HISTORY OF RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE, VIRGINIA:
THE OLDEST INCORPORATED METHODIST COLLEGE IN AMERICA
by Richard Irby (A. B. 1844)
PREFACE.
The following resolution, adopted at the last annual meeting of the
Board of Trustees, will answer as a preface to what will be given as a
history of the oldest incorporated Methodist college in America now in
existence, and can be pleaded as an excuse, if any be needed, why one
so inexperienced in authorship should make this effort to rescue from
oblivion what is left of the records and information now obtainable in
regard to this, comparatively speaking, venerable college.
"On motion of J. J. Lafferty and W. H. Christian,
"_Resolved_, That the thanks of the Board be tendered to Richard Irby,
Esq., for his labors in the collection of material for a connected and
authentic historical account of this college, and that he be requested
to continue and perfect this work, and that all friends of the college
be requested to give him their cordial aid and co-operation."
HISTORY OF RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE
EARLY EFFORTS OF METHODISTS TO FOUND SCHOOLS.
JOHN WESLEY, the founder of Methodism, was in every sense a highly
educated man. His education began at the knee of one of the wisest and
most accomplished women that ever lived to bless the world. It was
continued at Oxford, but did not stop there; for he believed, and acted
on his belief, that a man's education should continue as long as his
intellectual energy survives.
The great business of Wesley was to spread scriptural holiness over the
world, beginning at his own home. To accomplish this great end he
sought and utilized every practicable agency. Early in the course of the
great movement he put in motion, he established the Kingswood School,
which he aimed to make as thorough, practically, as Oxford and
Cambridge, and free from the surroundings which hindered evangelical
believers in attendance on those schools, where he and his co-workers
had encountered so much opposition and ridicule. At this school were to
be allied in holy matrimony religion and learning, which godless hands
had sought to put asunder; for he valued education and learning severed
from, and unhallowed by, religion as worse than worthless.
Following the example of this great leader, Asbury, the "Pioneer Bishop
of America," sought at an early day to carry out the same plans. But the
difficulties he encountered were different from those Mr. Wesley met in
many respects. At the close of the Revolutionary War, he found a
continent over the broad area of which was spread a population of about
three million of people. These people had just come out of a war of
seven years, impoverished in every species of property except their
broad acres of forest land, worthless until subdued by the sturdy
husbandman. The currency of the country was well-nigh worthless and
irredeemable in gold and silver. The great and controlling idea of the
people was the restoration of wealth and material resources. This meant
and required hard and constant work, which pushed aside schools and all
other enterprises of the kind considered as of secondary importance. At
that time only about eight colleges were found in the States, and these
were slimly endowed, if endowed at all, and but poorly patronized.
But bold, and trusting in God, Asbury began the work of establishing
schools, hardly waiting for the clearing away of the smoke of battle. At
the time he was made General Superintendent, or Bishop, (1784), there
were in the United States 14,988 members in the Methodist Episcopal
Church. These were scattered broadcast over the States bordering on the
Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Georgia. The bulk of the membership was
found in the Southern States. The Minutes for that year give New York
City sixty members and Brunswick Circuit (Virginia) four hundred and
eighty-four, and other circuits in Virginia more.
In the year 1784 Dr. Cummings (in _Early Schools of Methodism_, New
York, 1886) thinks Bishop Asbury founded the first Methodist academy
ever established in America. It is reasonable, however, to put the date
a little later, say 1785, for his services as General Superintendent did
not begin till later, inasmuch as Mr. Wesley's letter appointing him to
the place bears date September 10, 1784. This school or academy was
located in Brunswick county, Virginia, on the road leading from
Petersburg to Boydton, at a point about midway between the two places.
He named it
[Illustration: EBENEZER ACADEMY]*
*The Ebenezer Academy building is still standing, but it has been
changed somewhat since it ceased to be used for school purposes. The cut
used here was made from a pencil sketch of it made by Mr. Short, who
lives near, and sent by Rev. J. Carson Watson, in whose circuit it is
located. The walls are of stone, one of which has become injured;
otherwise, the old house would be good for another century.
For a number of years this academy was controlled by trustees appointed
by the Bishop or by the Annual Conference, and enjoyed such supervision
as the Bishop was able to give, which, with such arduous labors as
demanded his energies, was of necessity but slight and occasional. On
this account, and other accounts incident to the times, the control of
the academy was lost to the Methodists, and went into the hands of the
county authorities, which control never was regained by the Church. But
it was kept up as an academy for many years, and at it many of the most
prominent men of the county and counties adjacent were educated wholly
or partly. In this way it did a good work for the people of its day, and
was the forerunner and prophecy of another school not far away, which,
under better auspices, though not without difficulties, has lived to
bless the Church and the world in this nineteenth century.
The first regularly incorporated Methodist college in the United States
was Cokesbury College. It was located near Baltimore, Md. It was in
operation only a few years. Augusta College, Kentucky, was the next.
That has long since ceased to exist. In the period preceding the
division of the Methodist Episcopal Church, there were thirty-one
literary institutions controlled by this Church, of which three were
exclusively for females and several, co-educational. Seventeen of these
were located in the Southern States. Of the thirty-one, only seven
colleges have survived, viz.: Randolph-Macon College, chartered February
3, 1830; Wesleyan University (Connecticut), chartered May, 1831; Emory
College (Georgia), 1837; Emory and Henry (Virginia), 1838; Wesleyan
Female College (Georgia), 1839. Dickinson College (Pennsylvania)
chartered in 1783, but did not become a Methodist college till 1833, and
was opened as a Methodist college September, 1834. Alleghany College
(Pennsylvania) was chartered in 1818, and came under the control of the
Methodist Church in 1833, and was opened as a Methodist college the same
year.
It will thus be seen that all these male colleges which survived, were
opened under Methodist patronage, nearly simultaneously, viz.: Wesleyan
University, October, 1831; Randolph-Macon, January, 1832; Alleghany
College, November, 1833; Dickinson College, September, 1834. This point
of time thus became a marked starting-point in the history of Methodist
colleges. Since this turning-point was passed, the number of them has
increased as rapidly as the membership of the church, and can now be
counted by the hundreds, making the Methodist Church foremost in the
great work of Christian education.
It may be noted here that all of the above-named colleges succeeded to
buildings which had been used for school purposes, more or less
complete, while those of Randolph-Macon were built wholly out of new
material.
It is probable that the idea and purpose moving Bishop Asbury to found
church schools, had never gone entirely out of the minds of the
Methodists of Virginia, notwithstanding all the failures and disasters
which had befallen the early enterprises. They found no school in the
Conference territory of high grade where they felt safe in sending their
sons. William and Mary College was under the control of the
Episcopalians, and its location was noted for excess in worldliness and
free-living, which did not invite Methodists, whose rules forbade such
customs. The atmosphere of the college and town was unsuited to
Methodists, and they were looked upon as unfit for the society of the
so-called best people. Hampden-Sidney College, originally non-sectarian,
had come under the control of the Presbyterians, with whom, in those
days, Arminian Methodists did not think it safe to let their sons remain
too long, lest they should become Calvinists. Washington College was
then a feeble school, and remote from the eastern portion of the State,
and outside the Virginia Conference. Under these circumstances, and for
what were esteemed good reasons, the Methodists of the Virginia
Conference, then composed of the eastern and middle portions of Virginia
and North Carolina, moved in the matter of establishing a college of
high grade.
A resolution, adopted by the General Conference of 1824, recommending
"that each Annual Conference establish a Seminary of learning under its
own regulations and patronage," had the effect to direct the attention
of the church throughout the connection to the subject of education. So
almost simultaneously the New York Conference, with the Virginia
Conference, moved towards the establishment of a college, as recommended
by the General Conference, the result of which was the founding of the
Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., and of Randolph-Macon College
at Boydton, Va., the two oldest Methodist colleges, originally
incorporated as such, now existing in America.
The credit of first planning or founding Randolph-Macon College has
been awarded to Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh and Gabriel P. Disosway. The
former was a prominent minister in the Virginia Conference, and was
justly esteemed by his contemporaries as an orator second to but few, if
any, of his time. Dr. Bennett, in _Memorials of Methodism in Virginia_,
says: "Perhaps no man ever left a deeper impression on the hearts of the
people among whom he labored. In every city where he was stationed, in
every district, in every circuit, there are thrilling recollections of
his preaching.... He was not simply an eloquent preacher, he was a wise,
skillful, practical workman in the vineyard." Dr. W. A. Smith, third
President of Randolph-Macon College, said of him: "Dr. Leigh had few
equals in the pulpit. He filled a large space in public attention, and
wielded a wide and undisputed influence among his brethren in the
ministry." He was a native of Perquimans county, N. C., born November
23, 1795, but for many years prior to his death resided on his farm near
Boydton, Va.
Gabriel P. Disosway was a native of the city of New York, of Huguenot
ancestry, born December 6, 1799. He took his A.B. degree at Columbia
College, New York, in 1821. In early life he became a citizen of
Petersburg, Va., and married a Virginia lady. He was a pious and devoted
Methodist, and by his superior education and literary abilities exerted
a wide and salutary influence on the church circles of his town and day.
Having been a college-bred man, he may have suggested to Dr. Leigh the
founding of a college, or the latter may have sought the advice and
co-operation of Mr. Disosway, and thenceforth the two worked together as
co-laborers in this good cause. Dr. W. A. Smith inclined to the latter
view of the matter, for he says (_Funeral Discourse on Rev. H. G.
Leigh_), "Regarding all the circumstances, the prominent position held
by Dr. Leigh in originating all the preliminary measures, and his
personal activity in advancing them, we have always considered him in a
good sense the founder of Randolph-Macon College." Mr. Disosway
returned to New York in 1828, and thus the college ceased to have his
active co-operation with Dr. Leigh, which might, and doubtless would,
have been very acceptable and beneficial. He lived to an honorable old
age, giving much of his valuable time to the great interests of the
Church of his choice, and also to the great religious institutions of
his State and the country, with a number of which he was closely
identified as manager or director. He also wrote frequently for the
press, and was the author of several books, one of which particularly
was highly esteemed, viz. _The Old Churches of New York_."
The college, many years ago, recognized the claims of these co-founders
to the gratitude and remembrance of succeeding generations by placing on
the walls of the chapel marble tablets, suitably inscribed and dedicated
to their memory.
The enterprise of establishing a college in the Virginia Conference took
definite direction, and resulted in practical action at the session of
the Virginia Conference held at Oxford, N. C., March 2, 1825. In the
minutes is this entry: "After some discussion on the recommendation of
the General Conference (of 1824), 'That each Annual Conference establish
a Seminary of Learning, under its own regulations and patronage,' the
whole question was referred to a committee of twelve--six ministers and
six laymen--to consider and report the best method of establishing such
a Seminary with suitable constitutional principles." The following
constituted the committee ordered: John Early, Hezekiah G. Leigh, Caleb
Leach, Charles A. Cooley, William Compton and George M. Anderson, of the
Conference; and Gabriel P. Disosway, Joseph B. Littlejohn, John Nutall,
Lewis Taylor, Joseph Taylor and Jesse H. Cobb, of the laity.... "The
College bill, which was laid on the table, was taken up, and, after some
amendment, was adopted." It would appear from the constitution of the
committee, that John Early made the motion to appoint the committee, and
this was probably the case, because he was then, and for many years
afterwards, a leader in the business of the Conference, and, therefore,
the prime mover in the enterprise, had enlisted his active interest in
the matter. We shall see that this prominent position was held by him
for many years afterwards.
This was all that was done at this Conference. At the next Conference,
held in Portsmouth, Va., February, 1826, the committee was increased by
adding George W. Charlton and James Smith, ministers, and Robert A.
Armistead, Arthur Cooper, Jesse Nicholson, local preachers, and J. C.
Pegram, Cary Jennings, laymen. On the 20th the committee made a report,
and the report Was laid on the table. On the 22nd the College bill,
which was laid on the table, was taken up, and after some amendments it
was adopted. On the 23rd the "Select Committee," recommended in the bill
adopted on the days previous, was appointed, viz.: Hezekiah G. Leigh,
George W. Charlton, James Smith, John Early, Thomas Crowder, Ethelbert
Drake, ministers, and Gabriel P. Disosway, Robert A. Armistead, William
Clarke, John C. Pegram, laymen. This committee reported at the
succeeding Conference (1827) a "Constitution" for the College, which,
after some amendments, was adopted; and it was further "_Resolved_, that
every member take a subscription paper and use his influence and best
exertions to obtain subscriptions for the benefit of the College
contemplated to be founded within the bounds of this Conference."
At the Conference of 1828 a new committee of seven was appointed "to see
that all the preachers pay a due and diligent attention to every
regulation and matter appertaining to the establishment of the College
contemplated, and to employ an efficient agent to make collections and
obtain subscriptions for the same, and to maturely consider the
advantages of every place proposed for its site, and to report thereon
to the next Conference upon which the location of the College shall be
fixed."
LOCATION AND NAMING OF THE COLLEGE.
At the Conference of 1829 the committee appointed the year previous made
a report. The Committee had met at Zion Church, in Mecklenburg county.
The citizens of Brunswick offered $20,000 in subscriptions on condition
that the College be located at Physic Springs, about four miles from
Lawrenceville, the county seat, and not very far from the old Ebenezer
Academy. The citizens of Mecklenburg offered a parcel of land near
Boydton, the county seat, at a very low price, and $10,000 in
subscriptions, with some possible advantages from the Boydton Academy.
The location was fixed at or near Boydton, probably, mainly through the
influence of Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh, the prime mover in the College
enterprise, and Howell Taylor, a very influential Methodist of the
county, together with Hon. William O. Goode and Col. William Townes,
men of great popularity. The site selected was also very near the line
dividing the States of Virginia and North Carolina, and probably more
accessible to the people of the two States at that time than any other
eligible location, and was considered healthful, as well as the centre
of a refined community. The county of Mecklenburg was one of the largest
and wealthiest in the State, and its people and the people of the
adjoining counties of North Carolina were friendly and homogeneous.
The report of the Committee was confirmed by the Conference, and the
Committee was authorized to apply to the General Assembly of Virginia
for a charter. This the Committee proceeded to do, and Mr. Goode, of
Mecklenburg, presented a bill to incorporate the "Trustees of Henry and
Macon College" Friday, January 15, 1830. After going through the
several readings required, and having several amendments made, on motion
of Mr. Alexander, of Mecklenburg, the title was changed, making it to
read, "An act to incorporate the 'Trustees of Randolph-Macon College.'"
The bill so amended was passed by both houses, and became a law February
3, 1830. The Act in part is as follows:
"1. _Be it enacted by the General Assembly_, That there be, and is
hereby erected and established, at or near Boydton, in the county of
Mecklenburg, in this Commonwealth, a seminary of learning for the
instruction of youth in the various branches of science and literature,
the useful arts, agriculture, and the learned and foreign languages.
"2. _And be it further enacted_, That the said seminary shall be known
and called by the name of Randolph-Macon College.
"3. _And be it further enacted_, That Hezekiah Leigh, John Early, Edward
Cannon, W. A. Smith, William I. Waller, Thomas Crowder, Moses Brock,
James Boyd, William Hammett, Caleb Leach, Matthew M. Dance, Lewis
Skidmore, Augustine Claiborne, Ethelbert Drake, Henry Fitts, John
Nutall, James Wyche, John P. Harrison, Grenville Penn, Walker
Timberlake, John G. Claiborne, Howell Taylor, James Smith, Joel
Blackwell, John Y. Mason, James Garland, Richard G. Morris, John W.
Lewis, William O. Goode, and Nathaniel Alexander be, and are hereby,
constituted and appointed trustees of said college, who and their
successors shall be a body politic and corporate by the name of the
'Trustees of Randolph-Macon College,' who shall have a perpetual
succession and a common seal, and by the name aforesaid they and their
successors shall be capable in law to possess, purchase, receive and
retain to them and their successors forever, any lands, tenements,
rents, goods, chattels or interests of any kind whatsoever, which may
have been already given, or by them purchased for the use of said
College; to dispose of the same in any way whatsoever they shall adjudge
most useful to the interests and legal purposes of the institution; and
by the same name to sue and implead, be sued and impleaded, answer and
be answered, in all courts of law and equity; and under their common
seal to make and establish, from time to time, such by-laws, rules and
ordinances, not contrary to the laws and constitution of this
Commonwealth, as shall by them be thought essential to the good order
and government of the professors, masters and students of said College."
It will appear above that thirty were constituted trustees. Of the
thirty, twelve were travelling preachers of the Virginia Annual
Conference, and eighteen were local preachers and laymen. The name of
Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh heads the list, as, by courtesy, was proper. All
were members of the Methodist Church, except the following: Judge John
Y. Mason, John W. Lewis, William O. Goode, and Nathaniel Alexander, the
three latter prominent citizens of Mecklenburg county. Of these a number
lived to take an active part in the affairs of the college for many
years. The last to pass away was Judge Garland, of Lynchburg, who died a
few years since at a very advanced age.
It is well known for whom Randolph-Macon College was named--John
Randolph, of Roanoke, and Nathaniel Macon, of North Carolina. How it
came about that a Christian and Methodist college should have been named
for men who were not professed Christians, and who had never, so far as
is known, shown any preference or kindly interest for the Methodist
Church, has been a question of interest and speculation. The most
probable solution of the question is that the name was determined very
much by precedent. The oldest college in the State, William and Mary,
founded primarily and specially for educating "the savages" in
Christianity, was named for the King and Queen then on the throne.
Washington College was named for Washington, the hero of the day (1782);
Hampden-Sidney for the champions of liberty and human rights (1783), all
of them Christian colleges, but named for public men, representatives of
the sentiments of the periods uppermost when they were founded.
Following the precedents set by these colleges, the names then most
prominent in Virginia and North Carolina were selected, John Randolph,
of Roanoke, and Nathaniel Macon, one living on the south side of the
Roanoke River and the other on the north side. Neither of these men was
in any way connected with the College, nor did either, so far as is
recorded, ever manifest any interest in it by making a contribution to
it or otherwise, but both were very popular in their native State, in
whose service they literally spent their lives. John Randolph has been
called an infidel by some Northern writers, but those who knew him best
represent him as far from having been such, though he lived at a time
when infidelity was far from being uncommon among public men. At one
time, at least, he was a professed believer in Christ, and never gave up
his belief, however inconsistent in his life, at times, he may have
been.
Hon. J. K. Paulding, a distinguished author and public man, in a letter
accepting membership in one of the literary societies of the College
soon after it was built, wrote of these men:
"Randolph-Macon combines the names of two very distinguished men, with
whom I was acquainted; with the former, long and intimately. Mr. Macon
was one of the wisest, most virtuous men I ever knew. His integrity as a
private man was only equalled by his devotion to his country and to the
great principles of liberty, of which he was a most faithful and devoted
advocate. Indeed, I may say, with perfect truth, that in the simplicity
of his habits and character, as well as in the purity of his principles,
he realized more than any man I ever knew the example of a steadfast,
stern, inflexible republican.
"With Mr. John Randolph I was on terms of intimacy for more than twenty
years. He was a very extraordinary man, whose life and character should
be delineated by one who could analyze them thoroughly and explain their
strange apparent inconsistency. To me it always appeared that but for
the weakness of his physical constitution and the almost perpetual
sufferings it entailed upon him, he would have been one of the highest
models of a high-minded gentleman, as well as one of the wisest, most
consistent statesmen of the age. But his physical infirmities and
sufferings impaired the vigor and consistency of his mind, while they
often soured his temper, and caused those sudden caprices, which lost
him many friends, and made his greatest admirers almost afraid to
indulge in the society of one the charm of whose conversation was
otherwise irresistible. This, however, I will say of him, that whatever
may have been the infirmities of his temper, his principles were of the
most high, and, indeed, lofty character. His integrity was exemplary,
and his devotion to the great principles of liberty consistent and
profound.
"The life and character of Mr. Macon young men may safely make the
objects of their imitation throughout, while Mr. Randolph is rather a
subject of admiration and wonder. Virginia should be proud of him as an
orator without an equal among his contemporaries and as a man who, with
all his faults, was possessed of many virtues of the very highest
order."
Looking at the matter from our present standpoint, it seems strange that
a more suitable name was not selected more in accordance with the
special character of the object of the institution, the blending of the
highest culture of the mind with the elevation of Christian character.
[Illustration: REV. JOHN EARLY. _First President (1832-1868) of the
Board of Trustees of Randolph-Macon College, and Bishop of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South._]
FIRST MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
The first meeting of the Board of Trustees appointed under the act of
incorporation, was held at Boydtown (so it reads), Mecklenburg county,
Va., April 9, 1830.
The following members were duly qualified and took their seats, viz.:
Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh, Rev. John Early, Rev. William A. Smith, Rev.
William I. Waller, Rev. Moses Brock, Rev. James Boyd, Rev. Caleb Leach,
Rev. Matthew M. Dance, Rev. Lewis Skidmore (members of the Virginia
Conference), Rev. John G. Claiborne, Rev. James Smith (local ministers),
Jas. Wyche, Howell Taylor, J. W. Lewis, William O. Goode, and Nathaniel
Alexander, Esqs. Rev. John Early was elected chairman, and Rev. William
A. Smith secretary.
A committee was appointed to draft rules for the government of the
Board, and one to obtain drafts of buildings for the College. H. G.
Leigh, J. W. Lewis, James Boyd, and L. Skidmore constituted the latter
committee.
H. G. Leigh, who had been acting as Agent for the College in securing
subscriptions and funds for the College enterprise, under the
appointment of the Virginia Conference, was elected Agent to continue
the same work. A committee was also appointed to secure land for the
location of the College.
This was the work of the first day.
At the second session--the next day--Rev. H. G. Leigh, from the
Committee to Draft Rules, etc., reported the rules for the government of
the Board, which were adopted.
Rev. W. I. Waller submitted the following resolutions, which were
adopted:
1. That a committee be appointed to prepare an address to the public
generally, and to the ministers and members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church particularly, requesting their aid and co-operation in procuring
funds for the establishment of Randolph-Macon College.
2. That a copy of the address be sent to each presiding elder and
preacher in charge of circuits and stations within the bounds of the
Virginia Annual Conference.
William A. Smith, Moses Brock, H. G. Leigh, and William I. Waller were
appointed on this committee.
It was further resolved that an additional Agent be appointed.
John W. Lewis was elected Treasurer of the Board.
H. G. Leigh, from the Committee to obtain drafts for the College
Building, reported three--one to cost $30,182, one $20,569, and one
$19,238.
The first resolutions adopted in the direction of building was to
appropriate $14,000 towards the purchase of land and the erection of a
College building.
It was also resolved "that it is expedient to establish a Preparatory
School to Randolph-Macon College as soon as the building can be prepared
for that purpose," and $1,500 was appropriated to its erection.
A "Committee on Building" was appointed to obtain the best model for the
College building, and contract for, and superintend the construction of,
the same, and also the building for the Preparatory School.
Rev. H. G. Leigh's salary as agent was fixed at "the usual salary of a
Methodist itinerant preacher."
The first financial report by the agent was made as follows:
Monies subscribed, . . . . . . . . . . . $9,135 90
Monies collected of this, . . . . . . . . . 399 79
of this doubtful, $380. $8,736 11
The offer of the trustees of Boydton Academy to sell the same was not
accepted.
The committee authorized to purchase land for the College made report,
and the committee was empowered to purchase land from several parties at
an average of about $5.50 per acre.
The agent reported that the subscription of Mecklenburg county was
$10,000. It was ordered that the subscription paper be deposited with
the Treasurer.
The first Building Committee appointed was as follows: Hezekiah G.
Leigh, John W. Lewis, James Smith, Matthew M. Dance, Moses Brock, and
John Early; and here the deliberations of the first meeting of the Board
ended.
With a subscription list of less than $20,000, including the county
subscription, a large portion of which, in those days, as in the
present, was uncollectable and worthless, this band of workers went
forward, "not knowing whither they were going," but, like Abraham,
trusting in the Lord, whose spirit had prompted the enterprise, that he
would bring about a successful issue. Could they have foreseen the
difficulties ahead, the work probably would never have been undertaken,
nor would Columbus ever have discovered a new world if he had foreseen
the difficulties which were before him.
It is not untimely to pause and dwell on some of the actors in this
work.
The chairman, Rev. John Early, who was afterwards Bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was at this time in the prime of
life. He was not a college-bred man. He probably valued college
education as highly as he did because he felt so keenly the need of it.
He was, however, in the best sense, an educated man, and a man among
men. From his early manhood his brethren and fellow-citizens manifested
their appreciation of him by calling him to the highest positions in the
church and in the state. The latter, however, were not accepted by him.
It may be safely said that no man ever lived in Virginia who was more
intimately or more widely known than John Early. No man ever knew more
men. Few ever had more seals to their ministry. Not neglecting his own
peculiar work in the church, he was always foremost in everything that
he esteemed promotive of the good of the church and the state. From the
outset he threw into the college enterprise all his great energy, and
gave it the benefit of his large practical sense, because he felt that
the church, as well as the state, was in need of such an agency. Under
the charter, as subsequently amended, he was elected President of the
Board of Trustees, and retained that position for about forty years,
rarely ever failing to attend the annual meetings, when attendance
involved days of tedious and difficult travel over rough roads. When
over eighty years of age he was found at his place in the Board.
Doubtless his latest prayers were for the success of the cause to which
he gave many of the years of his manhood's prime. Randolph-Macon College
will never let the name of John Early be forgotten. His portrait adorns
the Trustees' room, and his eyes look down every June on his successors
in the Board of Trustees, who are laboring to carry forward the work
which he and his co-laborers commenced in 1825.
The first secretary, Rev. William Andrew Smith, was another man of
power, a self-made man, as such men are commonly called. He accepted the
"call from on high" to do great things. He was endowed with a
wonderfully fertile and active mind. When fully aroused in any cause his
heart espoused, he was a power with the people and with deliberative
bodies. Commencing active service for the College as Secretary of the
Board, he lived to become the President of the College from 1847 to
1865. When he took charge of it, the College was at the lowest condition
financially as well as in patronage, that it ever reached. Full of faith
and zeal himself, he infused new life into it and animated its friends
with fresh courage and zeal. Realizing that an endowment was absolutely
essential, in 1855 he undertook to raise $100,000 for it, and succeeded.
Of this endowment more will be said further on.
[Illustration: REV. LEWIS SKIDMORE. _Original member of Board of
Trustees._]
Another self-made man among the corporators present was Lewis Skidmore.
In native talent of a peculiar order, he was second to none of his
associates. He had, however, none of the ambition of some of the others.
For power of argumentation on any subject he took in hand, he was equal
to the foremost. He said once, when asked at what college he had
graduated, "I graduated at the anvil." When the hammer of his logic
struck it shaped or shivered the object it struck. As punctual as a
clock, the day before the Trustees were to meet, his rotund form would
be seen about the same hour rising over the western hill as the sun was
going down.
Space will not allow particular reference to the other members of the
Board. All of them were men of mark in their callings. Three of
them--laymen, citizens of Mecklenburg county--were not members of the
Methodist church.
William O. Goode was a representative man. He was a member of the
Legislature, and brought forward the College bill. He was a member of
the State Convention of 1829 and of the Congress of the United States
for several sessions.
Nathaniel Alexander was a wealthy planter and a man of fine education,
and represented his county in the Legislature more than once.
John W. Lewis was a lawyer of prominence, and served as Treasurer of the
College as long as he lived.
The fact that these men were on the Board will show that sectarian
bigotry was not so strong in olden times as some have been inclined to
believe.
Rev. John G. Claiborne served on the Board for many years faithfully and
efficiently, and outlived all of the original members.
At the second meeting of the Board of Trustees, held October 30, 1830
(Rev. John Early, chairman, presiding), the Building Committee reported
the plan for the main College building, with cost of erection. William
A. Howard and Dabney Cosby were the contractors. The plan embraced a
centre brick building fifty-two feet front by fifty-four deep, with
wings east and west sixty-seven and a half feet each, making a total
front of one hundred and eighty-seven feet, all four stories high. The
contract price for the same, except painting, tin roof, casement of the
library, and seats in the chapel, to be finished in "a plain,
workman-like manner, of the best materials," to be $14,137, and it was
to be ready for occupancy by the spring of 1832. The committee also
reported the purchase of two hundred and fifty-seven acres of land from
several parties, including previous purchase, the several tracts forming
a solid body.
Rev. H. G. Leigh, Agent, made report as to the finances, as follows:
Monies collected to date, . . . . $ 941 59
Subscriptions deemed good, . . . . 27,762 70
Total,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $28,703 29
Rev. William Hammett, an eloquent Irish minister, was appointed agent
for soliciting additional funds.
Of the subscriptions made by citizens of Mecklenburg county, the name of
William Townes heads the list with $1,000, the largest subscription to
the College funds in early times. He was not a Methodist, nor a member
of any church, but he was one of the earliest and best friends of the
College.
On the early subscription lists there were about five hundred names.
Next to the subscription of Col. Townes, there were none above $300.
The third meeting of the Board of Trustees was held April 15, 1831, Rev.
John Early, chairman, presiding. The following items of business
transacted are noted:
Rev. Thomas Adams, a local minister, of Lunenburg county, was elected in
place of Rev. James Smith, who resigned his membership.
A "Stewards' Hall" was authorized, the cost of the building of which was
not to exceed $4,000.
The chairman of the Board was authorized to advertise that the Board
would proceed to elect at the next meeting (in October, 1831) a
President, Professors, and Masters.
The salary of the President to be elected was fixed at $1,000 for the
first year; salaries of the Professors for the first year, $800.
The fourth meeting of the Board was held October 13, 1831, Rev. John
Early in the chair.
At this meeting Rev. H. G. Leigh, Agent, reported subscriptions
amounting to $9,873, and Rev. William Hammett, $13,047, in all $22,920.
The South Carolina Conference was formally invited to unite and
co-operate with the Board in the support of Randolph-Macon College, with
the proviso that should the Conference agree so to do, the Board would
elect six members Trustees from the bounds of that Conference.
Rev. Martin P. Parks was appointed the Agent to communicate with said
Conference and to solicit subscriptions.
The Building Committee reported the centre building walls up and covered
in and the wings well under way; also, the purchase of additional land.
The committee to whom was referred the matter of nominating a President
and Professors reported, and the following elections were made: Rev.
John Emory, D. D., of New York, President and Professor of Moral
Science; Rev. Martin P. Parks, of North Carolina, Professor of
Mathematics; Landon C. Garland, of Virginia, Professor of Natural
Science; Rev. Robert Emory, of New York, Professor of Languages.
Mr. William O. Goode, member of the Legislature, of Mecklenburg county,
was appointed to ask of the General Assembly of Virginia aid for the
College.
FIFTH MEETING OF THE BOARD.
A called meeting of the Board was held April 4, 1832. At this meeting
letters were presented and read announcing the declination of Dr. John
Emory to accept the presidency of the College, and of Rev. Robert Emory
to accept the chair to which he was elected. The letters were as
follows:
New York, _February 17, 1832_.
"REV. AND DEAR SIR: My conviction of the importance of time to enable
you to make suitable arrangements for the opening of Randolph-Macon
College at the appointed period, induces me to avail myself of the
occasion of your assembling in Conference to communicate to you the
conclusion to which I have come, on mature reflection, in regard to the
high and honorable post to which you have kindly invited me in that
institution.
"I trust I need not repeat here how sincerely my best wishes attend your
exertions in the cause of education, nor the pleasure I should take in
contributing any small service in my power towards your success.
"Considering, however, the confinement which such a situation would
require of me, the studies to which it would oblige me to devote myself
in order to discharge its duties as I would wish, and the effect which
such a course would be likely to have upon my health, already needing
rather relief from the arduous duties of my present post, I am under the
necessity of declining the acceptance of your kind invitation, and beg
you for me to make this communication to the Board over which you
preside.
"Be pleased, at the same time, to accept for yourself personally, and to
convey to the members of the Board, the assurance of the deep sense I
entertain of the obligations you have laid me under, as well as in
behalf of my son as in my own; and that you may at all times command any
service which it may be in my power to render as friends of the
important institution under your care.
"Very respectfully, Rev. and dear sir, yours,
"J. EMORY."
"_To the Rev. John Early_,
Chairman, etc.. of the Board of Trustees of Randolph-Macon College, Va."
"New York, November 3, 1831.
"REV. AND DEAR SIR: Yours of the 15th ultimo was duly received, and
would have elicited an earlier reply but for the absence of my father,
whom I wished to consult previously to communicating my own views of the
subject.
"I take, however, the earliest opportunity after his return to express
through you, to the Board of Trustees, the high sense which I entertain
of the flattering honor which they have been pleased to confer upon me,
and at the same time my regret for the necessity which I am under of
declining its acceptance.
"My anxiety to prosecute thoroughly and with an undivided attention the
study of a profession is such that neither my desire to promote the
interests of education, nor even the temptation of the honorable post
which you have offered me, and the agreeable society which I should
enjoy in Virginia, are sufficient to withdraw me from a course in which
my father has had the kindness to yield me his acquiescence. With the
best wishes for the prosperity of your institution, and a hope that you
may secure for it the services of one whose ability (though certainly
not his desire) to serve you will be far greater than mine, I remain
with great respect,
"Yours, &c., R. EMORY.
"_To the Rev. John Early_."
Prof. Landon C. Garland and Rev. Martin P. Parks accepted the chairs to
which they had been elected at the previous meeting. Their letters of
acceptance were as follows:
FROM LANDON C. GARLAND.
"WASHINGTON COLLEGE, December 13, 1831.
"DEAR SIR: Circumstances not altogether under my control have prevented
me from replying to your communication of October 15th as early as I
wished. Having given to its contents that mature deliberation which
their importance surely demanded, I feel myself prepared to give a final
decision.
"The only ambition of my life has been to devote all my time and talents
to the promotion and welfare and happiness of our common country; and
that situation which would enable me to do this _most efficiently_ I
have ever esteemed most eligible. Contemplating in this spirit the
important and extensive field of useful labor which Randolph-Macon
College presents, I have felt it a duty incumbent upon me to obey the
call which you so politely communicated in behalf of its Trustees. And
through you I beg leave to assure them that this discharge of duty
accords with every impulse of the heart; and I do trust that by a
vigorous and united exertion with those associated with me, we shall in
some humble measure redeem the pledge, which by our acceptance we make
both to that body and to the world.
"Yours very sincerely,
"LANDON C. GARLAND.
"_To the Rev. John Early_."
FROM M. P. PARKS.
PETERSBURG, VA., _April 3, 1832_.
"REV. AND DEAR SIR: I hereby acknowledge the receipt of your official
letter informing me of my election to the professorship of mathematics
in Randolph-Macon College. My answer has been delayed until the present
that I might have an opportunity of consulting the Virginia Conference,
of which I am a member, before replying definitely to your
communication. The Conference at its last session having advised me to
the acceptance of the professorship tendered, it is hereby accepted. And
in accepting it, which I cannot do but with diffidence, in view of the
important duties and high responsibilities therewith connected, I beg
that you will present to the Board of Trustees my acknowledgements for
the favorable light in which they have been pleased to view my
qualifications for the department to which I am called.
"For the institution now growing under their auspices I cherish the
warmest regard, and so far as devotion to its interests can ensure
success, I hope not altogether to disappoint the expectations of the
Board. More, it is presumed, need not be promised; less could not be
required. Offering through you to the Board my most Christian regards, I
have the pleasure to subscribe myself, dear sir,
"Very respectfully yours,
"M. P. PARKS."
Dr. John Emory was subsequently elected Bishop of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and was one of the most honored and beloved Bishops
that church ever had. It was soon called to mourn his sudden and
untimely death, which occurred while he was in the prime of life and in
the height of a most useful career. His name is made honorable by its
association with two colleges of the church--Emory College, Oxford,
Georgia, founded in 1837, and Emory and Henry College, Virginia, founded
1838.
His son, Rev. Robert Emory, was subsequently president of Dickinson
College, Pennsylvania, and was most highly esteemed by the church. His
name is known and repeated to this day as the christian name of children
whose fathers were under his care and tutelage at Dickinson College.
At this meeting the Board found the Preparatory School in operation. It
had been opened in January, 1832. The first principal, Rev. Lorenzo Lea,
A. M., was not able to take charge of it promptly because of a
previous engagement at Chapel Hill University, North Carolina. He did
commence his work, however, early in the year. His place was temporarily
supplied by Mr. Hugh A. Garland, brother of Prof. Landon C. Garland, a
graduate of Hampden-Sidney College, who afterwards was clerk of the
House of Representatives of the United States, and the author of "The
Life of John Randolph, of Roanoke."
The Preparatory School had during the first term a patronage of
thirty-eight. The Board ordered for this School an assistant teacher.
In order to extend the influence and patronage of the College, the Board
took steps to secure the cooperation of the Georgia Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, offering a representation on the Board of
such as should be nominated to it by the Conference.
SIXTH MEETING OF THE BOARD, JULY 4, 1832.
Rev. Martin P. Parks, professor-elect, requested by the Board at its
last meeting, appeared and delivered "a learned, eloquent, and patriotic
address" before the Board and the public.
The same gentleman, who had been appointed by the Board to visit the
South Carolina Conference to invite their cooperation in the College
enterprise, made a report of his mission, and laid before the Board the
response of the Conference, which was as follows: "The committee to whom
was referred the address and resolutions of the Board of Trustees of
Randolph-Macon College, report:
"That they have had the same under consideration, and been favored With
an interview With the esteemed agent of the Board, Brother Parks, and
from all that has been presented to them, and which they have duly
weighed and examined respecting the College, have come unanimously to
the conclusion that the Conference ought to regard it with favor, and
accordingly do recommend the following resolutions:
"_Resolved_, That the establishment of a well-endowed college, purely
literary and scientific, in a desirable place in the Southern Atlantic
States, and under the direction and control of a Faculty and Board of
Trustees, consisting, and perpetually to consist, of members and friends
of our church, is an object of first importance, vitally interesting to
our Zion, and deserving of the best wishes and assistance of all our
friends.
"_Resolved_, That Randolph-Macon College, of Virginia, instituted under
an ample charter, of the State of Virginia, and now shortly to be opened
under the auspices of the Virginia Conference, possesses every
reasonable prospect of soon becoming in all respects all that the
friends of literature and religion, and those of our own church,
especially, could desire, and is entitled to, and ought to receive, the
preference and patronage of this Conference.
"_Resolved_, That we earnestly recommend the Randolph-Macon College
aforesaid to all our brethren and friends of the South Carolina
Conference, and will cordially receive an agent and second his efforts
when such an one shall be sent to solicit aid for the College.
"_Resolved_, That we accept a share in the supervision of the College
approved by the Board of Trustees, and nominate six suitable persons of
the ministry and membership of the church indifferently within our
Conference limits to be elected into the Board of Trustees on our
behalf.
"All of which is respectfully submitted.
"(Signed) W. CAPERS, _Chairman_.