The Golden age. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1906-1915, May 31, 1906, Page 2, Image 2

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2 handsome granite stone was ruthlessly destroyed, and scarcely a trace of it remained. After the Civil War. So much for the conception of the enterprise which was destined to be held in abeyance for years, but the hope of which never was abandoned. At the close of the war, as soon, and almost sooner than seemed possible, the people of the South and especially the workers in (the Episcopal chujrch determined to renew their efforts for the establish ment of a Southern University. But now the finan cial question was one which had assumed gigantic proportions—not only was ready money not avail able, but money was almost unknown in the South, even for the bare necessities of life—how then could contributions be hoped for a purely ethical purpose? And perhaps, it is right here that the most striking feature of the entire project is to be seen. Although Bishop Otey, with his clear judg ment, Bishop Elliott, with his gifted and scholarly mind, and Bishop Polk, wfith his devoted allegiance to his calling and his Church, had all passed away, the germ of their enthusiasm seemed to have grown with their pass ing, and had strengthened under the deep difficul ties which surrounded the movement until it finally emerged fully equipped for a new struggle. At the .close of the war young Bishop Charles Todd Quintard who had served all through the years of active fighting as the beloved Chaplain of the First Tennessee Regiment, became possessed with the deep desire to continue the work on the University—but alas! even the old deeds to the tract of land on Sewanee Mountain had been mis laid—there was absolutely nothing remaining of the work done by his predecessors save the undying wish for the institution. By a happy chance the old deeds were recovered, and Bishop Quintard, knowing the deep sympathy felt for the South by our English cousins beyond the sea, determined to lay the plans for a University before the prominent members and officials of the Church of England. But before doing this he decided to have some ac tive steps taken in this country, and in writing of this time tells that “On Wednesday, October 11th, 1865, the day of my consecration, I wrote to the late Rev. John Austin Merrick, D.D., a godly and learned man, urging him to join me at Sewanee to see what might be done in the way of reviving the work. That was a little band that gathered around the rustic cross I had planted in February, 1866., just where the Oratory of St. Luke’s Theo logical School now stands. The Rev. Dr. Merrick, Rev. Thos. A. Morris, Major George R. Fairbanks, than whom the university never had a truer friend, with a few lay folk joined me in prayer for grace both to receive and know the things we ought to do, and also that we might have power to faithfully fulfil the same.” Laying the Corner Stone. An eye witness of this ceremony describes it afc being one of the most impressive in the history of the South—the cold winter’s day, almost at its close, the faces of these men, bearing the look al most of divine selection, the barren country side, the rustic cross, seeming almost too fragile to with stand the winter winds, but the great light of a high and noble purpose softening and brightening the scene. The event, as a forerunner of what the coming years was to bring, was even more significant than might be considered at a first glance. Bishop Quintard left for England immediately thereafter, and but for that trip it is safe to say that the present magnificent institution of learning, the thriving Southern town, a center of culture, refine ment and progress, the myriads of Southern youths fitted for high positions in the history of the na tion, might never have been. England’s Help. While in England Bishop Quintard attended the first Lambeth Conference and became intimately acquainted with the leading lights in the Episcopal Church. Chief among these must be mentioned the Rev. Francis W. Tremlett, D. C. L. of St. Peter’s The Golden Age for May 31, 1906. Church, London, whose interest in the work on the Unversty of the South was unfailing and whose influence was far reaching. American Bishops from every section of the country wrote to English pre lates regarding the movement which Bishop Quin tard was forwarding and contributions from every source, often entirely unsolicited, were received. Bishop Quintard himself did some noteworthy work while in England and made numerous friends in all classes.. In actual figures the amount raised by Bishop Quintard was only about $50,000, but this amount was considered sufficient by the trustees of the University, to enable them to enlarge the work already begun, and although the buildings were of wood, the chapel most plain, the student accommo dations of the simplest, yet the spirit which animat ed the work, the universal interest manifested in it, was of a character so marked and so unusual, that from the very beginning until the present day the work in Sewanee has steadily increased, and the standard of scholarship ranks closely with that of any similar institution in the country. No Sectional Feeling. At the beginning, there was danger of associating sectional feeling with the University, because of its location and because of its name, but this idea seems to have been disposed of finally and satis factorily, when, in 1857, Bishop Otey, in an address at Lookout Mountain, said: “Why should this en terprise be deemed sectional rather than national? Is it because we have used the name ‘Southern Uni versity?’ The name is a convenient description; it is no party war-cry, no sectional pass-word. All such interpretations we utterly disclaim Is it be cause it is founded on Southern sol, and must pro mote chiefly the interests of those contiguous to it? Some geographical position it must needs have. * * * Its location looks simply to the wants of a region greater in extent by 7,280 square miles than the original thirteen States of the Union; a region whose urgent necessities can be met only by an institution set up within its borders. * * We contemplate no strife, save a generous rivalry with our brethren as to who shall furnish to this great Republic the truest men, the truest Christians and truest patriots.” This utterance applies now as then—it applied with prophetic force throughout the years that im mediately followed—it carried weight in England, it carried conviction in this country, and it or the spirit of it, so permeates the life of Sewanee today, that its student body numbers members from every section of the country, north, east, south and west. In fact, on a recent visit to Sewanee, the writer was interested to observe a Japanese student in one of the theological classes, and it was learned that several of this nation as wll as other foreign ers have sought training in the University of the South. Student Enrollment. While mentioning the students of the present institution it is worthy of note that tire applica tions for place at Sewanee very often exceed the accommodations—that the number at the last term was 80 and when graded by states there was scarce ly one in the Union that did not have its represen tative at Sewanee. Then, too, there is a loyalty, an unswerving devotion to Alma Mater which char acterizes all who have ever studied its classes, that insures for Sewanee the undivided interest, pride and support of its graduates, just as was rendered to it by its founders. This feeling is also manifest in the hearts of the instructors and professors, and it seems almost unbelievable, but it is nevertheless true, that during the several occasions of financial stress which the University has known, the salaries have been materially diminished, but the instructors have never been known to resign or this account, and have in some instances even refused positions which promised higher remuneration. This fact seems the last needed testimonial to the place held by the University of the South in the hearts of the people. (Continued on page 10.) News of General Interest. The deep sea is more populous than the land, each square mile of ocean having a population of 120,000,- 000 fish. Jerusalem has so far become modernized as to have two good daily papers, each with a fairly large circulation. It has been recently stated by a German investi gator that crime is most general where the scale of the wage earner’s pay is least, and it would seem from this that social misery and personal need was a factor in creating crime, thefts particularly. Another evidence of the fact that English is de stined to be the future language of the world is seen in the recent statement of Baron Takaki that four fifths of the Japanese boys are now studying Eng lish and that inevitably this will be the future lan guage of that Empire. The growth of the Florence Crittenden Mission work is little short of marvellous. The National branch of this organization reports that for the last fiscal year fifty-nine homes were maintained in the United States; one each in China, Japan, France and Mexico and that the total number of girls cared for was 8,187. As a refutation to the charge that poets are always poorly paid it is of interest to note that on one oc casion James Smith of London wrote a clever bit of doggerel praising a printer named Strahan which so pleased the old gentleman that he added a codicil to his will leaving Smith $15,000. As the poem was only eight lines in length this might be called the highest price ever paid for verse, i. e., $1,875 per line. In Georgia much practical good is done by the clubwomen of the State. Three model schools are supported by them, and they also employ an art eraft worker who travels among the mountain people to teach them the art of producing salable work. The prevalence, too, of the library movement is due to Georgia club women, and it is rare, indeed, to find a rural school in the State which has not access to some circulating or traveling library. In commenting on the points of superiority that the Mahometans can claim over the Christians, the Bishop of Hereford, England, remarked on his re turn from a recent trip to the Soudan that he was much impressed with the abstinence from strong drink of the Islam. “It is a shame,” he said, “to us as a Christian people, if we remain behind the Mahometans in temperance, sobriety and self-con trol.” Nearly 400 women suffragists recently approached the Premier of England, Lord Campbell-Bannerman, with a petition that they be allowed to vote. They were much dissatisfied with the courteous but posi tive refusal of the Premier to grant this request, and when he intimated that he believed it would not “be many years” before this attitude of his might be reversed he was met with derisive and hissing re sponses by the would-be suffragists. The seismograph (pronounced sice-mo-graf) is that rare and unusual instrument on which earth quake records are kept. In a stable at Shideon, the Isle of Wight, Prof. John Milne has established a sort of earthquake headquarters, and he claims to be able to show by his charts what part of the earth is to be avoided in planning for building of cities or other enterprises liable to be disturbed by earthquakes. If the cable companies had had Prof. Milnes com pleted charts they could have saved four millions of dollars in laying the Atlantic cable. The discovery is comparatively new, but is gaining the attention of the scientific world.