornment of grounds;
in the wild grandeur of surrounding scenery, Hollins Institute occupies
one of the most charming and sequestered nooks among the far-famed
mineral springs of Virginia. In the comprehensiveness and thoroughness
of its course of study; in the ability and devotion of its instructors;
in the carefulness and homefulness of its domestic economy; in its
seclusion from the distractions of fashion and social disquietude, I
regard this Institution as one of the very best for girls on this
continent."
Many such heartening notes by University professors, ministers, editors
and heads of colleges for girls, began to sound forth as early as 1868.
Golden opinions, rightly deserved and rapidly spreading, brought the
natural result. The session of 1869-'70 opened with twenty-one girls
from nine Southern States, not including Virginia. The year following,
the number grew to twenty-eight from the nine states. The session of
1873-'74 reported thirty-nine girls from thirteen states outside of
Virginia, and that of 1875-'76 enrolled fifty-three from fourteen
states. The session of 1877-'78 registered a total of one hundred and
seventeen students, seventy of them coming from other states. This
noticeable decline in the percentage of Virginia girls is easily
accounted for by the increasing competition of the new and excellent
schools for girls, now arisen in the Old Dominion. During this decade,
the fair fame of Hollins spread swiftly, and from this time on, a
gradually increasing and uninterrupted stream of pupils, from all points
of the compass, poured smilingly through her doors. Nor did her native
commonwealth fail in admiration and generous support.
You can imagine the emotions of the founder in this happy emergence from
the dilemmas and horrible incertitudes of the past twenty-five years.
His bearing was calm and undemonstrative, while in his bosom the peans
of thanksgiving go up to the great White Throne. But on the gladness of
these days, a blight of bereavement was about to fall. In 1871, the
brilliant and able Professor Turner had married Miss Leila Virginia
Cocke, an accomplished daughter of the President. He was a shining light
in the faculty, and on him great hopes centered. For two years his
health declined, and on May 5th, 1878, gloom settled on Hollins. Great
was the grief at the going of the beloved scholar and teacher. His
twelve years of service began in the dark days of 1866, and closed in
the full tide of victory. The memory of him will never perish from the
hearts of pupils and friends who almost idolized him.
An event in 1874 meant much relief and comfort to our veteran educator,
amid his manifold labors and cares. Charles H. Cocke, his son, now in
early manhood, capable, courageous and completely responsive to the
father's wish, took on himself the duties of business manager of the
Institution. Here was a much needed and most grateful division of
responsibilities, and the competent new official magnified his calling
to the uttermost. The thoroughness and courtesy with which he handled
affairs, won for him the confidence and affection of the girls.
Have we ever found Mr. Cocke in a state of perfect satisfaction with
things as they are? Never. He is a stranger to that experience, and will
ever remain so. When we met him forty years ago as an assistant
professor in Richmond College, his slogan was, "Betterment, enlargement,
progress." The urgencies of an early ideal are still upon him, and he
will never count himself to have attained. This fact touches him
pathetically, now that he is nearing his sixtieth year. Unrealized aims
add somber hues to every earnest life.
"All I aspired to be
And was not, comforts me."
The equipment of growing Hollins is far from complete; much remains to
be done. The spirit of advance gives him no rest. He has a vision, and
"forward" is ever his imperious challenge to things as they are.
Absolutely sure is he that his beloved College, with its reasonably low
rates, and its high standards, is on the sure road to greatness in human
service.
All through this decade his brain had been active with schemes of
improvements. In the early seventies, the Baptists of Virginia were
freshly aroused on the subject of education, and made large plans for
strengthening Richmond College. Taking cue from this new denominational
interest, the Trustees of Hollins Institute determined to go before the
public and ask for a contribution of $100,000. A financial agent went
among the people with argument and appeal. The result was disappointing
and the agent was withdrawn. The failure was depressing, but by no means
unnerving. From the beginning of the "Seminary" in 1842, the
intermittent calls on public benevolence had never met with notable
response. Nor is this fact any real ground for reproach. The mood of the
general public had never been toned and cultivated in the interests of
liberal education. From first to last the benevolent gifts to Hollins
amounted to but $35,000, exactly half of which had come from Mrs. Ann
Hollins and her husband. In the light of the recent failure Mr. Cocke
saw that there was no further ground of hope from this source of supply.
The school's expanding reputation and growing patronage gratified him
exceedingly, but the financial situation excited disquieting
apprehensions. The Trustees had no funds in the treasury; the
Institution was making no money, and their debt was growing every year.
The mind of the President was filled with foreboding and grave anxiety.
[Illustration: MRS. CHARLES L. COCKE]
Let it now be said that not one dollar had ever been added to the debt
by any form of extravagance. No head of an Institution ever practiced a
more rigid economy in projecting improvements. Not even a fancy
catalogue was ever sent out from Hollins. His severe frugality, and the
constantly demanded investment of his personal means in improvements,
actually limited the reasonable privileges and gratifications of his
family. Never did a family bear restrictions more cheerfully and
uncomplainingly. It was not in Mr. Cocke to rebel against the law of
sacrifice, but once, in his annual report to the Trustees in 1879, he
permitted himself to say: "It is a hard case, however, that a man should
have all his means so wound up in an Institution, conducted for the
public, that he cannot command enough money to give his family anything
at all, except hard work and self-denial."
In 1846, by express contract with the Trustees, Mr. Cocke became
Principal and Steward of the Seminary without stipulated salary. Neither
he nor any one of his sons and daughters, who worked so loyally with
him, ever received a salary from the Board. That initial agreement
illustrates the unbargaining generosity of the man. He pressed on the
attention of the Trustees the certainty of continuous demand for
enlarged facilities. To provide for this, it was agreed that the revenue
from the boarding department should go to the Trustees, who would devote
it to that purpose. How ridiculously small that revenue was likely to
be, may be gathered from the fact that a student was boarded at the rate
of $5.00 a month! Through all the subsequent years this principle of
benevolent rates had never been abandoned. The figures were necessarily
increased, but only with the view of keeping out of debt. Now what
possible promise was there in this arrangement for increasing
facilities? Absolutely none. So the long issue of events proved. By the
same agreement, Mr. Cocke was to pay his teachers' salaries and maintain
himself and family out of the tuition funds. What remained in the
treasury after the teachers were paid was his. Out of that residue, it
soon became evident, must come much of the means for repairs and
improvements. There was no other source from which to draw. Improvements
were made, and self-denial paid the bills.
Now, while this involved inconveniences, it did not, of course, mean the
making of gifts to the Trustees. In just business fashion, they
recorded each outlay of this kind as a loan to themselves. As a
consequence they went steadily in debt to Mr. Cocke, until by 1864 they
owed him $7,785. This included the $1,500 which he lent to them in 1846.
This curious financial arrangement continued, unavoidable and regretted
by all concerned. In 1868, the debt of the Trustees ran up to $17,473,
and in 1876 it reached the sum of $22,094. Why had not these claims been
settled? We have seen the source of the Trustees' revenue; how could
they pay? The $35,000 raised by public gift had been given to the
Trustees, who invested every cent of it in new buildings and
accommodations. Not a dollar of it ever touched the hand of Mr. Cocke.
On the contrary, as noted above, the growing plant had commandeered much
of his own slow, hard earnings. Either this undesirable order of things
had to go on, or Mr. Cocke had to abandon his dear ambition. But the
time had come for better adjustments. He felt that the multiplying years
required that he think of the interests of his family. With these views
and wishes, the Trustees were in their usual cordial sympathy. The
Institution was their property. They were in debt to Mr. Cocke in a
large and yearly increasing sum. They had no possible way of liquidating
that debt. What could they do? What ought they to have done? They solved
the question by offering to give Mr. Cocke a deed to their Institution
in satisfaction of their debt. The proposition was declined. He did not
want to own the College. Such had never been his aim. He saw that the
move would be a relief to the Trustees, but a disadvantage to the
school. He deprecated the idea of the College going into private
ownership. The associated wisdom and responsibility of a good Board of
Trustees he regarded as one of its best assets. Moreover, what could
such a deal effect in the way of relieving his financial embarrassments?
He could not see, and so the troublesome question was left unsolved. The
school was prosperous, his heart was serenely grateful; and this
personal matter could wait.