c/iD€micjly[ SOUTHch.i uNiVcHSITY LtBRARY, f *-^ V^.- X ^^^.^^.^j.^^ Fress^tedhy. Sl^IiU^ Cfte ILifirarp of t!)f (KniDer^itp of iSortft Carolina PURCHASED FROM THE William Richardson Davie Fund PRESENTED BY PRESTON DAVIE OCTOBER, 1929 CB UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 000327031 92 This book must not be taken from the Library building. Form No. 471 c /ru^^ o ^^"Ci/ctUU^^^, HELIOTYPe PRINTINQ CO. BOSTON. Memorials of Academic Life : BEING AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF The ¥addel Family, IDENTIFIED THROUGH THREE GENERATIONS WITH THE HISTORY OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST. BY JOHN N. WADDEL, D.D., LL.D., EX-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, ANB OF THE SOUTHWESTERN PRESBYTERIAN UNIVERSITY. RICHMOND, VA.: Pkesbyterian Coivr\nTTEE OF Publication. 1891. Copyright BY James K. Hazen, Secretary of Publication, 189 1. Pkinted by Whittet & Sheppebson, ElCHMOND, Ya. Electeotyped by L. Lewis, Richmond, Va. 1^0 mg WiUt "Who, atter my Long Yeaks of Alternate Tkiai. and KELrEF, was SENT TO jME by A GkACIOUS PRO^rTDENCE, AT A TiME OP DeEP Earthly Gloom, as a Light and a Joy; and amid the Changes of a Busy Life, a Sympathising Friend, A Wise Counsellor, and Unselfish Sharer IN Joy and Sorrow; an Earnest Help- meet in all ^iy "Work, for a Quarter Century, Is most Aefectionately Dedicated, By a Devoted Husband, THE AUTHOR. r PREFACE. THE greater portion of a life, now protracted l:)eyond the limit assigned to man, having been spent in close con- nection with the practical work of education in the South and Southw^est, and my individual labors having been de- voted, to a far greater extent, to the public institutions of the land of my birth than to any private enterprises of my own, some of my most intimate and judicious friends, in whose candor and sincerit}^ I repose the utmost confi- dence, have, more than once, suggested the propriety of my committing to permanent record the reminiscences con- nected with educational history familiar to me. In addition to these suggestions from private sources, I have been ap- plied to by gentlemen sustaining important relations to the Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior, to aid those engaged in collecting the annals of the educational history of South Carolina. These annals have I'eference, so far as I am concerned, especially to '' AYillington Academy," founded by Dr. Moses AYaddel, where so many distinguished men of South Carolina and Georgia were trained under his superintendence. This w^ork has been undertaken by me not without a pro- found sense of my inadequacy to the successful accomplish- ment of the task and a consciousness of my deficiency in the great qualities essential to authorship. Let it be kept in view, however, that in such a work as is here contemplated, much of the private life of my father 5 6 Preface. must necessarily be included, and its details may furnish little of interest to tlie mass of readers. His contempora- ries haye long since passed away in the vast majority. Be- sides, " the short and simple annals " of a teacher's life hold out a small attraction for any but his immediate descend- ants. There are readers, however, who will feel interested in the biography of men whose labors were given, as his were, always to unselfish public work. I offer no apology f9r accompanying this publication with some account of his life and labors, inasmuch as the results of his labors, being matters of history, will naturally awaken some desire, even in the present generation of readers, to know somewhat of the life and character of the man himself. This, then, in part, will serve to explain my purpose in undertaking to furnish this narrative. But it will be con- ceded that it would fall short very far of a record of the entire history of Southern and Southwestern educa- tion were it to comprise only a notice of its progress under one of its earlier agents, however important his labors may have been. Each age has its own workers, and each can furnish only its individual contribution to the history of the whole. As some small part of this history, showing the successive advance of this great cause, so as to bring the present gen- eration into jDersonal association with its progress, I venture to incorporate in the work the amount of my personal knowledge and identit}^ with the history. It may furnish future writers, so far as it is presented, a foundation for its continuance. I propose to cover this second era in the record with a narrative of my personal connection with the cause. It will extend over a j)eriod of some sixty years, embracing reminiscences of private work, as well as that of those public institutions of which I formed part of the corps of instructors. . . Jn this case, as in the case of Bev. Dr. Moses Waddel, it Preface. 7 is impossible to avoid statements of fact that will be eu- tii-ely personal, inasmuch as the work done by me durino- my manhood, and within the half century now near its close, has been almost solely the work of education. Conse- quently, if I write on. that subject, I must write, more or less, of myself. I trust, however, that though these state- ments of details of private hfe might prove to my readers somewhat dry and unattractive taken alone, they may, nevertheless, be somewhat tolerated upon the ground that, interspersed through the narrative will be found, of neces- sity, allusions to and sketches of eminent and distinguished characters with whom I was incidentally associated, and of many of my own contemporaries and classmates, who after- wards reached distinction in their several pursuits and pro- fessions. The period covered by this record embraces much of mo- mentous interest and importance to our country and to the world, exerting more or less of influence upon the history of education, in not only intellectual training, but in the events of the pohtical world, as well as in scientific and Christian civilization. A bare allusion to these facts will serve to recall them to many now living and acting. When we mention the Nullification ordinance of 1832 in South Carolina, and the compromise of 1833 ; the Abohtion move- ment; the Kansas and Nebraska excitement; the Mexican war and the annexation of Texas ; the civil war between the States I and the emancipation of the slaves of the South; then turning from this political crowd of grand events, and thinking of the advance of this land and all others in all imaginable and unimaginable forms of invention and dis- covery in science, and lastly, the progress made in the vic- tories of the Christian religion, the conclusion is inevitable, that never in any previous three-quarter century has the world made progress so illustrious as the present era has exhibited in such rapid succession. C J( T E i\ T S. EEV. MOSES WADDEL, D. D. CHAPTER I. Sketch of Parents. — Emigration to America. — Birth of Moses Wad- del.— Schools of his Childhood to his Fonrteenth Year, 25 CHAPTER IL Invitation to Teach Declined.— Father's Reasons. — Views of the Son then and in after Life.— First Engagements as Teacher. — Filial Disobedience. — Results. — Reflections, 30 CHAPTER III. Resumes Teaching. — Dancing Parties. — Wavering Resolutions. — Final Decision. — Religious Impressions. — Public Profession of Religion, . 33 CHAPTER IV. Spiritual Conflicts. —Tenderness of Conscience. —Methods of Re- lief.— Final Victory, 36 CHAPTER V. Resolution to Enter the Ministry, and to Complete the Preliminary^ Education. —Enters Hampden-Sidney College. — Candidate,. Under Care of Presbytery of Hanover. — Licensure and Dis- missal to Presbytery of South Carolina, 41 CHAPTER VI. Removals. — First and Second Marriages. —First and Second Loca- tions. — Pupils, Calhoun and Crawford, 44 CHAPTER VII. Willington Academy, — Building and Character of the Institution. — Methods of Instruction and Discipline, -- 43 9 10 Contents. CHAPTER Till. -Improvement in the Building. — Organization of the Church. — Re- vival iu the Academy and Neighborhood. — Results, 53 CHAPTER IX. Further Notice of the Government and Discif)line of the Williug- tou Academy. — Domestic History of Dr. Waddel and his Family, 56 CHAPTER X. Conferring of the Degree of D. D. — Foreigners Receiving Instruc- tion from him in English. — An Incident. — Style of Old-Fash- ioned Church Building. — Mode of Conducting the Music and of Administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper,. 61 CHAPTER XL Work Accomplished as a Teacher. — Men Trained by him who Be- came Distinguished. — Correction of a Statement in Parton's Life of Andrew Jackson. — Arrangements for Retiring from Teaching, 67 CHAPTER XXL "Memoir of Caroline Elizabeth Smelt. — Removal to Athens. — Pre- vious Histoiy of the University. — Condition of Buildings and Endowment Prospects, , 71 CHAPTER XIIL Sketches of Dr. Waddel's Colleagues of the Faculty from 1819 to 1820, 77 CHAPTER XIV. University Administration During Dr. Waddel's Presidency. — His Life iu Athens. — His Services to the Cause of Christian Edu- cation, 92 CHAPTER XV. Dio Waddel's Objects in View in Accepting the Presidency of the University. — Successful Results. — Close of his Term of Ser- vice. — Resignation, 100 CHAPTER XVI. Death of Mrs. Waddel. — Manner of Life in Retirement. — Churches he Served. — His Associates Among His Ministerial Brethren. Last Sickness and Death, 119 Contents. IX. WILLIAM HENRY WADDEL. Memorial Kecord of the Life, Labors, and Character of William Hemy Waddel, Professor of Ancient Languages in the Uni- versity of Georgia, -.- 129 APPENDIX. I. Mural Tablet in Williugton Church, 138 II. Mural Tablet in Athens Church, 138 III. Inscription on Pillar at Cemetery 139 AUTOBIOGRAPHY. CHAPTER I. Birth and Some Reminiscences of My First Seven Years, 143 CHAPTER II. My Preparatory School -Days in Athens, Ga., 150 CHAPTER IIL ■College Life in the University of Georgia, 167 CHAPTER IV. Beflections. — Sketch of Athens Life After Graduation. — Removal to South Carolina, and Prosj^ects of Beginning the Life of a Teacher, 181 CHAPTER V. First School. Death of My Mother. —Life in the Country. —A Col- lege Associate. — My Habits, 186 CHAPTER YL Feelings and Views on the Subject of Religion. — My Father's Preaching, and my Estimate of it at that Time, — Some Notice of George McDuffie and Others, 193 CHAPTER VIL Courtship and First Marriage, 202 3I2-" Contents. CHAPTER YIII. Incidents, Public and Private, in 1832-'33.— Sketch of J. C. Cal- houn. — Nullification, 206 CHAPTEPt IX. Purchase of Land in Alabama. — Removal. — Signal Providential Interference in My Behalf, . 218 CHAPTER X. Four Years' Residence in Alabama, with its Consequences, and Another Removal, 223 CHAPTER XL A Visit to South Carolina, and Removal of Family to Mississippi. — Business Settlements in Mobile, and Incident There. — New Home,___„ 232 CHAPTER XII. Prosecution of Ministerial Studies. — Licensure b j^ the Presbytery of Mississippi. — Places of my First Year's Preaching, 237 CHAPTER XIIL Establishment and Organization of Montrose Academy. — Its Pro- gress and Influence. — Supply of Religious Destitutions. — Diffi- culties, 241 CHAPTER XIY. More Sorrow. — Incorporation of Board of Trustees of University of the State. — Proceedings of the Board. — Coming Events Foreshadowed, . 246 CHAPTER XV. Election of Faculty of the University. — Initiatory Difficulties. — Farewell Sermons. — Removal to Oxford, and Formal Open- ing, ___. 251 CHAPTER XVL General Educational History of Mississippi, 257 CHAPTER XVII. Preparatory Steps for the Opening of the University. — Erection of Buildings and Inauguration Ceremonies, 260 CONT'ENTS. 13 CHAPTER XVIII. General View of Matters Connected with the First Session of the University, 266 CHAPTER XIX. Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees. — Election of Presi- dent. — Some Statistics. — Sketch of President Longstreet and Others, 27? CHAPTER XX. Brief Sketches of the Chartered Board, 287 CHAPTER XXI. Financial History, 292 CHAPTER XXII. Statistical Statements, 298 CHAPTER XXIII. Changes and Additions in the Faculty from Time to Time. — Dan- ville Theological Seminary. — Other Changes in the Course of Study, and Other Facts, 301 CHAPTER XXIV. Review of Private and Domestic History from 1848 to 1857, 30^ CHAPTER XXV. Establishment of a Church CollegG by the Synod of Memphis. — Election of a Faculty. — Discussion in Relation to tho Loca- tion. — Choice of La Orange, Tennessee, 319 CHAPTER XXVI. Reluctance on my Part to Leaving Mississippi. — Inducements Held Out. — Resignation and Removal to La Grange. — Action of Faculty and Studertson my Resignation, 324 CHAPTER XXVIL Visit to the North, and Opening Prospects of the College in 1857. General Train of V/ork, 328 CHAPTER XXVIIL Sketches of the Faculty. —Rev. John H. Gray, D. D.— Professor J. R. Blake. - Professor James L. Meigs, 334 J4 Contents. CHAPTER XXIX. Second Session. —General Character of the "Work. — Mode of Dis- cipline. — Progress of the Endowment, 345 CHAPTER XXX. Resignation of Dr. Gray. — Election of his Successor. — Corre- spondence with Davidson College .r'.uthoritlss, 348 CHAPTER XXXI. Routine of College Work. — Boarding System. — Dormitory Plan Discussed, 356 CHAPTER XXXII. Meeting of the Synod in 1860, and Final Decision of the Ques- tion. — The Election of Lincoln.— Close of the Foiirth Session of the College. —The End, .- 360 CHAPTER XXXIII. Further Notes of War Experience in La Grange, and My Escape from, the Lines, 366 CHAPTER XXXIV. Effect of the War Upon the Presbyteries of the South. — Dr. Spring's Resolutions. — Atlanta Convection. — Organization of the General Assembly, December 4 1861, 372 CHAPTER XXXV. Return to La Grange. — Continuation of War Record. — Personal Incidents, -- 381 CHAPTER XXXVL Resumption of the Narrative of the Escape. — Mode of Life in Mississippi. — Occupation and Service until the Spring of 1863, 389 CHAPTER XXXVII. Appointed Commissioner of Army Missions in the Mississippi Army. — Two Sad Events of the Year. — Arrival of my Chil- dren from La Grange, 395 CHAPTER XXXVITI. More Perils and Escapes. — Residence at Meridian and at Mont- gomery. — Wanderings.— Change of Work. — In Danger of Capture, .. — 403 Contents. 15 CnAPTER XXXIX. Finale of the Shermau-Smith Kixid — Return to Mississippi "witli my Children. — Marriage of My Youngest Daughter. — Fourth Meeting of the General Assembly. — Change of Location in Army "Work, l 415 CHAPTER XL, Sojourn iu Atlanta and in Camp. — General Johnson Relieved. — Evacuation of Atlanta. — Sta}'' in Eufaula. — Death of my Son afc Jonesboro. — Army Movement Toward Nashville, 422 CHAPTER XLL Appointment to a Xew Service, and Last Bays of the Confed- eracy. — Gloom and Despondency. — Destitvition of the South, 428 CHAPTER XLII. Incidents of Personal History. — Release from all Othcial Duties Growing Out of the War. — Visits to Old Homes, 433 CHAPTER XLIIL Private History. — Attendance at the Meeting of the Presbytery of Memi^his. — Meeting at Holly Springs. — Return to Oxford and Settlement there, 441 CHAPTER XLIV. Governor Sharkey's Term of Service. — Oxford my Home. — Elec- tion to the Chancellorship of the University. — MaiTiage. — Care of Oxford Church. — Address before the Legislature, 445 CHAPTER XLV. Advance of University Work. — Additions to the Faculty. — Annoy- ances Threatening Disturbance. — Close of First Session. — Sketches of Some Professors. — Changes of State Government. — PoKtical Trouble in Prospect, . 456 CHAPTER XLVI. Under a New Regime. — Signs of Diminished Patronage. — Judge Hudson's Letter and Answer to It. — Governor Alcorn. ^ — New Board Appointed. — A Sketch, — Small Attendance, 464 CHAPTER XLVIL Beturn of Confidence in the University on the Part of the People of the State. — Governor Alcorn. — Respect Shown the Board. ^Two Unpleasant Incidents. — The Dormitory System. — Change of the System of the University, — 472 16 Contents. CHAPTER XLVITI. Burden of Eesf)onsibility. — Church and State Institutions, — Atti- tude of the University Toward Christianity. — Free Tuition. — Work Done by its Graduates. — Historical Address. — Degree of LL. D. Conferred by University of Georgia, 481 CHAPTER XLIX. General Assembly of 1868. — Elected Moderator. — Proceedings. — Educational Convention. — Director of Church University. — Results of Two Meetings — General Assembly of 1874. — Elected Secretary of Education. — Resignation, 488 CHAPTER L. Maturing my Views as to Accepting the Office of Secretary of Education, — Advised Against it, — Formal Acceptance. — A Difference. — The Question Settled by the Assemblj'. — Epi- demic of Yellow-Fever of 1878. — Joined Presbytery of Mem- phis. 497 CHAPTER LL Resume of Matters. — Correspondence with Dr. Palmer in 1878- '79. — Conflict of Feeling. — Attendance on Meetings of the Directory. — Re-organization of Stewart College and Election of the Faculty, 507 CHAPTER LIL Attendance on Assetubly May 15, 1879. — Return to IMemphis and Preparation to Remove. — Resignation of the Secretaryship and Election of Successor. — Farewell Sermon. — Arrival at Clarksville and Address to the Six Synods, 515 CHAPTER LIIL The Epidemic Again. — Number of Students. — The Public School. —The Free Feature of the University. — Character of the Faculty. — The Student Body Before and After the New Or- ganization. — Discipline and Christian Influence, 524 CHAPTER LIV. Proceedings and Action of the Board. — Resignation of Professor Dinwiddie. — Election of Professor Massie. — Resignation of Professor Hemphill. — Election of Professor Nicolassen. — Es- tablishment of a Chair and its Endowment — Election of Dr. "Welch.— Refusal of Presbytery to Dissolve Pastoral Relation. — Dr. Price Elected and Accepting, 531 Contents. 17 CHAPTER LV. Divinity School Established.— Election of Professor and the Chair Endowed.— Dr. Caldwell's Eesignatiou, 537 CHAPTER LVI. Divinity School and First Class.— Sketch of Vice-President Welch, 542 CHAPTER LYII. Filling Vacancies.— Withdrawal of Synod of Texas.— Sketches.— Faihng Health and Resignation of Chancellor.— Election of Successor and Inauguration Exercises, 547 CHAPTER LVIII. General Review.— What is a Christian Institution.— Closing Re- flections on the Subject of Education, 553 APPENDIX. I. Correspondence on Dan\'ille Seminary, 565 XL Correspondence on Resignation of Chancellorship of Univer- sity of Mississippi, 569 III. Correspondence on Resignation of Chancellorship of South- western Presbyterian University, 572 IV. Closing Exercises of Ninth Commencement, 681 MEMORIALS OF The Waddel Family. MEMORIALS OF THE WADDEL FAMILY, REY. MOSES WADDEL, D. D., FORMERLY PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA. CHAPTEE I. Sketch of Parents. —Emigkation to America.— Bibth of Moses Waddel.— Schools and Teachebs.— Of His Childhood to His Fourteenth Year. THE father of the subject of these memoirs was Wilham Wadclel, and the maiden name of his mother was Sarah Morrow. They were natives of the north of Ireland, and, at the time of their emigration to North America, resided in the county of Down, near Belfast. Their removal took place in the year 176G, when they left their native land in order to seek a new home in the Western World, accom- panied by live daughters, the eldest being too young to ren- der much assistance to her parents. The immediate cause of this removal seems to have been the loss of a daughter and only son, both of whom had fallen \dctims to small-pox. Like the very large majority of the people of their oppressed native country, they were by no means wealthy. After pay- ing all debts, procuring needed supphes for the voyage, and defraymg the necessary expenses of passage, Mr. Waddel found that he had left fifty guineas and a few shiUings— truly an inconsiderable capital wherewith to meet the heavy responsibilities of a new settlement in a strange land, with a 25 26 Moses Waddel, D. D. family so lielpless aud dependent as liis. His original design seems to have been to settle himself in Georgia ; but tlie unusual roughness of the voyage and the severity of the weather induced a change in the direction of the vessel,^ •u'hich resulted in its landing at Charleston, S. C. This occurred on January 25, 1767. Here he received many in- vitations and offers of employment to induce him to settle in different parts of South Carolina ; but meeting with a man from the upper part of North Carolina, who was thenin Charleston with his wagon, and who represented the ad- vantages of that part of the country so favorabl}', and who j)roposed so generously to assist in removing his family with his wagon, which had discharged its freight of agricultural produce in the city, and was on the eve of returning, he de- cided to seek his fortune in the newly-settled parts of that State. Having arrived in Rowan county, he purchased a tract of land on easy terms (as land was then very cheap), and effected a settlement on the margin of the South Yadkin river. Here, then, he found himself almost literally begin- ning the world again. The cost of stocking his farm with the necessary cattle, hogs, and horses; the indispensable implements and utensils for farming purposes, and the pur- chase of provisions for the first year's support, all combined, deeply drained the small resources of the new settler. But frugahty, industry, and perseverance, with imshaken trust in Providence, enabled him to go on safely and close the year in comfort. Here it was that Moses Waddel was born, on the 29th of July, 1770. He received his name from the extreme impro- bability of his survi^dng his birth many hours. At the age of six years he was entered as a pupil in a neighborhood school taught by a gentleman, a Mr. McKown, an excellent teacher. Although the school-house was dis- tant three miles from his father's house, and from the feeble- Progress at School. 27 ness of his health, it was supposed that he would not con- tinue to attend during the entire period of the session, yet he did attend rather more than half the time. During this, time he learned to read with accuracy and to write a toler- ably fair hand. His progress, all things considered, was regarded as exceeding that of any child in the school. Dm-ing the year 1778 theKev. James HaU, who had been ordained^ and installed in the congregations of Concord, Fourth Creek, and Bethany, conceived the design of estab- lishing a grammar school within the bounds of these con- gregations, for the benefit and improvement of the young people in his charge. Dr. Hall was not the teacher of this> school, which was six or seven miles distant from his resi- dence; he was only its principal patron and general super- intendent. It was projected and commenced during the revolutionary war. Situated in a high and healthful part of North Carolina, remote from the sea coast, the people were not wealthy nor luxurious. The population was rather sparse. Commerce at that time was ahnost entirely annihi- lated in every part of the United States. Independence had been declared, and a most rigorous war was then in actual progress for its establishment, but the active military oper- ations during that year were confined chiefly to the north- ern States, and the seat of war was in that region. Under such unfavorable circumstances this grammar school was l^rojected by Dr. HaU. Owing to the scarcity of money and the difficulty of disposing of any property or produce that would command it, the prospect of securing a sufficient num- ber of pupils to form a school was by no means encourag- ing. Some gentlemen in the neighborhood of Mr. Waddel, who were zealous for the promotion of the school, having heard of the rapid progress made by his youngest son in learning to read and write the Enghsh language, proposed to him to enter Moses as a scholar to learn Latin. The proposition at first was regarded by the father as absui-d, on 28 Moses Waddel, D. D. account of the difficulty of procuring money to buy books and meet the expenses of tuition, etc. ; but, urged by the ad^-ice and importunit}^ of Robert King, Esq., a near neigh- bor of great prudence and piety, as well as by James King and several other judicious neighbors, he at length, confid- ing in the providence of that God who had always x^i'O'^cled for him in his difficulties, consented to enter Moses on the list of pupils. Accordingly, a sufficient number of pupils having been engaged, the school was opened on the north side of the South Yadkin river on the 27th or 28th of October, 1778, under the instruction of Mr. James McEwen. The name of the seminary, which had j)i'obably been selected by Dr. Hall, was " Clio's Nursery." On the day above mentioned the subject of these memoirs entered on the study of the Latin grammar, in the teaching of which he spent so mam- of the succeeding years of his life. At that time he was only eight yesLYS and three months old. Mr. McEwen conducted " Clio's Nursery " successfully for the first year of its existence, and proved himself to the entire satisfaction of his patrons and pupils to be an accu- rate, diligent, and excellent instructor. At the close of the year, having been a student of divinity and a candidate for the gosj)el ministry, he was licensed to preach, and, after having furnished promise of much usefulness as a minister, lie died within little more than a year thereafter. The classmates of Moses "Waddel in this school were five in number, viz. : Edward Harris, who held the office of judge of the superior court of North Carolina during life ; David Purviance and Richard King, who became useful and honored ministers of the gospel ; James Nisbet and Joseph Guy, who were successful physicians, and yet served their country as representatives in the State Legislature. " Clio's Nursery " was placed, in the year 1779, under the instruction of Mr. Francis Cummins, a student of divinity His Teachers. 29 and a candidate for tlie ministry ^vitli Rev. Dr. HaU. The seminary continued under the care of Mr. Cummins and was prosperous until the news reached the neighborhood that Charleston had surrendered to the British army, on May 12th, 1780, and that the enemy had penetrated the country within fifty miles of the settlement. By reason of the disturbance resulting from their incursions, the opera- tions of the seminary were suspended until April, 1782, when they were resumed imder the superintendence of Mr. John Newton, who was an excellent and successful instruc- tor, afterwards also a minister of the gospel. With Mr. Newton Moses Waddel continued his studies with profit, and learned to enjoy his association with so kind and faith- ful an mstructor. The next teacher under whose instruc- tion he was placed was Mr. Samuel Young, subsequently a minister of the gospel in "Winnsborough, South Carolina. With this teacher his connection with " Clio's Nursery " as pupil was brought to a close ; so that, in the summer of 1784, he had completed the study of the Latm and Greek languages, arithmetic, Euchd's Elements, geography, moral philosophy, and criticism. This course of study he had accompHshed under the above-named teachers during about five or six years' attendance, and before he had completed his fourteenth year. CHAPTEE II. Invitation to Teach. — Declined. — Father's Keasons. — Views of the Son then and in After Life. — First Engagements as a Teacher, — Filial Disobedience. — Resl'lts. — His Reflections. ABOUT this period of his Hf e an apphcation was made by a gentleman of Camden, S. C, Dr. Eobert Alexander, addressed to Dr. Hall, requesting him to procure an usher for the academy which had been estabhshed at that place shortly after the close of the revolutionary war. Dr. Alex- ander was an active trustee of the academy, and having heard a favorable report of " Clio's Nursery," he expressed a special preference for some one of the best linguists who had been educated at that school. Dr. Hall immediately applied to the father of Moses AVaddel, expressing a desire that he would accept the position for his son, and permit him to go and teach in Camden. The proposal was very gratify- ing to the youth himself, and he was very anxious to go; but the father, although grateful to his pastor for the kind- ness of this proj)osition, and fully appreciating the compli- ment implied in it, could not consent to his going. His only ground of objection was the extreme youth and inex- perience of his son. He could not consider it his duty as a parent to expose his morals at that indiscreet age to the temptations of a town life and among entire strangers. In later years, and after maturer judgment, formed upon greater experience and more widely-extended observation, the son has often been heard to remark that his father in that decision had evinced a degree of parental discretion and sound sense for which he felt bound to be thankful to him, under God, to the end of his life. 30 Appointment to Teach. 31 lu the month of July, 1784, Moses completed his four- teenth year. It was only a short time after this that some gentlemen in a neighborhood at a distance of some fifteen miles from the residence of his father desired to establish a school in that locality, at which the Latin lancfua;^-e could be taught. Having learned that he was considered capable of teaching it, the}' requested his father to allow him to take charge of such a school, consisting of English scholars mainty, with a few pursuing the study of Latin. To this he consented, and the arrangement was accordingly made. It will not be without interest to the reader to note the fact here, that the stipulated remuneration for services ren- dered by him consisted of his board and the sum of seventh/ dollars per annum, inasmuch as it was the compensation of a, teacher who, in his subsequent career, received for many years an annual income of thousands. In this, his first field of educational work, he had seven pupils studying Latin, and twenty or more in the ordinary English branches. The location of this school was near a considerable stream, called "Hunting Creek," in the northeastern part of what is now called Iredell county, N. C. In his year's work he gave great satisfaction, and was regarded as wonderfully success- ful. Unfortunately he lost his health, and was compelled to abandon the care and superintendence of the school and return to his father's house to recuperate. On his recovery he resumed his occupation, not, however, in the same neighborhood, but first nearer home and then in an adjacent settlement, and thus he was chiefly employed in teaching until the latter part of the year 1786, when he went on a prospective tour to Green county, Ga., then a newly-settled frontier county. Here he soon engaged in his teaching work again, but, in consequence of Indian troubles on this frontier, he relinquished his school in the summer and returned to North Carolina to \4sit his friends. Here he remained about two months, but became very anxious to 32 Moses Waddel, D. D. return to Georgia. As his parents had decided to remove in the autumn of that year to Georgia, then considered the land of agricultural promise, they were veiy desu'ous that he should remain with them until they should be ready to remove and accompany them on their journey. With this request, so entirely reasonable, he was altogether unwilhng to comply, and very undutifully departed for Georgia a month in advance of his father and family. This was the first material point in which he had ever ventured to disobey them or to counteract their wishes. The consequences re- sulting to him w^ere such as might have been expected from an act of filial disobedience. On his arrival in Georgia he found that the people among whom he had resided and taught had been forced to abandon their habitations, and to take refuge in forts, from the cruelties of the Indians, who had crossed the Oconee river, burned Greensborough, and mui'dered several persons farther within the interior of the country. After remaining unemployed about a month he visited Augusta to seek em- ployment, and, after being tantahzed four weeks with the ho]De of being employed as an assistant in the Eichmond Academy, he left the the place and returned to Green county. Here he found his parents and the family safely arrived and all fears of further incursions of the savages en- tirely subsided. His experience from the time of his leav- ing his parents in a disobedient manner until his meeting with them in their new home having yielded him neither much peace of mind nor any personal success, he accepted it as the frown of Providence and as a gentle chastisement, warning him against acting contrary to the advice of his parents in future. His resolution was then formed to that effect and from it he never again deviated during their lives. CHAPTEE III. Kesumes Teaching. ^^ — Attendance on Dancing Parties. — Waveking? E/ESOLrTioNS. — Final Decision. — Religiol' s Impressions. — Pub- lic Profession of Religion. IN 1788, in the same part of the countiy, he commenced another school. The state of morals there among" the young men was by no means such as to exert a favorable in- fluence upon him. He had been thrown into association with them and had been exposed to their society during the previous years from the time of his first departure from his father's house, and he found himself now surrounded by this state of society. In addition to this fact, it is stated that in that neighborhood there had been no preaching regularly enjoyed for a length of time. The young people were fond of dancing parties, which w^ere kept up weekly, and to these entertainments he was always sure of an invitation, because he w^as pursuing the occupation of a man w^hile he was very young, and was supposed, from his mode of occupation, to possess the attributes of one far in advance of his age. He thus acquired a fondness for that amusement, which he in- dulged until he, from his own reflections, began to doubt the innocence of dancing as an a.musement, and often, after hav- ing attended one of these meetings, his thoughts w^ere so unpleasant as to lead him to resolve that this should be the last one of the kind he should ever attend. He would dis- close his views to these young people, and state to them that they need never to incite him again to such meetings. But he found, in his own experience, that um*enewed human nature was w^eak indeed, as, on a repetition of the tempta- tion, he had no power of resistance. Such was the vacil- 3 33 34 - Moses ATaddel, D. D. latiug state of his mind until, b}' a change of his place of board to the pious home of a gentleman in the same neigh- borhood, and by his entering upon a nightly review of his classical studies, "svhich he was enabled rigidly to continue, he overcame the fondness for this amusement, and found, to his great satisfaction, that he had courage to decline all fm'ther invitations extended to him. The arrival and frequent preaching of several distin- guished ministers of the gospel in that region of country dui'ing the year resulted in the excitement of a considerable interest in religion. By frequent interviews with Eev. Mr. Thacher, one of these ministers, sent as a missionary to that part of Georgia from Orange Presbytery, North Carolina, and by attendance on his preaching and that of others of different denominations, the mind of the young teacher was more and more impressed with the sense of the necessity and importance of his soul's interests. From this time he devoted most of his leisure hours, mornings and evenings, to reading the Scriptures, and books of religious character treating of experimental religion. His attention to secret prayer at stated times became regular, and his serious im- pressions deepened and his religious exercises increased. Thus he continued in his habits of thought and action until a certain Fast day in 1789, which was observed by him, -when the jDlan of salvation, he behoved, was suddenly re- vealed to his mind more clearly than ever before. He believed that God was as willing to save him as he himself was to be saved through Jesus Christ. He also felt a will- ingness to bow to the sceptre of divine grace, and, with humble gratitude and resignation, to embrace, receive, and rest u^Don the Saviour for the whole of his salvation. At the church of Bethany, about the middle of April, 1789, an ap- j)ointment for administration of the sacrament of the Lord's supper was filled by the preacher in charge, and feehng bound, both by duty and inclination, to attach himself by an Kis FiEST Communion. 35 open profession, he presented himself before the session, and, after the usual examination and other steps prepara- tory to his reception had been conducted satisfactorily, he \vas admitted a member of the church. On the morning of the communion he realized unusual comfort in the prospect of the duty he -v^ as about to discharge and the privilege he -was hoping to enjoy. The communion sermon was preached, and the ordinance was explained. The sacred table was spread and surrounded by communicants, and among them Moses Waddel took his seat for the first time. A state of mind ensued which he could never aiterwards fully describe. Before he approached the communion table he had expected to experience the evidences of his Saviour's love and the enrapturing tokens of God's favor in degree far superior to any feehng ever before experienced by him, when lo ! during the time of his sitting thero he could see nothing but bread and wine, and felt nothing but an awful and comfortless sense of his own unworthiness to occupy a seat at that holv feast of love. CHAPTER lY. Spiritcal Conflicts. — Tendekxessof Conscience. — Methods of Re- lief Adopted. — Final Victory. FROM this time and for months afterwards Moses Wad- del was the victim of great mental distress and spirit- ual gloom, which, with occasional relief, at last increased to such a degree as to reduce him almost to despair. In this state of mind he attended another communion meeting at Bethany church, in Green county. There he met with an elderly gentleman from a church in AYilkes county, who had ridden, on purpose to attend this meeting, some twenty or twenty-five miles. This gentleman was Mr. Eobert Cres- well, and, although not a preacher, he was a man of extraor- dinary script lU'al knowledge and experience. AYith this gentleman he engaged, as was natural in his state of mind, in a conversation with perfect freedom upon the subject of experimental religion. The result was that Moses Waddel decided to spend the evening and night with him ; and as the greater part of the time was occupied in talking on prac- tical religion, he found his views greatly enlarged and en- lightened by this interview, and from Mr. Creswell's kind and pious counsel he hoped that he had. derived great en- couragement and satisfaction. Subsequently he enjoyed the same privilege of personal association with Mr. Creswell and others, and found addi- tional comfort from their conversation. After this, continu- ing his occupation in school in the neighborhood of Bethany church, of which he was a member, he so full}^ shared the confidence of all who knew him that he was occasionally asked to lead in family worship and in j)ubHc prayer. This 36 His Tenderness op Conscience. 37 led to a resolution adopted bv the minister and the church - session, that the congregation should assemble on vacant Sabbaths, and that he should be invited to ]ead in sin^ino- l^rayer, and reading- a sermon by some approved orthodox divine, to which he gave his assent, and the practice con- tinued for some length of time. It was, however, on the evening of a certain day which had been employed in this manner that he engaged in a train of self-examination, which embodied a series of questions and reflections of the following nature : "I have made a j^rofession of religion, and I have been turning my attention to this subject for a year or more past. I have read my Bible and works of pious authors consider- ably. ]\Iy external conduct, I know, is greatly altered. I have conducted myself in a much more serious and orderly manner than formerly. I have reason to believe that my acquaintances do generally reo-ard me as a Christian. But do / knoio that I am one? Is it true that I have been horn again, and that I am « child of God? How do I know but that these very people who have seen me to-day in the church, and heard me pray and sing and read, may yet see me in hell, and upbraid me with hyprocrisy for this day's work?" These thoughts made a most solemn and awful impres- sion on his mind, and excited a determination that he would '-not give sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eye- lids" until he should obtain an assurance that he was a child of God and a real Christian. Now began a time of spiritual gloom and distress never before experienced by him, and the intensity of which has rarely had its parallel in the experience of others. He lost his sleep and appetite, spent his nights in reading God's word and poring over Doddridge's Fuse and Progress, confining his attention to those parts of the book treat- ing of the exercises of the convicted sinner and avoid- 38 Moses AYaddel, D. D. ing the parts which treat of the character aud exercises of the true Christian, as he felt no assurance that he ■was a child of God, and therefore he thought that those more advanced parts of the book were not for him to claim as applicable to his case. This state of mind in- creased in its depth of suffering until it resulted in render- ing him supremely wretched. His conscience lost its calm- ness of judgment, and, feeling that he was so ungrateful, guilty, and utterly im worthy in the sight of God, he became afraid to quench his thirst as being too great a blessing for such a sinner, and even carried his tenderness of conscience to the 25oint of doubting his authority to administer to his pupils who transgressed any penalty of their offences, since he would raise the question at once, "If God, your great Master, should punish you for your faults, what would be- come of you?" Indeed, such was the view of the depravity of his whole nature at that period that he regarded himself a mere compound of unbelief, pride, and hyprocrisy, and this, too, while most of his time was occupied in reading the Scriptures and books of practical piety and in secret prayer. Not only was he thus exercised in self-condemnation, but about this very period he was assailed by the fiery darts of the wicked one. He was tempted to doubt the existence of God, the truth of the Bible, or that there is any heaven, hell, or devil. This state of mental exercise continued for months, without inducing any relaxation of the duty of secret prayer. An incident is related of his experience in his school which merits notice. It seems that, although he had been a pro- fessincf Christian for a len^ih of time, he had never assumed courage to open and close his school with prayer, although his mind had for some time been impressed with the con- viction that he ought to do this daily to secure the blessing of God. Oil occasion of a very frightful thunder-storm His Spiritual Conflict. 39 which came on during school hours, not only were the pupils of the school struck with the most dreadful terror by the vivid glare of the hghtning and the crashing sound of the thunder, but it is beheved that none of them were so horror- stricken as their self-condemned instructor. During the racing of the storm he did not know, but felt awful appre- hensions that the next flash of lightning would be the mes- senger of an anoTv God to send him to hell. Many solemn ejaculations of prayer went up, and many a silent resolution was formed, that if God would spare his life he would neglect this duty no longer. But the storm passed, and he was spared, yet his resolution was broken, and, through sinful shame and fear of man, the school was dismissed without prayer, as it had been formerly. A repetition of the storm occurred, even more terrific than the first, on the next afternoon. Fearful were the lashes of his \iolated con- science at the time, and again he prayed, and promised that if God would withhold the visitation of His just and right- eous wrath, and spare him agaiu, he would no more neglect this duty of prayer at opening and closing his school. Once more God heard him and spared his hfe, whereupon, at the subsidence of the storm, he was enabled to address his lately- affrighted pupils as follows: "We have been pre- served this afternoon from great danger. We ought to thank God for His goodness ; therefore let us pray." Thus- this school w^as dismissed that afternoon wdth prayer, and ever afterward, not only this school, but every institution with which he was connected during his Hfe, was opened and closed with prayer. The mental distress, however, continued to give him such anxiety as to render him unfit for the discharge of his daily duty. So he determined to susi^end the exercises of the school for a few days, in order that he might visit some ex- perienced Christian who could furnish him the advice he so greatly needed. This he did accordingly, and paid a visit 40 Moses Waddel, D. D. to liis old friends, Mr. Creswell and others; and having -conferred freely with them, he felt that he had gained light on his j^ath, and was enabled to engage in his duties with ■composui'e and comfort, to which he had long been a stranger. Still he struggled on, in alternate light and shadow, uutil^ at a communion meeting held by Bev. Mr. Thatcher in Bethany chui'ch, he was at last led into " the light and lib- erty of the gospel," under the instrumentahty of this able and godly minister, who in a sermon on Eomans v. 6, made the plan of salvation and the Saviour's love and grace clearer and more comforting to his view than ever he had before experienced. He was enabled to hope and feel " at peace with God, the world, and himself," and from this time he l3egan to indulge " a good hope, through grace," that he had ■'* passed from death unto life." and was assured of his par- don, peace, and reconciliation with God through Jesus Ohrist. CHAPTEK V. Hesolution to Enter the IMinistey and to Complete the PEELTstr- NAEY Education. — Enters Hampden-Sidney College. — Candi- date Under Care of Presbytery of Hanover, — Licenfure and Dismissal to the Presbytery of South Carolina. IjlROM that day his mind was greatly exercised in regard Jj to the solemn subject of the gospel ministry. Con- Tinced that he had received a divine call to this great work, he was equally impressed with the conviction of his own want of the necessary mental training and the acquisition of additional literary education, in order to the proper dis- char<:i'e of the hi^'h and holv functions of that exalted call- ing. There was another consideration suggested to liis mind at the same time, and that was that he must use every proper method to acquire the means whereby he might defray the expenses of a collegiate education. It is to be borne in mind that at that time and in that new set- tlement there had never been established such benevolent institutions among the churches as Boards or Committees of Ministerial Education, or Education Societies to train poor and promising candidates for the ministry. He seems not to have thought of such a thin^- as receiving assistance from any outside source: so he resumed teaching, and thus, by his own efforts and God's blessing, he succeeded in this ob- ject, and found himself in possession of the required funds. At that early period he knew of no institution of learning in the Carolinas or Georgia which held out to him induce- ments of the proper kind to attract his interest. Accord- ingly he paid a visit to a venerable and valued friend, Eev. John Springer, at Cambridge (formerly called Ninety-six), in Abbeville District, South Carolina. This minister had insjDired 41 42 Moses Waddel, D. D. into all the churches where he had become known the full- est confidence in his i)iety as a Christian and his character as a scholar and a gentleman. To him, therefore, he ap- plied for advice as to the college he would recommend him to attend in order to complete his literary studies. Mr. Springer unhesitatingly advised him to prepare himself at once for the College of Hampden-Sidney, in Prince Edward county, Va. This institution, after its founding and organi- zation, had enjoyed the privilege and advantage of the pre- sidency, first, of Rev. Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith, after- wards president for many years of the College of New Jer- sey. He was succeeded by his brother, Rev. John B. Smith, who presided over the College for several years with gTeat credit to himself and advantage to the public, and was after- wards president of Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., and died of yellow fever in Philadelj)hia in 1799. After having prepared himself for this college, Moses. "Waddel left his home in Green county, Ga., for a long ride on horseback to the distant point in Virginia at which some of his years were to be spent, and where he should lay the foundation of his future professional and social life. Hav- ing arrived in Prince Edward county, in September, 1790, his first care was to apply himself to the study of certain branches necessary to his admission into the senior class of Hampden-Sidney College. This being done, he entered the senior class on the 3d of January, 1791. The institution was under the presidency of Rev. Drury Lacy at that time, and the studies of Moses AYaddel were pursued under him until the time of his graduation, on the 20th of September, 1791, having been associated dui'ing this time with the fol- lowing as classmates, who afterwards became very promi- nent and useful men, viz. : Rev. John McKemie "Wilson, D. D., of North Carolina; Dr. James Jones, of Dinwiddle, repeatedly a member of Congress, and Hon. George M. Bibb, judge, and senator from Kentucky. He is Licensed to Preach. 45 About two months previous to his in'^tluation he attended the meeting of the Presb^^tery of Hanover, in Upper Con- cord church, in Campbell county, Va., and presented him- self to the Presbyteiy as a candidate for the gospel min- istry ; was examined, in company with Mr. AVilliam Calhoun, and Mr. Samuel Brown, on the subjects usual on such occa- sions. The examinations of these three were all sustained, and the}'- were all admitted under care of the Presbytery on August 1, 1791. The Presbytery adjourned, to meet again on October 28tli ensuing, at which time he was ordered to present as his first parts of trial an essay on the freedom of the human will, and a Presbyterial exercise on Phil. ii. 12, 13, if he could possibly prepare these exercises. As these ap- pointments were made nearly two months before commence- ment, and during that time nearly all his attention would be occupied with the exercises necessary to be j^repared for such public occasions, he found that by close apphcation during the vacation w^hich ensued after the Commencement he was enabled to prepare only the essay. This was pre- sented at the meeting of Presbytery, on October 28th, read, and approved, and an additional part of his trial for licen- sure was assigned him, being a lecture on 1 Pet., iv. 1-7, to be presented at the spring meeting of Presbyteiy in May next after this meeting. Accordingly, his trials having all been sustained, he was licensed by the Presbytery of Han- over on May 11, 1792, The record of the stated clerk on the minutes is that on the 6th of October, 1792, he w^as " dismissed at discretion ; " the explanation of this phrase- ology being, doubtless, that as he was uncertain as to his future location, the Presbytery could not do otherwise. The next fact related of the subject of this narrative is that, on the 11th of April, 1793, he was received by the Presby- tery of South Carolina as a licentiate, bearing letters of dis- mission from the Presbytery of Hanover. CHAPTER ^T:. fiEMOVAIi. — FlEST AND SECOND MaERIAGES. — FlKST AND SeCOND LOCA- TIONS. — Pupils. — Calhoun. — Ckawfoed. AFTER his licensure he remained in Virginia for some months, and returned to South CaroHna, making his temporary home in the family of Mr. Thomas Legare, a devout elder of the chui'ch. In September, 1793, being still a licentiate under care of the Presbytery of South Carolina, he was appointed to visit and preach to the people on James Island, John's Island, Wadmalaw, and Dorchester, once at •each point. The remainder of his time he spent in Georgia, as the jurisdiction of the Presbytery covered that part o/ the State also. In April, 1794, at a meeting of Presbytery, the •Carmel church, in Georgia, forwarded a call for one half of his time, which he accepted. In this church, at a special meeting of Presbytery in June following, he was solemnly ordained to the full work of the gospel ministry. Rev. Dr. ■Cummins, who had been one of his teachers at "Clio's Nursery," in North Carolina, preached on that occasion the ordination sermon. Not long after this, perhaps in 1794, he became satisfied, from his experience and observation of the destitutions of the surrounding country, that he could extend his useful- ness by adding to his ministerial services the important and useful occupation of teaching. He selected, as the location of the school, a country place about two miles east of the village of Appling, w^hich Avas the count}^ site of Columbia county, Ga. At this ^^lace he continued to teach for several years, and then, for some reason, he decided that it would he best to remove to the village. Among the pupils of this Preaches at the Calhoun Settlement. 45 school was the celebrated William H. Crawford, afterwards one of Georgia's most distiuguished statesmen, and who filled some of the most important positions in the service of the national government. Mr. Crawford, it should be stated, was an assistant to Mr. Waddel in this school ; and it is a well-known fact that in this school, under the direct instruction of Mr. Waddel, he received the whole of his scholastic training, never having attended any other institu- tion of learning subsequently. While residing at this place the young licentiate missionary filled an appointment to preach beyond the Savannah river, in Abbeville district, South Carohna, in a neighborhood known then, and even now, as the " Calhoan Settlement," so called from the fact that the family of Calhouns, descendants of Scotch-Irish parentage, finding themselves compelled to remove from their second settlement in Virginia on account of the incur- sions of the Indians consequent upon Braddock's defeat, resolved to turn their course southward; and in 1756 they selected the upper part of South Carolina, near the Savan- nah river, in Abbeville district, and there they established what became known ever afterwards as " Calhoun Settle- ment." This settlement, although beset with many dangers and difficulties, continued to grow in many important respects, and at the time of Rev. Mr. Waddel's visit it was a strong Presbyterian region, with a place for preaching known as Brewer's school-house. Patrick Calhoun (father of John C. Calhoun) was the head of the settlement and an elder of the church. After the preaching of the young minister (then in the twenty-fifth year of his age), Mr. Cal- houn invited him to his house, and he accepted the invita- tion and spent the Jiight ver}' agreeably with the family. He here met for the first time the lady who afterwards became his first wife, Miss Catherine Calhoun, the only daughter of Mr. Patrick Calhoun. She is described as hav- ing been a veiy attractive lady, and it seems the young 46 Moses Waddel, D. D. minister was at once struck with admiration of her many charming qualities. Not long after this visit, in the folloAV- ing year, 1795, he was manied to her while still residing in Columbia county, Ga. She survived the marriage but httle more than a year, and she left an infant daughter, who soon .followed the mother. John C. Calhoun, her j'oung brother, had been placed under the care of Mr. Waddel, to prosecute his education. He remained with him altogether about two years, during which time he was prepared for the junior class in Yale College, and in due course of time he graduated there with highest distinction. Upon the death of his wife and her father Mr. Waddel suspended the active operations of his teaching for several years. But as he surveyed the destitutions of the country around him, demanding laborers m the plenteous harvest, he felt that he was under a press- ing call from the Master to go to work in His Tineyard. Under the pressure of such influences he gave himself to the active work of the ministry, as an. evangelist in the wide field extending all around him. It was just at this time that, after he had been again appointed by the Presbytery of South Carolina to preach at John's Island and Wad- malaw, we learn from the History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, by Dr. Howe, that " on Novem- ber 3, 1796, the Synod of the Carolinas separated the terri- tory southwest of the Savannah river, and detached the Eev. John Newton, Eev. John Springer, Rev. Robert M. Cun- ningham, Rev. Moses Waddel, and Rev. William Mont- gomery, from the Presbytery of South Carolina. These brethren, meeting at Liberty church (now Woodstock) on the 16tli of March, 1797, under the order of Synod, held the first meeting of Hopewell Presbytery. Rev. Mr. Springer was elected moderator and Rev. Mr. Waddel clerk." Mr. Waddel resided in Columbia county, Ga., during the remaining j^ears of that century. In 1801 he removed to the village of Vienna, Abbeville District, S. C, where he Removed to Vienna. 47 opened a school again, continuing liis labors as a minister at the same time. In addition to this villai^e there were in existence, and in quite a flourishing condition of commer- cial activity, two others in the same neighborhood, all within a circle of about one mile in extent. These were Pe- tersburg, on the point of land made by the confluence of the Savannah and Broad rivers; Lisbon, oii the west bank of the Broad, while Vienna stood upon the high hill, mak- ing up from the Savannah river on the east side. These three small towns are easily within the writer's recollection brought into review at the time when they all enjoyed a very considerable degree of prosperity in a business point of view, and the population was to some extent refined and intelligent. A visit to the spot once occupied by these towns at a later period of his life filled him with melancholy emotions, as all that once made them so flourishing and pleasant is obHterated by the resistless sweep of time and change, and buried b}^ desolation and ruin. Yet it was to Vienna, one of these noio ^'"buried cities,'^ that, in the year ISOl, Mr. AVaddel removed, and established himself as a teacher and preacher. The prosperity of these towns, and their life and active rivalry in competition for the patronage of the neighboring country around them, and the wealth and refinement of the population, imparted to the school the fail' prospect of satisfactory success. It is perhaps best, just at this point, that we retrace the history somewhat, in order to bring forward the narrative of certain events of much interest in the life of the subject of this memoir which have thus far been passed over in si- lence on account of the necessity of recording important pubhc events. In this way all the parts of this record may be made to move on more evenly and connectedly in the future. The reader may 2)ossibly remember that Mr. "Waddel had spent several years in Virginia, beginning with the year 1790, when he arrived in Prince Edward county, at Hamp- den Sidney College, and ending in 1793, during which time 48 Moses "Waddel, D. D. he graduated, was received under care of Presbj'teiy of Hanover, and licensed. It was during these years that he formed the acquaintance of a young lady — Miss Eliza "Wood- son Pleasants — who was visiting friends in Prince Edward county near the college. In due time an attachment grew up between them, and perhaps an engagement was en- tered into. But when the case came before the parents they declined to consent to the j)i^c)posal, solely upon the ground that the home of the young licentiate was located in the remote wilds of the State of Georgia, which was then considered a frontier State, and exposed to the in- cursions of the Indians. They w^ere unwdlling that their daughter should encounter the perils of such a residence. The affair was terminated then and there, as such a thing as filial disobedience formed no part of the domestic train- ing of the young people of that countiy at that time. They parted, and within the ensuing years from 1793 to 1800 the marriage of Mr. "\Yaddel to Miss Calhoun, and all the events of this history in his pubhc and private life as they occurred, have been related in previous j)ages. He remained a wddower for about four years, when, having learned that Miss Pleasants was stiU unmarried, he renew^ed his suit. As by this time all obstacles to their union had been re- moved providentially, they were united in marriage in the year 1800. After his second marriage they resided in Georgia mitil 1801, when, as already recorded, he removed to Vienna, in South Carolina. There he continued about four years, teaching and preach- ino-, and while there still a petition for his services as a preacher was presented to the Presbytery of South Carolina by Hox^ewell church, in Abbeville District, which Presbytery granted. He was at that time a member of the Presbytery of Hopewell, but on the 7th of April, 1802, he was received as a member of the South Carolina Presbytery, and Hoj^e- well church was gratified by enjoying his ministerial sei*vices CHAPTEK Yll. "WiTxiNGTON Academy.— BriT.DiNG.—CHAR.vrTER of the Instttt-tion. — Methods of IxsTErcTiox and Discipline. IN 1804 lie removed from Yienna to Willington, a country residence which he had acquired, distant about six miles south of Yienna. Here he laid the foundation of that acad- emy which was destined to become so celebrated as the training place of so many eminently useful men, distm- o-uished in all professions and pursuits in life, in South Caro- lina and Georgia. Here begins the history of education in connection with his labors as an educator in South Carolina, The location was on a high and healthful ridge opening up from the Savannah river. The population was composed of the Scotch- Irish and the noble and warm-hearted Huguenots who had fled from France to escape persecution, and who had formed a settlement in this neighborhood, where they could worship God according to the dictates of an enlight- ened conscience, "with none to molest or to make them afraid." These were his neighbors and his friends and patrons. They were high-toned Calvinistic Presbyterians, both the Scotch-Irish and the French Huguenots. No more accurate and rehable description can be pre- sented of this school in its earher history than that which is found in Yolume II. of the Jllstori/ of South Carolina, by Dr David Ramsay, of Charleston. The rehableness of this description will be assured by the fact that Dr. Eamsay wrote from personal knowledge, as he had patronized the academy by sending two sons to be taught and trained by Dr. ^Yaddel. The entire passage, which fills pp. 3G9-371 of the second volume of the History, is as follows : 4 49 50 Moses Waddel, T>. D. "Besides what lias been done by the State and by reli- gious sects and private societies for the advancement of learning* and the diffusion of religious knowledge among the inhabitants, there are several private schools, both in Charles- ton and the country, for teaching classical and mathematical learning. Among these, one, under the care of the Rev. Dr. 'Waddel, of Abbeville District, deserves particular notice. In it from seventy to eightj^ students* are instructed in the Latin, Greek, and French languages, and in such of the arts and sciences as are necessary to prepare a candidate for admission iuto the higher classes of the Northern Colleges. The school-house is a plain log building in the midst of the woods, in a high and healthy country, and too small to accommodate all the scholars in the hours of study. To obviate this inconvenience, they are permitted and encouraged to build huts in the vicinity. These are the rough carpentry of the pupils, or constructed by workmen for about four dol- lars. In these, when the weather is cold, and under the trees when it is warm, the different classes study. To the common school or recitation room they instantly repair when called for, by the name of the Homer, the Xenophon, the Cicero, the Horace, or Virgil class, or by the name of the author whose writings they are reading. In a moment they appear before their preceptor, and, with order and de- corum, recite their lessons ; are critically examined in gram- mar and syntax, the construction of sentences, the formation of verbs, the antiquities of Greece and Rome, the history and geography of the ancients, illustrative of the author whose works they recite ; and are tnught to relish his beau- ties and to enter into his spirit. Thus class succeeds to class, without the formality of definite hours for study or recreation, till all have recited. In the presence of the stu- dents assembled a solemn and appropriate praj'er, imploring the Eternal in their behalf, begins and ends the exercises of * The number grew afterwards to 180, WiLLiNGTON Academy. 51 each day. In this manner the classics are taught one hun- dred and ninety miles from the sea coast. The glowing periods of Cicero are read and admired. The melody and majesty of Homer deHght the ear and charm the under- standing in the very spot and under the identical trees which, sixty years ago, resounded ^yith the war-whoop and horrid yeUings of savage Indians. " Of the large number that attend this school nine in ten are as studious as their health will permit, and as orderly in their conduct as their friends could wish. Far removed from the dissipation of cities, and among sober, industrious, and religious people, they must be studious, or lose all character, and be pointed at by the finger of scorn. If dis- posed to be idle or vicious, they cannot be so otherwise than by themselves ; for the place will not furnish them with associates. Monitors are appointed to superintend each sub-division of the students; and such as transgress the rules of the school are reported once in every week. Over them a court is held. They are allowed to justify or ex- tenuate. A summary decision is made. Though corporal punishment is not excluded, it is rarely inflicted. The dis- cipline of the school respects the pride of youth, and is chiefly calculated to repress irregular conduct by attaching to it shame and dishonor. The sagacious preceptor quickly finds out the temper and disposition of each student, and is the first to discover aberrations from the straight Hne of propriety. By nipping mischief in the bud, he prevents its coming to any serious height. By patience in teaching and minutely explaining "what is difficult, he secures the afi*ec- tions of his pupils and smooths their labors ; while at the same time judicious praise rouses ambition and kindles in their breasts an ardent love for improvement and an eager- ness to deseiTe and gain applause." The History from which the above extract is made is now almost out of print, or, if extant, can be found only in some 52 Moses Waddel, D. D. of the public libraries of the State, or in the possession of some of the older residents of South Carolina. The copy from which the foregoing extract is taken is a handsomely- bound copy, in two volumes, j^resented to Dr. Waddel by the author, Dr. Kamsay, himself, j^ublished in 1809, CHAPTEE YIIL ImPROVEMEKT IX THE BuiLDING. — ORGANIZATION OF THE ChURCH. — Re- ^iTAii IX THE Academy axd Xeighborhood axd Its Results. THE unexampled prosperity of the academy, and the in- crease in the population of the neighborhood, rendered it a necessity, in the judgment of all concerned, that larger accommodations should be provided both for the academy and the congregation. Accordingly an arrangement was entered into between the leading citizens of the neighbor- hood and the trustees of the Vienna Academy, whereby the building was removed to AVillington, and converted into a most excellent and convenient house of worship and academy building, all under one roof. The yrriter readily recalls this establishment in memory, then the largest and most im2:>osing structure that had up to that time ever stood before his admiring view. The building was composed of foiu' convenient rooms for recitation, and, in addition, a chapel, which latter room served the two-fold purpose of the j^lace of assembly for instructors and students for morning and evening worship and for divine service on the Sabbath. In the year 1809 the congregation worshi])ping in this house was regularly organized as a Presbyterian church. Three of the male members were chosen by the peoj^le to the office of ruling elder, and the result manifested the wis- dom of their selection. The French descendants of the Huguenots were represented in this session by Pierre Gi- bert, a model Christian man of extensive influence; the Scotch-Irish by William Noble, long known and loved in the suiTounding country, and Moses AV. Dobbins, one of the former students of the academy, who had taught also as au 53 54 Moses "Waddel, D. D. assistant under Dr. Waddel. This gentleman afterwards became one of the teachers in the University Grammar School at Athens, Ga. But it is a pleasing fact of great interest and importance to the history of the Willington Academy to notice that about this time it j^leased God to manifest his gracious ap- proval of the work of the church and academy by the out- pouring of his Spirit and grnce upon the students and the neighborhood. The result of this revival was the hopeful conversion of not a few of the students, a goodly proportion of whom became distinguished for eminent usefulness in the ministry. Others, who never became ministers of the gos- pel, but were pious and devoted members of the church, dated their first rehgious impressions from that period. In a communication prepared by Dr. AYaddel himself, and pub- lished in a i^ei'iodical well known at that time as the Panop- list, he states that nearly half the students then m attend- ance were under deep conviction, and more than twenty of the number were hopefully converted. It may be a matter of some interest to state that not only then, but subsequently, some of the prominent minis- ters known in the south and southwest were students of Willington Academy, or under his instruction as "students of divinity." These were not all from Presbyterian churches, but a few of them belonged to other denominations, reading theology under his direction. One at least, Eev. Daniel Campbell, was an Episcopalian, and another, Eev. John Wilson, was a Baptist, and these, with Presb}i:erian candi- dates, were associated with him either in the academy or in private instruction. Some of the results of this awakening, which are not of public record, were communicated to the writer long after the suspension of the active operations of Willington Acad- emy b}' one who was acquainted with the facts. The state- ment referred to gives evidence of the depth of the vrork Eesults of Revival. 55 ^^Touo-ht m the spirit of some of tlie students ^vho were sub- jects'of the revival. So deeply were they affected as to threaten at one time the loss of both physical and mental health. There were four especially thus operated upon, one of whom afterwards was an eminent, eloquent, and success- ful minister of the gospel, two others elders of high standmg; in the church, and the fourth a quiet, unassummg member of the church, all having been relieved of their depression. But the result upon one of the elders was that he became painfully and morbidly sensitive in his conscience. Tha fourth person mentioned became afterwards utterly ab- sorbed, apparentlv, in his devotional life, so as to render him absent-minded in company, his Ups incessantly moving in secret (though inaudible) prayer. It is to be noted that all these persons were consistent Christians m all their lives, notwithst;nding these pecLiliarities These cases illustrate the nature and character of the revival that occurred at tho- period mentioned. It was the deep and earnest work ot solemn presentations of divine truth from the pulpit. The conversion of the sinner was not set forth as a human, but. a divine work. Should any regard this form of dealing with sinners as extreme and as beyond measure stern and lorbid- dino- (which is not admitted), surely it is far preferable to the opposite method of presenting the whole matter of sal- vation as a work of such facihty as to bring it into ridicule, and almost into contempt. CHAPTEK IX. FuETHEE Notice of the Govekxmext and Discipeixe of Wileikgton Academy. — Domestic Histoey of De. Waddel axd his Family, IT is well known that within a few years past a theory has been growing in favor among prominent educators in some parts of our country that the student body should share with the Facult}'" in the government and discipline of the institution. The experiment has been tried, to some extent, in several colleges, and favorable reports of the suc- cess of the effort to reduce the theory to practice have been published. It is too early in the history of this experiment to decide the result, and doubtless there may be found occa- sionally some friction in its actual working. But if it j)rove to be a success in these late days of greater freedom of ac- tion among the youth of the "lising generation/' it will cer- tainly confirm Dr. Ramsay's judgment, as announced in the eulogistic statement of the character of AVillington Acad- emy, wherein he attributes to Dr. "Waddel great sagacity in his discernment of the best mode of government for stu- dents. The germ of this very j^riuciple of a division of responsibility between teacher and pupil was in actual exist- ence in that academy more than sixty years ago. In this co- operative system of government, while Dr. AVaddel should jiold the position of final arbiter in all cases brought up for trial in the academic court, a jur}^ of the peers of the accused "was always present, who were allowed to decide upon the guilt or innocence of the party on trial. The system of monitorial supervision to which Dr. Ramsay refers was not of the secret, detective class, but having been appointed by their instructor for the various classes or sub-divisions of 56 Discipline at Willington Acadejiy. 57 the scliool, the monitors were known publicly, and were ex- pected by the students themselves to report all violations of law. On every Monday the court was assembled, all the pupils being present. The tribunal was composed of the presiding teacher, the jury of five, the accused, and the wit- nesses. To every law w^as annexed a suitable penalty for infraction, varying in its extent with tho nature of the offence. After all the testimony had been heard, in case the guilt of the accused was established, the jury rendered a verdict in accordance with law. The penalty was then in- flicted by the presiding teacher himself, and the court ad- journed. The writer recalls a scene of this kind related by Dr. ^\'addel himself. He prefaced it by stating that at one time he experienced great difficulty in his efforts to break up a prevalent habit among th& students of settling all personal disputes by fighting. On every successive Monday's court cases would be found upon the calendar, tried, and disposed of; yet the infliction of the penalty of ordinary corporal chastisement had failed to check the evil. He therefore an- nounced publicly that, in case this offence were repeated and reported at any future time, the aggressor should be sentenced "to take off his coat! " Accordingly, at the next meeting of the court, a case of fighting was reported. The trial was conducted regularly through all the forms pre- scribed by law, and the proof was made clear that the accused party was the aggressor. The order was then issued by Dr. Waddel to him to take off his coat ; but instead of promptly obeying, the student, rising from his seat, ad- di-essed him as ^follows: "Dr. AVaddel, my father never made me take off my coat, and I shall never take it off for any man ! " The order was issued a second and a third time, with the repetition, on the part of the student, of the same defiance. On the third issuance of the order, how- ever, the young hero was informed that if the coat was not 58 Moses Waddel, D. D. removed by himself, the Dr. would divest him of his coat ■with his own hands. Suiting the action to the word, he stepped toward the youth, who had repeated the speech entire ; but when he j^erceived that the coat was doomed to come off, whether he would or w^ould not, he added to the expression, "I shall never take it off for any man" the words, " You, sir, excepted ! " This closed the unpleasant scene, and when the order was obeyed by the lad. Dr. AVad- del proceeded to chastise him with a few strokes of the rod vjjoii the lower limbs, as usual, never having designed from the beginning to lay the rod upon the shoulders. The pen- alty of removing the outer garment was regarded as suffi- ciently severe, and the result was that no more fights occurred among the students. Other instances in evidence and illustration of his mode* of discipline might be adduced, and they w^ould all confirm a remark made by the historian. Dr. Eamsay : " The dis- cipline of the institution respects the pride of the youth, and is chiefly designed to repress irregular conduct by attaching to it shame and dishonor." It is perhaps j)i'oper at this time that the reader should be admitted to a view^ of the private history and the domes- tic life of Dr. Waddel. To the outside world, knowing him only as a public man, there could be but an imperfect ap- preciation of certain traits and elements of his real person- ality, which could only be known in the privacy and retire- ment of his own family cii-cle. He was, no doubt, a repre- sentative of a class now almost, if not entirely, extinct. His views of right and wrong were sharply cut, and were drawn from and based upon a Bible standard entirely, and were deeply tinged with Scotch-Irish notions of rigidness to the letter. Futui*e generations, descendants of his former pupils, have the conception of him, handed down by tradition, as of a stern and rigid disciplinarian ; but his own children know that the proper word to express that sternness is fin j mess Discipline at HoivrE. 59 in the enforcement of what he knew to be right ; for what- ever may have been the Hght in w^hich his course of home rule was regarded by his children, under the influence of the impatience of control natural to youth, it is the matured and deliberate opinion of the writer, formed in subsequent review of the circumstances, that all that was apparently so rigid in his discipline resulted from his great anxiety to train his household to obedience and to the abhorrence of evil. It did not deserve the name of unfeeling sternness so much a& wise firmness. In after years, when his life was graciously prolonged to witness the outcome of his system of family training in the respectability and usefulness of all his chil- dren, and the highly honorable positions attained by some of them, he manifested great enjoyment in their society, and maintained, by correspondence with them, the most unre- served interchange of thought. It is confidently added that, with all his adherence to strict government in his family, there never throbbed in human bosom a more kindly and tender heart. The rule thus truthfully described never lost its power to inspire reverence toward him, but it cer- tainly, in riper years, was softened into affectionate respect for him and confidential intercourse with him. Mrs. E. W. "Waddel, who was the mother of all the chil- dren who survived him, presents in the record of her life a picture the reverse of all this in some important points, and yet cooperating harmoniously in all her husband's views of wise and proper government. Yet the contrast between the two was indeed striking. He, all firmness ; she, all mild- ness ; he, commanding obedience ; she, winning it by gentleness ; his course, while not forbidding, at the same time not encoui'aging, familiarity; hers, always attracting- her children to her as companions. This rare combination of opposite elements Avas doubtless designed by a kind Providence to constitute the best possible agency for estab- hshing such a system of family training as would tend most 60 Moses "Waddel, T>. T>. wisely to the formation of the character of children. Taken alone, the firm and strict rule of the father might have en- gendered discontent and aversion ; but the loving sway of the mother exerted a conservative power by its wise gentle- ness. On the contrar}^ the tenderness of this last method might have produced a disregard and forgetfulness of legiti- mate authority but for the exaction of implicit obedience on the part of the father. It is only necessary to state the facts very briefly respecting the children of these parents. They were six in number, four of whom were sons, and two daughters, viz. : James Pleasants, Isaac Watts, William Woodson, Sarah Elizabeth, Maiy Anna, and John Newton. They all survived their parents, and the last two were still livmg in 1891. CHAPTER X. CONFEKEIXG OF THE DeGKEE OF D. D.— FoREICrNERS BeCEIYING In- STEi-cTioN From Him in Ekglish. — An In-cidext.— Style of Old- Fashioxed Chi-rch Bl-ilding.— Mode of Conducting the Music AND OF Administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. THE reputation of Dr. Wadclel was ackDowledged through- out the State, and in the year 1807 he was honored with the degree of Doctor of Divinity by the College of South Carolina during the presidency of Dr. Maxcy. The writer remembers to have seen a small parchment diploma, on which was inscribed the fact that the degree had been conferred, and duly certified by the college authorities. This honor was not so easily obtained, and consequently not so cheap as it has become in the lapse of time. The insti- tutions which felt at that time justified in bestowmg it were of the highest rank in the world of letters, and were far more cautious than many of them are in this age as to the individuals upon whom they should confer this honor. But in the case of Dr. AVaddel there was excited no sui*prise that the South Carolma College should have honored him in this way. It is true, perhaps, as is generally sup>posed, that his name is more widely known and associated with the cause of education than with the ministiy of the gospel; yet in the earliest years of his ministerial Hfe he was much sought after, and he was greatly beloved by the more sohd and sub- stantial portions of his congregations, from the fact that he drew all his inspiration from the pure fountain of Cod's word, of which he was always a close student. There as- suredly never entered into his sermons, as an element, the 61 €2 Moses Vv'addel, D. D. slightest touch of sensationaHsm. His dehvery was earnest and animated, but by no means boisterous or violent. His sermons ■were never written out in full. He always prepared skeletons on very small-sized leaves of paper and in a hand- writing so diminutive, and with certain hieroglyphics of his own adoption so obscure, as to be almost illegible to any be- side himself. He also had Bibles bound of duodecimo size with blank leaves inserted between the pages, on which he wrote these skeletons in this infinitesimal style. There are still in the possession of some of his surviving friends many of these briefs, serving only as relics of hun, but not answer- ing any fui'ther j)ui'pose by reason of their illegible chiro- graphy. Yet from these notes he was never at the slightest loss for language, but being a fluent speaker, his habit was to preach rarely ever less than one hour. His distribution of the matter of a sermon was exhaustive, and the perora- tion, or summing up, of the discourse left the entire sermon clearl}' and distinctly impressed upon the mind of any atten- tive listener. The v^Titer, when a student of the University of Georgia, enjoyed the great privilege of sitting as a pupil under the instruction of the eminent and eloquent Eev. Dr. Stex^hen Olin, at that time j)rofessor of Belles Lettres, etc., in the faculty. The text-book which he used was Blair s Lectures (University edition). In discussing the lecture on the di^dsion of a discourse, the remark was made by Dr. Olin to the class that Dr. Waddel was a perfect example of a preacher who successfully illustrated Dr. Blau-'s method in this point. Dr. Waddel's work as a teacher was not all performed in the school-room. He was accustomed to give j^i'i^'ate in- struction occasionally to persons who, coming especially from France, were desirous of learning to speak the English language. Being himself a master of the French language, and very fluent in speaking it, he was prepared to teach such foreigners the use of our tongue. One of these men Sabbath Observance. 63 having' heard of Dr. AVaddel as a French teacher, came, on his landing on our shores, apphed, and was received as a pupil under his care and as a member of his family. The name of this Frenchman was L'Andrd. On a certain Sab- bath day in wintry weather, finding his fire getting low, he ^ent to the wood-pile and began to cut fire -wood. The sound of the axe on the Sabbath being something so extra- ordinary on those premises (being a violation of positive or- ders well-known to all the household), fell sharply upon the ear of Dr. "Waddel as he sat in his study. He walked out immediately, and, discovering that it was the Frenchman thus engaged, he approached him and explained to him that this work was not allowed to be done on his place on the Sabbath, and showed him the reason for the prohibition. AYhereupon Monsieur L'Andre, being at once convinced of the impropriety of his conduct, and in order to manifest his regret that he had unintentionally violated the rule, seizing ihe axe, hurled it with his utmost strength and buried it in the trunk of a neighboricg tree ! Two things are illustrated by this incident : First, the rigid observance of the Sabbath exacted of all the members of that family, and second, the influence of Dr. AVaddel in controlling his family, including even "the stranger within his gates." L'Andre, after a con- siderable period spent pleasantly with Dr. AYaddel, left him and settled permanently in Louisiana. To return to some matters of more public nature, it may probably interest the reader to have presented some of the peculiarities of public worship as conducted in the Presby- terian churches of the period under consideration. The contrast between the methods then observed and those 23revalent in the present time may be worthy of study and observation. To begin with the inside finish of the house of "worship itself, it was of plain construction of wooden mate- rial, and nothing of ornament, but solid and comfortable. The pews were ordinary benches with backs to them, and C4 Moses Waddel, D. D. though not invariably rented, yet were generally distributed upon some equitable principle, so that each family occupied its own pew, and the children, as a rule, sat with the parents. The j^ulpit of the AVillington church was a very high, hex- agonal, box-like arrangement of panel work, closed on all sides, and entered by a door, w^hich was closed during wor- shijD. This pulpit entirely concealed the preacher from view excejot while engaged in conducting service, and even then his bust only was visible. Some pulpits were furnished with a structure called a sounding board, a flat surface placed behind the preacher and over his head to give dis- tinctness to the voice. At the base of the pulpit, and in front of it, was generally found a Httle inclosure large enough to contain two persons, and furnished with an ordinary bench. This was assigned to the precentor, or clerk, whose office it was to raise the tune, parceling out the lines after the hymn had been selected and read by the minister. In those j)rimitive days there was a necessity for the clerk to parcel out the lines of the hymn, as scarcely any one was supposed to have a hymn-book in hand. In these days, when everything, even among our churches, is on the march onward and upward, all this is changed. The old-fashioned high, closed pulpit is banished, and a small desk, just large enough to hold the pulpit Bible and hymn-book, has taken its place. Ornamental pews, or chairs, appear now, instead of the old-fashioned hard benches. The trained choir and a grand organ have been substituted for the solitary clerk and his assistant, with no parcelmg out of lines, as every one is supposed to have a hymn-book, if, indeed, they are allowed by some choirs to sing at all. But the mode of administering the sacrament of the Lord's supper presented then an equally striking contrast to the same solemn Y>n.Tt of public worship as con- ducted now in our churches. The minister Mas expected to preach what was technically called " The Action Sermon.'" Administering the Lord's Supper. 65 This was understood to be a sermon i^eculiarly apiiropriate to the solemn occasion, being an ex^^osition of a passage of Scripture calculated and designed to impress the audience with the great subject of the death and sufferings of our Lord and Saviour, and their purpose in the plan of salva- tion. At the close of the sermon he proceeded to explain the nature of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, and, after pointing out the qualifications of those who proposed to commune, which exercise was also known l)y the name of "Fencing the Tables," i. 6 , guarding them against the in- trusion of unworthy characters, the invitation was cordially extended to all who were in good standing in their own churches to come forward and join in partaking of the sac- rament. On communion occasions, instead of a public assignment of special pews to be occupied by communicants, X^ointed out by the minister, and only one service for all, a, long table, reaching down the centre aisle, was j)laced at the time of the communion. At the head of this long table was placed a smaller table, on which the elements were arranged, and covered with snow-white cloth. Over the full length of the long centre table a similar covering was spread. The elders were in the habit of distributing to the communi- cants httle leaden medals, or tokens, as a recognition of their right to a seat. This was done previous to the taking of their seats at the long table, and as they, at the proper time, filed up the aisle and seated themselves at the table, these tokens were collected again by the elders. All being seated, the minister, at the head of the small table, pro- ceeded to administer the ordinance according to forms pre- scribed. More frequently than otherwise, it was necessary to serve the table more than once, as the number of com- municants was often so large that they could not be all seated at one table. As communion meetings were generally largely attended, and the interest was sometimes very great, the minister in charge, almost invariably, secured the assist- 5 -66 Moses Waddel, D. D. ance of a neighboring brother or brothers to aid him in preaching and serving with hiin in administering the sacra- ment, and very often from three to fom: or five tables were sjDread and served on one such occasion. Doubtless there are advantages in the changes introduced in modern times in sof7ie of these customs of pubHc worship ; but to those who were actors in those early days of our church hfe they were all invested with the deepest solemnity, and the influ- ence exerted upon the devout church members was decidedly favorable to their growth in the divine life. CHAPTEK XL Work Accomplished as a Teacher. — Men Trained by Him "Who Be- came Distinguished. — Correction of a Statement in Parton's Life of General Jackson. — Abkangements for Retiring from Teaching. JT is impossible even to name the individuals composing the long list of his pupils, even were it proper to occupy the needed space in this record, or to impose upon the time and patience of the reader to such an extent. For a true and fair estimate of his life work, however, this enumeration is not by any means necessary. It may be sufficient to state that such a catalogue, if presented, would be found to cover all spheres of honorable and useful effort. Of ministers who attained high standing for devoted piety, zeal, and elo- quence in the south and southwest a goodly proportion re- ceived both theii' literary and their theological training un- der his instruction. Such were the Rev. Eichard B. Cater, D. D., Eev, John H. Gray, D. T>., Eev. David Humphreys, Eev. James Gamble, Eev. James C. Patterson, D. D., Eev. Thomas D. Baird, D. D., Eev. John AVilson, Eev. Daniel Campbell, and many others who have gone long since to their reward. They have left behind them their works, and their influence is still felt by thousands who never knew them on this earth. In public and pohtical life may be found, in addition to John C. Calhoun and to WiUiam H. Crawford, both of whom have already been mentioned, George McDuffie, Hugh S. Legare, James L. Pettigru, Pickens Butler, this last having served in the United States Senate, colleague of Calhoun; all South Carolinians, with others of "less note, but not less gifted," as Noble, Bull, 67 68 Moses Waddel, D. D. Dawson, "Walker, Marshall, Shields, Simpkius, and others who served the State with eminent success. Then of his Georgia pupils we enumerate, besides Crawford, Cobb, Longstreet, Gilmer, Apphng, who reflected great credit upon their teacher in the councils and courts of the State and of the nation. Just here it falls in with the purpose of this record to Tindicatc the reputation of Dr. Waddel from a charge of ig- norance implied in an anecdote, which is found in Parton's L\fe of Andrew Jaclxson. As an illustration of the Gene- ral's habit of pronouncing many Enghsh words improper ty, the author states that on one occasion the word development came into use in the course of conversation, when the Gene- ral pronounced it with the accent upon the first and third syllables — "de-vil-6pe-ment." "When corrected he retorted with this defiant remark: "I care not how others pro- nounce that word ; my old teacher, Dr. AVaddel, always pro- nounced it this way, and so shall I ! " Now, the absurdity of this story will appear at once when it is well known that General Jackson not only never was a pupil of Dr. Waddel, but there is no proof that they ever met, or had the slight- est acquaintance with each other. So that whatever credit might have been reflected upon the memory of Dr. Waddel from numbering the great warrior among his pupils, the truth of history demands that this honor (?) shall be res]3ect- f ully declined ! The friends and descendants of Dr. Wad- del are satisfied with the following testimony of Judge Long- street, who was one of his most honored pupils and most devoted friends and admirers. It is found in a most elo- quent eulogy pronounced in Athens, Ga., before the alumni of the University of Georgia, and at their request, in August, 1841 : "The fruits of his vineyard are scattered far and wide through the most of the Southern States, and long havethey been seen in rich luxuriance in the capitol of the Union. . . Invited to the University of Georgia. 69 One of his jDupils reached the second post in the gift of the people of the United States, and for many years were two of them the favorites of a vast number of that people for the first. It is not too much to say that there were times when the}- might have obtained it ; and yet the time will never come when unbiased history will record that it was above their deserts. For thirtv years he has not been without some Ajax in the field of political w^arfare, where all the champions of the States convene, whom, whatever we may have thought or said of his tactics, we all felt proud to acknowledge as a southron, and prouder still to recognize as a fellow-disciple.'* The entire period of Dr. Waddel's residence at Willington covered a space of fourteen or fifteen years, and during nearly all this time he had been assiduousl}', either person- ally or by general superintendence, conducting the govern- ment and instruction of the academy. But he had long cherished the desire to withdraw from the practical business of teaching at the earliest possible time consistent with his views of duty. For some length of time the daily work was entrusted to the hands of his nephew, Moses Waddel Dob- bins, and perhaps another of his former pupils. This only continued during his actual residence there. It was while Dr. Waddel was devoting more of his attention to preaching and to his private interests that he received an urgent and persistent invitation to the presidency of the University of Georgia. This call proceeded from the friends of the insti- tution, among whom were some of his former pupils. That he was for a long time decidedly ojjposed to the proposition is matter of tradition, coming down from an intimate friend to whom he communicated his views and feelings on the subject. That friend has been heard to say that his mental anxiety, while considering the question, was deep and his sufferings extreme. The idea of undertaking the heavy re- sponsibility involved in resuscitating the institution from a condition of temporary suspension into which it had fallen, 70 Moses Waddel, D. D. and to impart to it tliat life and animation which would be na- turally expected, and which was so desh'able, was viewed with profound reluctance on his part, and was regarded as a Her- culean entei^^rise. His objections were all met and overruled by his friends, and he was even visited by a committee, and lU'ged so strongly to accept the office that he yielded. To this decision he was, doubtless, also led in answer to his own earnest prayers for divine guidance. His election to this high and important position occui-red in 1818, and he began the preparations that were needful to his removal from the spot where he had passed so many happy and peaceful years of his life, and where he had so successfully laid the foundation of an enduiing fame. CHAPTER XII. Memoir of Caroline Elizabeth Smelt.— Removal to Athens. — Pre- vious History of the L'niveksity. — Condition of Buildings and Endowment. — Prospects. IT Avas about this time when he vras considering the ques- tion of removal, that at the earnest request of some highly- esteemed fi'iends in Augusta, Ga., he consented to "revise^ arrange, and prepare for publication the papers containing the memoirs of Miss Caroline Elizabeth Smelt." This task was to him a labor of love, and the book was published in 1819 in New York. It proved to be "a highly-interesting and popular work, which soon reached a third edition in this country and at least two in Great Britain." He re- mained at Willington until 1819, when, having perfected all his plans for removal, he left Willington with his family, and, pui'suing his journey by private conveyance, as it was long before the era of railway travel, he arrived at Athens in May, and at once began the work which he came to per- form. Some preliminary history of the university ma}" not be out of place just at this point, to show the exact condition of things as they existed on the accession of Dr. Waddel to the Presidency. The first notice of the University found in the archives of the State is the act of the Legislature of 1781, in the eleventh section of which act forty thousand acres of land were set apart for the endowment of a college or semi- nary of learning. This was followed, in 1785, by an act of the Legislature granting a charter for the establishment of an institution which was called "The Eniversity of Georgia." This was not carried into a regular organization until the 71 72 Moses Waddel, D. D. year 1801. A statement of Dr. Henrv Hull, ^Yho describes those early times, is to the following effect: "The Governor, the State Senate, and the Board of Trustees of the "Cni- Tersity of Georgia being stirred to action by public com- plaints of their neglect of that institution, which had hitherto existed only on paper, met and appointed a committee to se- lect a site for its location." The result of the investigations of this committee was the selection of a spot on the Oconee river (which was the site of the present city of Athens), and a tract of land consisting of six hundred and thirty-three acres of land was purchased there by the munificence of the Governor, John Milledge, and presented as a donation to the trustees. The election of the first president, Josiah Meigs, took place in the same year, 1801, and he resigned in 1811. He was succeeded by Rev. Dr. John Brown, whose term of service ended in 1816. The third president was Hev. Robert Finle^-, D. D., of New Jersey, whose term of service continued but a few months, and he died in 1817. The same writer referred to above (Dr. Henry Hull) states: "The prospect of the college grew darker, until for three years, 1817- 18-'19, there was a virtual suspension of worko In 1819 the board elected to the presidency the most popular educator in the south. Rev. Dr. Moses Wad- del. Dr. Henry Jackson, jlr. John R. Golding, and Dr. Alonzo Church were elected professors, and Mr. Ebenezer !Newton tutor. These constituted the best Faculty the col- lege had ever had, w^hich, together with the new endowment, .^ave new life to the Institution. The philosophical hall was built and equipjDed with new apparatus, and the University entered upon a career of usefulness which is unabated to the present day." On the arrival of Dr. AYaddel in Athens he found that the President's bouse had, after the lapse of some fifteen years or more, fallen into such a condition as to require consider- able repairs, and could not on that accoimt be occupied. The University of Georgia. "73 ^liile the needed renovation was in i^rogress, lie, with his faniilv, consisting of his wife and five children, took board- ing at what was then known as "Steward's Hall, or "Com- mons," for students. This building was located at a dis- tance of two or three hundred yards south of the old college, and it was then in the charge of a lady, described in Dr. Hull s Sketches of the Earhj Historij of Athens "as the venerable and venerated Mrs. Katherine Newton." In this she was assisted by her son, Colonel Josiah Newton. She was "the relict of the Rev. John Newton, mentioned in Chap. I., page 29, of this Memoir as one of the successive presiding teachers of "Clio's Nursery," while Dr. Waddel was one of its pupils. :Mr. Newton was then a candidate for the ministry, but was afterwards licsnsed and ordained to the full work of the gospel ministrv. Dr. Hull states that "he was the first Presbyterian minister, or, at any rate, the first settled pas- tor in Georgia." Be that as it may, at the time here men- tioned Mrs.^Newton was a widow, with three sons in Athens. How long this temporary abode at the hall with her con- tinued is not now known, but Dr. AYaddel entered the Presi- dent's house at the earhest possible period. At this time the buildings belonging to the University were but three m number, consisting of the President's house, a story and a half in height; the old College building, of brick, three stories high, and an old dilapidated framed building on the west side of the campus, which had been used as a chapel, and, after undergoing considerable repairs, was made to serve the purpose of morning and evening prayers. It was also for years afterwards the only house for public worship in the town of Athens. It was afterwards demolished, and a very large and imposing building of brick of modern architecture was erected on the same site, at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. While these repairs of the old chapel were progressing the first story of the new philosophical haU aUuded to above was used for a chapel and house of 74 Moses Waddel, T>. D. "worsliip. This hall was erected after Dr. Wadders acces- sion to office. But when the old chapel was fully fitted up and furnished with a cupola for the bell, it was used as the place for college prayers again. The college bell, previous to this arrangement, had been suspended between two huge oaks in front of the President's house, which grew close enough to each other to admit of placing a cross-axle be- tween them, on which the bell could be fastened, and near enough to the ground to admit of being reached by the ven- erable colored sexton, old Dick Caiy, as he was called, well described by Dr. Hull as being " a tall, fine-looking old negro, wearing his white hair very long — that is to say, very bushy. He was always well-dressed, and deported himself as if he considered his office in the college second only to. Dr. "Waddel's, and from no other would he take orders." The buildings erected on the campus during Dr. AVaddel's administration were as follows : A four-story brick college dormitory on the west side of the campus, which was burned down in 1830, with the fine library and all the furniture contained in it, after his resignation. Halls for the accom- modation of the two literary societies were also erected by the students and their friends. The first hall of the De- mosthenian Society was of wooden material, and was located just south of the Philosophical Hall, on the east side of the campus. This building was afterwards sold and removed to North street, where it was converted into a dwelling. This society then erected a large brick hall, two stories in height, on the north side of the chapel, which remains to this day. The first room used for the accommodation of the Phi Kappa Society was in the garret of the old chapel^ which was fitted up comfortably and adapted to the work of the society. This was not used very long ,♦ but the students of that society next built a hall of wood, being a long build- ing of a single story in height, and was located just north of the second dormitory. This hall, in its internal arrange- The University of Georgia. 75 ment, consisted of one spacious room for the duties of the society, with ante-rooms in front, one of \\"hic'h was used as a library. This building was afterwards turned over to the authorities of the University, and used for a time as a reci- tation-room. The society then had a fine brick hall built, located north of the site of the first president's house, on the east side of the campus. This remains still the Phi-Kappa Hall. The only additional building put up during Dr. Wad- del's administration was a two-story framed building for the accommodation of the Grammar School. This house was afterwards removed entirely from the campus, and a brick building erected on the site, used for a library and other University purposes. This house stood north of the Demos- thenian Hall, and on the west side of the campus. Before leaving the subject of buildings which belonged to- the University during the term of Dr Waddel's presidency, it is proper to state that in 1819, except the house of the President, the Board had provided no residences for the other members of the Faculty. When Dr. Church w^as elected he at once proceeded to build a very excellent two- story framed dwelling on a beautiful and large lot in the northern part of the town. Before, however, it was com- pleted he accepted a proposition from Dr. Waddel to ex- change places with him ; that is, that Dr. Church should sell his house and lot to Dr. "Waddel and occupy the Presi- dent's house as his residence. Not long after this the house into which Dr. Church removed was greatly improved, a second story being added, with other comfortable arrange- ments. Dr. Waddel continued to reside-in the house bought of Dr. Church until he resigned and left the town of Athens. The other buildings, now the property of the University, will be pointed out in the narrative as it progresses. The condition of the endowment at the time of Dr. Wad- del's election was about as follows, according to the most: authentic information accessible : By an act of the Legis- 76 Moses Waddel, T>. D. lature of 1815, the arrangement of the income from the lands of the University having j^roved to be unsatisfactory, it was agreed that the State should assume $100,000 of the amount for which the lands had been sold, on which eight per cent, interest should be paid to the trustees for the support of the University. " This sum has been annualh' j)aid to the institution by the State regularly down to the present day." This was the income of the Institution in 1819 from public sources at the beginning of Dr. Waddel's presidency. There was a fee for tuition charged to each student, which, of course, increased this amount. But all other appropria- tions from the State were donations made to replace losses, and they were only temporary, and after the year 1811, "until 1875, a period of thirty-four years, nothing was done for the University by the State." With a single brief ex- tract from the eulogy of Judge Longstreet, in reference to the effect of Dr. Waddel's entrance upon the office of the Presidency, this chapter may be closed: " The effect of his coming to this Institution was magical. It rose instantly to a rank which it had never held before, and which, I am happy to add, it has maintained ever since." CHAPTER XIII. Sketches of Dr. AVaddel's Colleagues of the Faculty from 1819 to John E. Goli^ing, A. M. IT has already been mentioned that three Professors were associated with Dr. Waddel at the time of his election to the Presidency, in 1819. Of these, the record of two of them, Dr. Henry Jackson and Mr. John R. Golding, as found in the Centennial Catalogue of the university, is that they were elected in 1811, and that Professor Golding* re- signed in 1819, and Dr. Jackson resigned in 1820. No fiu'ther mention is made of the former, j'et a brief sketch of his life may not be without interest, as he remained a citizen of Athens, and was an esteemed and intimate friend of the President. It is not j^robable that lie performed any active service as professor after Dr. AVaddel's accession, but he had been in the service of the institution during Dr. Brown's administration, and the probability is that, being called to the same chair by the Board on the reorganization, he declined the office, as his resignation took place in 1819. Of his professional career, this writer is in jDossession of no reliable data, as he does not seem to have been identified officially with the Faculty in 1819 ; but in regard to his character and reputation as a gentleman and a citizen of Athens, he was higlily esteemed. He had at some j)revious period married a daughter of President Brown, but at the time now under consideration he was a widower, with only one child, a son, who bore his father's name, John Reid Golding. Mr. Golding was a gentleman of great personal dignity and scholarly attainments, and was admired for his 77 78 Moses Waddel, D. D. courteous demeanor and easy address in intercourse with his friends and neighbors. Subsequently he married again, and the lady who became his second wife was a daughter of Judge Nott, of Columbia, S. C. Kot very long after his second marriage he died suddenly of apoplexy. Although not a colleague, he was an esteemed and intimate friend of Dr. Waddel. Henky Jackson, LL. D. Dr. Henr}" Jackson, whose name is mentioned in connec- tion with the foregoing as a member of the Faculty in 1819, seems also to have held office with President Brown, havin<( been elected Professor of Natural Philosoj^hy in 1811. But referring again to the Centennial Catalogue, it is found that Dr. Jackson's election to the chair of Natural Philosoj^hy took j)lace in 1822, and his resignation in 1825 ; that he was reelected in 1826, serving only one session, on account of failing health. Dr. Jackson was a man of fine traits of character, not only in social life, but in every capacity or sphere in which he was known. He was a gentleman of great scientific attainments, and was repeatedly appointed to office in the service of the University, until he was forced to retire from loss of health. He had been associated with Hon. Wilham H. Crawford, Minister to France in 1813, as secretary of legation. After his resignation, in 1827, he re- tired to his country seat near Athens. He was very much beloved and* admired by the students who were his puj^ils while he was a member of the Faculty, and they frequently rode out to pay their respects to him after his retirement, and they always found him ready to receive them with that true cordiality characteristic of the perfect gentleman that he was. On such occasions he was wont, in animated con- versation, to impart to them the rich fruits of his life of study and experience. His retirement from the service of the University was regarded at the time as well-nigh iiTe- Dr. James Tinsley. 79 parable. He was a brother of James Jackson, Governor of Georgia. He died at bis country seat near Athens, leaving a son, Hon. Henr}^ R. Jackson, a citizen of Georgia, distin- guished as a jurist and a statesman. Dr. James Tinsley. This gentleman is mentioned as having been elected, in 1820, Professor of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy. The description of this erratic man, as we find it in Dr. Hull's interesting SketcJies, to which the writer is already indebted for passages preceding, will give a life-like picture which many now living will at once recognize. Dr. Hull's narra- tive is as follows : "Dr. James Tinsley, a native of Columbia county, Ga., w^as a cotemporary of Judge Longstreet at Dr. AVaddel's school in Willington, S. C. He studied medicine with Dr. Abbot, in Washington, Ga., and attended lectures in Phila- delphia, where his extraordinary talents began to be devel- oped. He was a distinguished member of a large class, and in their debating clubs, composed of Professors and stu- dents, attracted the notice and admiration of the Professors of that celebrated school. He returned to Washington after his graduation and commenced the practice with Dr. Ab- bott, who held him in the highest estimation, and made unusual efforts to introduce him into his own extensive prac- tice. But Tinsley was erratic, and defied the conventional rules of practice of medicine and of society, and in a year oi- two, in 1820, Dr. Abbot, who was an influential member of the Board of Trustees, j^rocured for him the Professorship) of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy in Franklin Colleger (This name was given to the University of Georgia at the origin of the State system of education, and by this name it was known as generally and called as frequently as by the name of "University of Georgia " in those days.) Dr. Hull goes on to say: "He was totally unqualified for the chak, 80 Moses Waddel, D. D. but his friends thought that the wonderful power of his in- tellect would overcome his want of training and enable him to sustain himself. Dr. Tinslev, however, could not endure the quiet routine of College life, and, after two 3'ears of irk- some restraint, resigned." It is not necessary to follow the career of this singular character in minute detail, and it may- be dismissed by simply adding that, after a life spent in almost every conceivable variety of pursuits, exposing him- self, "without overcoat, umbrella, or any jn'otection to the most inclement weather, with his shirt-collar and bosom open, and often without a hat," although " subject to violent and alarming hemorrhages from the lungs," from being comfortably wealthy he became poor ; was a contractor, and made brick and built houses ; practiced medicine and surgery without any of the needful instruments; and while he affected great contempt for etiquette in his intercourse with others, whenever he chose *' he could act the courteous gen- tleman with charming grace." In Dr. Hull's exj)ressivQ words, "thus he frittered quite away the richest endow- ments of intellectual wealth, which, if properly directed, would have made him eminently useful in his day." Thus he lived, and, removing from Georgia to Alabama, he shortly afterwards died in com]3arative obscuritj^ Rev. Joseph Wallace, A. M. The name which stands next on the roll after Professor Golding's, as Professor of Ancient Languages, is that of Kev. Joseph Wallace, who w^as elected to that chau' in 1820. He was a minister of the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Philadelphia, having taken his divinity course in the Theo- logical school established by the Rev. John M. Mason in the city of New York. The most obvious feature of Professor Wallace as a man that invariably impressed, not only strangers, but all who knew him only partiaUy, was his unbending stiffness of man- "Rev. Joseph Wallace, A. M. 81 ner. This ai:)pearecl iu his conversational style, in his im- perturbable graYitv, in the absence of anything hke a smile to irradiate his countenance; and yet the equal freedom from every symptom of passion, or excitement of ill- temper. There is no reason to doubt his possession of full cjualitica- tion for the Professorship he was called to fill. Yet there is no traditional history of his traits as a scholar or teacher, either favorable or unfavorable. In the pulpit, which he oc- casionally occupied, he carried the same precise and lofty manner, approaching stiffness; and his voico, while suffi- ciently loud and sonorous, was not remarkable for its variety, but was rather monotonous. While he remained in office he was unmarried, but becoming acquainted with a lady fi'om the lower part of South Carolina, a wddow of reputed wealth, a summer visitor at Athens, he addressed her and they were married. This closed his ^professional career, and ho left the University in 1822, and lived after his mar- riage on the fine plantation in the neighborhood of Beau- fort, S. C, of which he became master by this marriage. In 1836 he is reported by Dr. Howe to have been "received as a member of the Charleston Union Presbytery, and his name is entered on the Minutes of the General Assembly as 'W. C i. e:, without charge. AVhat labors soever he may have performed were devoted to the colored people among whom he resided." He died iu 1852, or 1853. It is noteworthy that, after the resignation of Professor Y\'allace, in 1822, there is no record of any incumbent being api)ointed to the chair he had filled until 1830. This was not occasioned by the fact that the Ancient Languages had been stricken from the course of study, but for some reason not now known the instruction in the Classics was placed in the hands of tutors, and a part of the duties of that chair were distributed among the other members of the Faculty until 1830. ^2 Moses AV^ddel, D. D. Rev. Alonzo Church, D. D. Dr. Church was elected Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy in 1819, as ah'eady stated, and began his con- nection as Professor with the University simultaneously with the Presidency of Dr. "Waddel. He filled this chair for ten years, and on the resignation of Dr. Wacldel, in 1829, he was called immediately to the vacant Presidency. He pre- sided to the great advantage of the University for thirty y^ears, and in 1859 resigned the office and retired to private life. The only records of his life previous to his entrance upon the professorship are drawn from Dr. Howe's History of the Presbyterian Church in Sovth Carolina, as found, first, in Vol. XL, page 309. It is there briefl}^ stated that, "at a laeeting of the Presbytery (of Hopewell) in September, 1817, Alonzo Church, a graduate of Middlebury College (Vermont), was received as a candidate for the ministry." AVe learn from the same volume, on page 772, that "he was first a teacher in the academy at Eatonton," Putnam county, Ga. He came from that place to the University at Athens. The writer retains a very distinct recollection of Dr. Church, as he was a student under his instruction from 1826 to 1829. He was a tall and finely-proportioned man, grace- ful and dignified in his carriage, of dark and bloodless com- plexion, and of very black eyes and hair. His eyes were re- markable for then* bright and piercing lustre. He was -quick of temper, and respected by all orderly and correct -students, but by the negligent and disorderly he was feared and avoided more than any other Professor. A rigid dis- ciplinarian, he was prompt to correct and rebuke the slight- est indication of disorder or inattention in his class-room. He acted as librarian at one time, and the library was then kept in the third story of the second dormitory. This room lie occupied as his study during day-time, as it opened into liis class or lectui'e room. The preservation of order during Rev. Alonza Church, D. T>. 83 study hours at night was entrusted to tutors, who used rooms in the dormitories, both as studies and sleej)ing rooms. Their duties were also aided in this respect by pro- fessors in davhght. An incident that occurred during the attendance of the writer as a student will illustrate the promptness of Dr. Church in queUing disorder, and the fear always excited among the students by any manifestation of his displeasui'e. A glance at his domestic history will enable the reader more properly to appreciate the circumstances of the case. The Doctor was the father of four daughters before a son was born to him. On the news of the birth of this son being- learned by the students, it was suggested at once that a pe- tition should be presented to the Faculty for holiday in com- pliment to the family, and as a welcome to the advent of the vouno- stran^-er. Just before eleven o'clock a. m., which was the hour for recitation, the petition was returned, hav- ing been granted. It so hapi^ened that just then, in the fourth storj' of the dormitory, were gathered in the room just above Dr. Church's study some half-dozen of the most orderly students, j)rei:)ariDg for recitation. On the presen- tation to them of the decision of the Faculty, it was received by a most boisterous shouting and laughter and stamping upon the floor as a manifestation of the exuberance of their joy. In a very few minutes, to our utter amazement and fright. Dr. Chm-ch made his appearance, and, when the door was opened and he discovered that the actors were students of the most orderly character, he lifted his hands and exclaimed: ''Why, gentlemen, I am more than aston- ished!" The students had only time to say to him, "Doc- tor, we have holiday," when he left them abrux^tly, and tbey began to suspect that they had been "badly sold," and that there was no holiday, as Dr. Church seemed not to be aware of it. They anticipated nothing less than a summons be- fore the Faculty upon a charge of disorderly conduct, but 84 . Moses T^'addel, D. D. this suspense was soon ended, as Dr. Church, after leaving the room, encountered a student, and on inquiring the rea- son of the hohday, and learning that it T^-as on the occasion of the birth of his son, returned immediately, explained, and apologized. So all ended happily, and Alonzo Church, Jr., on his arrival, was greeted with p^ demonstration not usually bestowed upon our boys The pulpit talents of Dr. Chiu'ch were held in high esti- mation by some who enjoyed the privilege of his ministra- tions. He occasionally filled the j^ulpit in Athens, but he performed a great deal of missionary and evangelistic preach- ing for country churches and congregations in reach of Athens. It is a noble tribute to his memory which is found in a memorial adopted by the Synod of Georgia, and re- corded in the Minutes of 1870, page 6: "It was his dehght and glory to preach the gospel to the poor, nor did he cease to do this to the day of his death." Gamaliel S. Olds, A. M. This gentleman was appointed Professor of Natural Phil- osoj^hy in 1825, after Dr. Henry Jackson's first retirement. He resigned in 1826, and as he served but one session, there is nothing of interest on record of his talents, qualities, or his success. His name may, therefore, be dismissed, with the single remark that lie possessed no traits of practical usefulness, and that his term of service furnishes nothing affecting the history of the University, whether for good or evil. Peofessoe Jatvies Jackson, A. M. The next full Professor who was a colleague of Dr. Wad- del was James Jackson, A. M. He was elected to the chair of Chemistrv^ in 1823, and on the retirement of his uncle. Dr. Heniy Jackson, in 1827, he succeeded him as Professor of Natural Philosophy. Taking the two chairs together, his Kev. Stephen Oi.in, I>- I>- 85 term of service continued through the Presidency of Dr. Waddel; but in 1842 he was relieved of the duties of the chair of >-atural Philosophy, after serving fifteen years in it, bv the election of Dr. C. F. McCay. After «"« change he Continued to fill the chair of Chemistry, &c., until I80O, when, after twentv-three years of laborious vvoA, he re- sicvned, and was succeeded by Dr. W. L. Jones. Professor JaAson was a man of more than ordinary attainments in manr departments of literature and science. He insa-uctecl the classes for some years in Latin and in French. He was a son of Governor James Jackson, and a nephew ot Dr. Henrv Jackson. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church in Athens, and had a most interesting family. During his residence in Athens he was subject to periodical attacks ot sick headache, which interfered not a little with his attend- ance on class exercises. At the time of these attacks he suftered too intensely to admit of his leaving his room. He was a man of irreproachable character, and his long seijice of twentv.three rears in various departments is of itselt an evidence of his merit and a testimonial of the high estima- tion in which he was held by the Board. Rev. Stephek Olis, D. D. This eminent man and minister of the gospel in the Methodist Episcopal Church was a native of > ermont, and graduated at iliddebury College, in that State, m 1820 He was a teacher first in South Carolina, and there pined the Conference, and was stationed for two years in Charleston. In 1826 he was elected to the chair of Ethics and Meta- phvsics in the I'niversity of Georgia, and in 1828 resigned in "conseciuence of ill-health. He was v. very remarkable man in manv respects. Of extraordinary physica size, not fleshv, but taU, and broad and muscular, of large head, and countenance indicative of detei-mined will, one would judge, from his appearance, that when in health he must have pos- 86 Moses Waddel, D. D. sessed very great physical power. As a Professor, lie was unsurpassed in the power of imparting knowledge and of exerting an influence over students. It was considered a great privilege to " sit at his feet " as a teacher and to have been numbered among his pupils. As a preacher, he was grand in thought and eloquent in dehvery, and held his au- dience rapt in admiration and transported by his eloquence. His health w^as very precaiious, and he resigned in 1828, after two years' service. He was recalled in 1831, and served a second term of two years. After his resignation, in 1833, he accepted the Presidency of Eandolph-Macon College, in Virginia. He travelled subsequently for some time in Europe, Egypt, and Palestine, and his travels were published in two volumes. In 1842 he was made President of Wesleyan University, at Middletown, Conn., and remained in that office until his death. The remaining members of the faculty of this period, from 1819 to 1829, were eight in number, and the term of service of these, who were tutors, varied from one to five years, only one of whom served as long as five j^ears. Of the first, J. J. Kilpatrick, so little is known as to require only that he should be named as holding the office one year. The same may be said of C. D. Davis. Rev. Alexander H. Webster, A. M. "With regard to the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this paragraph a much more interesting sketch should be written. He was an earnest and devoted Christian teacher during his term of service in the University, and en- joyed the unqualified friendship of Dr. Waddel and of Dr. Church. He retired, at the close of his tutorship of two years, in 1823, and located himself in Washington, Ga., w^here he had charge of the church and academy until his death, in 1828. Pkof. James P. Waddel, A. M. 87 In addition to his many claimn to high esteem and grati- tude from the State for his pubUc services, Mr. Webster de- serves the credit of being mainly instrumental in securing for Alexander Stevens the academic and collegiate education which fitted that noble Christian statesman for the great services he afterwards rendered to his native State and to the whole government. The exceedingly interesting ac- count of the whole transaction is recorded in the JJfe of A^ II. Stephens, by Johnston cSc Brown, on pages 47-51. James P. Waddel, A. M. As this gentleman occupied the tutorship only two years, and subsequently filled the chair of Ancient Languages in the Uni^^'ersity for a term of twenty j^ears, it is only neces- sary to say that when he resigned, in 1824, he left the Uni- versity with an exalted reputation as a scholar and teacher, and retired to prosecute his career as an educator in several prominent places, among which were the Richmond Acad- emy, in Augusta, Ga., which he occupied for six years, and at Wilhngton, S. C, where he revived the academy founded by his father. There he remained until 1836, when he re- moved to Athens and became Professor of Ancient Lan- guages. Before his settlement in Athens in connection with the University he had been elected to the same chair in. the year 1830 at the annual meeting of the trustees of th& University in August. It was then the j)rovision of the act by which the University was originally established, in 1785, that "the general superintendence and regulation of the hterature of the State should be confided to two bodies — one consisting of the Governor and Council, the Speaker of the house of assembly, and the Chief Justice, and the other con- sisting of thirteen persons, to be called "the Board of Trus- tees." These two bodies, united, were to constitute the "Senatus Academicus of the University of Georgia." This "Senatus Academicus" was in existence in 1830, but was 88 Moses AVaddel, D. D. abolished December 14, 1850. it ^vas about the rear 1<^30 that considerable excitement prevailed tbrou^hoiit the State among the various denominations of the Christian church upon the subject of education.' Among other feelings that were developed was that of a jealousy of the Universit}', upon the ground that there seemed to have been a monopoly of the offices in the Faculty enjoyed by one denomination to too large an extent. The fact was that the administration of the external and internal affairs of the University had been in the hands of Presb3i;erian Presidents from its organiza- tion in 1801, as a school of the higher learning, to the time of this election of James P. Waddel, in 1830 ; and it may be added, that Presbyterian Presidency continued to be the order of affairs for twenty-nine years longer. The trustees bad not excluded any gentleman and scholar from a Profes- sorship in this long period, but there had been incumbents of the subordinate olnces from the other churches whenever the trustees were convinced of the fact that a candidate possessed the .requisite qualifications. It is certainly not to be attributed to am' partiality on the part of the Board that Presbyterians had been invariably appointed to the Presi- dency for fifty -nine years. But on the election of Professor Waddel, in 1830, great dissatisfaction was found to exist, and was made knov/n through the journals of the State on the subject of the appointment of another Presbyterian. The ground of complaint was based upon the fact that the University was a State institution, the j^roperty of the State, and hence all classes of the j^eo^Dle were entitled justly to a rei^resentation in its management. The excitement grew in intensity, until, at the meeting of the Senatus Academicus, in December, 1830, at the seat of government, the action of the trustees at their meeting in August preceding was re- viewed and reconsidered, and, to allay the dissatisfaction of the malcontent denomination, Professor AVaddel (who had not entered upon the duties of the chair to which he had James P. Waddel, A. M. 89 been elected) was suiDerseded bv the appointmeut of the Eev. James Shannon, pastor of the Baptist church in Augusta, Ga. This gentleman held the office until 1835, and resigned to accept the Presidency of the Missouri Uni- versity, and not long thereafter he left the Baptist church and entered the Christian (Campbellite) church, and died not long after he had vacated the Presidency of the Univer- sity of Missouri. On the retirement of Professor Shannon from the chair of Ancient Languages in the Georgia University, in 1835, the Board of Trustees called Professor AVaddel to the vacnr/. chair, in 1836, which he filled with entire acceptance f(jr tw^enty years. In 1856 a state of dissatisfaction occurred in the Faculty, and it became necessary for him and a large number of his colleagues to resign, in order that the Board might reorganize the Faculty and secure harmony. It is unnecessary to explain this state of things, but it was not the result of any deficiency on his part, or on that of the others who were with him, either as gentlemen or scholars. But it was in consequence of serious differences of judgment on the part of these professors as regarded ''the government of young men and the standard of attainment for gradua- tion." Professor "Waddel then removed from Athens to Montgomery, Ala., where he was engaged in teaching a se- lect class of young men at high comi^ensation until the war began. He had found his health on the decline, and had resolved that he must abandon teaching. He was then in- vited by Governor Moore, of Alabama, to accept the position of Secretary in the Governor's office, and on the election to the office of Governor of John Gill Shorter (a favorite pu^Dil of his), he was called to the same office, and subsecjuently he filled the same office under Governor Watts. This was the last service he was ever to perform of a pubhc natui'e. At the close of the war, in feeble health, he returned to Athens, and ended his days in the house of his son, AVilham 90 Moses Waddel, D. D. Henry Waddel, who had filled the chair of Languages from 1860 in the University of Georgia under the Presidency of Chancellor Lipscombe. He died of i^aralysis on May 27, 1868, after having been a laborious and accomplished teacher for forty-one years, aged sixty-seven years five months and twenty-one days. I think it •will be not "without interest to his former pupils, some of whom still survive him, to read the subjoined testi- monial, furnished by my friend and former colleague, Pro- fessor John K. Blake, at La Grange, Tenn. Professor Blake was a member of the class of 1846, and graduated with hif^h distinction. He has filled several chairs in the educational institutions of the South. ''Recollections of Professor James P. Waddel. " I recall with much pleasure the kind and sympathetic nature, cordial manner, and high-toned Christian bearing of my friend. Professor James P. Waddel, while I w^as his pupil at Athens, Ga. In the class-room and out of it he always greeted his students with a genial recognition which invited confidence and secured esteem from every generous heart. As a teacher, he exhibited classic taste and accurate scholarship. There was also a poetic vein in his mental composition which gave to his rendition of Greek and Ro- man authors an elegance peculiar to himself. To his pupils he allowed much liberty in their translations, giving the freest scope to the indi^'iduality of each, that every one might develoj) the most natm-al and easy foritis of thought and expression, reserving to himself the duty of retouching those forms when the work was finished. "As a disciplinarian. Professor Waddel relied mainly upon the gentlemanly instincts of his pupils. He was always kind and courteous in his bearing tow^ards them, and by his own scrupulous politeness compelled respect from all w^ho had any proper appreciation of moral excellence. When Eey. James C. Patterson, D. T>. 91 occasion offered, however, he could rebuke with teUing effect, while still maintaining a courtly dignity of demeanor On one occasion some unknown hand had cast a handful of shot into the room as the class was entering. The Professor remained silent for a moment, then, looking round upon the rear of the entering class, he broke forth in withering sar- casm upon the unknown offender, pointing out how far he had forgotten the courtesy due from gentlemen and the chivahy to be expected from Southern young men. The offence was never repeated, nor could I ever find one bold enough to confess the authorship of the deed." Rev. James C. Patterson, D. T>. This gentleman was appointed tutor in 1823, one year after his graduation, and resigned, after a service of two- years, in 1825. He was a solid and substantial characterj an excellent scholar, with more reality in his merit than many who made more showy appearances. He succeeded afterwards Rev, Joseph C Stiles as supply of the church in Macon, Ga., in 1828, w^hen that church was in its infancy. He continued to servo that people as their minister " for a period of three years, much interrupted by ill-health. He died on July 18, 1866, in the sixty-third j^ear of his age." Of Ephraim S. Hopping it may be said that he filled the office of tutor for three years, from 1824 to 1827, giving en- tire satisfaction to all concerned; was licensed to preach, but was never ordained. On his resignation, he soon after married a lady of wealth and refinement, and became a planter. He was a most genial and kind-hearted gentle- man, and was beloved and resj^ected by the students. He was a graduate of Princeton College, N. J., and was a fine classical scholar. He died of a painful affection of his head and face, but it is not known in what vear he died. CHAPTEE XIY. Unitersity Administration During Dr. Waddel's Presidency. — His Life in Athens — His Services to the Cause of Christian Edu- cation. THE sketches of Dr. Waddel's colleagues being closed, the narrative will now return to the more special record of his personal history. There can be no doubt that his views and practice upon the subject of discipline were, even in his day, not in perfect accord with those prevalent in many parts of the country. Having been for so many years independent of all outside control or dictation as to the management of his academy, and never having been accus- tomed to seek counsel of man, he naturally felt that he him- self was responsible for the administration of the affairs, ex- ternal and internal, of the University to the best advantage. Having been so successful in his preceding years as a dis- ciplinarian, and as he had abimdant testimony, voluntarily furnished by his former patrons and pupils, that his mode of government had proved to be eminently satisfactory, he perhaps anticipated that the management required in the University would partake of the same essential features by which his former administration had been characterized. Finding himself surrounded by various influences, and that there were others who must, in a measure, control affairs in the University, and that to them he should be held respon- sible, he very readily adopted and put into practice many modifications of the system to which he had formerly been accustomed. The consequence was that the term of his Presidential rule was eminently successful. The statement that he believed in and practiced corporal 'punishment for 92 College Discipline. 9^ Colleo-e students is a mishike. This idea ^vas, on one occa- sion suo-ested by a most excellent trustee, of old-fashioned views that "boys of the Freshman class who needed pim- ishment ought to be whipped." Bat that such a proposi- tion ever proceeded from I>r. Waddel, or that such a mode of correction was ever put into execution as regards Tniver- sity students, cannot be shown. The basis for the erroneous statement is a single entry in Dr. Waddel's diary, still ex- tant, as follows: "Caught • chewing tobacco, and whipped him." The explanation of this entry is that some old friends and pupils had prevailed upon Dr. Waddel to receive into his family their sons, young lads, to be trained exactly as his own children. These boys never entered col- lege while with him; and so he did train them, controUing and correcting them when necessary, as any sons of his own would have been treated. One other fact may be mentioned as showing the mis- taken views entertamed by some in regard to coUege dis- cipline. One of the trustees, not a resident of Athens, be- came greatlv offended by receiving an anonymous letter from some one, supposed to be a student, who ridiculed and insulted him in the communication. Charging it as a gross offence, and considering it the duty of the President to arrest and punish the offender, when it could not be ascertained who the writer was, he visited his wrath upon the President and Facultv, and if he had been a man of influence he might have effected some evil result. But it all passed off m smoke, and nothing ever came of the matter, as it was im- possible to institute any proceedings that would lead to a detection of the author of the quiz. Just at this point it is appropriate to introduce the following estimates of Dr. AYaddel as a disciplinarian, as they have both been pub- Hshed, as the unbiased judgment of two high-toned gentle- men intimately acquainted with him, and fellow-citizens thoroughly cognizant of his whole career at Athens. The 94 Moses AVaddel, D. D. first of these testimonials is from Dr. Hull's Sketches of Athens, to which reference has already been made. Says he: "His administration of the University was singularly successful. From the handful of students he found (mus- tering seven students at full roll-call), the attendance in- creased to one hundred or more, and for ten years, with wise counsel and inflexible disci]3line, he kept the Institution ever advancing." So Dr. Church, who was his associate in the Faculty and his intimate friend for ten 3^ears, thus writes of him in this particular in a letter found in the Annals of the American Pulpit, by Dr. Sprague, Vol. IV., pp. 68 and 70: "Dr. "VVaddel was, in the estimation of some, a stern disciplinarian, and yet no man was more mild or conciliatory toward those who were disposed to do their duty, and no one was ever more ready to aid his pupils in their efforts to acquire knowledge. His study was at all times open to those seeking assistance, and he would lay aside the most interesting and important business to answer the inquiries of a student." In another place Dr. Church sx)eaks of him thuo : " The circumstances of the university were, when Dr. AVaddel was called to preside over it, peculiarly embarrass- ing. They were such as no one can full}' comprehend who was not connected with it ; they were such, I am fully per- suaded, as few men would have been able to meet, without "ultimately abandoning it in despair. And to the wisdom and prudence and reputation of that good man is Georgia very largely indebted for the respectabilit}'' and usefulness of her State College. The success which attended his efforts in raising the Institution so rapidly as he did to respect- ability has been to many inexphcable; but to those who well understood his character, the success is by no means surprising." Of the Board of Trustees in office during his Presidency, numbering thirty or more, there were some very distinguished men of the State, such as William H. Craw- ford, George R. Gilmer, John M. Berrien, George M. Influencing Students for the Ministry. 95 Troup, Thomas "W. Cobb, and Daucau G. Campbell, some of whom were old pupils, but none of them residents of Athens. There were, however, three members of the Board who were citizens of Athens, with whom he was associated on terms of warm and intimate friendship and unreserved confidence. These were Hon. Augustine S. Clayton, Dr. James Kisbet, and Dr. Henry Hull. They were all promi- nent in the town b}^ reason of their intelligence and high social position. Tliey were the esteemed counsellors of Dr. Waddel on all subjects which involved the interests of the University. At the time of his removal to Athens the only place of public worship was the old chapel, and afterwards the Philosophical Hall. The Presbyterian church was or- ganized by Dr. AVaddel March 4, 1821, with fourteen mem- bers, and afterwards the congregation erected a very excel- lent framed house of worship, then considered quite a fine- looking building. It was located on the north side of the University campus, on the main street of the town. He served this church as stated supply for nearly ten years, and after his removal the church called to the pastorate Eev. Dr. Nathan Hoyt, who served the people for thu'ty-seven years. A prominent trait of Dr. Waddel, as an educator, known to his intimate friends, was his persistent determination to give to all his educational system an impression of Chris- tian character. On this subject the writer prefers, for ob- vious reasons, to avail himself of the letter of Dr. Church, not only as that of one whose testimony cannot be biased by the partiality of a kinsman, but as of one abundantly fitted by long association with Dr. Waddel to furnish a correct re- cord of his peculiarities: "The grand object," says Dr. C, "which he had in view while engaged in the business of instruction was the incul- cation of truth, which, directly or indirectly, would have an influence upon the great cause of the gospel. The country 9G Moses ^Vaddel, D. D. "was new, the population was rapidly increasing, and the few schools then existing were almost universally imder the con- trol of men who were ignorant and vicious, and often infidel. Dr. "Waddel saw the necessity for different schools, and re- solved that, by the blessing of God upon his labors, he would endeavor to show the practical benefits resulting from those conducted by well-educated and pious men. To ac- comphsh this reformation, he saw the necessity of teachers educated at home, educated in the fear of God, teachers who would carry into the school-room something of the Bible. He accordingly encouraged those who w^ere under his instruction, and especialty those who were pious, to -pve- pare themselves for teachers. To those who were unable to bear the expense of their education he opened the doors of his school, and often of his house, leaving them in after life to make such return as they might be able and might think proj^er to make. The heart of this good man also yearned over the multitudes in the adjacent regions who were 'as sheep having no shepherd.' He ardently desired to see in- telligent and pious 3'oung men consecrating their talents to the service of God in the ministry of the gospel. His school was, therefore, always 'a school of the prophets.' Every encouragement was given by him to those whose minds were turned to this subject; and, by dii'ecting his pupils to the great want of ministers, he was instrumental in diverting many from mere secular pursuits to the sacred office. In this respect, I apprehend, few men have been more useful to the church. Like his divine Master, he was continually saying to many, and apparent^ with effect, ' Go preach the gospel.' Looking at the condition of the country, and espe- cially of the church, he believed that it was the duty of many who were called to the ministry to engage also in the business of instruction, and he accordingly encouraged many of the young men who studied with him to pursue a course which he had felt it his duty to pui'sue. By this Determination to Preach. 97 means iu a short time many feeble churches were partially supplied with Christian ministrations, and a striking change was wrought in the aspect of society." It should not be forgotten, as has been already recorded of Dr. Waddel, that he was not only a life-long laborer iu the field of practical education in the class-room, but the fact, not so well kno\An to many, is that he remained through all his days, until laid aside in the providence of God by disease, a laborious and devoted minister of the gospel. Ifc was a rare occurrence that prevented him from filling the pulpit wherever he made his home. In yielding, as he did, to the pressing call of the Trustees to the Presidency of the institution, it formed only a part of the influential reasons that prevailed with him that the University should be raised "to literary eminence." It ought to be stated that he never entered upon any enterprise to which he was invited with- out asking of Divine AYisdom to make the path of duty plain before him. The motive which weighed more heavily with him, inducing him to accept the call, was undoubtedly a conviction that in the near future there seemed to be opened before him a new field of that kind of labor that la}'' nearest his heart, and in which he always most delighted. Nor is it at all probable that he would for a moment have en- tertained the proposition to remove to Athens had no door of entrance been open before him to preach the gospeL But although a State Institution, the common property of all the citizens of Georgia, it is a blessed fact in the history of the University that no influence was ever attempted from, any quarter to prevent the Faculty from preaching. This fact, to the honor and credit of the Board of Trustees, should be recorded, and may be regarded as in striking and grati- fying contrast to the course pursued by other bodies of j^ub- lic trust having in charge the interest of State Institutions of learning. He not only preached in person in Athens in the chapel, but he was careful to avail himself of the ser- ^8 Moses AVaddel, D. D. \dces of his brethren whenever they could be obtained. There occuiTed within the memory of hving alumni even now several remarkable revivals of religion, in the blessed influences of which the students of the University largely shared. Such, if called on to testify, might revive even now, after the lapse of a half century, the recollection of a great "work of grace that was enjoyed by the town and University under the powerful preaching of such consecrated men as Eev. Joseph C. Stiles, Eev. S. S. Davis, Rev. A. H. AVebster, and others, who were invited to come and spend a season of pulpit labor in Athens. During his Presidency in Athens the prosperity of the University attracted the attention of the entire State, and the population of the town rapidly in- creased by the removal of many to secure for their sons the advantages of a classical education, and the active business of the community in evevy department grew and extended to a considerable degree. The consequence was that all de- nominations of Christians were soon enabled to organize their peoj^le into churches, and to erect excellent and, some of them, beautiful houses of worship. All this was the na- tural result of the iiourishing and eminently solid condition of the system of College administration, based, as it certainly w^as, upon Christian principle. This enlargement of church advantages and privileges could not but exert a happy in- fluence upon the students, as they enjoyed the opportunity of sitting under the preaching of ministers of the best class, representing all the various denominations. Another fact in this connection deserves to be mentioned. Among the large number of young men who flocked to the University a goodly proportion were poor and pious; and while anxious to prepare themselves for the ministry, they were destitute of the means to meet the necessary expenses. Just such youths of promise were urged and invited by Dr. 'Waddel to become students of the Institution. Quite a num- ber were admitted by the provisions of the University code Caee of Young Men for the Ministry. 99 to free tuition who were desirous to preach. Says Dr. Chiu'ch again , '' Dr. Waddel induced several families in the town and adjoining county eacli to board one poor young man who was j^reparing for the ministry. God poured out his Sj^irit upon the institution, and many, in a few years, were hopefully converted, and went forth as teachers of acad- emies and preachers of the gospel. At the end of ten years the good man was permitted to see a change in the institu- tion, a change of the moral and rehgious aspect of the State, a change in the prospects of the feeble branch of it to which he belonged, w4iich more than realized his most sanguine expectations." It is thus seen that he did not err in his in- terpretation of the indications of Providence in respect to accepting the call to the University. CHAPTEK XY. Dk. Waddel's Objects in View in Accepting the Presidency of the U^^vERSITY. — Successful Results. — Close of his Term of Ser- vice. — Resignation. IVTO ono not intimately associated with Dr. Waddel pre- J_^ -sdous to liis removal to Athens, and his entrance upon the untried duties of President of a University, can appre- ciate the state of his mind, in view of so radical a revolution of all his cherished plans as was involved in this movement. For the space of more than thirty-five years he had been laboriously engaged in the practical business of education, and in connection with this department of labor, for more than a quarter century he had devoted himself, with equal earnestness aud consecration, to the solemn ser^dce of the gospel ministry. And now he had been contemj^lating, Avith pleasing anticipations, a partial release from this long- continued and toilsome double work. It was thus his cher- ished scheme to withdraw gradually from the school-room, in order that he might have more leisure to devote his mind and his time to the work of the ministry, without the intru- sion of other cares upon his attention. It is known to those who were intimately acquainted with his private history that he loved the work of the ministry, and was just as much absorbed in his ministerial office as in that of a teacher. It was just at such a time as that, in 1818, when the call to the State University was pressed so urgently upon him by his friends and pupils in Georgia. The ■v\Titer has learned from a member of his family, to whom he ha- bitually communicated his most secret thoughts, that the mental conflict through which he passed in the consider a- 100 Hirf Influence in the Presidency. 101 tion and decision of this question was extremely distressing, and at one time seemed as though it would i^rove disastrous. As his life-long custom at all times had been to seek light on all subjects involving a question of duty from the only infalhblo source, which had always made the way clear and the i^ath plain, so on this occasion he obeyed the injunction and reahzed the j^romise in the "Word of God, " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and ui3braideth not, and it shall be given him." Convinced, then, that it was clearly his duty to accept the . plied by furnishing me promptly and fully -with such a con- tribution as I had asked for, with eyen more full and satis- factory minuteness than I could have expected. This nar- rative and estimate I now proceed to transcribe in his own words. Rev. Dr. S. G. Ilillye'i^'s Statement. "I will now try to give you some reminiscences of your noble father. First of all, let me tell j-ou of his relation to our family. He and my father were nearly of the same age, and they lived for years in the same neighborhood — my father at old Petersburgh, in Elbert county, Ga., and Dr. Waddel over in South Carolina, at Willington. Some busi- ness relations furnished opportunity for them to becomo acquainted with each other. I think also that my mother and grandmother Avere personally acquainted with Dr. Wad- del at that early day. Be this as it may, they knew him by character. Accordingly, when my father died, in 1820, and when it became the all-absorbing question with my -mother what could be done for her children, she sought the advice of your father. She consulted him at Athens. His advice was: Give them a Collegiate education at all hazards. He said : ' Give the boys an education, and you give them a possession they can never lose. It will always afford them means of support.' Tliis advice accorded wdth my mother's wishes, and accordingly arrangements were made at an early day to remove our family to Athens, where we enjoyed those advantages which have shaped our course through hfe. Your father would sometimes visit my mother and grandmother at our humble home near Athens. He was always kind to me. When I would occasionally go home with you it seemed to give him pleasure to entertain us with his humor and pleasantry ; and after my graduation he, of his own good will, jiut me in correspondence with a promi- nent citizen of Florida, Colonel Gamble, which proved to be of great advantage to me. So much for his relations to us. EeMDsISCENCBS. lOT No intelHgent man could know your father's life, character, and work without being impressed with the fact that he was indeed a great and a good man. He gave an impulse to the cause of education in South Carohna and Georgia which scarcely any other man at that time could have done. His school at Wilhngton was a brHliant success. Such men as John C. Calhoun, George McDuffie, George R. Gilmer, and Augustus B. Longstreet received from him the early train- ing^that made them the great men of their generation. In the year 1818 Dr. AVaddell was called, and, in 1819, he ac- cepted the call to preside over our State University. I once heard him say that when he first entered upon his duties at Athens he found just seven students playmg 'hide and seek ' m the rooms of the old collego building. In three or four years the attendance had run up to nearly or quite a hundred. In administrative ability he was pretminentlij the central figure in the Faculty. During the time of his Presidency the coUege sent out a class of alumni whose lives illustrated not only the glory of their Alma Mater, but of the State in which they lived. Kot only our own State, but Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas felt the iufluence for many years of that master spirit which presided over Frank- lin College from 1819 to 1829. In his domestic relations, his success was but the counterpart, on a more limited scale, of the distinction which crowned his pubhc services. Of his large family, there was not one of whom a father might not be proud. His sous, in exalted moral worth, in high intellectual culture, and most attractive social quali- ties, had few equals and no superiors ; while his daughters, too,' were adorned with the loveliness of a noble womanhood. As 'a theologian, your father was profound and orthodox. As a sermonizer, he was methodical and exhaustive. His style was distinguished for its purity and for its perspicacity. Even the illiterate could understand him. A case in point came under my own knowledge. My grandmother had an 108 Mo3E3 Waddel, D. D. old servant, who was a religious woman, but very ignorant. On a certain Sunday morniuGf she asked mv £?randmother to let her go to church that day. Grandmother said to her: *Why, Kachel, there is no place where there is preaching to-day but the College Chapel, and the President of the Col- lege will preach. You can't understand Dr. Waddel preach- ing tc all those learned folks in the chapel.' * Never mind,' said the old woman ; ' please let me go ? ' Consent was given, of course. By and bye she returned from church, full of the sermon she had heard. She said to my grand- mother that the sermon had done her good, and that she could understand it all. She seemed to be delighted with what she had heard. Now, a compliment to your father's sermon from such a man as Dr. Olin was what might have been expected, but coming, as it did, from an ignorant old darkey, makes us think of Jlim of whom it was said ' the common peojDle heard him gladly.' As a citizen. Dr. Wad- del was ever mindful of the public good. Though exem2)t by law, as a minister of the gospel, from the duty of serving on juries, yet he waived his privilege, and, when called on, would take his place on the grand jur}" of the county. When we remember the important functions committed by our laws to that body, we can see that such a man as Dr. Wad- del could not fail to be eminently useful on our grand juries. His great intelligence, his love of country, and his high moral rectitude were just the qualities most needed in such bodies. Thus I have given you a very brief statement of my impressions of your father. I only wish I had space and abihty to do the subject justice. Still I trust it may afford a few suggestions that may be useful to you in your pro- posed work. Allow me to give an anecdote of trivial im- portance, yet none the less illustrative of your father's ad- ministrative ability. A student had been guilty of some impropriety. Dr. Waddel sent for him and gave him a pri- vate lecture in his room. AVhen he returned to his fellow- Methodci of Discipline. 109 Btudent8 they were curious to know what had passed be- tween him and the President. He put on quite an an- of importance, and gave such an account o£ the interview as to make the impression that he had pretty successfully bul- lied ' the Doctor. Not long afterwards another student vjas sent for to the Presideufs room. Remembering what the former culprit had said, he concluded to play a similar game. Accordingly, as soon as the President opened the tase the voung man put on an air of offended surprise, and, m rather ahaughty tone, began to ask why he -- ^-f;^ ""^ for reprimand and- ; but before he had proceeded fai thei, the Doctor stopped him with a frown, saying: 'My young friend, if vou cannot speak to me in a more becoming man- ner than ;-ou have assumed, there is the door, and the sooner you take'it the better.' The student saw at a g ance that L was on the wi-ong taoJc, and promptly changed his course. At once he made apologies, which Dr. Waddel so fa ac cepted as to give the lecture, which was received with be- ming meekLs. The student told me this story on him- self, and then added: 'Granby, when you hear the boys bra:.o.mg how they have 'bullied' Dr. A\addel, you just quie'tly conclude that they are lyinff ; for I tell you no stu- lent 'ever did it. It can't be done.' Other incidents per- haps not so illustrative as the preceding, of his method mUt be presented, but not less entertaining to the general reader. But I content myself with the general remark that his mode of discipline was pecuhar to himself, and always successful." .. ^ £ r^f i.,-a The foregoing is, according to the estimate of one of his pupils, who knew and esteemed him well, a tmthful presen- tation of Ms personal and public character. I am sure that all the records of a man's Ufe who serves the public for many years are rarely ever given to the general reader. But I am equally sui-e that a biography professing to be U-ue and faithful rests for its value upon a minute detail ot 110 Moses Waddel, D. D. matters of jDrivate interest rather than upon eulogistic state- ments of great quahties, as they are viewed by the partiahty of Lis friends. The interspersing of incidents such as are here mentioned does not detract from, but serves strikingly to illustrate the nature of that practical and faithful admin- istration of discipline which was a marked characteristic of Dr. Waddel. But the term for Avhich he had originally made his own t!alculations to serve the University was drawing near its dose. He believed that the work apx3ointed by Pro^idenc€ for him to do in the Universit}^ and in Athens was drawing near its end, and he knew that what remained to be done in the future would be accomplished with comparative ease by those who should come after him. He rejoiced to know 'the fact that, in God's providence, he had been successful as a pioneer in the great work of preparing the w^y for others. He was not the man to boast, but surely his was a pardonable satisfaction in the retrospect presented in con- templating his past ten years of successful labor and trial. He had found a fallen Institution lying low in aj^parently irretrievable desolation. The number of students present on his arrival he found to be only seven, aU told ! He found that the public had become dead to all interest in the insti- tution, and almost hopeless of its resuscitation. He found a straggling little hamlet stretching along the pubhc high- way, with no prospect of revival and enlargement. To give a description of the condition of things in Athens we may adopt Dr. Hulls language as the true record by one whose childhood, youth, and honored age had been spent upon the spot: "Prior to 1820 there v;ere no improvements west of Lumpkin street. . . . All that part of the town was in woods, not a stick amiss." Such is a graphic description of what was then the seat of the State University. But a de- cade had wrought wonders in the condition of the University and of the tov,ii of Athens. Dr. Waddel was now looking Athens and the University. Ill forward to his retirement from this scene, iu which he had formed a conspicuous figui'e, and w^here he had acted a prominent part. He was about to leave the University erect and triumphant over all its disabilities. In its halls he would leave an able and efficient and accomplished Faculty, Tinder the leadership of a tried and approved chief execu- tive. Instead of seven students, he had been permitted to witness the annual arrival of multitudes of the youth of Georgia and of the neighboring States, seeking the benefits of its open and ever-flowing fountains of knowledge. In- stead of a wrecked vessel, it was now in full sail for the haven of j^ermanent success. It was the pride and hope of a gratified j)eople, and was holding out its attractions to the surrounding States, and rising daily in its reputation as a safe and trustworthy dispensing agent of Christian educa- tion. As he contemplated these vast improvements iu the University, which had resulted more immediately from his personal connection with it, he could not but be aware of the corresponding changes in the prospects of the town as equally certain and direct results of the prosperity of the University. Dr. Hull's testimony may be adduced again, and it is to this effect. Going back to the history of the University in its earher progi'ess, he writes : "For a quarter of a century at least, the interests of Athens and of the University went hand in hand; they rose or fell together. Indeed, one was nothing without the other. At one time the income of the institution was so low as to leave President Meigs alone to instnict all the classes in eveiy department of science. So the College came veiy near the gates of death, and the town had but Httle more \dtahty ; so the College sickened and the town languished." Accordingly, after ten years of unexampled prosperity and success for the University, it was not at all wonderful that the town of Athens should also be increased in popula- tion and in the addition to the extent of territory' over which 112 MosE3 Waddel, D. D. it spread. Every department of business was speedily filled with active workers, and every profession was represented, while many " substantial families " were attracted to the place for its educational advantages. Those who came, not content with coming for that purpose alone, became perma- nent residents of Athens, and built fine houses, which were ornaments of architecture. The healthfalness of the place also determined many wealthy lower country planters to re- move and settle in the town. In this way it became one of the most elegant and attractive places in Georgia, and in- deed of the entire South. The contemplation of these re- markable changes, wrought within so short a period, and all tending to the elevation of the country and of the State at large, must naturally have been productive of the pui'est gratification to the heart and mind of the man whom God in his providence had made his instrument in the work ac- complished. But in this review of the past Dr. 'NA'^addel's chastened Christian principle did not allow him to indulge the reflection that might have arisen in the mind of one who should contrast the dead past with this hopeful present, " What a grand work have I performed! " but he could not lose sight of the true source of all success, and feel, as he did, " AVhat hath God wrought! " He had also succeeded in an object which lay very near his heart, a j^i'ivate and personal matter, and which entered into the consideration of the question of his acceptance of the call to the Presidency — the superintendence of the col- legiate education of his four sons, already mentioned. His eldest son, James P. AYaddel, having been recalled by him from Princeton College, New Jersey, after his entrance there as a student, was matriculated in the University of Georgia soon after the institution was reorganized, and was graduated in the third class imder Dr. Waddel's adminis- tration. The class of 1820, which was the first to graduate under him, consisted of but three. The class of 1821 also His Sons. 113 numbered three, and there were nine members in the class of 1822, of which James P. Waddel was one. His standing was among the foremost of a very excellent class, and on Commencement day he delivered the Latin salutatorj^ the oration always assigned to the second honor-man of the graduating class. It was doubtless very gratifying to Dr. Waddel that his son was thus honored in closing his College course ; yet it was still more i^leasing to him to find that he was chosen immediately to fill a tutor's i^lace in the Faculty. In this i^osition he served for two years, giving entire satis- faction. It is only to be added at this point in regard to him that teaching was his chosen and life-long employment, thereafter having been subsequently elected Professor of Ancient Languages in the University, in which office he served twenty years. Dr. "Waddel's sons, Rev. Isaac W. AYaddel and William W. Waddel, M. D., were graduated in the class of 1823. The former entered the ministry of the Presbyterian Church, and labored acceptably and usefully in the States of South CaroHna and Georgia. He died in Marietta, Ga., in 1849, in the forty-fifth year of his age. AY. W. AYaddel, of the same class, embarked in the medical profession, and, after pursuing preliminary studies with Dr. Hull as his preceptor in Athens, he spent about eighteen months in attendance upon medical lectui-es in Philadelphia. Entering upon the practice of medicine with enthusiasm, he soon reached the highest rank in the profession, and was elected to a chair in the faculty of the Medical CoUege of Augusta, which he declined. In the hope of recovering hi^ own broken health, he removed, in 1833, to Tallahassee, Fla., and after he had estabhshed himself in an extensive and lucrative practice, died in 1843, universally lamented, in his thirty-seventh year. The writer, the youngest son, graduated in 1829, in his eighteenth year, and all that may be srid of him just here is that he has pursued the same coui-se in pulpit and class-room which was his father's hfe- IIJ: Moses Waddel D. D. work for so long a time. At this Commencement, being the tenth at which Dr. AYaddel had presided, on the 5th of Au- gust, 1829, he tendered his resignation, delivering a fare- well address to the Board of Trustees in public on the ros- trum at the close of the exercises of Commencement. To this address General Edward Harden, of Savannah, re- sponded on the part of the Boaixl. His resignation occm-red veiy soon after he had entered his sixtieth year. It was ne- cessary that he should reside in Athens for some months after his retirement from office, that he might wind up his I)rivate affairs and make comfortable provision for his family at his South Carolina home, which he still owned, at the fjeat of the Willington Academy, now closed, where he pro- posed to end his days in peace and rest. Accordingly, he continued to make Athens headquarters for six months or more ; and in the latter part of February, 1830, he ]-emoved 'with his family to the place he had left more than ten years previously, where he had laboriously spent his earlier and more vigorous years in public work. On the morning of his departure, as his carriage stood at the front gate, and he "was about to leave on his journey, a long procession was seen approaching, which j)roved to be composed of students of the University, their object being to take formal leave of him and to bid him farewell. One of the number, who had been chosen by his fellow-students for the purpose, deliv- ered a suitable address, to which Dr. AVaddel responded in appropriate terms. Thus was closed the imjDortant work, "which he was permitted to round up in a manner so agree- able, leaving the scene of his labors, followed only by the truest sentiments of loving reverence and the most exalted appreciation of the services he had rendered to those with "whom he had been associated. On a review of his term of service, so pleasantly closed, there come up in memory other points of interest, some of them worthy of record. They have reference to the Chi'is- Christian Influence. 115 tian influence brought to bear upon the university, the town, the country, the State, during his administration. At the time under consideration there was clearly observa- ble a sentiment beginning to prevail that the church at large should inaugurate more direct and active efforts to in- troduce a more decided and aggressive influence of a Chris- tian character into the system of public education. This, however, could be effected only in an indirect method as to the University in the interval between 1819 and 1829. It is only necessary to refer the reader to the establishment of Mercer University, at Penfield; Oglethorpe University, at Midway, and Emory College, at Oxford, as the result of this principle of action on the part of several churches. These institutions, nearly all of them, still survive, after triumphing over all their early difficulties, and are now ac- comphshing a grand work for church and State in then- sev- eral spheres. Nor let it be regarded as claiming more than is due to the old University to assert that these noble insti- tutions are all of them indebted to some extent to her for the training of some of their best and wisest presidents and professors. So that, in the absence of such colleges and universities as those above mentioned under denominational control, the University of Georgia was enabled to accom- phsh a great work in this direction by having laid down clearly that, iu its course of instruction, even in literature and science, and in the system of discipline adopted, no principle would be tolerated or suggested that could alienate the student from the system of Christian truth. It was furthermore distinctly understood of the policy of the gov- erning Board that, in the character and example of every in- structor, there should be a living and practical illustration of what has been happily called unconscious Christian tui- tion. This fundamental system characterized the whole pohcy of th^ institution, without the shghtest attempt to in- troduce or obtrude any element of discord that might 116 Moses Waddel, D. D. awaken the prejudice of anv section of the church. In more recent times, other incidental movements have been developed and brought into active exercise, which have ex- erted a wholesome moral ^^o^'er over the minds and morals of students, so wisely constituted as to be admissible as readily into the State institutions as into the church col- leges. Among these, and more prominent than all others, •we may mention the "Young Men's Christian Association,'* which is found everywhere in successful career. At the time under consideration this voluntary association was un- known in the region from which the University drew its students; yet who can read its history and fail to recognize the fact, that even without the numerous adjuncts of a moral and Christian character to aid in controlling and influencing the students, without those means and appliances now so common and effective, that there was then a pervasive power of Christian influence felt through the entire student body ? It held a conservative restraint over even those who had no religious predilections, preventing all violent manifestations of \ice and disorder, and frowning effectually upon all forms of infidelity. This was not the full effect of this indirect Christian power; it was not confined in its results to the student commiuiity, but extended over the town of Athens and the neighboring country. True, we had no regularly organized Christian association among the students, but there was in every class a goodh number of pious young men, some having in view the Christian ministry, others members of the churches, consistent in their walk and stand- ing, who held j^rayer-meetings among themselves and opened their meetings to general attendance. These candidates for the ministry were, in many cases, superintendents of the Sabbath-schools, and were in the habit of teaching classes in them, besides being engaged often in holding prayer- meetings at private houses in the country and in the town on Sabbath evenings when the churches were closed. Many His Plans Fully Endorsed. 117 of those who subsequently entered the ministry and became prominent as preachers of the gospel pursued their literary- course and were graduated from the University, This fact goes far to confirm the statement, that a wholesome Chris- tian influence was felt and encouraged in that institution. It may be easily p;athered, from a cursory perusal of the Centennial Catalogue of the University, that of the number of graduates during the ten years of which we write, and the three years after 1829, diu'ing which the graduates closed their course, begun between 1819 and 1829, there were more than forty who entered the gospel ministry. Some of these became eminently useful ministers of their several chm-ches, and not a few, eminent fur learning and high Christian character, became presidents and professors in Southern institutions of learning, and others, again, pious lapnen in private life. The foregoing statement of facts, under the circumstances, shows that the University, although a State institution, has not been altogether barren of greatly beneficial results to the cause of Christian education, to which we may make two additional remarks : 1. It would be unjust to others if the writer should be understood as designing to attribute these results solely to Dr. Waddel ; for while it is true, as has already been shown, that more depends upon the presiding officer of any institu- tion than upon any other person connected with it at the time (as it respects the character of the influence it exerts), at the same time success cannot be assured to his best and most strenuous efforts if, in attempting to carry out his pohcy, he must encounter opposition from the authorities or from colleagues. On the other hand, it is a comparatively easy task to carry into effect a favorite theory, and to imbue the entire body with his views, provided he is heartily sustained by those with whom he is associated. This was eminently true of the admmistration of Dr. Waddel. Those who 118 Moses Waddel, D. D. labored with him in this arduous enterprise of building up an institution of learning saw at once that his Adews were sound, and that he deserved their confidence ; and so, appre- ciating his ideas at their proper Talue, they stood by him in all his toils and trials, and aided him in the accomphshment of his cherished theories. Hence that success in the re- establishment of a fallen institution, and the development of its inherent possibilities into real and practical results the highest and most beneficial chaiacter, although reflect- ing merited credit and honor upon him, must necessarily be shared by others who labored with him. Let it also be re- corded, that he was not the man to detract from another his due meed of honor, or to forget to bestow it upon those who won it. CHAPTEK XYI. Death of Mks. "Waddei>. — Manner of Life in Betikemext. — Chtjrches HE Served. — His Associates Among his MinisteriaIj Brethren. — Last Sickness and Death. THE opening Spring season of 1830 found him once more established at AVillington, S. C. It has been stated in a former chapter, that, on account of malarial influences, he had removed from his first settlement to the little hamlefc distant about a mile south. There he found and occupied a, new and commodious dwelling, where he spent his last days of rest until overtaken bv disease. Here began those peace- ful years, in freedom from hea\y public responsibility, to which he had been so long looking with most earnest long- ings. Being now no longer in the receipt of a salary, ade- quate and promptly paid, his main earthly dependence for income in the future rested in the cultivation of a farm, which he kept in operation, and which jdelded quite a suffi- cient support for himself and his family. One remark will be here inserted as completing his private history and shed- ding some additional light on his character. Dr. Waddel was a slave-holder, and his servants were the laborers on his- farm, under the superintendence of an overseer ; but, like many an owner of slaves in those days, he was a most humane master. He rarely ever purchased a slave. The beginning of this class of his property came to him through marriage. ^Yhen, therefore, his female servants became the wdves of neighboring man-servants not belonging to his estate, he bought the latter for humanity's sake ; and so of the case when his men-servants took wives from abroad, he purchased their wives, his object being to bring them to the 119 120 Moses Waddel, D. D Same home. He trained the children of his colored families as he did his own, by catechetical instruction on Sabbath evenings. He was so humane in his treatment of the ser- vants on his farm that no cruel treatment was ever known or permitted, and every r-easonable liberty was allowed them. So generally was this known to be a principle of his man- agement that the remark was once re^^orted as being made by a large planter of less strict notions on the subject, that "Dr. Waddel's treatment of his slaves was calculated to ruin all the negroes in the neighborhood." The reply to this reproachful criticism was : " Well, I suppose I will be able to answer for that." He, therefore, was not what was known as a very successful planter. Still, while he was always liberal in his mode of living, and possessed a good estate, w^holly unencumbered, by his economical management •of his private affairs he made his family comfortable, with- vout superfluous luxury. Dr. Waddel had scarcely become settled in his new home- stead when he was called, in the providence of God, to part with his beloved wife, the mother of his children, who had been the devoted companion of thirty laborious years of his life, the sharer of all his joys and sorrows, and his earthly support and comfort in all his trials. On the 4th of April, 1830, on the Lord's day, Mrs. Eliza Woodson Waddel closed her life of bodily suffering, surrounded by a weeping and devoted family, and entered into that " rest that remaineth for the people of God." For many years she had been struggling with disease and pain, which baffled the skill of the eminent physicians who attended her, striving to miti- gate her sufferings. The disease from which she had been so long a patient sufferer had, within a few years previous to her death, developed into cancer, and, just two years before, she had undergone a surgical operation, performed by Drs. Anthony and "Watkins, two eminent surgeons of Augusta, Ga., by which she had been, to sojne extent, relieved ; but Continued Interest in Teaching. 121 the relief proved to be only temporary and partial, and can- cer renewed its ravages at some other point of the system, and its deadly work soon proved to be beyond the reach of remedies. Constantly waxing more and more feeble, the "wasted body yielded to the intolerable violence of the fearful malady, until, overborne by it, the ransomed spirit aban- doned " the earthly house of this tabernacle " in its dissolu- tion, and entered the building of God, the "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," a mansion prepared for her by the Sa^•iour. Part of Dr. Waddel's plan in returning to South Caxohna was to devote himself more continuously to preaching, and to make that the chief work of his last days. He never did wholly divest himself of his interest in that other depart- ment of usefulness to which he had given so many years of his Jn:e — practical teaching. While, therefore, he did not propose to enter the class-room himself professionally, his purpose was to have a school opened ab once under his gene- ral superintendence, and to have the duties of daily instruc tion performed by another. On the 1st day of March, ac- cordingly, such a school was opened and placed under the direct charge of his son, a youth not quite eighteen years of age, and it was continued afterwards under the joint charge of this teacher and the eldest son of Dr. "Waddel, imtil it was closed by the removal of both to other fields of labor. So long as this school was in operation Dr. Waddel was deeply in- terested in its success, using his influence in its favor, doing no teaching except incidentally, but giving the benefit of his wise counsel and long experience. The school prospered for a time, and was patronized extensively throughout the States of South Carolina and Georgia; but the providences of God were such as to bring it to a close, as may be ex- plained hereafter. Meanwhile, his prominent purpose of employing his time mainly in preaching was in successful progress. He was very soon placed in charge of the Will- 122 Moses Waddel, D. D. ington cliurcli, near his residence, and of Bocky River church, some seventeen miles distant. To these two churches he preached regularly, as Stated Supply, on alternate Sal3- baths; but while he punctually and promptly met all his appointments with them on ordinars' occasions, he was by no means confined to them as his field of ministerial work. Be. Waddel as a Peace-Maker. As an illustration of Dr. Waddel's peculiarity of tempera- ment as a "peace-maker," the following incident was fur- nished me by the Eev. J. O. Lindsay, D. D., of Due West, Abbeville Co., S. C. The Dr. is one of the successors of Dr. Waddel in the ministry at Willington, and this case was communicated to him, not long since, by a very aged gen- tleman (over ninety years old) who, sixty years ago, was one of Dr. Waddel's congregation, and a member of the Wilhng- ton church. The Dr., in his thoughtful kindness, felt that it would afford me gratification to know of it, and I am greatly obhged to him for ha\dng communicated it to me. "About the year referred to (1831) there was a notorious controversy in j)rogi'ess between the Arminians and Cal- vinists in the county of Abbeville, and consequently much bitter feeling was excited and expressed. Glenn was the name of a Methodist minister, who had charge of a church, and near to him was a church of the denomination of Se- ceders, of which a minister, by name Porter, waa pastor, the name of this church being 'Cedar Springs.* For several weeks these ministers had given prominence to the 'Five Points' in their pulpit services. What one would say in his sermon would be reported by some hearer to the other, and the latter would reply to it on the next Sabbath. This state of things continued for some time — at least until a great deal of excitement had been stirred up, and at length it was determined by these two ministers and their friends, to hold a public debate on the matters controverted As A Peace-Maker. 123 between them. This meeting was appointed to be held at Cedar Springs. The comminiity was greatly excited, and a large crowd was expected to be present. Dr. AYaddel had heard of all this, and was impressed with the conviction that such a debate would do no good, but might result in much e^-il. Accordingly he convened his Session, and laid the matter before his faithful counsellors, and asked them to consider whether they could not do something to prevent the great scandal to true rehgion, which he felt assm'ed would result from the debate, if the expected programme should be carried out. After some discussion it was de- cided to request Dr. AVaddel to attend the contemplated meeting, and endeavor to stop the debate, and allay the bitter feeling that had been aroused. Two or three of the elders were also appointed to accompany Dr. Waddel. "On the day a]3pointed they attended at Cedar Springs, and found a large and excited crowd present. Dr. Waddel and his elders got together the ministers, Glenn and Porter, with a few of their respective friends, at a private conference before the public seiwices began. Dr. AYaddel presented his views on the proposed debate. He was firmly persuaded that it would intensify the bitter feeling, of which there had already been too much aroused, and would not advance the cause of true rehg-ion. Considerable discussion of the matter ensued, and Dr. Waddel succeeded in impressing his views upon the two ministers and their friends, and it was at last decided to give up the expected debate. ''Dr. Waddel was asked to preach to the large assemblage, which he did, and the occasion passed off pleasantly and profitably ; far more so than it probably would have done if the debate had been held. "A profound impression was made ui^on the community by this incident. Dr. Waddel's clear views, quiet dignity, and Christian deportment, as weU as the sermon preached, were lono- remembered and talked of in the homes of both 124 Moses ^Vaddel, D. D. the Seceders and the Methodists of the ^shole region; and Dr. Waddel and his elders felt that they had done good service that day as peace-makers." Occasionally he visited distant churches in the districts of Newberry, Laurens, and Anderson, adjoining Abbeville, to assist his brethren in communion meetings, and sometimes to vacant and destitute places. As he resided not far from the Savannah river, the dividing boundary line between South Carolina and Georgia, he was often invited to visit the churches in Lincoln county, Ga., which lay opposite his residence, where he had many old friends. Yet he always felt peculiar interest in AVillington and Rocky Eiver churches, as his appropriate fields of pastoral work. Two things are worthy of note in this connection: first, he did a good deal of pastoral visiting among the people of his charge ; second, these visits were hardly ever closed without his engaging in jDrayer with the families visited. His journal (kept through his life until he could no longer hold a pen) records many visits to the bedsides of his dying parishioners and the fune- ral services conducted by him. "When the needful travel is taken into consideration, it is not too much to say that the work he performed was fully as faithful and laborious as the work of most pastors of our city and town churches. He records thirty-three marriage ceremonies performed by him in the space of three or four years in the region round about him. He, of course, conducted communion meetings with both of his churches at regular intervals. These meetings began on Thursday or Friday previous to the communion Sabbath, and consisted of two sermons daily, and sometimes one at night, and the meeting did not close generally on Sabbath, but there was always a service on Monday, which was considered the closing service. None of these com- munion occasions ever occurred without the presence of some neighboring minister, to assist the preacher in charge of the church where the meeting was held. These gather- His Last Days. 125 ings Tvere always haiDpy and joyful in their influence upon him and liis people. Those ministers, with whom he loved to interchange these fraternal visitations were such men as Rev. Dr. Barr, of Upper Long Cane church; Eev. Hugh Dixon, of Rock church; Rev. David Humphreys, of Ander- son District. Sometimes he had with him brethren from distant parts of Georgia. Among them were Rev. Drs. Church and Hoyt, of Athens, and Rev. Dr. Talmage, of Au- gusta. Rev. Dr. Daniel Baker once conducted a protracted meeting at Willington church. Besides, both of his churches were visited by the agents of the Boards of Foreign and Domestic Missions, the American Bible Society, and the Colonization Society. It is seen from this running record that his peoj^le, though strictly country churches, enjoyed every possible privilege and advantage of a religious nature possible to be obtained in the country at that period of our history. As he grew older, however, he often found himself fatigued by the long journeys he frequently performed, and sometimes the inclement weather to which he was neces- sarily exposed produced temporary illness. The circumstances under which his first attack of paraly- sis occurred are well remembered by this writer. Dr. AVad- del had just retm-ned from one of his preaching tours on the evening of Sej)tember 5, 1836, the Rev. Isaac AV. Waddel and the writer being at his house on a visit. \\e retired early in the evening, after tea, observing nothing unusual in his appearance or manner. About the dawn of the 6th of Se-p- tember, as the brothers awoke in the ux:)per chamber, where they had passed the night, they heard a very unnaturrd sound that seemed to proceed from his bed-room, :.p]^r.rently an ineffectual effort on his part to articulate. Hastening down, they found him still in l)ed. In broken accents he managed to communicate that he had, with great difficulty, attempted to rise, but found that he had lost the use of his right side entirely. His faithful family physician and friend, 126 Moses Waddel, 33. D. Dr. Nathaniel Harris, a near neighbor, was speedily sum- moned, and, on examination, j)ronounced it a combination of paralysis and apoplexy. He rapidly sank into a stupor, and as Dr. HaiTis declared there was pressing necessity for a consulting physician in this alarming state of the case, Dr. Eichardson, a very eminent physician of Elbert county, Oa., was sent for and arrived at the close of the day. Under the skillful treatment adopted by these two physicians, he was so far relieved, after lingering for three weeks in a per- fectly helpless condition, during a part of ■s^hich he was in a comatose state, he began slowly to rally, and was gradually restored to consciousnes and to some degree of aHiculate- ness of speech. But to all around him it was very readily seen that the light of his once clear intellect was now clouded, and that he was but a shattered wreck of his for- mer self ; so he hngered from the 6th of September, 1836, to the 21st of July, 1840 — three years ten months and fif- teen days. These last years were spent partly at his home in "Willington, kindly cared for. He was able to walk with a slow and unsteady gait, and he rode a great deal of the time when the weather was fine, having a comfoi table car- riage and a pair of gentle horses, with a faithful body-ser- vant, who attended on him wherever he went. This kind of ]ife continued until toward the close of the year, at which time all of his children, by previous concert, met at his home for a re-union, that, in all probabihty, would be the last they should ever enjoy in his presence, considering the condition of his health and the widely-scattered places of their several homes. Then came his final earthh^ removal. His estate was equitably distributed, reserving an amj^le support for him and j)rovision for his comfort. He aban- doned his old home and removed to the residence of his eldest son, Professor James P. Waddel, in Athens, Ga., where his last days passed, as peacefully and happily as, under his personal and physical condition, was possible. It His Last Days. 127 seemed a kind arrangement of Divine Providence that his closing period of life should be cast in such cii'cumstances of rest and freedom from care and resiwnsibility. .There he was placed in the midst of old scenes of his former toils and cares in happy unconsciousness of both, surrounded by many old friends who visited him as of old, adding some- thing to his simple and childlike enjo^-ment. Day by day his hold upon the interests of this world was waxing more and more feeble, until, on the morning of July 21st, as the dawn was lighting up the scene and banishing the shades of night, he gently and calmly sank into that dreamless sleep from which he was never again to awake until the morning of the resurrection, when "the Lord himself shall descend fi'om heaven "uith a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise." MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE LIFE, LABORS AND CHARACTER OF WILLIAM HENRY WADDEL, PROFESSOE OF ANCIENT LANGUAGES IN THE UNIVERSITY or GEOEGIA 129 WILLIll HENRY WADDEL AS a fitting sequel to the foregoing biography of Dr. Moses Waddel, in which is included a sketch of the life, character, and labors of Professor James Pleasants "Waddel as an educator, I feel that it would be unjust to the memoiy of one who inherited the capacity and adorned, by his brief but distinguished life-work, the family name in thek ances- ti-al career as educators, to omit the following sketch of Professor Wilham Hemy AVaddel, the grandson of the for- mer and the son of the latter; for while it is a copy of the tribute to his memory adopted by his brethren of the Ses- sion, or bench of elders, of the Presbyterian church of Athens, Ga., it is a truthful portraiture of his life and labors in the same department of honorable and useful ef- fort. The obituary is introduced in the words following, "viz.: " September 29, 1878. "At the close of public worship to-day, and during the officers' prayer-meeting, a joint meeting of the elders and deacons of the chm'ch was held, the Pev. C. W. Lane, D. D., Pastor, presiding, when the committee a^^pointed heretofore, through Mr. Howell Cobb, submitted their report on the character and death of Professor William Henry Waddel. After the reading of the report, on motion of Mr. William L. Mitchell, it was adopted and ordered to be spread on the minutes of the session, and copies furnished Mrs. Waddel, the widow, and Miss Waddel, the sister, and the Souther?i JPresbyterian^ and it is as follows: 131 132 Professor William Henry Waddel. "Professor AYilliam Hemy Waddel was born April 28, 1834:, at Willington, AbbeviUe District, S. C, and died at Milford, Va., September 18, 1878. He was graduated from the Universit}^ of Georgia, August, 1852, with the degree of A. B. From 1853 to 1858 he was a tutor in the University of Georgia; from 1858 to 18G0, adjunct Classical Professor; from 18G0 to 1872, Prof esp.or of Ancient Languages; from 1872 to 1877, Professor of the Latin Language and Litera- ture, and from 1877 till his death, Professor of Greek and Latin. He made a profession of faith July 21, 1855, and was ordained an elder in the Presbyterian chm'ch, Athens, Ga., October 27, 18GG, not long after his election as a dea- con. His death was sudden. Returning from a trip north- ward for the improvement of his health, he was taken sick on the train, left the car at Milford, Va., called for medical aid, grew rapidly worse, and, in less than an hour, expii'ed. His remains reached this city on Saturday, September 21, 1878, and, amid the tolling of the church bells, were borne to the cemetery. On Sabbath morning a large congrega- tion assembled in the University Chapel, which had been draped with mourning for the occasion. Pastors and churches^ of the city, sharing a common grief, met together to parti- cipate in the memorial services of the day. The introduc- tory services having been conducted by the Rev. Dr. Tucker,- late Chancellor of the University, and the Eev. Dr. Potter, pastor of the First Methodist chui'ch, a funeral discourse was delivered by the Eev. Dr. Lane, followed by an address by Rev. Dr. Lipscomb, formerly chancellor of the University. "It was a Sabbath of toucliing recollections and of heart- felt sorrow ; for he whom we then mourned had been long and closely associated in all our thoughts with Sabbath worship and holy duties. Nor can our affections render him a truer or tenderer tribute than to connect his memory with that blessed day which casts its resplendent light back- ward to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and forward to Memorial Resolutions. 133 the 'rest' that 'remaineth.' No one could know Professor ^Yaddel Avitliout feeling the force of his natiu^e. It was a nature positive in eveiy element of its constitution, so direct, so free from hesitancy and the pause of irresolution, as to impress every one with the instant conviction that it was the fundamental quality of his inner being. The quick energy of his intellect, the ready and vigorous will, the j)rompt use of his resources, were not so much acquired habits as a native endowment fresh from the hand of God, and titting his servant for earnest and decisive activity in every sphere to w^hich Providence called him. A thoroughly self-determined man, he always relied, under God, on his own judgment and the supremacy of his chosen purpose to accomplish an end in view. AYith others he worked steadily and cordially. His sympathies moved freely in any direc- tion that promised benefit to the church and the community. But in every entei'prise of usefulness, and especially in the routine of private duty, that tests more than anything else the sense of personal responsibility, the marked character- istic of this excellent man was the complete control that his thoughts and sentiments, as an indi^ndual, had over his ac- tions. Free from those excesses which so often mark a mind of great decision, his strength of will never ran into wilfulness, nor into that sharp insistence on self that abases hearty co- operation with others. Though highly cultivated, he had a matter-of-fact intellect, that was in striking harmony with this distinctive cast of his nature. He had none of those illusions which so frequently mar culture and talent. His tastes, admiration, sentiments were all shaped towards whatever was obvious and practical. He indulged in no ex- travagance of thought. He had no unreasonable expecta- tions, as it respected either other persons or himself; but, with a precision eminently wise and sagacious, he measured the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of life, and then set himself, with an unflinching resolution, to meet their obU- 134 Peofessok William Henry Waddel. gations to the utmost scope of his ability. His natural tem- j)erament was singularly impressible. He was quiet to feel, and feel keenly. Struggling against disease nearly all his life, he never allowed those involuntary moods which spring from intensity of nervous action to overrule, or even to weaken, his convictions of duty. Often these shadows lay upon him, but they affected his devotion to his duties no more than a passing cloud leaves its image on a summer landscape. His regular attendance on all the services of the church, week day as well as Sabbath ; his unvarying fi- delity for so many years to tho Sabbath-school and to tha young men's Bible class; his scrupulous care as to the man- ner in which all his work was prepared, even to the smallest detail; aud his constant and eager solicitude to build him- self up by means of toil and sacrifice to a higher and more consecrated manhood in Christ Jesus : all these were signal features of his character and life, known and appreciated by the whole membership of the church. A more trust- worthy man; one more intent on serving all the interests of Christianity in the offices of the church and in the outward field of religious activity ; one more reliable for his share in bearing the burdens and meeting the exigencies of personal and official trust, has never lived in our midst. And espe- cially as an office-bearer in the church will his example sur- vive in our memory and affections. Here the grace of Christ, the head of the chui'ch, shone forth in him with a lustre, growing brighter as his years multiplied. Here he was 'instant in season and out of season.' Here he was ready for 'every good word and work,' and here most truly may it be said of him : " 'Thy heart, The lowliest diaties on herself did lay, ' "One of Professor "NYaddel's most striking qualities was his profound sense of the supreme importance of truthful- ness in everything. It was a quality of intellect no less Memorial Resolutions. 135 than of liis moral nature, resting on that deep instinct of reality which was so conspicuous in his organization. All the virtues that group themselves around this vital centre, such as honesty, candor, frankness, were exhibited con- stantly in his intercourse with society. And the same ex- cellencies distinguished his Christian experience. To deal sincerely and faithfully with himself; to protect his judg- ment from the intrusions of imagination; to guard his con- science from the flattery of false hopes and the deceits of self-love, and to know his heart, as that heart was always be- neath God's all-searching eye ; this was the purpose that> always seemed to He nearest his soul. Such a man, brought under the power of the Holy Ghost, could not be otherwise than deeply sensible of the evil of sin, of inborn corruption, of entire alienation from God, and, in the same degree, con- scious of the infinite need of Christ Jesus and his righteous- ness; but of that profound consciousness what a beautiful humihty; what a calm and strong and reahzing faith; what divine assurance of acceptance; what growing reconcihation to the cross of suffering; what heavenly aspirations for com- plete likeness to Jesus, rose in ever-increasing fulness of strength and blessedness ! "All his mature Ufe was passed in the service of the Uni- versity of Georgia. What Professor AVaddel was to his Alma Mater, and through her to Georgia and to the coun- try, is too well known to require any extended account from us. Endowed by Pro\4dence with an intellect of rare force and comprehensiveness ; capable of making the largest ac- quisitions of knowledge, and equally competent to retain and use them with the utmost skill; his inclinations and his sensibihties all in closest sympathy with his profession; a man, indeed, who seemed to have been created for this specific vocation,— how fully content was he in this sphere of activity; how fervently he loved the work, and how heartily did he consecrate himself to its tasks! And what an impress aa 136 Pkofessor William Henry Waddel. to breadth and enduringness has he left on the University, and on scores of j'oimg men ^who have been enriched and ennobled by the high aims and refined culture caught from the glow and quickening of his inspiring soul ! "And now that our hearts are smitten to the dust by this sore bereavement, we recall, with deep thankfulness to Almight}' God, our Father, that one so true, so conscientious in every relation of life, so steadfast in principle, so heroic in sentiment, so highly gifted, and yet so faithful in using his grand gifts for the glory of his Maker and Redeemer, was permitted to Hve in our midst and leave to us an ex- ample of such transcendent worth. As men reason, it is unutterably sad to see such genius and Christian goodness iall suddenly from the zenith of its career to the grave ! But God's thoughts of men and their uses are not our thoughts, nor are his ways om* ways. "Whether he gives or takes away, the language of oiu: hearts should be ever, ' Blessed be his holy name ! '" To the foregoing I beg to add the following extract of a letter written on occasion of a correspondence between my- self and his pastor, Kev. C. W. Lane, D. D., in regard to Professor Waddel: "1 never knew a more active chm'ch officer and Christian -worker than was Professor W. H. Waddel — prompt to at- tend special meetings, wise in counsel, and ever ready to discharge any duties assigned him, either as an elder or a deacon. He was also an able instructor in the Sabbath- school, having a large class of young men for years ; an ever- ready and edifying leader of prayer -meetings, and at times lie conducted services for vacant country churches near our city. He most happily blended in his life a rare excellency as a professor w^th a rare diligence as a Christian worker. *He being dead, yet speaketli,' was my text at his funeral. Memorial Notices. 137 *' The best lesson of his Hfe seems to me to be, that high success in an honorable and useful vocation need not prevent an active and wide usefulness in Christian work. He was an exceptionally able and earnest professor. He was also an exceptionally able and earnest Christian worker. Whether with scholarly enthusiasm discharging his duties as a pro- fessor, or with afiectionate tenderness telling the story of the cross in a cottage prayer-meeting, among the humble poor or among the cultivated and refined, he was ever a splendid example of gifted and cultivated manhood. When the Master called him home, truly ' a prince and a great man fell in Israel! ' One of the strong pillars on which I leaned as pastor was taken away when this brother beloved passed within the veil ! . . . . " (Signed) C. W. Lane. In testimony of his reputation as a professor, an extract from a letter to myself from the venerable and beloved ex- President of Davidson College, Eev. Dr. Eobert H. Morri- son, of North Carolina, written in August, 1860, when Pro- fessor Waddel was only twenty-six years of age : " On the strength of your nomination, we elected your nephew^ Professor W. H. AVaddel, Professor of Greek Litera- ture in our college, and I will regard it as an act of kind- ness if you will exert your influence to induce him to accept the same. We had no letter or credentials fi'om him, and I supposed the time might be too short to receive them. " (Signed) E. H. Moerison." Professor Waddel was not a candidate, and respectfully dechned to accept the chair. He preferred to give his ser- vices to his Alma Mater. APPENDIX. No. 1. On a mural tablet over the pulpit of the Presbj'terian Churcli. at Willington, in Abbeville County, South Carolina, tlie following, is inscribed : fn Memory of THE REVEKEND AND LEAENED MOSES WADDEL, D. D., The Fouxdek of this Chuech, in the yeae 1813. " Who was faithful to Him idio appointed him." Presented to ttie cliurcli by Mrs. Burt. Mural tablet No. II. In rear of the Presbyterian Church pulpit, of the city of Athens, Ga. In Blentortntn* REV. MOSES WADDEL, D. D. BoKN IN Iredell County, Noeth Caeolina, July 29, 1770. While President of the University of Georgia, he organized this Church, December 25, 1820, and for ten years was its minister. Died in Athens, Georgia, Judy 21, 1840. Preacher and Teacher. In each office, forgetting self and aiming only at the glory of the Re- deemer, he evinced the possibility of making both subservient to that great end. Eminent for piety, illustrious for services, the full measure of years allotted to man crowned his life. 138 mural IKahlet Xo. III. In the new cemetery at Athens, Ga. , near the entrance, there stands a plain granite shaft, ERECTED BY THE PHI IvAPPA SOCIETY OF THE UNIVEEI[iITY, %n Htcmorg of DR. MOSES WADDEL, PROF. JAMES P. WADDEL, His Son. PROF. WM. HENRY WADDEL, His Gbandson. On the western face of this shaft : MOSES WADDEL, D. D., BoKN, JiLY 28, 1770, Died, July 21, 1840. President of the Universitj" of Georgia, from 1819-1829. On the southern face of the shaft: PROF. J. P. WADDEL, BoBN IN Columbia Co., Ga., Januaey 5, 1801, Died in Athens, Ga., May 26, 1867. On the northern face of the shaft : PROF. W. H. WADDEL, BoBN, Abbeville DisTEicT, S. C, Apbll 28, 1834, Died, Milfoed, Va., September 18, 1878. 139 PRIVATE AND EDUCATIONAL LIFE AND LABORS OF JOHN N. WADDEL, D. D., LL D. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. ^., and Mrs. Eliza Woodson (nee Pleasants) Waddel. I was born on the 2d of April, 1812, and entered this world on the same day wdth a sister, and hence I am one cf twins. Our birthplace was Willington, Abbeville District, S. C, known Avidely as the location of a once cele- brated academy, where my father superintended the scholas- tic training of many of the most distinguished men of South Carolina and Georgia. The place itself has no higher claim to celebrity than just the fact that many great char- acters in all the professions attended their preparatoiy course of stud}' at that spot. There was no extensive and populous mart of commerce to be found under that name, but only such an inconsiderable hamlet as, naturally and by necessity, would gradually grow around a prosperous in- stitution of learning, and which would fui'nish articles of school use for the students from abroad. It was, in other words, only a country place, and constituted a, centre of at- traction for a considerable number of Scotch-Iiish and French Presbyterians, descendants of the Huguenots, not only for the advantages of the academ}^ but also on account of the pri^ileges of the church. These were a race of intel- ligent and high-toned citizens, residing in the neighborhood 143 144 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. "which covered, at that time, a territory of some ten or fif- teen miles in circumference, whose farms furnished an abundant supply of the products of a soil then compara- tively fresh. In a former sketch, giving a cursory view of my father's^ domestic life, I described the natui'e of the disciphne under which his children were reared, and, in so doing, I en- deavored to point out the peculiar traits of my father and those of my mother, and to show how, by harmonious co- operation, they succeeded in making a Avise combination of their diverse temperaments, resulting in the most effective system of family training. It will not be necessary to re- turn to that topic, save only to refer the reader to that sketch. I will state, however, that the fact of my father's time and attention having been so comj^letely absorbed by the claims of an extensive and enlarged public service at the period of my childhood, rendered it almost impossible for him to bestow so much of his care and observation on the training of the younger members of the family as upon those who were more advanced in years; consec[uently I was left more to the immediate supervision of my mother, though not without the general superintendence of my father. I suppose, too, that I may state, that my having attained only my eighth year at the period of his removal from AVill- ington to the University of Georgia accounts for the fact that I was never a student of the Willington Academy. Indeed, I never made a recitation to him uutil in my junior and senior years in the University, when the class had come regularly to the studies of moral science and logic. But my school-days in the earlier time were passed in the pur- suit of the simplest elements of English. I recall the fact now that at that time my days passed noiselessly along, and though, perhaps, only negatively happy, I was, at any rate, free from care; and, in the company of my mother and my sisters, my life wore on as merrily as those of other childi'en* Childhood's Years. 145 I loved my home. I loved the deep, shady, magnificent old groves, the grass and moss-covered meadow just below the hill, on which stood " the house where I was born," the sandy lane in front, the fences of the farm, overgrown with vines, the huge apple-trees in the yard, and the great barn, a structure only less imposing than the dwelling house. I was deeply interested in watching the travelers, Avith their vehicles of varied forms — carriages, wagons, carts, and horses — passing along the highway to and fro, the market road leading to Augusta, Ga., on their journey to that great w^orld, of which I then knew nothing, and about which I. cared (if possible) still less. All the localities to which I had access in those days of simplicity and freedom from care were invested with a nameless fascination for me, such as no other place on earth has ever possessed since, or can ever possess again. The most important event of my life at that period was, that then I began to attend mj first school as a pupil. It was a private school, taught in my father's house. This school consisted of his younger children, my two sisters and myself, taught by a young candidate (or licentiate) for the ministry, by name James Hillhouse, who did not remain long. Of his subsequent history I only know that he went to Alabama, and, as a pioneer of the gospel ministry, he laid, with other zealous preachers, the broad and deep foundations of the church in that then newl^'-settled coun- try; and although he has long since ceased from his labors and been called to his rest, the fruit abides in the gathering of an abundant harvest. I must have attained at that time an age not exceeding five years. Not long after that my father was induced to change his residence from the old homestead to the little hamlet of Willington, distant about a mile south, as more promising of health for his family. Here we resumed our attendance on school duties in a log cabin, which had 146 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. been erected as a summer cottage by some one wlio had left it. It was now fitted up as a scliool-room and made quite comfortable, and, instead of being a private family school, it became a public neighborhood school, and was pretty fairly patronized. It is a great pleasure to me to re- call the teacher who then took chai'ge of this school. Rev. David Humphreys, "so long the pastor of Good Hoj)e and Roberts," as recorded by Dr. Howe in the History of the Freshyteriaii Church in South Carolina, and who spent his useful, long life within the limits of the Presbytery of South Carolina, and died, full of years and universally beloved, in 1869, was the teacher of this, which was my second school. Here, and under the instruction of this excellent man, I learned to read, and he it was who gave me my first lessons in penmanship. The extent of my education in this place only covered the simplest rudiments of English, embracing spelling, reading, and writing ; but I well remember that the Bible was a prominent text-book in that school. This brings to mind an incident that made an impression upon me at that time, and still holds its place in memory very deeply. On a certain day, after the daily exercises were finished, and the pupils had all left the school-house and had gone home, we w^ere startled by the announcement that the building was on fire ! This house was in view of my father's dwelling, and I can readily bring to mind the terror that I felt at the sight of the flame that shot uj) in angry sheets of fire toward the sky, and how the thought that gave me most concern was that my Bible would be burned up ! But sad as this disaster seemed, it had not the effect of put- ting the school to an end, for another humble building was soon found hard by, which was quickly pressed into service and made to answer the purpose as long as was necessary until better arrangements could be made. Om* teacher, who had been engaged in the studies preparatory to the ministry, under my father's instruction, soon after Eakly School Days. 147 tliis was licensed and left for his field of labor. I may not dismiss the mention of this beloved man without adding that his ministerial labors were continued very nearly in the same field, with small exception, for the space of about fifty 3'ears, during which time he was abundant in zealous and successful work for the cause of Christ. His name is still "as ointment poured forth," and, as long as my father lived in Abbeville, Mr. Humphreys was always a favorite guest, and welcome to all our household, and he was regarded by us all as among the best and wisest of men in the large cir- cle of our acquaintance. I may be pardoned for a remark which might savor of overweening self-importance under other circmnstances, and that is, that this man of God little thought when he was teaching me the elements (a little boy of six or seven years) that he should live to know of my serving in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we should be permitted in the good providence of God to meet, as we did in Balti- more, as members of the Southern General Assembly. In those childhood times, however, before my mind had experienced the expansion resulting from contact with the great world, the surrounding picture which met my obser- vation was marked, in my crude conceptions, with many fea- tures that loomed up in imaginary grandeur and mystery. The ponds, the dehght of geese and ducks, seemed to me extensive sheets of water of unknown depth ; nor did they shrink into their diminished limits until I had seen and wondered at their mighty rivals in my after years — the broad waters of the Savannah and the dashing surges of the Oconee mill-pond at Athens, Ga. ! I shall not easily forget the deep and disagreeable impression left on my spirits by my first view of oil-painted portraits on canvass. The problem that puzzled me was to decide whether they were Kving or dead. They hung upon a parlor wall of a house in the neighborhood, where I was once a child- visitor. Those strange, searching eyes, peering out from the fi-ames, 148 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. T>. seemed to follow me as I moved all through the room, go •SN'here I would, and to single me out as the special object of their obsei'A^ation with their cold, stony, glaring look. Nor did I lose the apprehension then taking hold of my feelings for a great while afterwards in my childhood. I mention one more incident of those daj'^s, when, as is usual, a class of imjDressions make marks upon the child-heart and mind, which, though they disappear as years ripen, are somehow never forgotten. Occasion arising once when my mother needed to send to a neighbor a message on some point of social nature. She sent one of my older brothers as her messenger. The distance w^as, perhaps, something more than a mile to be traversed, and he pressed me into ser\dce as his companion. As the time of the day was the after- noon, and somewhere toward sunset, and we were not dis- posed to be hurried, we found that night was approaching before we began to return. It was then we remembered a ghost story, the scene of which was near a small running stream which crossed our road. The story was this : A physician of the neighborhood was once returning from a visit to a patient along the very road we then trod, and as he came in sight of the little branch, as the story goes, he saw a man approaching from the opposite side of the stream on horseback. He paid no special attention to the matter then, as he expected to meet the rider at the water, but, when he came near it, the horse and rider coilld be seen no- where at all, but the vision vanished in a floating cloud of blue smoke ! Of course, it was nothing but a story which was made up by some one merely to attract the lovers of the marvelous, but it was adopted as a real occurrence by the credulous, and related by the negroes as a true story of a ghost seen by the doctor. On minds of children, I remem- ber, it made a deep impression ; and as my brother and I approached the branch, the scene of this fearful apparition, we felt the awfulness of the position, especially as it was growijig dark. We quickened our gait, and did not feel Early Reminiscences. 149 perfectly safe until we reached home, breathless with fear and fatigued beyond measure. There was among the ne- groes immense tendency to the belief in ghosts, and no doubt the children received their impressions from the superstitious tales which they were so fond of telling. The misfortune is that, while many children subsequently are brought under influences sufficiently powerful to counteract the evil of such incidental associations, there are many who never perfectly escape the contagion of early and evil train- ing of this kind. Memory serves me with a reminiscence of a somewhat different nature, as it displays a tendency on my part which, although not developed into reality for many long years af- terwards, still came to be recalled to m}' recollection when I had reached the age of manhood. It was a disposition manifested to figure among my home companions as a pub- lic speaker, and more especially as a preacher. I suppose it is in part accounted for by the fact that I had been accus- tomed all my childhood to accompany my mother to chui'ch Sabbath after Sabbath. There the most impressive part of the occasion was the appearance and manner of my father and other ministers as they officiated in public service in the pulpit. The principle of imitation would naturally give rise to the practice in a child, but as that idea vanished in process of time, and the true character of preaching entered into and took j^ossession of my more enlightened under- standing, I lost my fondness for all personal exercises of that kind until I entered my junior year in college, and even then my career as a public speaker closed on the day of my graduation, and my entrance upon a course of life requiring no such methods of communicating with others. I do not remember that I ever had occasion to present myself after- wards in i)ublic as a speaker until my thirtieth year, and that was as a licentiate in Mississippi ; but I am anticipat- ing, and with these reminiscences of my early days I must close this chapter and enter upon another. I CHAPTER II. My Pkepaeatoey School-days in Athens, Ga. N the year 1818 my father, as has been stated in his bio- graj)hy akeady, was invited to the presidency of the University of Georgia, and, after much careful deliberation and prayer for divine guidance, he decided to accept the call. Of all this, being a mere child of six years of age, I was natui'ally in bHssful ignorance, and the even tenor of my humble way remained uninterrupted by the momentous discussions and preparations in progress. Nor did I reahze the fact until in the following year, in the month of May, we were all summoned to leave the spot around which clustered so many endearing memories of days and years of what to us seemed endless pleasure and careless delight. Had I realized then fully all that I should be called to encounter in the years that lay spread out before me all unknown, a deep feeling of sadness would no doubt have overshadowed my heart, when, at a turn of the road on our journey, the hori- zon beyond the old fields around my birthplace, rendered blue and smooth by the enchantment lent by distance to the view, was shut off, and nothing lay before us but an un- known and weary travel to the great, strange world. But the wise constitution of our nature, whereby we are re- stricted in our knowledge to the present, and cannot pene- trate a da}" into the future, enabled us very soon to dismiss all gloom, and the novelty of things around had a tendency to restore the normal equanimity and cheerfulness of child- hood. A day or two of travel (of course, by private convey- ance) in those joi'imitive times enabled us to accomplish the. sixty miles that lay between us and Athens ; and when we 150 Removal to Athens. 151 came to the hills which rise abruptly from the Oconee river, beyond which lay our new home, the first objects of interest to our wondering gaze were the summits of the chimneys that rose from the roof of the old three-story brick dormitory of the college in the distance. I have even now a vi^dd impression of the grand and solemn appearance of everything, and the increasing depth of that impression as we came in front of the old building, with its long rowst of windows, one above the other, facing a wide and beauti- ful campus, gently sloping to the street. But I did not know then that this huge pile of brick and mortar, now full of empty, silent, and deserted rooms, which had then been abandoned for nearly three years, would very shortly be re- sounding with the noise and bustle of preparation for the reception of hundreds of the young men and boys of the land, coming to be trained under the new order of things for their life-work of honor and usefulness. Utterly uncon- scions, too, was I, " a small boy " of seven years, as I gazed on the scene presented to view, that in some future day I should be admitted as an occupant of this huge building, and a recipient of the advantages and benefits of the insti- tution. All these facts and reflections lay latent and un- formed in my unawakened consciousness, and I felt no dis- turbance of my peace of mind l^y the fact that I was doomed to a long and tedious training preparatory to this higher theatre of work and effort. My scholastic career as a pupil began soon after my father's arrival in Athens by my entrance into an English school, taught in a small, unpainted room some twenty or twenty-five feet square, as I remember, on the northern limit of the University campus, just where the first house of worship of the Presbyterian church was afterwards erected. The teacher of this school was James Fulton, an excellent man, of plain and unpretentious character, but deser\4ng of full credit for the possession of all the qualifications of a 152 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. thorough English scholar and teacher in the primary de- I)artment. I spent at least one session there, and my recol- lection of the school is, that it was patronized by some of the first citizens of the town and surrounding country. The only names of my fellow pupils that I can now recall are two sons of Hon. A. S. Clayton, George K. and Augustine S. ; two sons of a wealthy merchant of Athens, Stevens and Dudley Thomas, and two sons of Colonel Carnes, Johnson and Stanle}^ There were also the Scotts, Kinneys, and Mitchells, from the surrounding country. Some of these boys may be still Hving, but I know that many of them are dead. The system of government adopted in this school w^as based upon the time-honored rules laid down in the Proverbs of Solomon, which enjoin upon all in authority, whether as parents, or as those acting in loco par entum, the use of the rod, giving as the ground of this injunction the :fact that "foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child," and assuring the administrator that "the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." I am far from intending to leave the impression, however, that Mr. Fulton was a man of cruel or passionate temj^er, or devoid of the power of self- control. He felt it his duty to the child, as well as to the parent, to use all legitimate measures for the connection of offenders, in order to insure proper training and secure the good order of the school. But it was a true experience of a faithful school-teacher in those days, and is largely true in the present age, that his office was difficult and thankless in its exercise. How it originated, perhaps, is a problem not solved, but it is certain that the relation between teacher and pupil was too generally regarded by the latter as one of direct antagonism. We may account for this in part by the fact, that on the part of the teacher of the olden time there was an exaction of official distance to be observed by the pupil from him in order to the preservation of that respect due his office. The natural result of such a Eakly School Days. 153 requkement was to engender in the mind of the pupil the idea that the teacher was to be feared, not loved. A cus- tom not yet altogether out of use existed then, viz., to desig- nate the teacher by the adjective " Old," and that, too, with- out regard to age, all that was necessary being that he occupied the place of teacher. Frequently there was added a noun, to be qualified by this word " Old," founded upon some peculiarity observable in the teacher. Accordingly^ that which gave rise to Mr. Fulton's nick-name was a stoop- ing' ffait in his walk and the forward movement of his head at every step, and so, not content with calhng him "Old Fulton," they adopted the title ''Old Drake," by which he was afterwards generally known among successive genera- tions of pupils. Carrying out the idea, the boys who at- tended the Grammar School, a preparatory school for the rniversity, who held themselves as occupying a more ele- vated rank than the Fultonites, were fond of carrying this custom to its legitimate sequence, and as the master was a drake, it followed that the pupils were " young ducks'' It is recorded that these boys of the " upper form " were in the habit (by way of amusement) of calhng the young ducks ■up to be fed, repeating the words, ''Diddle, diddle, diddle,'' no doubt to the wrathful indignation of this class. The only instance of outbreaking disorder during my connection with this school was a '"barring out" that was carried into effect by the larger boys. What the provoca- tion was that suggested this manifestation of rebellion I am not able to recall at tliis remote jDcriod ; it was accomplished, however, by the usual methods adopted on such occasions. When the teacher arrived on the morning of that day to ■open and conduct the exercises as usual, he found himself effectually excluded from his domain by barred door and w^indows. He succeeded in recovering his lost seat of au- thority, I suppose, by getting outside assistance, and settled the matter, doubtless, on the most satisfactory terms to him- 154 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. self, however it resulted to the rebels. As to myself, I re- member that I had no concern in it for two good reasons : I was too yomig, and I stood in too wholesome dread of the home settlement consequent upon a j)ossible participation in such an enterprise. I may as well dismiss this part of my school-day history by recording that, neither during that period or term of my discipleship, nor in any school or col- lege with which I was subsequently connected, was I ever concerned or personally involved in the petty tricks or more serious misdemeanors so commonly practiced by school-boys or by college students. I presume that long ere this time the good man, Mr. James Fulton, who wielded the authority of that little domain in 1820, has rested from his toils and been cfathered to his fathers. Peace to his ashes ! Manr with w^hom I have been associated dining my long life may have outshined him in the more artificial distinctions of society, but I am sure that few have surpassed him in the homely, but valuable, virtue of conscientious fidelity in the discharge of daily duty. When I left that school my father placed in my hands the Latin Grammar, as the first step in my preparation for col- lege. I was then only eight years of age. It may not be charged that I am presumptuous in asserting my belief that it w^as a premature step in my educational training. The study of language, especially of the ancient Greek and Ro- man tongues, in my opinion, formed after long experience, requires, for its successful mastery, a maturity of mind and a critical grasp of thought which is not found in a child of eight years. The more appropriate line of study, as it strikes me, is the course that calls for the culture of the j)erceptive powers, since these are the faculties first awak- ened and brought into action. Says ex-President Porter in his great work, The Human InteRect : "The studies that should be first pursued are those which require observation and acquisition, and wiiich Maturity of Mind Necessary in Education. 155 involve imagination and memory, in contrast with those which demand severe efforts and trained habits of thought. Inasmuch, also, as material objects are apprehended and mastered in early life with far greater ease and success than the acts and states of the spirit, objective and material studies should have almost exclusive precedence." The true conception of the development of the intellect he expresses succinctly and justly, I think, in these words: "To teach pure observation, or the mastery of objects and words, without classification or interpretation, is to be igno- rant even to simple stupidity; but, on the other hand, to stimulate the thought j^i'ocesses to unnatural and prema- turely painful efforts, is to do violence to the laws which nature has written in the constitution of the intellect. Even thought and reflection teach us that before the pro- cesses of thought can be applied, materials must be gathered in large abundance; and, to provide for these, nature has made acquisition and memory easy and spontaneous for childhood, reasoning and science difficult and unnatural." If we call to mind that there is a science of language, as well as of any other department of knowledge, and that ta master that science requii'es a power of reasoning not gene- rally developed at so early a period as eight years of age, my position will be appreciated. I think that some book of object lessons is preferable to the Latin Grammar to be placed in the hands of so young a child. Even a book of primary Geometry, couched in simple language, accompa- nied with figures, can be explained to one of that age with entire success. Then the powers thus called into active ex- ercise to observe and to retain in memory Avill stimulate the learner to discriminate and classify w4iat has been acquired. Due attention to such principles for a time will result in strengthening the memory and in rendering the powers of classification vigorous and prompt, so as to be ready to take in all the more abstruse principles involved in the science of 156 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. language. Those studies less abstruse and more readily and easily mastered should occuj)}^ the attention of the student in earlier years, until the more mature age of twelve or thereabouts. I can only say, that in the main the facts in my case tend to confirm this theory; for while it is true that I had not the opportunity of testing the advantage of Bubstituting the less abstruse course of study referred to above, the difficulty I experienced in the beginning of my Latin stud}' must be accounted for upon the fact that it was undertaken at an age when the mind was immature. I give this as my opinion from my success in mastering the lan- guages at a later period, after I had been kept to the study of other subjects, along with the study of ancient lan- guages, until by the exercise graduall}^ I acquired this 2^0 wer and a taste for Latin. So that, contrary to the expectation that might have been indulged from my unpromising begin- ning, I soon began to find enjoyment in the study of the ancient languages, and the longer I was kept at these studies, the greater the attraction they seemed to possess. Hence it came to j)ass that I attained a high grade of class standing in this department of scholastic instruction. It became my favorite study, and w as my peculiar forte, so much so that I filled the Professorship of Classical Litera- ture in two of the Faculties of which I afterwards became a member, and taught the Greek incidental^ in a third. To resume the narrative, I became a regular student of the Grammar School not long after the time in question, and in that school I began my ^preparation for the Freshman Class in Franklin College, of the University of Georgia. The list of studies required for admission into this class is not remembered, but the age of admission was then, what it is now, fixed at fourteen years. When it is known to all that the vast advancement of the knowledge of science within the half century past is unj^recedented in the history of the world, it will not escape the observation of those who Enters the Gbammar School. 157 are familiar -with the world's progress that in 1822-'23 the cnrriciilum of scientific study was \'ery limited in extent and in the number of subjects pursued. The principal stress was laid on Latin and Greek in the published rec[ui- sites for admission. Inasmuch, then, as I did not attain the age of fourteen, and was not allowed to enter College until 1826, it will be seen that I had an excess of time in which to prepare. I entered upon my work, however, with my best powers, and the time wore on and I made very fair progress. The Grammar School, in which I was now entered as a pupil, consisted, as I now recollect, of about one hundred boj's, of all ages from ten to eighteen or twenty, and of all grades of advancement, from beginners to those who were engaged in the closing studies of the course. It was under the joint instruction of two gentlemen, Moses W. Dobbins and Ebenezer Newton. Mr. Dobbins was a nephew of my father, and received his entire education at AYilUngton Academy. His colleague, Mr. Newton, was a graduate of the University, of the. Class of 1811. Mr. Dobbins being a cousin of mine, I was placed under his immediate care and supervision. These teachers occupied separate rooms of a two-story building, Mr. Dobbins the room on the lower floor and Mr. Newton a smaller room above stairs. The lower room was made purposely larger, in order to be used at the opening and closing hoiu'S of the school every day for prayers, the entire body of the students of both aj^art- ments being required to be present. On such occasions the teachers efliciated alternately, the roll was called by moni- tors appointed from the older students. These gentlemen have both long since ceased from their earthly labors and passed to their heavenly rest. They were men of excellent qualities of head and heart; well- grounded in all the required subjects of scholastic instruc- tion, with fii'm, steady, impartial, and kindly methods of 158 John N. Waddel. D. D., LL. D. discipline; deyotedly pious members of the Presbyterian church, and possessing the entire confidence and esteem of the community where they resided. At that time, and for some years folloT^'ing, the school formed a part of the sys- tem of the University, and an annual salary of eight hun- dred dollars "vras paid to each of these teachers from the "University treasury. In process of time the Grammar School was separated from the University as a constituent part of its coui'se, and was thrown open to individual enterprise, the teacher receiving his support from the tuition fees. The old school-house was removed to give place for some build- ing to be used for pur2:)oses of the University proper, per- haps the library. It may be in order that I should here record more min- utely the course of preparatory study adopted in that school. It will serve as a part of the history of education, and, by a comparison of it with that which now is required for admis- sion into college, we may observe the advance made in that stage of education. The course covered Latin, Greek, arithmetic, penman- ship, elocution, and composition. The first book was the Latin Grammar, which was studied memoriter, the defini- tions of the parts of speech, the declensions and j)aradigms of the nouns and adjectives, and pronouns, the conjugations of the verb, with number, person, mood, and tense, and all the variations of regular, iiTegular, and defective verbs, and the indeclinable j^ai'ts of speech, adverbs, prepositions, con- junctions, and interjections, all were carefully committed to memory and made familiar to the mind of the student. This brought him to the syntax, and the arrival at this point in the journey was always looked to as an important attain- ment, opening a new and interesting scene of study. Mem- ory was still called into active exercise. The rules must be committed and all the examples illustrating each rule. This part having been gone over, ordinarily the first parts were Early Methods of Teaching. 159 reviewed, and when, in the course of this review, the syntax was again reached, the student was required, not only to memorize as before, but the new task was prescribed of ''parsing" (as it was called) every word in each example, showing- the i^art of speech to which it belonged, together with the relation it bore to the other words in the example, and, lastly, to repeat and apply the rule under which the student was exercising himself. This course was continued until every rule and all its examples were thoroughly mas- tered to the end of the grammar. It is interesting, too, to observe the changes which have taken place in the text- books since that time. The grammar used then, and for some vears, was an old book called Jiuddiman's Hudlments of the Latin Tongue,'' now perhaps out of print, of which I have seen only one copy in half a century. ]\Iany expedients were adopted in it for the purpose of aiding the memory of the student in committing the variations of the verb, or other parts of speech, and the one most advantageous was to present the principle in rhyme. As there was then a comparatively small amount of scien- titic study required for admission into college, the greater part of the time and attention of the candidate was occupied in the study of the ancient languages. There were some peculiarities in vogue then in the methods of teaching Latin and Greek, which seem, in a great measure, to have been abandoned in the modern system of preparation, AYhile I do not propose to decide upon the relative value of either plan, the old or the new, at the same time I do not feel at liberty to omit a minute record of the mode of the schools used in that early period of time. I propose giving also the reasons for its adoption by those who made use of it. One of these j)eculiar methods was to place in the hands of the candidate or student beginning the course a series of ]Drimary text-books, which varied in the degree of difficulty successively, from the exceedingly easy to those of the series 160 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. requiring the closer application of the mind to master, un- til gradually he was thrown upon his own acquired re- sources, having no aid save that derived from his grammar and dictionary. The arrangement was on this wise: The first text-book j^laced in the hands of the student after a thorough mastery of the grammar was a book called T7ie Colloquies of Corderius, a copy of which I have not seen, I am sui'e, within fifty years, and I suppose it is out of print; it is certainly out of use. The book was arranged in paral- lel columns, the one of these columns being very simple sen- tences in English, and the other consisting of Latin sen- tences to corresjDond. The student was expected, while pre- paring his task, to use the translation entirely until he had become perfectly familiar with the reading; but when he came before the teacher to recite, he was expected to cover the English with a paper, so as to translate the Latin with- out further aid. After accomplishing fifty of the Colloquies in this "way, exercised all along in parsing every word of the Latin, as well as translating, he was required to take up the Colloquies of ^rasimcs. This was arranged in the same way, in parallel columns of Latin and English, but the read- ing was somewhat more difficult to the student from the fact that the order of the Latin text placed the words not in exact correspondence with the English, and so the student found that there was a necessity for harder study to apply the words in the Latin to the Enghsh words in their proper places. This was done by what was called by the boys "skipping about," and demanded some knowledge by their previous training to find the proper word and use it as its various inflections required in order to meet the exact meaning. This was followed by a thii'd text-book, Corne- lius JSFepos, ill his Lives oj Distinguished 3fen, which, although arranged in the same method of parallel Enghsh and Latin columns, required still greater capacity of selec- tion and discrimination so as to appropriate the scattered Early Classical Text-Books. IGl Tvords in the Latin to the correspondent English words, and thus to construct the sentence. The closest attention was paid also to the analysis of the sentence in every respect, and the student was exercised in pointing out the interde- pendence of the several parts and the relation sustained by the one to the other, and the application of the proj^er s\ti- tactical rule to the whole. These books having been mas- tered as far as was considered necessary, The Comment taries of Ccesar was next put into the student's hands, and now ho had no further aid from an English translation,, unless he used one surreptitiously. Certainly there was no provision for such assistance in the ordinar}' course of study, and this sort of help was held to be contraband, "banned and barred, forbidden fare."' Of this text-book six books were required to bo read. Along with it Latin exercises were written, 3Iair's Introduction being the text-book, the work prescribed being to correct false Latin sentences. Ccesar was succeeded by Virgil, and ot this book The Ten Eclogues^ the fii*st, second, and fourth books of the Georgics, and six books of the yEneid. The Latin preparatory coiu'se was closed bv readino* Cicero's Select Orations, but the number of these orations required I cannot now recall. But in consequence of my being so far under the required age of entrance into college (fourteen jxars), I was kept in the Grammar School much longer than was neces- saiT, and consequently I read more Latin and Greek than was ordinarily read. We usually began the study of Greek on entering the study of l^irgil, as it was supposed that we had been sufficienth'' drilled in the previous Latin course to fit us for the study of Greek. The grammar in use then was a very small, thin book, ^Vettenhal^s Greek Grammar, which, being deservedly regarded as exceedingly defective in every requisite for the stud}-- of Greek, was very soon superseded by superior grammars. Valpy's GreeJc Gram- mar was introduced (Anthon's edition), and this lasted in. 162 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. its use in the schools of the country a long time. This has had its rivals in later days, among which we may mention Goodrich and Bullion, Ktlhner, and Goodwj^n, and Hadley. Others also continue to take their places in the modern course of study. Not to mention the great German authors, we may dismiss the subject by the remark, that it is becom- ing a custom for many professors of Greek to edit a Greek grammar to meet some real or imaginary want unsupphed by existing grammars. The j&i'st Greek text-book that was j^laced in my hands w^as the Greek Testament; and while the Gospel by John was ordinarily regarded sufficient, my impression now is that, by reason of my being too young to enter college, I was kept reading several other parts of the Testament. There were two books now out of use which were then adopted as text-books in Greek, viz., Grreca Minora and Grmca Majora. The first of these consisted of The Fables, The Mythological Narratives, and The Dialogues of the Dead, by Lucian, and the Odes of Anacreon. The Grceca Majora was, in like manner, a book of extracts from the ancient Greek authors; also much more difficult to the learner. These are no longer known in the list of prepara- tory studies for college, but, instead, we have Greek readers of a variety of authors, among them Goodwj^n's and AYhiton's First Book in Greek, etc. The course of preparation in the ancient languages covered more ground then than it does now from the fact already referred to, viz., the wonderful advance of the sciences and other special departments of human learning within the last half century, which has ren- dered it necessaiy that time once devoted to Latin and Greek should be shortened and surrendered to the sciences, and partly to the study of the modern languages. That boys were made more thorough in their scholarship) in the days of my boyhood than they have been since, may or may not be true universally, or that the system then Eauly Text- Books. 163 adopted ^^as superior to that used in modern times I am not prepared to assert as true in all respects. I am decidedly of the opinion that, where a sufficient time is allowed for boys to learn what they are required to master, appropriate sub- jects being given to the various ages of the boys, the same result might be reached by either course. But it has come to bo regarded by our people as too great a sacrifice of time and money to allow seven or eight years to the study of the Latin and Greek languages and sciences. As it is a part of a liberal education to study these branches, the accepted theory is that our sons must, of coiu'se, study them; but the constant and impatient cry is, " Hurry them through." Now, as teachers are mostly dependent upon the patronage they ob- tain, they fall in with this clamor too often in order to please jDarents; and if any teacher is too conscientious to pander to this unwise sentiment, he is frequently condemned as old fogy ish, and is left behind in the race of competition. There remain still a few of this class of teachers to recall to our recollection Avhat was once in existence, but the race is rapidly dying out. Another cause of superficial scholarship is to be traced to the multitude of helps in the way of text- books, making the student's task so easy as to leave him no mental labor to perform. Everything is simplified, espe- cially in the languages and mathematics. There are two extremes to be avoided, of which the one is too little assist- ance, and the other the opposite extreme. I have seen an edition of Horace and one of the Iliad, in which the editor not only translated and scanned every difficult passage, but many that were not difficult, thereby winning the reputa- tion accorded to commentators generally, that they are "very good in easy places"; besides analyzing or parsing almost every word for the student. Some of text-books of the old time, in my judgment, were objectionable, not on account of being too easy, but because they did not require enough of independent efibrt on the- 164 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. part of the student. I have described the method of teach- ing by parallel colunins of EngHsh and Latin, in which the task of the student was simj^ly that of memory, and I be- lieve that, if no Enghsli translation had been furnished, he could have mastered the whole with no aid but that which he could have j)rocured from a dictionary or vocabulary and his grammar. I prefer the modern text-book system, which ignores translations from the outset; and yet, while a judi- cious system of notes in the back part of the book is not ob- jectionable, that which is found in many of the books is so voluminous and explanatory as to require only that the learner should turn over the leaves and consult the notes, ignoring the dictionary altogether. Provided, therefore, that the languages as a study be not demanded of a stu- dent at an age when his mental powers are inadequate to the mastery of such abstruse subjects, and the sei-ies of text-books be gradually ascending in their grade from the easy to the more difficult, I should always decide to recom- mend the modern system. I can only add, that the Greek lexicon which was placed in my hands was thoroughly Greek, giving even the definitions in Latin ; and my coj^y of Homer's Iliad (Clark's) gave me notes at the bottom of the page, every word of which was in Latin. There is one more j^oint I should bring into view just here : it is the vast importance to a thorough comprehension oi language which ought to be attached to the study of ety- mology. This formed a very prominent exercise in the class drilling of the olden time. The i^lan of recitation was : 1, Translation, with proper pronunciation of the words ; 2, Analysis of the sentence, or, as is the word more commonly used, parsing ; and then the student was to give the root, or stem, or derivation of every simple word, and the com- position of every compound. Here, again, there was a dif- ference in the giving of these roots and compositions. The root of the Greek word was given in Latin, not in English. An Incident of College ExAanNATioNS. 165 Those who ha,ve been drilled in etymology in such schools never lose the influence in after life of this part of their school exercises, as they find themselves instinctively insti- tuting an inquiry into the origin of words, particularly if it be a word newly introduced into our language. This is in- deed one of the benefits of the ancient classics ; we learn English by them. I was prepared for college long before I had attained the age of admission, and hence I had reason to observe on more than one occasion boys who were my classmates in the Grammar School examined and admitted into college, while I was left out, and not even examined, for no other reason than because they were old enough and I was not. Had my exclusion been attributable to any de- ficiency of my scholarship, it would have been a source of mortification to me ; but as it turned out, I was content to wait patiently and "bide my time," which came all right at last. I recall, in this connection, an incident bordering on the ludicrous, which occurred on occasion of one of those annual examinations of candidates for admission into college from the Grammar School. It was when one of the classes to which I belonged was to be examined, from which I was exempt by being under age. Two of the boys among these candidates were intimate associates of mine, and were to be examined on the appointed morning in the College Chapel, in presence of the Faculty. They were perfectly confident of success, and greatly uplifted in the anticipation of being admitted to the coveted dig-nity of college boys. They pro- posed, then, to the class, on the evening previous, ^hat they should repair to the usual bathing place, on the Oconee river, near by, and "wash off Grammar School!" They went, and, I have no doubt, enjoyed the bath, doing their part toward the accomplishment of the desired object ; but, when the test of the next morning was applied by the ex- aminers, both were rejected, much to their disappointment, chagrin, and mortification. 166 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. To resume my story, I -was kept in the Grammar School a part of the remaining term of my nonage, pursuing the same studies that formed the freshman course in college. As there ahvavs was a school examination conducted at the close of each session, I, among the other boys, was exam- ined on the studies I had been pursuing during the session. On one of these examination occasions, as the school was a constituent part of the University, a member of the Faculty came to attend, and he was expected to make a report of the result. I do not think that I attended that school much longer after that. I was put to some light work on my father's farm, near Athens, and, according to my recollec- tion now, I was kept at that occupation until about May 1, 1826, just about a month after I had completed my four- teenth year. I remember very well that, on a certain after- noon, in an interview which I had with Mr. E. S. Hopping, one of the tutors, he informed me, greatly to my surprise, that I had been admitted b}" the Faculty into the Freshman class, and he notified me to attend the exercises the next morning at sunrise ! He further accounted for my being admitted without examination upon the ground that my ex- amination at the Grammar School some time before had been attended by a professor, who reported so favorably of it that I was admitted on the credit of that examination without being required to submit to an}^ further test. Ac- cordingly, the next morning I repaired to the recitation- room of the tutor, Mr. Lathrop, who had charge of the in- struction of the Freshman Class, and was enrolled as a student about the first of May, being the beginning of the third or last term of the Freshman year, about three months before the close of the session, and the day of the annual commencement. w CHAPTER III. CoTJiKGE Life in the University of Georgia. HEN I entered college the Freshman Class consisted of quite a large number of students, of which I was the youngest. Before our graduation, however, for various rea- sons, the number had become a good deal diminished. This is very often the case. In 1829, when this class closed their college course and received the diploma of Bachelor of Ai'ts, there were twent^^-one graduates. I propose, at this point, to give the names and as much as I may be able to recall of the history of those members of the class who after- wards attained distinction in their various spheres or pro- fessions. It will appear from the sketches here presented, and might be shown by similar sketches of all classes, that the attainment of college honors does not guarantee infalli- bly the highest success in life. There were three grades of honor always awarded to the graduating class, and the merit of the members was estimated according to the averaged aggregate of all the marks which each had re- ceived from tho several professors in their various depart- ments, laying special stress upon scholarship. The grade did not then, as it does now, make one hundred the maxi- mum of excellence attainable. There were only three num- bers used to indicate relative standing of students, of wliich No. 1 was the highest mark ; and, in case of superior excel- lence, to this was aj^pended an asterisk. The medium gTade was marked No. 2, and deficiency was shown by No. 3. The highest distinction in my class was awarded to Na- thaniel Macon Crawford. He was first- honor man, and to hnn was assigned the delivery of the valedictory. He was 167 168 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. solus — that is, there was no one in the class who shared the honor with him. The second honor was awarded to Thomas F. Scott and WiUiani J. Yason jointly, and Scott delivered the Latin salutatory. The third honor was jointly bestowed upon George F. Pierce and "William AY. Smythe. There were also two sets of students of this class who were entitled to speakers' places on commencement day. One set con- sisted of five, among whom the Faculty decided there was full equahty. There were five others also equal, but for some reason only two of these were permitted to speak, most probably on account of the length of time which would be consumed in the delivery of so many as fifteen speeches. The two of the second set received their positions by lot ; so that we had twelve orations delivered on that day by the class of '29. The names of the seven speakers besides the honor men were as follows : James M. Adams, Shaler G. Hi.Uyer, Richard D. Moore, Isaac N. Moreland, John B. Watts, George F. Heard, and John N. Waddel. The three remaining students of the second set who, although equal in scholarship to their colleagues, failed in the decision by lot, were John M. Cuyler and Edward J. Erwin and (ac- cording to my recollection) Gray A. Chandler. I can state wdth accuracy the subsequent history of the majority of my class, and of the rest it must be only an approximation to the full record. Nathaniel Macon Crawford, a son of the distinguished statesman, AYilliam H. Crawford, of Georgia, was a model college student. If he ever failed in making a j)erfect reci- tation, I never discovered it ; and I think this would be the statement of his classmates could they testify. Although by no means brilliant, he had no rival in the class in accu- racy. Hence he graduated at the head of the class solus. He w^as made professor in the Presbyterian institution, Oglethorpe Uni versify, but soon left that position; became a member of the Baptist church, and then entered the min- Memorials of Classmates. 169 istry of that church. He was called to a professorship in Mercer University, then located at Penfield, Ga., (now at Macon, Ga.,) then made president of the same institution. In 1856 he was elected to the chair of metaphysics in the University of Mississippi, while I was connected with that institution. He served in that capacity at that place only one year ; and, being called to the Baptist College at George- town, Ky., he resigned at Oxford and accepted the Presi- dency at Georgetown. He remained there but one year, returned to Mercer University, and then resigned. He died near Atlanta, Ga., in 1871. He was made president of the Bible Revision Association; wrote articles for the Heviews and a book called Christian Paradoxes. He be- came somewhat learned in his own system of theology; was slightly given to change in his views of some subjects, and his firmness on some other j^oi^ts was almost i^roperly characterized as obstinacj^ The next member of the class in the order of distinction was Thomas F. Scott, of North Carolina. He was the son of a veiy plain man of excellent sense and esteemed for his consistent j)iety. He was of humble domestic training, and was destined by his father for the trade of a blacksmith. Manifesting promising talents, his father gave him some ad- vantages; and having become hopefully converted, and de- termining to prepare for the ministry, he entered the Uni- Tersity of Georgia during my father's j^i'esidency, and was €ducated upon the funds of the Georgia Education Societ}^ a Presb}i;erian institution for candidates for the ministry. He was always on good terms with his friends in Athens, w ho, seeing his good qualities, made due allowance for his self-conceit. On the disruption between the Old and New School Presbyterian Church, that occurred in 1837, he joined the New School party, and preached for a few years in that connection. But to the amazement of all who knew him, he entered the fold of the Episcopal Church, and, as some criti- 170 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. cal acquaintances of his seemed to think, "he saw a mitre beckoning him in the distance," and so he left the old church of his fathers, became a link in the chain of the "Apostoli- cal Succession," and Avas appointed missionary bishop of the diocese of Oregon, and there he died. His colleague in the second honor was '\Yilliam J. Vason, a Georgian. Through- out his entire college course he was a more than ordinary scholar, as that word is applied to students in general. He was an intellectual man, diligent in his preparation for all his exercises, whether in the class-room or in the literary society, and stood high in all his classes, and was a fine de- claimer and writer. He was also a leader in the Demos- thenian Society. After his graduation he entered the legal profession, and, as was anticipated from his promising ante- cedents in his college course, became a successful lawyer, and established himself first in New Orleans ; then, return- ing to Georgia, he settled in Augusta, in the practice of law, and there he died. The next name among the honor men is that of George F. Pierce, who shared third honor with "William AY. Smythe, both Georgians. Of the whole class he attained the widest distinction, and perhaps deservedly reached that position on account of the rare combination of attractive qualities he jDOSsessed. During his college course he was a universal favorite, on account of his amiable disposition and social temperament. He was, at the same time, recognized as a person of positiveness of character, and was not in the least afraid to stand \yj his convictions on all proper occasions. He had a will (jf his own, but it was guided by wisdom, prudence, truth, and duty. Not extraordinary as a class scholar, he was above mediocrity in all his studies. He had a bright, but not a profound, mind. His was a brilliant imagination, and a fervid and animated elocution, graceful in action, and withal attractive in person and of a handsome face. He professed religion while in college, and I remem- Graduating Class History. 171 ber the scene that occuiTed in tlie Methodist church when he was received into the church, his venerable father, Rev. Dr. Lovick Pierce, being present, and I shall never forget the manifestation of his father's overwhelming joy on the occasion. After graduation he was received into the minis- try of that church, and soon became an eminently useful preacher, and, from the very beginning of his career, was appointed to fill the most important pulpits and most promi- nent positions in that denomination. He was at one time minister in charge of the Augusta, Ga., M. E. church, and at another time the church in Savannah, Ga., and again of the Methodist church in Charleston, S. C. In 1838 he was made President of the Georgia Female (now Wesleyan) College, in Macon, Ga. In 1848 he was elected to the iiresidency of Emory College, at Oxford, Ga. In 1854 he was elected bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, when the General Conference met in Columbus, Ga , and for more than thirty years filled that high and responsible office ta the universal acceptance of the chm^ch and all his multitude of friends and admirers. His death occurrod at his home, in Sparta, Ga., in 1885, as I am informed. Vrilham AV. Smythe, his partner in the third honor, had the reputation, when in college, of being the most brilliant genius in his class. During his first year there he w^as marked out by every one as being, beyond all others, sure of the first honor ; but after the earlier classes had been passed through by him^ he became less and less interested in the studies prescribed; was fond of debating, an eloquent speaker, studied pohtics, and devoted much time to the study of general history, and the result was that he came out in the distribution of honors third, instead of first. After graduation he assumed the editorial tripod, and pub- lished a political pa^^er in AYashingtou, Ga. When nulhfi- cation was exciting the country in South Carolina, and to some extent in Georgia, he espoused the Union side of that 172 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. controversy, became uniDopular, and lost caste. Not long afterwards he died in Washington, Ga., never having rea- lized the bright promise of his earlier days. We can only add, that of the five men T\-ho attained the highest distinction in their college class the man who alone tept uj) his reputation, and even surpassed his promise, at- taining a fame which was not dreamed of by his friends, vras Bishop Pierce. As to the remaining members of the class of 1829, they may be dismissed with a brief record as individuals, some, however, of them becoming distinguished. And yet there is one thing to be said of the members of the class, and that is, there wa§ a larger prox^ortion of its graduates who -entered the ministry than of any of those who were in col- lege dm-ing the period from 1820 to 1829. Our class num- bered twenty-one, and sent forth seven ministers of various •chui'ches, as follows: James M. Adams, Presbyterian min- ister ; N. M. Crawford, D. D., Baptist minister ; George F. Heard, Baptist minister ; S. G. Hillyer, D. D., Baptist min- ister; G. F. Pierce, D. D., LL. D., Methodist bishop; Thomas F. Scott, D. T)., E^^iscopal bishop ; John N. Wad- del, D. D., LL. D., Presbyterian. Three of these became l^residents of colleges and two professors, %dz., Crawford, of two different institutions and professor in two ; Pierce, pre- sident of two different colleges ; Waddel, professor in two institutions and president, or chancellor, in three. Two of these were bishops. Pierce, of the M. E. Church South, and Scott, of the P. E. Church South. Of the remaining mem- bers of the class five were physicians, one of whom (E. D. Moore, of Athens,) attained great distinction; five lawj'ers, two planters, and two concerning whose post-graduate record I have no report. This I regret, as they were both most creditable students of the University. To sum up these statistics, we report of our twenty-one graduates seventeen professional men, two planters, and two good citizens, even though unrecorded. Graduating Class History. 173 "With these students I passed through the course of pre- scribed study in the old State University, from May, 1826, to August, 1829. I was on terms of the kindest social in- tercourse with all my classmates, but my special intimates were Edward J. Erwin, of Morgant(m, N. C , and Isaac N. Moreland, of Eatonton, Ga., and with these two a very reg- ular correspondence was maintained by me for some years after graduation. Erwin was some years older than my- self, but we formed a mutual attachment from being mem- bers of the same class and of the Phi Kappi (Literary) So- ciety. He was rather solid than brilliant in the character of his mind. By reason of his proficiency in mathematics, he sustained a highly respectable standing in the class. He was my superior in this department, and J led him in the classics; so that we mutually supplemented each other. Though not a member of the church, he was not outbreak- ingly wicked or dissolute. His domestic training was of the old-fashioned style, under Presbyterian parents, which, un- happily, is becoming obsolete in later days. I am convinced from long experience, as well as observation, that such training is almost certain to exert a wholesome conservative influence for life over children so trained. Even in cases of apparent failure at some period of the life of a youth, or even in manhood, it is not seldom blessed of God to draw him back to the forsaken paths. I am constrained to add that, when the failure to realize such favorable results as would be expected from such training does ensue in after life, I believe the failure is traceable to the absence of faith- fulness on the part of the parents more than to any other cause. I base my confidence in this position solely upon the declaration of sacred Scripture : " Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not de- part from it." Er win's record is an illustration in point. He left college with credit, married a superior lady, made a profession of rehgion, and became an influential elder of 174 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. our cliiircli. It was a kind Providence which gave me the privilege of meeting him in Charlotte, N. C, and of spend- ing several days there with him during the sessions of the General AsseDil3ly in May, 1864. Of Mor eland I could say a great deal, much of which is pleasant and much that is sad to recall. He was an or- phan, and was sent to college well prej)ared. His guardian was Hon. Tui'ner H. Trippe, of Eatonton, Ga., a first-honor graduate of the University, of the class of 1822. Moreland was near my age, and there was a good degree of congeni- ality between us, and our association was very close and in- timate during our entire college course. At the outset he was very bright and promising. In the Freshman year, and in part of the Sophomore year also, he was estimated as among those who stood fair for the first honor, but he be- came negligent of his studies, and lost the position which he at first held. I knew of one trait of his character that may have accounted in part for his deterioration. He had no ambition to shine in public; and while he held his own for the greater i)art of his course, in mathematics particu- larly, he continued his decline until, from being marked out as a well-assured candidate for first honor, he was placed fourth in grade at graduation. After we separated in Athens we kept up correspondence for several years, and it was to me a source of much enjoyment. He was a man of fine mind and genial temperament, and he and I were con- genial spirits during our college course. He was also ami- able, and to this fact I attribute his decHne in scholarship, as there was no lack of influences all around him which tended to encourage neglect of study. AVhat practices or habits may have taken hold of him to the production of such a result in his college course he never revealed to me at all ; nor did I at the time suspect that he had fallen into the snares usually laid for students. He settled first in La Grange, Ga., in the practice of law, but afterwards in Texas, College Standing. 175 then a Mexican province. There he became a very success- ful land survej'or, as mathematics in all its various parts was perfectly familiar to him. The terms on which he made his surveys were, that one-half of all the lands he ran out should be his property in fee simple. In this way he became an extensive land-holder. AYhen the Texas revolu- tion against the Mexican government began, he became commander of an artillery company, or battery, and in the decisive battle of San Jacinto he contributed no little to that great victory. After peace was made, and Texas be- came independent, he was made a judge in the land, but did not live much longer. He is an illustration of the j^ei ils of a moral natiu'e that siuTound a youth of the very bright- est promise when thrown upon the world unsupported by early pious training and delivered over to his own resources. My standing in college was always very respectable. My classical superiority and my good standing in other depart- ments enabled me to win very respectable grades, although rather deficient in mathematics. I am constrained to record here that during my college course the University offered more hmited advantages to the j)ublic than it had been able to j)resent for two or three previous years, and it has never been so ill-sustained by a properly organized corps of in- structors at any subsequent period of its history. I do not know the reason of this state of the case, unless there was a deficiency of funds in consequence of a greater call for them to meet other demands. My father was filling the office of President to universal acceptance. Dr. Church also was giving satisfaction as Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, though, after he gave up this chair to accept the presidency on my father's resignation, I was informed that the course of mathematics taught at that time was lim- ited compared with that of the more distinguished institu- tions. I know what the course was at the time of our class connection, and I have certain knowledge of the fact that 17C John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. the course has been greatly extended since. We had no reason to comj^lain of the course, and ^ve accepted him as an able professor, and "we had a wholesome dread of him as a disciplinarian. Just previous to the beginning of our Junior jen.r, as we were about commencing the study of Na- tm'al Philosoph3% the University had been in the enjoymcDt of the invaluable services of Dr. Henry Jackson as professor in this department ; but he was very soon laid aside from all active service by a sudden attack (I think) of apoplexy. This chair then w^as turned over to his nephew, Professor James Jackson, previously in charge of Chemistry-, etc. He taught Natural Philosophy in connection with the other branches of science, to which also there w^as added instruc- tion in the French language. Toward the Major (as he was called) I always had entertained the kindest personal feel- ings of attachment, but my memory brings him up as rather an inefficient instructor. That he possessed learning to some extent, more, perhaps, than he was credited for, may have been true. Of that I was not competent to judge. I know, too, that he did not exert much influence over the student body. He was a man of literary taste, and had a good private library of the current literature of the day. But he was not personally popular among his pupils. He must have been considered a consistent Christian, however, as he was made an elder of the Athens church. In the year 1826 j)i*ospects seemed brightening, as the scholarly Eev. Stephen Olin, a distinguished Methodist divine from the North, was made Professor of Ethics and Metaphj^sics. "We enjoyed the benefit of his instruction during our Sopho- more and junior years ; but his health failing, he resigned, and although he was reelected and returned to the same chair, this occurred fully two years after our gi'aduation. He was a charming teacher, and universally loved and es- teemed. He was also a great ]30wer in the j)ulpit. He was a man of huge physical dimensions, and at times when College Standing, 177 preaching, although by no means boisterous or vociferous, he would throw such nervous energy into his gestures, as he used his outstretched arms m his animation, that I have seen the pulpit shake under the j)i'essure. The end of his history is, that he went North, after presiding over Ran- dolph-Macon College in Virginia, and was made president of the Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn., in 1842,. and there he ended his days This was our Faculty as ta president and professors, to which were added three tutors, Alvin Lathrop, a cipher as to influence and rej)utation, re- minding one more of Irving's Ichabod Crane than anything else^ Ei3hraim S. Hopping, a gentleman and a scholar, already alluded to in these pages, as well as m reminiscences of my father. I was strongly attached to him, both as a man and a teacher, and he was popular m college and among the citizens. He was succeeded by an elderly gen- tleman, by name B. B. Hopkins, who made no impression on my memory, except that he wore his hau' in a queu, and occasionally yielded to the temptation of perpetrating verse- making, tinctured with an affectation of dry humor. But 111 the next year, 1830, after the completion of our course, the trustees elected a full Professor of Ancient Lan- guages, and the Faculty became fuller and more efficient as the years passed on, until at the present era it stands among the foremost of the colleges and universities of the land as regards facilities and advantages for acquiring a finished education. I close what I have to say of my college life by a refer- ence to an experience of my own in some of the events of that period, not only as a student, but as connected with outside influences. There are always certain exercises form- ing integral parts of the curriculum of all such institutions, and these exercises were prominent among the requirements in the University. They were the exercises of the students in elocution and composition. The students of the Junior, 12 178 John N W.iddel, D. D , LL. D. Sophomore, and the Freshman Classes were required to de- claim m the College Chaj)el at the assembly in the after- noon at prayers. Two students were appointed in alpha- betical order to perform this duty eveiy afternoon, for in that early day the students were all required to attend prayers twice during the day, at the hour of sunrise in the morning and at five o'clock in the afternoon. The perform- ance of original composition was also attended to by the literary societies. The exercises of the annual commence- ment consisted of three days' elocutionary performances by the Sophomore, Junior, and Graduating Classes. The first day was devoted to a Sophomore prize declamation, in which the speakers delivered select orations of eminent men com- mitted to memory. The Junior exhibition embraced speci- mens of elocution and composition, both, by orators elected by the two literary societies to represent these bodies. The Faculty always determined the number to be elected by the two societies. In case the relative number of members of the class belonging to each society' was about equal, the number of speakers was also equal ; but where there was a majority of the class who belonged to either body, then that society would be entitled to a majority of representative speakers. The decision of the Faculty in regard to the number assigned to each society was made at a period long- enough for the speakers-elect to prepare for commencement. I recall the case as it related to my class when wo were Juniors. As already stated, there were twenty-one members of the class, of which there were thirteen Demosthenians and eight Phi Kappas. The Faculty announced their de- cision that the former should elect seven speakers and the latter only three. This left me out, as I belonged to the Phi Kappa Society, and there were three of the class who had already won distinction as society orators. But t%ie members of the Phi Kappa Society, by one of the leading members, represented to the Faculty that they felt injustice College Declamations. 179 had been meted out to them in assigning their number as three, and petitioned to be allowed one more. The Faculty assented, and a day was set by the society for holding an election for an additional speaker out of the remaining five Phi Kappa juniors. I had never felt before any pecuhar interest personally in public speaking, but had always per- formed this college duty rather perfunctorily than other- wise ; but when I learned that another speaker was to be elected by our society, for the first time in my life the am- bition to gain any such position sprang up in my heart. To be sure, I used no electioneering arts that were improper, but I secured the opportunity of speaking at the evening assembly for prayers by exchanging places with a friend, as my time would not occur in regular order on the list in time for the election. I merely designed to exert my best powers of declamation, so as, if possible, to make a favorable im^Dression upon my fellow-students. Accordingly, I took my place on the rostrum on the occasion, and, having pre- viously selected an extract of Curran's celebrated speech, "In defence of Peter Finnerty," and practiced declaiming it most assiduously, and committed it perfectly, I felt at the time considerably gratified at my success. So, when the election came on, I was elected by a handsome majority. I must confess, however, that after the victory which I had striven so earnestly to secure had actually occurred, and I began to realize that I was to make my first appearance be- fore a commencement audience, not in a selected piece, but with an original oration, I, for the moment, became over- whelmed by a consideration of the responsibility I had as- sumed, and would have been willing to dispense mth all the honor. Nevertheless, I set myself to the work of prepara- tion in good earnest, and by exhibition day I found myself ready to do my part to the best of my ability. While in college I wrote four original speeches. This Junior oration was my first. It was the arrangement estab- 180 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. lishecl then that the Academic year was divided into three terms, viz. : The first term began about the first week in August, and ended about the middle of November, the long vacation taking place then and continuing until the middle of January; the second term began then and closed in April; the third term began about May 1st and closed August 1st. At the end of each term the senior class was expected to deliver original speeches. I in common with my classmates discharged this duty as a Senior three times. These three speeches, together with my Junior oration, make four original speeches delivered by me while in college. The subjects of these youthful efforts are recorded as fol- lows: First (or Junior) speech, "Resolution essential to success"; second (or first Senior) speech, "It is better to be totally forgotten than to be remembered only to be exe- crated"; third (or second Senior) speech, "Equality of male and female intellect"; fourth (or Graduating) speech, "The inferiority of American literatui'e." My first speech was delivered in 1828, when I was but sixteen years, four months, and three days old ; my last when I was one year older CHAPTEK IV. Beflections. — Sketch of Athens Life After Gradtjatiok — Re- moval TO South Cakolina, and Peospects of Beginning the Life OF A Teachek. THE questioai has often presented itself to my mind, Would it not have been better on the whole if I had just then, at my immature age, entered upon a college life, and, with the benefit of my experience acquired during the under-graduate course, might I not have made greater ad- vances in knowledge, and would I not in all ^probability have been better prepared to enter upon the work of real life ? I have often found myself ready to decide that it would have been a wise and profitable couree for me; but as I now look back through my subsequent course of life, with the reflected light of the more than three-score and ten years of experience I have stored up, I am constrained to beheve that all my steps have been wisely ordered to the accomplishment of the purposes of an infinitely wise God. I am now fully persuaded that, had I taken a second com'se, there is no rational ground to believe it would have effected any material change, or that it would have resulted in any signal advantage to myself or to those with whom I have been associated. True, I had not been as diligent as I should have been while in college, but I doubt much that a repetition of the course would have been attended with any increase of dihgence. The life w^hich, in God's pro^ddence, I have been directed to lead, the sphere in which I have been moving, and in which I have toiled mainly for nearly sixty years (I mean that of a teacher), has been attended with a constant stimulus, urging me to increased exertion, 181 182 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL D. and I have not been permitted to consult my ease or to in- dulge an indolent spirit. When I began to teach I was not called upon to lead those who were only just beginning their scholastic course; but the work before me, and into which I found myself compelled to enter, was to give instruction in the classics and mathematics. While, therefore, my pro- ficiency in language made the teaching of this department comparatively pleasant and easy, yet I found that the kind of study and the amount of it that I w as bound to pursue as a teacher w^as a very different matter compared with that expected and required of a college student ; so, under this wholesome and abiding pressure, I gave my entire energies to the ^eat work which was before me, promising success if diligently continued, and threatening disgrace and disas- ter if neglected or unfaithfully pursued. This stimulus would not have been brought to bear upon me in college, and I deem it a great blessing that I was made (somewhat reluctantly, I admit, at first) a teacher and began this work when only eighteen years of age. I mastered branches, as a teacher, with which I would never have become familiar had I been influenced only by the usages of colleges. But I am anticij^ating. In the d;i3's just then passing Athens was the centre of attraction to me, very far above any place on earth. Every feature in the landscape was full of charm to me. Even the old red-clay hills, the granite bluffs of the little winding river Oconee, the artificial water-fall made by the mill-dam, the college campus, with its fine old oaks, the familiar dwellings and cultivated lawns and flower-beds, the build- ings, libraries, and other appointments of the old Universit}', furnished to my untravelled mind an exhaustless supply of mental aliment that could hardly be surpassed, Then there were the walks and rides I often enjoyed with friends in the environs of the town and the thousand attendant as- sociations of the place, which cannot be enumerated, all Attackment to Athens. 183 contributing to make it a dear and cherished home of my youth. But the time was hastening on apace when I was to leave this spot so dear to my heart. "Wlieu I did leave it afterwards, forming new homes in various parts of the world, I found two things to follow in my experience : 1. Although I became attached to other spots, yet none such attachments as those to Athens were ever formed. 2. Athens itself lost afterwards its charm for me. I account for this, on two principles : First, The days of my youth spent there were free from caro and anxiety. There were others who freed me from all the responsibihty of life. I had nothings to interfere with my enjoyments, and so it was a sort of ro- mantic, poetical life; unreal, I admit, yet I enjoyed it. Then I owed much to the associations and the friends of my boyhood at that period. On a visit to Athens, many years after, I found this impressed upon me (although I had kno^-n it before), that nothing stands still in this world. The little town had become a city. City customs had en- sued. Boys and girls whom I had known and loved had re- moved from the old town, or, if they still remained, had become changed into busy, thoughtful heads of famihes, merchants, la^syers, physicians, politicians, mothers, and fathers, with new cares pressing upon them, the old ro- mance of hf e gone forever, besides the fact that a multitude of strange faces met me on the streets, on the campus, and in all the thoroughfares. So I concluded that my Athens was " clean gone forever ! " Henceforward, as to local at- tachments, I have felt like a sb'anger and a pilgrim on earth. I have had homes, happy homes, elsewhere and in after times ; for with me it is true that " 'Tis liorne where'er the heart is; " yet, I have known of no such local attachments at any place as those existing towards the Athens of 1819-'29. My mode of life during the six months or more after my graduation, until my removal to South Carolina, was rather 184 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. desultory and inactive. I read some history; I visited oc- casionally; made a trip or two to Willington on business, and was more or less unemployed. The subject of my future occupation in connection with the business of making- a liv- ing, or exerting useful influence, had not presented itself to me for serious consideration. I remember that, at one time in my youth, there was an impression prevalent in our family, — and I shared in this impression to some extent, — that I was to be a preacher. It was but a transient im- pression, however, and I have no doubt that, in the view of my parents, "the wish was father to the thought," and I think it was soon laid aside and abandoned by them all ; I know it passed away from my mind, nor did it return for long years afterwards. It was once suggested to me by one of my brothers that I should study law. But that profession offered to me no attractions at all, and the suggestion made no impression ivhatever on my mind. I am thankful now that I never liad inchnation in that direction. About this time I recall an occurrence, that some might consider merely casual, and so it seemed then to me. It, however, I have since thought, settled the question of my destination in part it least. My teacher, Mr. Dobbins, who was also my first cousin, and my eldest brother, James (both ^professional teachers), were vis- iting at my father's, during my unemployed time after graduation, and in the course of the conversation the ques- tion was asked by one of the visitors, addressed to my father: ""What are you going to make of John?" To which he promptly replied: "A teacher." They both gave the opin- ion that he '^ would do better to put me to the plough," (i. e.) make a farmer of me. But he w^as immovable. The ground of theii* expressed opinion, as well as I recall it, was that the management of boys in that age had become a matter of very great difficulty. My father said nothing more to me on the subject at that time, but he had it aU. Adopts the Professioii of Teacher. 185 arranged in his own mind, and it was decided, not only that I was to be teacher, but the x^lace of my first efforts in that line w^as even then fixed, no doubt. It became known in some way that teaching would be my occupation, and an application came for my sei'vices from an insignificant little X)lace, called Mallorysville, on the direct route from Athens to Willington. It was a very small, miserable place, more famed for being a resort for those who were fond of the saloon than for anything. To this place I w\as invited to go and take charge of the town-school, with a salary of four hundred dollars and board as my compensation. But my father strenuously objected to the plan, and I think wdsely. His reasons for his decision were my youthful age, and the undesirableness of the society. The world moved on, time passed away in the usual mo- notonous manner until February, 1830, when, all needed preparations having been made, leave-taking public and private having occurred, the family, consisting of my father, mother, younger sister, brother William and his newly-mar- ried wife {nee Miss HilHard), with myself, left Atbens, and in due course of time were all domiciled once more upon the soil that we had abandoned ten years previously, and which gave the most of us birth. CHAPTER Y. First School. — Death or my Mother. — Country Life. — A CoLUEGJar Associate. — My Habits. ON our settlement once more at old Willington, after our long exile from its familiar scenes, the first object before us was to engage in some occupation adapted to our present circumstances and surroundings, each in his own specialty. My father arranged his preaching appointments at Willing- ton and Eockj River; he superintended and directed the buildings, and prepared to carry on his farming operations, making the needed efforts to ensure a comfortable living. My brother William, who, in his filial devotion to his mo- ther, had given up a prospect of lucrative practice of his profession in Athens, in order to attend her in her last ill- ness and mitigate her sufferings as far as possible, was just beginning to establish himself as a physician in the neighbor- hoodo I, too, was now to assume the office of a teacher for the first time, and accordingly on Monday morning, March 1, 1830, I made my debut as a pedagogue. The room used for the purposes of the school had been once occupied as a store, and afterwards as the office of a physician of the olden time of Willington, who had long passed away. It was in rather a dilapidated condition, but was soon j)ut in condition to answer the purpose of a school-room. It was located im- mediately on the great market road to Augusta, Ga. Here I began a career which, with a short interval, I have prosecuted as my main life-work during a period of more than half a century. Better and more convenient arrange- ments for the school-work were pro^dded in due course of time, and in a few years after, a respectable house was 186 FmsT School and Pupils. 187 erected at another place iu the neighborhood, as the number of students in attendance began to increase and the reputa- tion of the school was extended. During the first year of its existence the number of students was not large, and but few much advanced. I remember only one, however, who was ignorant of the first princij^les of English. He was a bright httle fellow, by name James Clay, and about him I have always remembered two things ; 1, He was the only pupil whom I ever taught to read. 2, He was among the very best readers I have ever known. Of the rest, there were three young men, all my seniors in age, and one of them seven years older than myself. The three were engaged in the higher branches of stud}-, and their names were respectively, James F. Gibert, David Willard, and Williams Truwitt. The first of these I prepared for the University of Georgia, where he was graduated in the class of 1834. Subsequently he finished his Theological course of study at the Columbia Seminary, and filled the pulpit of the Lebanon Church, near Abbeville, S. C, for many years with great acceptance and usefulness, and there he ended his life of toil in the ministry- only a few years since. David "Wil- lard, prepared himself to be a teacher, and, after spending some time with me, he went West and taught many years there, nor did I hear of him for ten years. About the year 1842, when I had established a High-schooi in Eastern Mis- sissip23i, as I was engaged in teaching, he entered the room. and announced himself as David Willard, my former pupil at Willington. He had grown c[uite gray, in old bachelor- hood, and proposed to me to become a pupil of mine again. After giving an outline of his history from the period of our separation, he stated that he had lost several good schools by reason of his ignorance of Theoretical and Practical Sur- veying, and that the object of his present visit was to get from me the necessary instruction in that department. He remained with me for some time, and as that subject was 188 John L. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. one I had been teaching, and in which I then had a class of students, he entered the school and soon mastered the sub- ject, and "went on his way rejcicing." The third of these students of my first school was ^yilliams Truwitt, who became a merchant, and settled in Mobile, where I met him once at least, if not more than once. I have lost sight and knowledge of him. If I mistake not as to the time, it was in the year 1831 that I had three very small boys, who came over from Lincoln County, Ga., just beyond the Savannah River, whose names were Da\dd Remson, Jackson Currj-, and Jabez L. M. Curry. Of the history of the first of these I have no knowledge; he was a fine manly orderly boy at school. The second was graduated at Athens, Ga., in the Olass of 1842, and died in the service of the Confederate States. The third is the distinguished Jabez Lamar Mon- roe Curry, who w^as graduated also at Athens in the Class of 1843, and has filled with such phenomenal success many of the highest and most responsible positions in the United States. I must be permitted just here to be somewhat personal, without being chargeable w'ith egotism. I have already stated in a preceding chapter that I passed through col- lege wdth a respectable standing as a student, and I have tried to show that the kind of application expected and demanded of a teacher was of a character totally differing in degree from that w^hich might be admitted in the case of a college student. Of myself, I may say that I never had known what genuine, close appHcation to study was until I began to teach. I found in myself a principle at the very outset which has acted upon me throughout my whole teach- ing Hfe as a stimulus to study. It was a di'ead of failure in the discharge of the functions of a teacher. This led to the formation of a resolution, which never lost its power over me, viz. : that I never should appear before a class in reci- The Teacher's Influence. 189 tatiou without having thoroughly mastered the subject beforehand. From this resohitiou it has been my unvary- ing purpose never to depart. I commend the practice to all •who undertake the great responsibility of training the j'oung mentally, as well as morally. I add the word 7noralhj be- cause of my deep conviction that the moral training of youth is inseparably connected with the mental instruction imparted. Furthermore, the moral character of the teacher, as he appears before his pupils day by day, is one of the most potent elements in the estabhshment of a proper influ- ence over them. This is what has been understood by the term "unconscious tuition." A teacher, therefore, who so far ignores his obligations as to allow himself to be found guilty of ignorance of the subject he professes to teach is thereby (by example) encouraging deception, or the attempt to deceive, and exposing himself to deserved contem23t of his pupils. As a general fact, no critics are so prompt and cor- rect in detecting such unworthy pretensions as those who are in the attitude of learners. A true teacher, of course, would prefer the reputation of being upright and honest to that of learning, and if he has committed an error in his instructions, will be the first to acknowledge it and to cor- rect it. But the safer plan to be adopted is always to j)re- pare himself thoroughly and minutely on every detail of the subject of instruction, so as to avoid the charge of professing to teach that of which he is ignorant. Perhaps this habit, in my case, might have influenced me to thorough prelimi- nary preparation in any other profession. But I am con- scious that it has exerted a wholesome influence over me aU through my career as a teacher, and that in this way I have been enabled to do better work, and that I have accom- phshed a greater amount of good for myseK and for others, than I could have done in any other department of human effort. But to resume my story, about a month after I had com- 190 John N. Waddel, D. D , LL. D. menced my labors as a teacher, I was awakened one morn- ing very early by a servant Tsith the intelligence that my mother had been violently attacked with one of the par- oxysms of her disease, and w^as worse than usual. It was the morning of the Sabbath, April 4th, 1830, a bright and lovely spring day. "When I entered her room she was walking about, leaning upon my father's arm, for such was her bodily agony that she could not recline upon the bed. All the absent members of the family had arrived except one, and were present to \N-itness her dying struggle. She was in constant pain, and could speak little and only in ejaculatory praj^er. She continued to w^alk the floor with- out our being able to relievo her in the least, until at last she became exhausted and was placed upon her bed. Yet even here such were her unutterable tortures that it was with difficulty she could be kept in bed by two of us, and, after at least eight hours of mortal agony, she sank back and died in m}' arms. She was about fifty-nine years of age. She was the daughter of Jesse Pleasants, of Powha- tan county, Va., and there she was born. This was my first great sorrow. My father was not demonstrative to his children, but he doubtless felt a warm affection for them all. But none of us ever doubted the deep and absorbing tenderness of her love for us. Oh, how dark did the world aj^pear to me on that bright Sabbath day ! Gloom for the time settled down upon the futm-e, and I felt as I had never felt before, but as I have often felt si?ice, that life's charm for me was fled forever ! We buried her in the grand and beautiful old oak grove around the church, and there we left her to sleep in Jesus till the resurrection morn. She Hved to see all her children grown and three of them mar- ried. During her married life no death had occurred in her immediate family. Soon after her death there was a general dispersion of the family. Dr. WilHam W. ATaddel, the thu'd son, having accomphshed the end for which he A Reconcilia-tiox. 191 liad accompanied the family to WilliDgton, viz., to attend upon our mother as long as she required his attention, felt, under the circumstances, that it was no longer obligatory on him to sacrifice what he believed to be his professional interests by buiying himself in the country in a region already supplied with physicians. He returned to Athens and made that his home. My sister Mary Anna accom- panied him, and spent some time with his family and other friends. My elder sister returned to her home in South Georgia. My brother, Rev. I. W. Waddel, returned to his field of labor in Georgia. My father was absent from home a great deal of the time. I was left alone, with no white person to break the solitude, except the housekeeper and her son, a boy of nine or ten years of age. It was a lonely sort of life to which I was consigned, and my only resource, when not employed in teaching or studying, was in receiv- ing and answering letters from my friends and classmates abroad. I think it was during this year that a college friend, George McDuffie Vance, between whom and myself quite an intimacy had grown up at Athens, came and took up his abode in the neighborhood. He was a nephew of Hon. GeorgG McDuffie, and came to reside with his uncle at Cherry Hill, his beautiful country seat, which was only a mile distant from my father's residence. Unfortunately, dm-ing our college course, a society collision had occurred between us, and we had not spoken, nor had we held inter- course with each other, for about two years previous to his time of arrival. The embarrassment into which we were thrown by a constant habilit}' of meeting, and yet forbidden by pride to exchange words even of social com-tesy, induced in us the consideration of a more rational method of H\dn"- o "UTiether or not I should ever have made the initiative of a reconciliation I do not know. It would have reflected no discredit upon me at all as I now review the matter, but as 192 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. I remember the origin of the case, I was not the aggressor. Still not a vestige of ill-feeling or enmity had ever been cherished by myself toward him. Time is a gentle and soothing healer of womids inflicted in such contests. Ac- cordingly, my surprise was a very agreeable one when one day, as I sat in my school-room, a servant rode up and handed me a note from George to this effect : "Deak Sir : We are placed in an awkward position rela- tive to each other, living in the same neighborhood, and constantly thrown together without intercourse. I assure you that I have never suffered my feehngs to become embit- tered towards you in any degree. If, therefore, you are willing to 'bury the hatchet,' and to meet me as a friend,. I should be glad to have you signify it by a note. George M. Vance." Of course, I gladly acceded to this frank and gentlemanly proposition, and w^e continued, ever afterwards, the most sincere friends, and his society tended very materially ta the mitigation of my loneliness. My first year's income amounted to something above $300 ; but really I needed little, as I paid no board expenses, Hving as I did at home. At this period of my life I w^as free from aspirations for great things ; I gave no thought to any greater position than was then assigned me, supposing that there was none such in reserve for me in the future. Perhaps I may best describe my condition of mind as one of quiescence. My morals were good. I taught five days in the week, studied hard at night, sometimes courted the Muses, visited to some extent; rode to the post-office occa- sionally, attended jDreaching, without receiving the impres- sion from it that was due ; admired the girls without falling in love with them, and so closed the year 1830, quietly and contentedly, if not profitably. CHAPTER YI. My Feelings and Views on the Subject of Eeligion. — My Fathee's Preaching, and my Views op it at that Time. — Some Notice of Me. McDitfie and Others of his Neighbors. IT is of some interest doubtless to my friends to know something of my iDersonal views and feelings upon the all-important subject of religion. I had reached my nine- teenth year; I was known to be a moral young man; had been religiously trained from my childhood ; and attended all the services of rehgious worship) within my reach. But I had never made a public profession of religion, and yet I do not think that I could be called a hardened sinner, and I am sure I was not habitually "walking in the counsel of the ungodly;" I never used profane language ; I never was intoxicated with ardent spirits; nor was I a brawler, or fond of controversy, either mental or physical ; nor did I ever descend to the lower' deeps of vice. Yet I look back with shame, and regret the facts of my history and character as they then existed. In the midst of all the precious oj)por- timities and advantages by which I had been surrounded during all my previous life, the truth is that I was a careless and indifferent sinner, nor do I beheve that I had ever been very seriously impressed upon the subject of religion. I remember that, during my childhood, I had a dream, re- peated more than once, that the judgment-day had come. This resulted, I think, from a catechetical exercise conducted by my father every Sabbath evening, in which all the chil- dren of the family and servants were taught a simj)le system of divine truth, the closing questions and answers of which, were as folio wa: 193 194 John N. Waddel, T>. T>., LL. D. *'QuES. "NMien will Jesus Christ come again?" "Ans. At the last day." '' QuES. ^Yhat will He come for?" "Ans. To judge the world." i "QuES. ^Yho will be judged?" "Ans. Men and devils." "QuEs. "Who will be on His right hand ?" *'Ans. The righteous." *' QuES. Who will be placed on His left hand ?" *'Ans. The wicked." " QuES. AYhat will He say to the righteous?" "Axs. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." ''QuES. ^Yhat will He say to the wicked?" *'Ans. Depart, ye cui'sed, into everlasting fire, x:)repared for the devil and his angels." My dream presented a view of this awful scene : the person of the Lord Jesus, sitting upon the clouds, with outstretched arms, with a long line of j)ersons on each hand! But in every repetition of the dream, I was condemned to the left hand, to my unspeakable terror. But though this feeling and impression was very dreadful for a time, it was soon banished, and did not prevent me from the usual enjoy- ments of careless childhood. I call to mind also the fact, that during my college life, when there occurred a meeting of more than ordinary interest in the community of Athens, and among the students, under the preaching of such liien of God as Eev. J. C. Stiles, Rev. S. S. Davis, and Rev. A. H. Webster, I went with others to the front seat in the chapel where the services were conducted, and signified in this way my desire to be prayed for by the people of God. But I was then not very deej^ly moved, or under conviction, as I have no recollection of going forward again. Another re- miniscence comes up, connected with this subject wmch will Indifference Toward Religion. 195 sliow my indifference to the matter of personal religion more clearly still. Some time after these meetings had closed, I was riding with my father out to a country chm'ch near Athens, known by the name of " Sandy Creek," where he sometimes preached, and he said to me among other things, that he had requested Eev. J. 0. Stiles to have a private conversation Avith me on the subject of religion, and that he had reported the result of that interview in these words, "He is bullet-proof!" The Doctor may have used language somewhat over- wi'ought, as his method of expression w^as always vigor- ous; but all he meant by it was that he had made no im- pression on me that he could perceive. He did, however, reach me to a greater extent than he supposed. I felt the effect of his conference, though it passed away for the time being, and the consideration of my spiritual state rela^^sed into quiet and untroubled indifference again, and I continued in the postponement of this subject for many years after. My father, on the occasion referred to, made no comment upon the case, save to express his surprise and deep sorroW' when the rej)ort was made to him of the result of the inter- view. So it passed. It may be here stated, by w^ay of antici- pation, that this noble and godly minister of Jesus Christ, Dr. Stiles, lived to meet me long j^ears after that fruitless interview, as a minister of the blessed gospel which I then declined in my folly to embrace. I have not given a full statement of some of the charac- teristics of my father's style of preaching, and it may as well be given here. I attended his preaching dming this period of my life, when I was more competent to judge of such subjects than I had ever been j)reviously. He was un- doubtedly a specimen of the old school of divines. He never wi'ote out his sermons in full. As I have stated in his hfe, he used skeletons entirely. But he was decidedly opposed to using a manuscript in the pulpit, and always spoke with 196 John N. Waddel, D. I)., LL. D. disapproval of the practice. I have never known any one who formed and aimed at a more elevated standard of the excellency of the Christian ministry than he did. I know also that he never for a moment entertained the thought that he, in his simple and unpretending methods, was any worthy illustration of his own ideal. The prominent char- acteristics of his preaching were simplicity, earnestness, di- rectness, and fidelity in presenting divine truth. He was always animated in his deliver}'', and seldom allowed him- self less than an hour for a sermon. His systematic divi- sion of his discourses, into the several topics which he deemed necessary fully to develop the meaning of his text, led to a ridiculous caricature of his style by heedless and in- attentive listeners among the waggish students of the Uni- ■versity during his Presidency. As he was in the habit of dividing the discourse into at least three parts, and these into subdivisions as was needful, he always used for the sake of perspicuity such words as ^'once inore,'' or, '^ again,'' and having exhausted a particular topic he used the word ^''finallyr Of coui'se he passed through the remaining heads or di\'isions in a similar method. The boys, there- fore, disappointed that, after using the word " finally," he still continued to preach on, wrote in large letters over the pulpit in the College Chapel, where he was in the habit of preaching, "/ do not wish to he tedious; once more, finally y and again!" He was often a listener himself, and to show the force of that habit of his teaching, of prompting a student who seemed at a loss for a word, I mention an incident that I witnessed, occurring on occasion of an afternoon service in the chapel. An excellent Methodist minister w^as preach- ing, and as he designed at a certain point in the sermon to quote our Saviour's denunciation of the cities wherein his mighty works had been done, he began by the expression of the first part, "Woe unto thee;" but there the next word His Father's Style of Pi.EACHiNa 197 seemed to have been forgotten, and he came to a full pause. The omission was immediately supplied by my father, "who in his deep voice uttered the word, "Chorazin," relieved the preacher, and he continued the discourse without farther interruption. The effect Avas somewhat startling, but cre- ated no disturbance or disorder in the audience whatever. His style was strictly didactic, without flowers or rhetori- cal display, using only the pure Anglo-Saxon, of which he was a master, and his illustrations were always plain and striking. To such auditors as loved exciting, sensational preaching he w^as not likely to be attractive ; yet his preach- ing always w^as full of the marrow of the gospel, and plain, devout Christian worshippers prized it as a precious privi- lege to sit mider his ministr3\ His custom at the countiy church of "Willington was to preach two sermons on the Sabbath during the summer season, with a suitable interval between the two discourses. Not infrequently the two were on the same subject, the afternoon sermon concluding the discussion. One remark may be added: Such preaching was eminently fitted to the instruction and building up of his people, or any church which had his services as a preacher. He was an Old School Presbyterian, thorough and unmistakable. He, at a very early period, discerned the signs of corruption in the church w-hich grew out of the plan of union of 1801, and I well remember how he was an- noyed by the periodical arrival by mail of a pamphlet called T]\e Home Missionary, edited by Absalom Peters, and then considered the organ of the New-School party. He was sound, judicious, and uncompromising in his or- thodoxy, and was one of the prominent landmarks of Calvin- istic theolog}' in those days. If any reader should be curious to know why a Presbyterian preacher so wddely known as he was holds no historical position among the men who were j^rominent in the great division of the church of the year 1837, it maj^ be sufficient to state the fact that it 198 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. ■was just at that juncture that, by the providence of the di- "vine Being who rules in the church and the world, he was brought into that state of bodily and mental weakness which ended his life work and withdrew him from all par- ticipation in public enterprise. I have said that my father's residence was within a short distance of the home of Hon. George McDuffie. This inade it the custom and the pleasure of this great man to attend on the services of the AYillington church. He was always present, when at home, during the first sermon, but invari- ably took his departure after that. Mr. McDuffie was never a member of any chui'ch, so far as I have ever heard. He was a very remarkable man. In common with many of our most eminent citizens, he was of very humble origin. The following statement is in substance, but somewhat abridged, the same with that found on pages 44-48 of a monograph by Mr. C. Meriwether, of Johns Hopkins University, fur- nished by him to the Biu'eau of Education, Department of the Interior. It is, in the form here given by me, simply a condensed extract " from an unpublished eulogy upon Mr. Mc- Duffie, by the late Hon. Armistead Burt, of Abbeville, S. C."s He received the elementary course of education — reading, writing, and arithmetic — sufficiently to qualify him to be a merchant's clerk in a country store, and he was emplo^'ed in that capacity by a Mr. Hayes, whose place of business was in Columbia county, Ga., some thirty miles from Augusta. He soon developed capacity for a larger business, and, on the recommendation of Mr. Hayes, he obtained a situation as clerk in the house of Calhoun & Wilson, in Augusta. Mr. Calhoim was a brother of the great statesman, John C. Calhoun, and Mr. "William Calhoun was another brother, who was a planter on the Savannah river, near Dr. Waddel's academy at AYillington. The latter having business fre- quently in Augusta, saw Mr. McDuffie in the family of his brother James, and being " prepossessed by his appearance, Hon. Geokge McDuffie. 199 and favorably impressed by the accounts given of liim by Hi-. James CaUioiin, Mr. William Calhoun took bun, ni 1810, to bis bome, wben be entered tbe Academy, in tbe twentietb year of bis age. He remained a student of Dr. ■Waddel's Academy until December, 1811, and was admitted into tbe Junior Class of tbe Soutb Carobna College, tben imder tbe presidency of tbe eminent Dr. Maxcy. He was graduated in 1813, "not only witb tbe first bonors of bis class, but witb a reputation tbat miglit bave satisbed tbe aspirations of genius and tbe bopes of toil." He rose ra- pidly at tbe bar, and was elected to Congress early in bis career, wbere be acbieved for bimsell in a very sbort time a reputation as a great orator and nationax statesman. His oratory was impressive, and, wben glowing witb bis tbeme, be was vebement. In bis argumentation be was profound and logical; in debate, and before a popular audience dur- ing an^'exciting canvass upon some of tbe "burning ques- tio'lia" and issues of tbe day, sucb as tbe tariff and tbe doc- trme of nullification, be was often terribly severe in bis de- nunciations wben tborougbly aroused. He was regarded zs tbe peer of Wilbam C. Preston and Hugb S. Legare, and it bas been said tbat " tbe annals of bistory, ancient or modern, bave no record of tbree men so endowed witb tbe divine gift of eloquence 131 any age or country at tbe same time and in tbe same locaHty on tbe stage of life." Tbe great tbeme wbicb absorbed tbe attention of tbe whole country, iNortb and Soutb, was tbe tariff, and in the discussion of it Mr. McDuffie set himself wdtb all his powers against it. He was one of tbe champions of State rights, of tbe Calhoun school, and when the State passed tbe ordi- nance of nullification, he was one of tbe leaders in tbat great pobtical conflict. Having been elected Governor of Soutb Carolina, he tm-ned his attention to tbe study of military science, w^as made major-general, and was instrumental in diffusug a great deal of knowledge, and inspiring a great 200 John N. Waddel, B. D., LL. D. degree of spirit into the general mass of tlie people. Mr. McDuffie was engaged in three duels with Col. Gumming, of Augusta, Ga., the grounds of which I never knew. In one of these encounters, he received his adversary's ball in his hi]), which was never extracted. He lost his health en- tirely, and became almost helpless. I have been told by Dr. Longstreet, the eminent judge, who j)resided over the University of Mississippi with eminent success, and after- w^ards over the South Carolina College, and who had been a fellow-student with Mr. McDuffie at Wilhngton, that he paid Mr. McDuffie a visit at his residence. Cherry Hill, in his last feeble days, and left him w^th the hope that he was a Christian. Mr. McDuffie was married to Miss Singleton, of the High Hills of Santee, who died shortly after mar- riage, leaving a daughter, who was aftei'wards married to Gen. Wade Hampton, and died. This is, as nearly as I can secure the facts, a brief sketch of the great orator's life. Others of the regular attendants upon my father's preaching ivere two men of wealth, as the term wealth was at that time api^lied, i. e., they w^re owners of large cotton plantations and were large slave-holders. These were Wm. Calhoun, Esq., and Gen. William A. Bull. Of the first gentleman I have a distinct recollection in my boyhood as being some- what advanced in life, and that he lived to be quite an old man. He was the oldest brother of John C. Calhoun, and the brother of my father's first wife. It has always been a source of gratification to us all, that there existed during my father's life a most cordial and uninterrupted social in- tercourse and friendshij) between the Calhoun family and our family. This was the case also with his and their de- scendants as long as they continued to reside near each other. The gentleman just referred to, Mr. Wm. Calhoun, was by no means a professing Christian, and made no pre- tensions of that kind. Yet he was a friend of my father, ., LL. D. my interest, and, by this intermingling of sorrow and dis- appointment, to turn my thoughts and hopes to a more en- during scene of action, and one that would not only contri- bute to make me happier, but introduce me to a higher sjDhere of effort, leading to permanent usefulness to my fel- low-men. During the summer I had made up my mind fully to enter the gospel ministiy, after prayerful delibera- tion and consultation with Christian friends, in whose judg- ment and experience I reposed full confidence. In passing, it was a source of gratification to me that this fact, commu- nicated to my aged father, would bring pleasure to him in his affliction, as I knew^ that long before this time he had cherished the wash and prayed that I might be called to the ministry, but for years past had given up all such expecta- tions. It was in the month of October of this jbslv (1839) that I attended a meeting of the Presbytery of Tuskaloosa in Liv- ingston, Ala., and placed myself under its care as a candi- date for the ministry. At this meeting Kev. A. A. Porter was also received as a candidate with m^'self. He was after- wards a prominent minister of the Southern church, and editor, for some years, of the Southern Presbyterian^ in Co- lumbia, S. C. Dr. Baker, Avho was then a member of Pres- bytery, was enthusiastic in the expression of his gratification on the reception of Mr. Porter, saying : *' Yes, Moderator, and a hundred more just such." I was directed to com- mence my studies at once. My literary course, as I remem- ber, was sustained, and I was required to prepare certain parts of trial for future examination. The parts assigned me on w^hich to prepare were: First, a Latin exegesis on some theological question; second, a critical exercise on 1 Tim. iii. 16, and a lecture on the fifteenth Psalm, and a popular sermon on 2 Cor. v. 21. All these, except the last, were prepared, submitted, and sustained at successive meet- ings of the Presbytery of Tuskaloosa while I resided in Ala- STUDYINa FOR THE !MlNISTEY. 231 bama. The remaining months of the year found me busily engaged in private study under the general instruction and guidance of Rev. Dr. Gray, and at the close of the year I ^as considerably advanced in my i^reparations. During a. portion of this time I was associated in study, as a fellow- student, with that devoted missionary to the Indians, Eev. Eobert Loughridge. I was never an attendant upon the instructions of any of our excellent theological seminaries, as I really felt that, as I was a man of family, I had amply suffi- cient reason for adopting the course of jDrivate study. I re- mained a citizen of Alabama during the year 1840, and at- tended the spring meeting of the Presbytery, but I am not certain that I attended the meeting in the fall. At all events, I had presented, as before recorded, all my parts of trial, except the popular sermon, and they were all sustained. Our third child, Elizabeth "Woodson Pleasants, was bom in 1840, and during this summer the exchange of our places for Mississipioi lands, mentioned already, took place. We made all the necessary arrangements, exchanged titles, gave possession, and effected our removal to Jasper county, Miss. CHAPTER XL A Visit to South Carolina, and Kemoyal of Family to Mississippi. — Business Settlements in Mobile, and an Inteeesting Incident There. — New Home. SOME ^particulars preliminary to my own departure must be recorded just here. I was recalled to South Carolina on business connected with the final settlement of my fa- ther's estate. Leaving the entire matter of the removal to "Mississippi in Dr. Gray's hands, all of which he superin- tended and successfully accomplished, I returned to South Carolina. I found matters easily and j^leasantly settled, and after no long delay there, I came back to Alabama. I of course found that everybody belonging to both families had gone to Mississippi, and strange faces now^ met me, as the place w^as in possession of new owners. The scene was sufficiently dreary by the contrast, and as soon as I could with convenience, I took boat for Mobile, our market town. Both my ow^n and Dr. Gray's cotton crops had already gone down to the city, and the agreement made before we had separated was that we should meet in Mobile. He was to go down from the new home in Mississippi and I from Greene county to make sale of cotton and ^^urchase family supplies. On my arrival in the city I found that, for some reason, he had been delayed, and was not there. I could not leave Mobile without meeting him, as we were to agree upon some matters there to be settled, and I was to return to Eutaw previous to my final departure for Mississippi, so I remained in Mobile about a week, awaiting his arrival. Owing to some unexpected complications in my business ■which I found in the city on my arrival, I felt the need of 232 Providential Leadings. 233 'Counsel, and the time passed slowly, and the week was one of extreme loneliness and discomfort. While thus detained, an incident of apparently an unimportant nature occurred, which seemed to have a bearing upon my future, and which really shed a ray of comfort upon my cheerless surround- ings. On one of those lonely days of waiting I was walking the street, and passing a reading-room, I stepped in to read the news of the day and to while away the heavy hours. In a Mississippi paper, that first attracted my attention by its name, I found the jom-nal of the proceedings of the State Legislatm-e, then in session. Inasmuch as I should be a citizen of that State, the paper very natui'ally claimed my special attention and interest. So I read on and found that it contained the action of the Legislature in locating the State University at Oxford, in the northern part of Missis- sippi. I have frequently referred to this incident, in con- versation with friends, as one that was undoubtedly con- nected with my future hfe, and in this way : I believe that my entering that reading-room on that occasion was under divine direction, and that my heavenly Father designed it mercifully as a means of temporary comfort to me under the gloomy shadows that were then resting upon me. It is quite probable, I think, that many, perhaps a majority of people, would i^ronounce it "a mere accident:' But I do not so interpret it. I am sure that the immediate effect upon me w^as to arouse my mind to the prospect of future usefulness in a sphere better adapted to my training and habits. Let me recall the fact that when my father de- cided so positively that he designed me for a teacher I ac- cepted the decision with reluctance, and it was with a feel- ing somewhat akin to aversion that I regarded that callino- yet, after entering upon it, and laboiing in it for several years, I became convinced that it was a work in which I could be useful, and I began to enjoy it. How I was led to abandon it for another occupation has ah'eady been related. 234 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. Now, just there, in that reading-room in Mobile, while see- ing only the announcement of the location of a school of learning, of which I not only had never heard, but of which I had never thought, I was conscious of the admission into my mind of the possibility that I might in some future day be connected with that institution. I admit that the thought, improbable as it may seem, and the realization of which was so doubtful, did convey to me at that time no inconsiderable degree of comfort. Still I knew full well that there lay out before me a long and dreary way to be traversed before I could emerge into light. Let me dismiss this incident now by remarking that, although it passed into a state of sus- pension in my mind, it was never totally lost, but as years passed on in m}^ career, it was occasionally revived by occur- rences that successively took place, and that, in their combined influence, matured the first suggestion into full realization. But to return. At length Dr. Gray arrived, and after consulting with him and others as to the best method of proceeding, I returned to the neighborhood of my former home, and ha^dng made satisfactory arrangements, after another trip to Mobile and back, I bade a final adieu to Alabama, and took my departure alone on horseback for Mississippi. After a ride of more than one hundred miles, and suffering no Kttle bodily pain from exposure and men- tal discomfort, I was permitted, " by the good hand of my God upon me," once more to embrace my beloved family, and, surrounded by all I held dear, I felt, for the time, free and independent of earthly trouble. I arrived in Jasper county, my future place of residence, on March 7, 1841, and after resting and looking about for a time, I employed myself in superintending matters of the farm and getting things in working order. The large body of lands for which we had exchanged our Alabama posses- sions, consisting of 2,550 acres, we found to be about what we had been led to expect. It was not so convenient to New Home in Mississippi. 235 market, but it was, mucli of it, quite fertile, aucl a very healthful location, which latter point was a special recom- mendation to us, after our experience in Alabama of exces- sive sickness in the preceding season. Our first care was to make an equitable division of the tract into two plantations, which was done to the entire satisfaction of all parties. As on the portion of the j)lace which fell to me there was no suitable dwelling, I proceeded to build, and in due time fin- ished a new and commodious house, which, though made of hewn logs, fui-nished us a very comfortable home dur- ing seven years and a half. It was a plain structure, but neat, and built in the style that was fashionable in the neighborhood. It is part of my history that will be impor- tant, in its connections with my future and subsequent life, that I endeavor to give the reader a concise description of that part of the country into which we had removed. None of us had ever taken up our abode in such a region as we found in the northwestern pai't of Jasper county, Miss. It was one of the eastern counties of the State, and at the time of our settlement it was distant from the State capital at least sixty miles. The nearest railway then in existence was the Vicksburg and Jackson road, and our intercourse, social and commercial, with that part of the country was kept up by private conveyance altogether over wretched roads, through swamps, and over hills. But the immediate region around us on our first arrival was in an extremely rude and uncivilized condition. For the first two years of our resi- dence there we were surrounded by Indians of the Choctaw tribe, who had not then been removed by the Government to their western destination. They were entirely harmless and friendly, and they were hired by the planters and farm- ers to cultivate and gather crops for simple wages, either of money or provisions. They w^ere miserably poor and squalid in their appearance, dress, and manners. So, also, while we h^d around us some exceedingly pleasant neighbors, yet 236 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. there were still residing there some, j^erhaps a good many, who were low and degraded in all their instincts and habits. Our predecessor in the place we now owned, a man of "wealth, and a Presbyterian by profession, had erected a very plain house of worship in the immediate neighborhood, which was used by the Methodists as a j^i'eaching station, as they are found the pioneers of Christian ci"silization almost ubiquitous. But very little respect was manifested by the inhabitants for religious institutions, especially the Sabbath. Hunting cattle and deer was the chief enjoyment of this class of the inhabitants, and visiting on business and pleasure were their chief occupations. But so much the greater need for work was the thought that pressed upon us all in our new outlook upon the surroundings. So, with a view to the spiritual needs of those families of the place, in- cluding our own, who earnestly desired the privileges of the church and the Sabbath, and also the hope of gathering the careless, thoughtless, and heathen around us to the benefits of the church ordinances, Dr. Gray commenced preaching in the house already mentioned. AYe had a small congrega- tion at first, but we soon succeeded in establishing a pro- mising Sabbath-school, consisting of his family and mine and those of the neighborhood who were already trained elsewhere. During the summer and fall quite an accession to our population was made by the immigration of respect- able citizens, and a very good church was organized, with two elders, of which I was one, and the name chosen for the church was Montrose. CHAPTER XII. Peosecution of Ministerial Studies. — Licensure by Presbytery op Mississippi, — Places of my First Years of Preaching. OUR removal from the bounds of tlie Presbytery of Tiiska- loosa made it necessaiy to connect ourselves with the Presbytery of ^Mississippi, into whose bounds we had re- moved. I kept up my theological studies as faithfully as was possible in private, my trials having all been passed and approved, save the popular sermon. Having obtained let- ters of dismission, we left home in September, and rode horseback across the country one hundred and twent}" miles, to Ebenezer church, in Jefferson county, where the Presby- teiy of Mississippi held its fall meeting. The venerable Rev. William Montgomery was the minister in charge of that church at the time. He has long since gone to rest,, and the church has been dissolved. Rev. Jeremiah Cham- berlain, D. D., presided as Moderator of Presb}i;ery at this meeting. He was then the honored and beloved President of Oakland College, afterwards brutally miu'dered. After my reception and examination on some final prehminary points, I preached my "popular sermon" on 2 Cor. v. 21, the subject being " The Doctrine of Substitution." I was then licensed (the Moderator presiding) as a probationer to preach the gospel. My first attempt in this solemn office was made in the chui'ch at home, Montrose, on the Sabbath succeeding my licensure, a church recently organized, where Dr. Gray preached regularly, save when absent on mission- ary work. My text was the sixth verse of the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, and my sermon was delivered from notes. I found no scarcity of fields for work, although there were 237 238 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. no organized cliurches in that destitute country immediately around us. The first place to which I was invited to preach was the town of Raleigh, in the adjoining county of Smith, near this place, in the country. I found several Presbyte- rians — the Curries and Campbells, one of the latter having been an elder in the State of his former residence. I occu- pied the court-house as a preaching place for the town and country people ; but the prospect of the organization of a church being by no means encouraging, and the congrega- tions continuing small, after a brief trial I abandoned the fi.eld. Years passed after that before there was any change in that place, but I find on the minutes of the Central Mis- sissippi Presbytery the name of a vacant church, Haleigh ; so I suppose there is such a church in existence in a feeble condition. A.bout this time I began preaching at a place in Newton county, distant about twelve miles north of my home. Here also were found Presbyterians, the Thompsons and McFar- lands, who had formerly resided in an older settlement where there was a Presbyterian church. Two efficient elders were made from this material, and here we were suc- cessful in collecting a sufficient number to enable Dr. Gray to organize a very good church, to which we gave the name Mount Moriah. It should have been stated that the churches in that re- gion, soon after om- settlement, had all been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Presbytery of Tombeckbee. This church is still in existence, after the lapse of more than forty years, but is reported vacant. After leaving Ealeigh, my first field, I was invited to a place some twenty- five miles west of my home, on the road to Jackson, in Smith county, and here we found promise of favorable results, and a church was organized there, with two elders. Col. Samuel Lemly, late of Sahsbury, N. C, and Mr. Wilham Broadf oot, of Fayetteville, N. C. To this church First Preachit>Tt Places. 239 we gave the name Mount Hermou. The material of which it was composed consisted j)artly of Presbyterians and partly of Lutherans, who, being* dej)rived of an organization of their own, united with our people. This union continued as long as I ministered to them. But in process of time a Lutheran minister came into the neighborhood, and the Lutherans rallied to their old standard, and a church was organized of that denomination. This circumstance, com- bined with a diminution of numbers by death and removal, resulted in the dissolution of the church ; and my informa- tion leads me to think that the few remaining members of the church were received into another church, called Tren- ton, not far from the old location. Among the churches of the Presbytery of Central Mississippi the name Mt. Hermon appears ; it, however, is not the same, as its location seems to be in Madison countv. For the years during- which I preached there I greatly enjoyed the association with that warm-hearted people, although my service to them required of me a trip of fifty miles twice in each month to and fro, and I have always felt thankful that I had reason to believe that into the Zion of the Saviour " this man and that man were born there." Thus I spent the first year of my minis- try, and the fruits of my humble labors in that sphere of effort, while unknown now, will be found recorded in the "Book of Eemembrance " in that day when the Lord shall *' number His jewels." It is needful now to collect some items of this narrative of a somewhat different nature, but which would perhaps have been out of place if recorded at an earlier period. Up to this point matters more private and personal have occu- pied my thoughts, but thej' were not without a material in- fluence upon those events which will be found, in their com- bination, to constitute the story of the most important years of a life now protracted beyond human allotment. My ar- rangements for preaching had all been made satisfactorily, 240 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. and I had all my Sabbaths occui^ied, and felt happy in my humble sphere to be employed, with some hopeful promise of usefulness, instead of living in comparative idleness. Yet I felt that I was under obligations to combine with my farm- ing operations some other occupation, so as to meet a rem- nant of unsettled claims still resting upon me, and to add something to my labors in useful work. CHAPTEE XIII. Establishm:ent and Obganization of Montkose AcADEisrr. — Its Peq-- GKESS AND IXFLUEXCE. — SuPPLY OF KeLIGIOUS DESTITUTIONS. Difficulties. I HAD kept in view, as one of the objects of oui' removal to Mississippi, the enterprise of estabhshing an indepen- dent Academy, or High School for boyft and young men. As I was "unknown to fame," and the location was appar- ently as unfavorable for such an institution as could be well conceived, the fu'st step toward such an object was ob\iously to make efforts for the pubHcation of the existence of the' school. Preliminary arrangements were in progress for this purpose during the first j^ear of our residence there, by selecting a spot for the location, and advertising for patro- nage from abroad, as success in such an undertaking could not be expected from the immediate neighborhood. All things having been thus made ready, in the month of Jan- uary, or thereaboutsyJL began operations with only nine pu- pils. It was a singular school in many respects. It was singu- lar in its location, in the mid woods, far from the centres of in- telligence and refinement. Of elements to build upon, it may be said to have been utterly destitute. It was with- out a board of trustees, or a doUar of endowment, or any extensive apparatus, or library rich in the treasui'es of learning, or imposing brick structures for its future opera- tions. But there was only the determination in the heart of one man, that by God's blessing a Christian institution should be ^^lanted side by side with the chui'ch, where the rising youth of the land should be trained for earthly use- 241 242 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. fulness and for tlie kingdom of heaven. These motives, with others, stimulated my efforts in this enterprise, and I trust I may add T\'ithout boastfulness, that in the subse- quent history of the school these expectations were in some degree realized. Let me particularize a httle. The school "was opened in a log building, which was used also for preach- ing pm-poses, and located on a gentle eminence, on the high- way of travel, distant two miles from my residence, in the midst of an extensive pine forest. At the foot of the slight hill on which the building stood, and sufficient!}^ near it, gushed forth a perennial spring of clear, chalybeate water. The house was sufficiently large to accommodate a good audience on the Sabbath, and was ample for all school pur- poses at first. But as the patronage of the school was steadily increasing, a very large log-house was erected close to this first building, and a second room was also erected on the other side of the larger house. This large house was designed for the accommodation of a congregation on the Sabbath, and in it the students assembled as a chapel for morning and evening prayer. This arrangement continued until the school had acquired such reputation as not onl}^ induced parents from abroad to send their children for in- struction, but others made settlements for the benefit of education. In process of time we were so encouraged by the prosperity of the school and the neighborhood as to erect, by subscription, an excellent two-story frame build- ing, to serve as a church and as an assembly hall for Com- mencement exercises. The want of funds caused a suspen- sion of work on the building, after it had been covered and weather-boarded, but it "was afterwards comjoleted by my successor, who settled at Montrose, and endeavored, unsuc- cessfully, to revive the school. During the period of my residence there the school prospered, and drew its patronage from western Alabama, eastern Mississippi ; from Meridian, Brandon, Jackson, and Vicksburg. The average attend- Montrose Academy. 243 ance, as I now remember, was seventy-five, the majority from abroad. The course of study covered all the English branches, together with the Classics and Mathematics, in- cluding Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensui'ation, Navigation, and Siu'veying, to the extent of the requisites for admission into the Junior Class in our Colleges and Uni- versities. I also induced the more advanced students to build httle stud^^-houses on the adjacent campus around the main building. Besides the course of study above outhned, a large element of Christian instruction was infused into the course. Every student was entered into a Bible Class, and required to recite on Sabbath in the church, and to attend preaching also. The school was daily opened and closed with 25i*ayer, and attendance upon this exercise was compul- sory. Frequent lectures were delivered to the student-body assembled on these occasions, in which I endeavored to pre- sent before their minds the rational expectation of their friends in regard to their future achievement of a noble life. I often quoted to theui the words of Arnold of Rugby, that it was not " necessary that the school should consist of thirty, fifty, or one hundred students, but that it should be composed of Christian gentlemen." It is true, no doubt, that of the hundreds of students who from time to time came to that school ignorant and vicious, a proportion may have left having received little benefit ; yet I am very thank- ful to be able to say, that many who came in comparative ignorance and with unsettled morals, left infinitely benefited. Students were there prepared for Oakland College and for the University of Mississippi, who were graduated with dis- tinction. Others became ministers of the gospel, settling ia Louisiana and Texas, and all were honored and beloved members of their respective Presbyteries. It is not too much, moreover, to claim, as a very important collateral benefit resulting from the estabhshment of Montrose Acad- emy, that its success taught the people of the region around 244 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. just what could be accomplished by persistent individual effort and enterprise. This was the first academy of the kind ever organized in Eastern Mississippi, and after a few rears similar schools sprang into existence all over that countiy. Our annual exhibitions and examinations were attended by immense crowds, coming not only from the im- mediate vicinity, but from distant parts of the State. On these occasions distinguished gentlemen from abroad came, on invitation, and delivered annually eloquent addresses, and the school reached a very high reputation throughout the land. To illustrate the animus of this school two incidents may be related. AVhile in its most flourishing state, a meeting of the Presbytery of Tombeckbee was held at Montrose church, and a gracious outpouring of the Spirit followed the exer- cises. Deep impressions were made upon the students, and there were quite a nmnber who made profession of religion. Of this number I recall one who, although of a Baptist famih', was desirous of joining the Presbyterian Church. I assured him that there could be but one objection to his j)roposal, viz. : that it might not be agreeable to his parents, and advised him to consult them, and take the coui'se they might suggest. This he did, and as they preferred that he should become a member of the same church with them- selves, it was settled agreeably. These parents were par- ticularly gratiiied at the course pursued, and they proved to be very warm friends of the school. The other incident w^as as follows: The only objection ever made to the regulation that every student must stud}^ the Bible, proceeded from a gentleman of Alabama, who made it a condition of his patronage, that his son should be excused from this rule. On my declining to accede to his j)roposal he withdi'ew his son. My corps of assistant in- structors in this school were, at various times, Mr. Joseph Denison, Mr. Henry Sturges, and Mr. J. Cowart. The fii'st Religious Influence. 245 of these gentlemen was a Nova Scotian, I tliink, a most ex- cellent teacher in the English department ; the second was a graduate of Princeton College; the third was a graduate of Oakland. I am imable to give the subsequent history of any one of them. It will be admitted that the number of teachers was quite sufficient to meet the duties required, without overburdening our strength, and to avoid neglect or injustice to the classes by attempting to instruct too many at once. In a word, we endeavored to do our work faith- fully and conscientiously. Within two years after our settlement at this place, Dr. Gray received a call from the church at Vicksburg, and re- moved to that city in 1843. This induced a change in my movements, so far as to divide my j^reaching labors between Montrose and Mt. Moriah churches, giving to each two Sab- baths in the month, and this arrangement continued in force for the remaining period of my residence there. Yet such was the great destitution of rehgious privileges throughout that entire region, as to require my services fre- quently in ^dsiting vacant churches, and preaching as much as my engagements would admit. For a part of this time, two young brethren, Messrs. Gilchrist, of the Northwest, and Anderson, of South Carolina, were engaged to supply those vacancies, but they did not remain very long, as there was little to encourage them. Thus my labors in those years, both in the pulpit and in the school-room, were not scant nor light, left alone as to human aid. I led a life of toil, and was content to yield myself to the inevitable priva- tions of this condition of things, mmgled as it was with many blessings. Yet I have reason to doubt whether I have ever, in later years, and in more eligible and elevated posi- tions, been instrumental in the hands of God of accomplish- ing more for the benefit of my fellowmen than in that land of destitution. CHAPTER Xiy. MOEE SOEEOW. — InCOKPOKATION OP THE BOAKD OF TeUSTEES OF THE Univeksity of the State. — Proceedings of the Boaed. — Coming Events Foreshadowed. MATTERS wore on in this way without essential modifi- cation until the year 1848, which closed my term of public service in the eastern part of Mississi^^pi. I recur, however, to the period intervening between 1843 and 1848^ to relate events which occurred at intervals during the pass- ing of those five years. Our little circle had been added to by the arrival, on Sep- tember 28, 1842, of a beautiful little boy, to whom his mother gave the name John Newton. It pleased our heavenly Father to permit us the enjoj^ment of his infant life for four short j-ears, when He took him to Himself, and so again, after the lapse of seven years of exemption, our home was shrouded in deep gloom. The only other family events to be noted in this interval are the addition of two other boys, George Robertson, in 1844, and John Gray, in 1847. I pass on again to matters of public interest. In 1843 the Senate of Mississippi proceeded to incorporate the University by chartering the Board of Trustees. In the se- lection of the members of the Board, besides the fancied or real possession of some fitness for the office, the Senate was guided by what was regarded as good policy, the appoint- ment of the trustees from various sections of the State as representatives of the people on the Board, so that the en- tire body of the citizens of the State might become more interested in the University. In connection with this action of the Senate, let me call attention to what seemed to me a 246 The University of Mississippi. 247 -co-incident event of private interest, though of a public na- ture. On a certain day, as I stood in the doorway of the Academy building, I observed the Hon. Simeon E. Adams, the senator from the county of Jasper, passing, on his re- turn home after the adjournment of the Senate. Being a personal friend, he called and informed me that the Senate had appointed me a trustee of the University, to represent the eastern part of the State. This information at once re- vived the latent incident of the Mobile reading room, which occui-red in 1841, and which I had not brought up before my mind for two years. It seemed a sort of confirmation of my mental vision foreshadowing the anticipated connec- tion of myself with the University. The simple fact of my having received this appointment, wholly imexpected, wholly unsolicited by me, without the slightest effort on my part,, seemed to me a verification of the fleeting vision which passed before my mind at the time referred to. I felt now that I was approaching something more eligible than my existiuGf environments woiild have warranted, and that this was evidently the first step in my onward progress toward the goal of my aspirations. No one who studies and reads carefully the dealings of divine Providence in oiu' hves can, doubt for a moment that He sometimes — nay, if we were inteUigent observers, always — permits " coming events to cast their shadows before." I certainly so interpreted this coincidence. The event w^hich I saw foreshadowed or embodied very clearly before me then was that I should one day occupy a position in the Faculty of the University. Re- viewing the past now, after facts have been made known, and combining the various cotemporary points of my history then transpiring, it seems to me that every obstacle that might have prevented this issue was providentially removed. Calls for my services as a teacher were laid before me at that time, one to a professorship in AVashington College, Tenn., and the other to a Presbyterial Academy in Alabama; 248 John N. Waddel, D. D , LL. D. T^ut althougli pressed upon me from respectable sources, cir- cumstances combined to prevent my consideration of them with any view to acceptance. I even had a corresj)ondence with a very prominent minister of Alabama upon the subject of a candidacy for a chair in Oglethorpe University, and this was, in my estimation, a very attractive position. But as I was not prepared to allow my name to go before the Synod of Alabama as a candidate, and as that body would not elect on an uncertainty, I was not elected, although I received a considerable vote. So I remained in control of Montrose Academy, as seemed to be the will of Providence. In the meantime, the trustees met and organized themselves for the work before them. I was not present at that meeting ; but subsequently other meetings were held to arrange pre- liminaries. I received official notice that such a meeting would be held in Oxford in April, 1847, and although my residence was distant from that place some two hundred miles or more, without any such conveniences as railroad or even mail-coach transportation, I resolved to attend. I performed the entire journey on horseback, and my long ride was ac- compHshed, in great measure, alone, through a wild and desolate region of country. This was my first attendance upon the deliberations of the Board after my appointment as a trustee. I was the bearer of letters of introduction to gentlemen of Oxford, jind among them I met a cordial wel- come from Dr. Z. Conkey, an elder of the Presbyterian Church, with whom I made my temporarj^ abode. The subjects of business which came before the Board were many details not needful to record, but I allude to only one now: the course of instruction to be pursued. I was appointed chairman of a committee to draw up a re- port on that subject, to be presented at a subsequent meet- ing of the Board. Here I met for the first time those trus- tees of the Universit}^ present at that meetin.q-. Among them were Hon. Jacob Thompson, member of Congress for Ordained to the Ministry. 249 ■many years; Col. Thos. H. Williams, who had been the bond-paying Democratic candidate for Governor in the days of repudiation ; Col. Brown and Judge Howry, and other names not now remembered. I remained until after the Sabbath, and preached twice in the Presbj-terian church, and thus made my first appearance in the place which then, all unknown to us, was to be my home during eighteen j'ears of the future. I omitted to state at the proper time, that at a meeting of the Presbytery of Tombeckbee, in Columbus, Miss., on the 23d of October, 1843, I was set apart to the full W' ork of the gospel ministry ; so that in my case two years had been spent in study as a candidate, and two j-ears in preaching as a licentiate, or probationer, for the minis- try. My ordination sermon was preached before the Pres- bytery on the text, Eoman v. 1.; the doctrine discussed being " Justification by Faith." I attended another meet- ing of the Board as a member in the following January, 1848, in Jackson, during the session of the Legislature. By this time progress had been made in ^preparation for the opening of the institution, but still much remained to be done. On that occasion there were present of the Board, Hon. Wm. L. Sharkey, the most distinguished jurist of the State; Judges E. C. Wilkinson and Pinckney Smith, Hon. Isaac N. Davis, and some others. The report of the pre- viously ajopointed Committee on the Course of Study being in order, and no member of that committee except myself being present, Messrs. Smith and Wilkinson were placed on that committee to act with me. I had already, durinc- the interval of the meetings of the Board, prepared carefully this report, and had it ready for action by the Board. I called the newly appointed committee together that I might submit it to their consideration previous to its final discus- sion. On my reading it to this committee, verj' strenuous objections were offered by Judge Wilkinson to the adop- tion of the "Evidences of Chi'istianity '' as one of the 250 ' John N. "Waddill, D. D., LL. D. studies of the curriculum. AVith a mere statement of the fact that he objected to this item of the report, he proposed to postpone the further discussion of the subject until it should come before the Board. I read it the next day in full meeting, and at once Judge AVilkinson attacked that particular point, and we discussed the subject at some length, without reaching any decision, and the further de- bate was arrested, being placed on docket for consideration at the next meeting, to be held at Oxford in July follo^sdng. It was also determined that, at that meeting, the Board should proceed to the election of a Faculty, and a time should be set for the regular opening of the University, and the installation of the officers. I decided in my own mind, after this meeting, to become a candidate for the Professorship of Ancient Languages, and, accordingly, I tendered my resignation as a trustee. This was the last meeting of the Board at which I was present as a trustee. I resumed the duties of the Academy after the adjournment of the Board, and continued to teach and preach as usual until I was laid aside by a tedious ill- ness, which, for the time, disabled me. I dismissed the students somewhat in advance of the summer vacation, on this account. But the progress of events during the season brought about changes which induced me to close my enter- prise of teaching and preaching at Montrose, never to be- there resumed. CHAPTER XV. Election of the Facitltt of the Uxiyeksity. —Initiatory Difficttl- TiES.— Farewell Sermons. —Removal to Oxford, and Formal Opening. MY liealth continued feeble, so that I was unable to fill my 23ulpit from the 3rd of June to the 16th of July. After that I resumed preaching, and provided service for the churches to the best of my abihty. In the meantime the Board of Trustees convened in Oxford, according to appoint- ment, for the election of a Faculty. As I was now a de- clared candidate for a chair, I had made all arrangements pursuant to the presentation of my appHcation. I had pro- vided myself with letters of endorsement from Rev. Dr. Church, President of the University of Georgia, who had been Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at the time of my membership of that institution, and at my graduation, in 1829. I also had the favor of letters commendatory from Hon. "William L. Sharkey and Rev. L. J. Halsey, D. D., of Jackson, Miss. These, with one other similar document from a friend, constituting my credentials, were transmitted to Col. Williams, Secretary of the Board, and I made all my preparations to visit Oxford, and to be present during the election. I had even gone so far as to leave home on the journey, but I was again taken too ill to proceed, and re- turned home. The Board held their meeting, and engaged in the im- portant business of filling the presidency and the various professorships, according to pubHshed advertisement in the journals of the State. It proved to be a rather stormy meeting. There were three chairs to be filled besides that 251 252 JoHx N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. of President. I was informed by some one jDresent on the occasion that the names of one hundred and seventy-five or more candidates were presented for these four offices, viz. : For President, there were seventeen apphcants : for Chem- istry and Natural Philosophy, thirty -fve ; for Mathematics and Astronomy, /or ^y/-/>e oy fifty, and for the Ancient Lan- guages, enough additional candidates to make the above sum total. The discussion of two preliminary principles was insisted upon by Judge E. C. Wilkinson, viz., that the Evidences of Christianity should be excluded from the course of study, and, as an accompanying requisite to the full exclusion of this branch of study, no minister of the gospel of any de- nomination should ever be appointed to a chair in the Fac- ulty. In these two positions he was supported by another trustee, an avowed infidel, who, not being present, had dis- cussed them in a letter of fifteen pages, addressed to the Board, denouncing the whole Christian system, and resign- ing his seat on the Board. The ground of opposition to the Christian system and to Christian ministers was " the assumption that the Evidences could not be taught without embodying the distinctive tenets of some one of the churches of the land, and that every minister would inevitably teach his own creed." Fui'thermore, it was argued by these gen- tlemen, that as the University was the property of the State, and not of any sect or party, the people of all descrij^tions had a right to forbid any propagation of religion that would not be universally acceptable. " It was manifestly improper that such things should be permitted, and this would be unavoidable should ministers of the gospel be eligible to professorships, or should the Evidences of Christianity form part of the course of study." I have in my possession, to this day, a letter from one of the wisest and most influential, and most devoted members of the Board, who participated in this election, bearing date The University of Mississippi. 255 July 19, 1848, stating the following" facts: "One member of the Board resigned because the ' Evidences of Chris- tianity ' formed part of the curriculum, and in his letter of resignation made a long and heavy assault upon rehgion." Again he adds, "Another trustee followed this letter "with an assault upon the ministry." Such was one of the difficulties which then j)ressed upon the University in its infanc3\ Like all great enterprises, under similar circumstances, this institution has been beset, at intervals, with difficulties thi'ough its entire career. The foregoing discussion w^as held in public, and many of the influential citizens of the town, as well as of the surround- ing country, were present and heard the debate. Among them were members of the various Christian churches, who viewed the entire meeting and the discussion with senti- ments of the strongest disapproval, and such was the indig- nation aroused in the community, as to result in a decided re- action before the close of the election. There can be no doubt, however, that the assaults referred to above had exerted some influence upon the minds of members of the Board, although they were not successful to the extent de- signed, and hoped for, by those who made them. Thej- proceeded with the election, and balloting in great earnest- ness continued day after day until Friday, with interrup- tions occasionally for interchange of views. Col. WiUiams, Secretary of the Board, the friend to whom I had intrusted my credentials, wrote to me afterward, giving me the state- ment that before the day arrived for the election of a Pro- fessor of the Ancient Languages, for which chair I was an applicant, he had, by some means, lost my papers, and his only reliance for my success was personal advocacy of my claims. The first election was, of course, for the office of President, for which there were quite a number of candidates. I know the names of but two, and of these only as being the two most prominent before the Board. These were Hon» 254 John N. ^yADDEL, D. D., LL. D. A. B. Longstreet, once so eminent in Georgia, as a jurist and a writer, an editor of an influential political journal, and President of the Emory College at Oxford, who had also become a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In his palmy days in his own State I regarded him as among the most eloquent orators I ever heard. I know, however, that he was not a candidate for the office on this occasion, and was voted for by his friends from their con- viction of his preeminent qualifications. The fact of his ministerial character, it was understood at the time, defeated liim. His successful oj^ponent was George F. Holmes, then Professor in the College of ^Yilliam and Mary, in Virginia. Mr. Holmes was furnished with most flattering testimonials of accomplished scholarship, and has held a chair of import- ance since in the Faculty of the University of Virginia. He was not a minister of the gospel. After some distinct bal- lotings he was elected. He was not known to any of the Board, and, at this time, he was about twenty-eight years of age. He was not present on the occasion. The second professorship filled was that of Mathematics and Astronomy. The Board, by a majority, out of many opponents, elected Albert Taylor Bledsoe, a native of Ken- tucky, and at the time of his election a citizen of Spring- field, 111. He was a graduate of West Point Military Academy. His age was thirty-eight. He was j)i'esent. The Board then proceeded to select an incumbent for the chair of Chemistry and Natural Philosox^hy. After several ballotings the choice fell upon Professor John Milliugton. He was also at the time a Professor in William and Mary College. He was far advanced in life, but eminent for scien- tific attainments, and universally beloved for his amiable traits. The fourth election, which did not occur until Friday, was decided, on first ballot, in favor of myself, for the chair of Ancient Languages. I was then residing in Jasper county. Election to Professorship. 255 Miss,, a native of South Carolina, and a graduate of the TJniversity of Georgia. I was, at the time of my election, in my thirty- seventh year. It was the only office for which I had ever been a candidate before, and I am thankful to be able to say that I have never presented my name formally as a candidate for any office at any subsequent period of m}' life. I will dismiss this topic just now for the sake of explain- ing a matter connected with my election. "WTien I received from the secretary of the Board, Col. WiUiams, the official notification of my election, I learned that the title of the chair I was expected to fill was " Professor of Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French, German, and Spanish ! " No sooner had I read this statement than I at once decided to decline the office, and I wrote to the secretary to that effect, and asked an explanation. In his reply, he wrote that I would not be €xpected to give instruction in any languages except Greek and Latin. He gave as the reason for the addition of the other names to the title of the professorship that the Board desired to have it publicly understood that a Department of Language was contemplated in the system of instruction when complete, but that the amount of available means at the control of the UniTersity was as yet inadequate to admit of such an extension. Furthermore, they wished me to un- derstand that I would be expected and required to fill only that part of this chair that called for the ancient languages of Greek and Latin. This being understood, I immediately began my preparations for removal from Montrose, and for making my future field of labor in the University, and my home in Oxford. One of my first cares in leaving that re- gion of country was to endeavor to obtain the services of some approved and devoted minister for the churches I was about to leave. I secured the presence of Eev. Joseph B. Adams, who had been long known to me as a minister of the Presbyterian Church, a resiDCcted member of the Pres- bytery of Tuskaloosa, to assist me at a communion meeting 25G John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D, at the cliurch of Montrose. The congregation were pleased with him, and in due time he was invited to that and to some other church. He came, and I felt glad and thankful that this destitute and thinty-settled part of the country would still be supplied with the preaching of the gosj^el. I paid farewell visits to several of those more distant points to which I had from time to time been giving my services dur- ing my residence there. It is to me a gratifj^ng fact that the churches I had been supj^l^ang have never been entirely vacant since I left them, although they were, in regard to this world's goods, not by any means rich. I knew that there were i)eople of God there, "rich in faith, and heu-s of the kingdom." I preached farewell sermons to the white members of Montrose church, and a separate one to the colored iDCOj^le. I also took leave in the same way of Mount Moriah church on the last Sabbaths of my abode in Jasper county. Pre^dous to my departure I executed to the- elders of the Montrose church, as trustees, a title-deed to the eighty acres of land on which the chui'ch and Academy buildings had been erected, conditioned upon its being -pre- served for the benefit and use of the Presbyterian church forever, in connection with the Old School General Assembly. I CHAPTEK XVI. General Educational History of Mississippi. PROPOSE to i^ause at this i^oint, and suspend the on- ward course of the narrative in order to introduce an account of the earher movements of the State of Mississippi in the great work of education. This is appropriate to my relation to the subject at the time now undergoing review, as I was a citizen of the State, and not only so, but a prac- tical educator also, and, in addition to these two particulars, I was for eighteen years afterwards connected with the State University. The general remark may be made, by way of introduc- tion, that among the matters entitled to the serious consid- eration of a new State, the education of her peo2:>le stands in the front rank of importance. It is not more true of Mississippi, however, than of other States at their organiza- tion, that comparatively little is accomplished in this grand department of human progress, compared with what is done in those interests that are purely material. It may proba- bly be attributable in some measure to the character of our people, always energetic and enterprising in the direction of that which is practically progressive, and which addresses itself to their more palpable interests. We are not a staid,, not strictly a conservative people. While older nations look well to the foundations upon which to erect their national enterj)rises, and are unwilling to move until every point in their future progress is outhned and thoroughly matured and fixed, based upon solid and substantial supports, the American rushes to conclusions and grasps after results, little recking what is behind him, and as little caring for in- 257 258 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. tervening opposition. The subduing of the forests and re- ducinof of the soil to cultivation, so as to render the country habitable, and to prepare the way for human civilization, are the objects first contemplated by the American settler of new regions. The j)ioneers of Mississippi formed no ex- ception to this rule. Yet there remain on record abundant evidences of the fact that, at a very early period after the country came into possession of the United States, a disposi- tion to encourage education was developed among the peo- ple of the territory. In the year 1802 Jefferson College, near Natchez, located at ^Yashington, was founded, and in 1803 an entire township of land was granted by Congress for its support. In 1812 Congress jmssed an act for the location of those lands. In 1820, three years after the ad- mission of the State into the Union, the Legislature of Mis- sissij^pi granted to the College a loan of $4,000. It has been a useful institution, but has never attained very high position as a College. The record of the State, however, is honorable, since in the early period of her organized exist- ence, from 1798 to 1848, there had been established one hundred and ten institutions of learning, under the various names of Universities, Colleges, Academies, and Schools, ex- clusive of schools founded upon the sixteenth sections of public lands, proving that an entire neglect of the educa- tional wants of the people has not been prevalent in her past liistor3\ Still, our gratification in the statement of this fact is subject to some abatement by the consideration that the history of these various institutions, in the majority of cases, has shown them to have been inefiicient. Of course, we ex- cept from this last remark that noble old monument of the Christian zeal and generosity of the Louisiana and Missis- sippi Presbyterians, '• Oakland College," which, until de- spoiled by the ruthless hands of savage soldiery, had wrought so grandly in the service of the church and of the State during thii'ty years or more, in filling the pulpit, the Education in Mississippi. 259 bar, and the honored circles of social and professional life with its alumni. It must not be forgotten, in this connec- tion, that althcugh Oakland, as a college, after winding up her great work, passed away, she made a bequest of the remnant of her estate to a worthy daughter, " Chamberlain- Hunt Academy," which bears the hereditary honors, and promises already to reflect permanent credit upon her emi- nent ancestry, and to be one of the ornaments of the church and of the State. The College also of the Baptist Church, located at Clinton, is doing a noble work for that enter- prising denomination of Christians, which was begun early in the educational history of the State. The full history of these institutions is relegated as a task to others of more in- timate association with them, and who have enjoyed access to wider and more accurate sources of information in re^-ard to them. As to other efforts in the line of building up the educational interests of the State, they were mainly confined to private and local enterprise, and although, in many cases, unsuccessful, yet they were commendable ; they pointed in the right direction. Even if they did fail to achieve all that was desirable and enduring, it must be attributed, in j^art at least, to the state of the country. The first settlers of any countr}'- must always secure, as a primary necessity, the means of Uving. In addition to this, a new country is gen- erally crowded with adventurers, who come with golden visions of vast fortunes speedily to be amassed, and thus that attention which is indispensable to the success of edu- cation is directed to other objects not so worthy. CHAPTEE XYII. The Peepaeatoey Steps foe the Opening or the Univeesitt. — ■ Eeection of Buildings and Inaugueation Ceeemoisttes. THE initiatory steps in founding the University -were taken in 1819, two years after Mississippi had been ad- mitted into the "Union. By the liberahty of the Congress of that year an entire townshij) of the pubhc domain within the State, amounting to 23,040 acres, was granted to the State for the purpose of establishing a seminary of learn- ing. The title to this land was, by act of Congress, vested in the State Legislature, in trust, for the support of the in- stitution. We learn also, by further investigation, that the trust was accepted by the Legislature, and that, in pursu- ance of the spirit and intent of the act, " lands of great value" were selected by the State, and in due time thirty- five and one-half of the thirty-six sections were sold. Notes were taken of the purchasers with approved security, and deposited in the Planter's Bank in 1833 for collection. Several years thereafter, the first action was taken toward the axDplication of the fund thus accruing to the pui'j)oses for which the grant was designed. Commissioners had been appointed by the Legislature with authority to visit various sections of the State, and re- ceive proposals inviting the location of the University in their midst. In 1841, after some discussion of all the propositions, Oxford, in La Payette county, was selected, hj a majority of one vote, as the seat of the institution. The citizens of the town and county had purchased a section of land, and had donated it to the authorities of the Univer- sity as a site whereon to build. 260 Erection of Buildings for the University. 261 In 1844. the Legislature chartered the institution, under the following Board of Trustees : J. Alexander Ventress, Woodville, Miss. ; John Anthony Quitman, Natchez, Miss, ; "Williani L. Sharkey, Jackson, Miss. ; Edward C. "Wilkinson, Yazoo City, Miss. ; Francis L. Hawks, Holly Springs, Miss. ; Alexander H. Pegues, Oxford, Miss. ; Wm. Y. Gholson, ■ ; Alexander M. Clayton, Marshall county. Miss. , Jacob Thompson, Oxford, Miss. ; Prj^or Lee, Jackson, Miss. ; James M. Howry, Oxford, Miss. ; John J. McCaughan, Mis- sissippi City, jMiss. ; John N. Waddel, Montrose, Miss. Shortly after the act of incorporation, the Board pro- ceeded to organize themselves, as already recorded on a pre- ceding page, into a regular body, and commenced at once to discharge their important duties. The erection of the necessary buildings for the purposes of the institution wag the first object to be accomplished by the Board. Accord- ingly, contracts were entered into with an architect, who was engaged to superintend the work, after the ordinary advertisements published in the public journals, and me- chanics were employed. In the meantime, other matters demanding the close attention of the Board were in pro- gress, and other points were in need of settlement, so that the University should be prepared to begin its operations in all its functions simultaneously. While, then, the material for the buildings was being collected and put together upon such a scale as was deemed consistent with the important nature of the great enterprise, and the means at their dis- posal, the Board of Trustees found themselves pressed ■with other equally important subjects, viz. : The character and number of those who should be by them charged with the conduct, discipline and instruction of the institution, together with the outline and curriculum of the studies to be pursued in the University by those who should seek ad- mission into the University. I had dismissed my school in May or in June, on account 262 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. of protracted illness, and had become convalescent about the time of my election. After this I made all the preparations above mentioned, and took my leave of the country about the last of October. The exercises of the University were to commence on the 6th of November, and we arrived in good time to become settled for the work upon w^hich we were so soon to enter. The inaugural exercises of the Univer- sity consisted of an address by Hon. Jacob Thompson, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, delivered in the Lyceum, in the Chemical lecture-room, which, at that time, was the only j^ublic hall on the campus capacious enough to accommodate an audience of any considerable size. This was responded to by the President, George F. Holmes, in an elaborate ora- tion, a large and interested assembly being present. Thus organized, the Faculty and students were prepared to begin the practical discharge of their respective duties, but under many difficulties and inconveniences. In an interior town, remote from the great thoroughfares, and long before lines of railroads were established to any great extent, no text- books at all were to be obtained, and great delay ensued before this w^ant and that of other essentials could be sup- plied. In due time, however, the new machinery was fairly put into operation. The Board of Trustees seemed gratified with the promising prospects before the institution, the citizens welcomed the Facult}^ to their new residence among them, and quite a concourse of newly-arrived students made their appearance upon the Campus, prepared to matriculate. Such was the scene presented on the 6th day of November, 1848, by the various parties interested in the opening of the University. "We found, on our opening, that the necessary ar- rangements and buildings which had baen contracted for were now in readiness for partial occupation, and consisted of the fol- lowing ; The campus, which was of very great natural beauty, was located in the centre of the section of land donated by the citizens of the town of Oxford and the county of Lafayette. Arrangement of Buildings. 26a It began from a level spot facing east, and sloping gently and regularly for several hundred yards in that direction, and extending on the north and on the south to a sufScient space for a large and capacious circle, the circumference of which was occupied by dormitories, residences for the mem- bers of the Faculty, chapel, and Lyceum. This last-men- tioned building being the most prominent, occupied the central point of the circle at its highest elevation, and the others on the right and left at successive points of the cam- pus until the circle was complete. The Lyceum was an im- posing structm-e of the height of three stories, and with a front portico supported by six large and handsome columns. It contained, on the first floor, two rooms and a large chem- ical theatre for lectures, and a laboratory running back, of large dimensions. In the second story was, in front, a fine room devoted to a collection of shells and geological and mineral specimens of great value and beauty ; and besides this room, were four rooms for lecture and recitation pur- ]30ses. The third floor was occupied at that time by the Library and similar rooms, corresponding to those of the second story. On the right and left spaces of the campus were dormitories for the use of the students, as study and sleeping apartments. These were of a uniform height with the Lyceum (three stories), and each consisting of thirty-six rooms. At first they presented a bare front, with only ordinary entrances by a small door opening into each of the three halls; but at a later period handsome three-story verandas were added to each dormitory, which x^resented a fine, ornamental front. The capacity of these three build- ings was estimated for the accommodation of over two hun- dred students. On opposite sides of the campus, and adja- jacent to the dormitories, were erected two double-tenement buildings for Professors, also of three stories in height, each tenement consisting of six rooms, or with twelve rooms un- der the same roof, to each of which buildings, at a subse- 264 John N. ^yADDEL, D. D., LL. D. quent period, two other rooms were added on the ground floor, A three-story building was erected on the north lower curve of the campus as a chapel for daily worshij). The first and second stories consisted of a ground floor, and a gallery, which extended on three sides of the house, to ac- commodate audiences on occasions of Commencement exer- cises. The third story was appropriated to the two Literary Societies of the Uniyersity. These buildino-s were added to afterwards by others, not on the campus, but adjacent to it. The most important of these was a large building for the use of the Observatory, lecture-room, and apparatus for Analytical Physics and Astronomy, together with rooms for the family of the Professor. Then also, as the original hall for commons in the rear of the Lyceum was found to be in- sufficient for the accommodation of the increased number of the boarding students, a new and more capacious hall was built outside of the campus, and at some distance from it. '\Yit\i the excejotion of this last structure, and a Professor's Tesidence, which was purchased by the Board, all the build- ings were enclosed in the campus. One more building was erected in 1889, within the inclosure, for library j)urposes, on the lower section of the circle. The cost of all these buildings amounted to the round sum of two hundred and twentj^-five thousand dollars. The various needed classes of apparatus for illustration of the sciences, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, physics and astronomy, cost originally the sum of sixty thousand dollars. Ample appropriation is annually made for the libraiy, which consists of 9,000 volumes, besides 3,000 Government Heports, worth $20,000. To this adding lands and resi- dences, leased, amoimting to $30,000, and the whole sums up i^335,000. The acknowledged debt of the State to the L^niversity is $540,000, and $15,000 will be added to the further equip- ment of the observatory. The University camj^us j)ossesses The University Grounds. 265 as great attractions of natiu'al beauty as any location of a similar nature and for similar pui-poses. The beautiful in- clination of the grounds, and the grand old oaks which tower above and overshadow the campus, make the spot one to endear the University to those who have been privileged to enjoy its priceless advantages. CHAPTER XYIII. Genebal View of Mattees Connected with the First Session of THE UnIVEESITY. THE corner-stone of the Lyceum had been laid mth Ma- sonic honors, some time previous to the period under consideration ; an oration had been pronounced by (if I mis- taJie not) John J. McCaughan, Esq., and the inauguration exercises, as described on a previous page, having passed to the satisfaction of all concerned, we felt now that the work- ing time had arrived, when, all these prehminaries having been completed, they were to be realized in the actual grand results which had been anticipated, and which had been predicted by the friends and directors of the institu- tion. Hopes and visions of splendid success must now be brought to the test of every-day apphcation, and the small corps of instructors began to realize now that the heavy re- sponsibility of putting into successful operation all the ex- ternal and internal machinery of this great enterprise, was resting upon them. The progress of the session just open- ing — the first of the University — i^roved to the Faculty that the office of Professor — always arduous in the most favor- able circumstances — was, in this case, by no means a sine- cure, no mere child's play. The institution, as the reader of this histoiy may have anticipated, was made to pass through a season of expe- rience that severely tested its capacity of successful endur- ance. This is traceable to two separate originating causes : 1. The confidence of the citizens of the State had re- ceived a shock so violent, in consequence of the public dis- cussion which was held by the Board of Trustees at the 266 The First Students. 267 time of the election of the Faculty, that it was not jDossible to repress some lingering apprehensions, awakened at that period, in regard to the infidel tendencies of the University. The prejudices thus aroused \vere with difficulty removed. 2. Fidelity to my ofiice as historian of this noble institu- tion impels me to record its " lights and shadows," its dark as well as its bright days. Hence it must be stated that, in all probability, very rarely, if ever, was an institu- tion of learning attended by a body of students so disor- derly and turbulent as those of the first session proved to be, taken as a mass. True it is that, among those early students were numbered some of the first young men of the country ; but in point of morals and habits of application to duty, and intellectual advancement, the large body of the students were idle, uncultivated, viciously disposed, and un- governable. The difficulties that were connected with the management and control of the students were attributable, more than to any other cause, to the assemblage ut one spot of so many untrained young men and boys, mau}^ of whom had never before attended such an institution, and whose ima«"- inations had been allured by the traditional conception that a college life was only a scene of fun and frolic. This sub- ject may be dismissed with the remark that, in my opinion, nothing saved the University from utter and speedy ruin, under God s blessing, but the sternest and most rigid exer- cise of discipline. The Faculty, let it be remembered, consisted of but four members at this time, viz : President George Frederick Holmes, A. M. ; Albert Taylor Lledsoe, LL. D., Professor of IMathematics and Astronomy; John Millington, M. D., Pro- fessor of Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, etc. ; John New- ton Waddel, D. D., Professor of Greek and Latin Lan- guages. The first class, regularly organized, and the high- est then known in the University, was the Sophomore, and as this class had before it the Junior and Senior classes- ^68 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. through which its members TN'ere to pass, of course our first graduating class with the degree of B. A. was sent forth in 1851. I have aUuded, in a foregoing page, to the fact that no text-books on any subject of instruction could be procured in the town of Oxford. In this emergency, I made a special visit to the town of Holly Springs, where a classical school had been in operation under the superin- tendence of the Eev. Francis L. Hawks, long before his ap- pointment to the Bishopric in the Episcopal Church. I correctly supposed that text-books, especially in my depart- ment, might be found on sale in that place, and, perhaps, a supply for other departments. I procured such as would provide for the pressing needs of our classes until better ai'rangements could be made. But the supply was meagre, and to the credit of those of our Faculty who were without text-books, they assembled the classes at the hours assigned to them, and dehvered instructive lectures on their several subjects. President Holmes lectured regularly on History, and of this subject he was a i^roficient ; and Professor Mil- Ungton delivered lectures on the sciences of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy. Professor Bledsoe took charge of Mathematics, and engaged his students in temporary exer- cises, such as to him seemed best and most profitable for the time being. As for myself, I had full employment in giving text-book instruction to a number of students, who, for lack of advancement, w^ere, most of them, only beginners. Among those, however, who were fitted for the highest class then organized, viz., the Sophomore, were two students who had been my pupils at Montrose Academy, and who were among the leading students of the class. I had students of all grades of advancement, from the elements of the Latin and Greek to the reading of Latin and Greek authors. 'SMiere a young man wished to master these languages, and had no knowledge of either, or of only Latin, in all such cases I bestowed so much of my private leisure hours as I Discipline in the TJniveesitt. 269 could redeem from other matters upon them, giving them all possible aid, even in the grammars. It cannot be denied, then, that we were engaged to the full extent of our time and opportunities in the discharge of om: respective duties as professors in our several chairs of instruction;, but after all that could be accomplished under circum- stances so adverse, the time of our students was far from being fully occupied in profitable study, and being left, par- ticularly at night, to themselves, abundant opportunities for concocting mischief, and temptations were pressing upon them to indulge in all manner of sinful propensities. The Legislature of Mississippi had passed an act, previous ta the opening of the University, that no intoxicating liquors should be sold in the town of Oxford, or within less than five miles thereof. Obviously this legislation was designed for the jDrotection of the students against saloons. But the history of this prohibition, like that of all similar efforts, shows that the appetite for strong drink is one that, in most instances, is so imperious as to bid defiance to law or pub- lic sentiment, and it is found that a way to gratify it wdll be discovered by its victims in despite of all measures to the. contrary. For although, at that time, and for nine years after, there was no such method of transportation as rail- roads between Oxford and Memphis, those who desired ta have the poison availed themselves of the less expeditious mode of commercial intercourse offered by the wagons bearing cotton to market, and, in return, bringing all goods ordered, and this among other articles. Nor was this the only mode of evasion of the law which was practiced by parties interested. Druggists, keej)ing it by permission, would sell intoxicants on prescription by a physician, who would be in- duced too easily to furnish such a paper. In this way much of the evils of disorder and dissij)ation among the students prevailed, and the result was that the first ses- sion of the University was characterized by great trouble 270 John L. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. to the professors, and much severity of disciphne was en- forced. The disorder after a time became so notorious as to in- duce a visit of a j^art of the Trustees to the campus, and after a conference with the Faculty, a more rigid enforce- ment of the rules of discipline was insisted upon. Now, I need scarcely remark that the burden of discipline under all cases devolves upon the presiding officer. But while our President was undoubtedly a polished scholar and gentleman, it cannot be claimed for him by his most ardent admirers that he possessed the talent of government, espe- cially of young men. Indeed, it is one of those qualities which must be born with a man, and I believe that it is as trul}' an innate talent as the genius of the poet. It is one that cannot be acquired, and yet it may be wonderfully im- proved by experience. It was a practice to which the Presi- dent habitually resorted, and upon which he seemed en- tirely to rely for success in his government of the student- body, to make earnest a^^peals to the high-toned princi^Dles of true honor and gentlemanly manhood ; and this he evi- dently deemed abundantly direct and effectual in all cases " of disorder and lawless outrage that might be prevalent in any student body. I hold this theory in a modified form, and have acted uj)on it accordingly, to a certain extent, in my career as an officer charged with the government of young men and immature boys. These appeals I regard as of vast importance, and in my experience they have proved eminently successful, and in all, except extremely depraved subjects, they should be adopted as constituting a highly valuable part of the system of academic rule. It is not to be doubted— nay, it must be accepted as an essential ele- ment in the training of young men — that those in charge of their education should inculcate the highest principles of Christian truth, virtue, and honor. In the very outset, let it be distinctly announced to the students that they are Discipline in the Unr^ersity. 271 supposed, in advance, to be gentlemen, and that they will be treated and dealt with as such until they so demean themselves as to forfeit a claim to such a character and prove that they belong to a different class. If the instructor succeeds in inspiring them with a proper degree of self-re- spect, this will lead to confidence in him and such respect for him as will prevent the perpetration of any offensive or ungentlemanly conduct on their part. At the same time it must be understood by the student-body, not by issuance of threats, but as the well-known consequence of all viola- tioDS of propriety, that in case such appeals should fail of their desired effect, resort must be had to more restrictive measures, and sterner methods must be adopted. Far be it irom me to intimate that our first President was at all de- fective in his views of what constitutes true honor and vir- tue. I attribute to him no such deficiency. I only assume that his scholarly taste and pursuits, and his devotion to study, were so absorbing as to illustrate, in his case, an ex- cess of the suaviter in modo, to the exclusion of a due ad- mixture of the fortiter in re. But although the Faculty numbered but four incumbents in the outset — a body too small for effective operations — yet even this number was diminished by the enforced absence of the President, leav- ing only three to manage the whole student-body and the entire interests of the institution — Professors Bledsoe, Mil- lington, and myself. The occasion of President Holmes's departure was the faihng health of his child and of himself, which required that he should make a visit to Virginia for pm-poses of medical counsel. It was understood at the time that this withdi-awal was only temporaiy, and that he would return when restored ; but as he never returned, the official functions of presiding officer devolved upon Professor Bled- soe, as the senior member of the Faculty in the order of election. Aided by the other two Professors, Millinoton .and myself, the affairs of the University were, after much 272 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. trouble and trial, successfully brought to a respectable con- clusion, and the session closed with, an exhibition by the students of elocution and composition, being an irregular Commencement occasion; but the institution was found "without a President. • , CHAPTER XIX. ANNUAii Meeting of the Boakd of Trustees — Election of Presi- dent. — Some STArisTics. — Sketch of President Longstreet ani>- Others. I^HE Board of Trustees held their annual meeting in Ox- ford, and found that the first and most important duty was to elect a President, to fill the vacancy caused by the •withdrawal of President Holmes. Having declared the ofiice vacant, they proceeded to fill it by the unanimous election of Hon. and Rev. A. B. Longstreet, though not a candidate, and without his knowledge of such intention on their part. This gentleman had resigned the presidency of Emory College (the Georgia Methodist College, at Oxford), one year previous to this time, and had accepted the same office in the Centenary, another Methodist College, in Louis- iana. Being disappointed in the expectations he had formed by representations made to him, and not meeting the en- couragement he had anticipated there, at the close of the first five months he resigned the office, and returned to Georgia, in Jnly, 18 i9. It so happened that I had just ar- rived in Georgia, on a visit to my relatives, about the time of his retm^n from Louisiana. The first inteUigence that he received of his call to the University came to him through me. I propose now to present a brief sketch of this distin- guished man, who has filled so large a space in the public eye daring a large part of the present century. It is im- I)ossible, in any record of the past history of the University, to dismiss this revered and honored name with a mere statement of his connection with it and a complimentary' notice of his administration of its affairs. Personal and 18 273 274 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. official intimacy with, liim alike forbid such a course ; and peculiar relations of affection and family friendship between us revolt from any common-place notice of such a man. I must be indulged while I attempt some more extended notice of Key. Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, LL. D., D. D. The more familiar title, that by which he was best known among his earliest acquaintances and oldest friends, was ''Judge Longstreet." He was born in South Carolina, but so large a part of his hfe and labors was spent in Georgia that he was known more as a Georgian than as a citizen of the former State. His name was a familiar household "word in my native home from my early youth. He was a pupil of my father's celebrated academy at Willingtou, South Carolina, which he himself has immortalized in that chapter of the "Georqia Scenes " headed "The Debatiiio* Society. ' There he was fitted for the Junior Class in Yale College, where, in the year 1813, he was graduated in a class of sev- enty. Subsequently he pursued his course in law at Litch- field, Conn., at the Law School of Tapping Eeeve and James Gould, under whose instruction so many distinguished men of the South pursued their legal studies preparatory to the practice of the profession. Having entered upon the career of an attorney at law in Georgia with prospects unusually bright, he soon rose to the highest rank, and stood among the foremost of a profession in which his compeers were such men as Berrien, Cobb, Dawson, and many others of abilities equally splendid. He rapidly won for himself such a reputation and achieved such fame as a finished and elo- quent orator that he could always command as large an au- dience as any man in the State, and there were few who were so attractive as a speaker. Under the powerful influ- ence of God's Holy Spirit, when at the very height of his fame and popularity, he abandoned the legal profession and '■ President Loxgstreet. 275 the political life "which Tvas spread out before him, and, yielding to the chastening hand of his heavenly Father, in a deep and sore affliction, the loss of an only son, he ac- cepted, with an humble and devout spirit, what he believed the call of God to the holy ministry. AYhile engaged in this exalted service he was called by his church to the Presidency of the Emory College, located at Oxford, Ga., where, without ceasing at all the functions of a gospel min- ister, he added to them the duties of a preceptor of youth, and occupied this position for thirteen j-ears, with credit, honor, and usefulness. Called, as already recorded, to pre- side over the Centenary College, of Louisiana, ho accepted the call, but remained there only five months, when, finding the field wholly unsuited to his views, he resigned and re- turned to Georgia. Hardly had he arrived in the State when he received the information, from official and private sources, nearly at the same time, that he had been elected unanimously to the Presidency of the University of Missis- sippi, not having been a candidate for the office. Here his career was eminently successful. Entering upon the duties of his office in September, 1849, he gave his best services to the institution, and in the unparalleled prosperity of the University during the seven years of his incumbency, he reaped the truest, richest, and most gratifying reward for all his unwearviuQ- and faithful toils. On his entrance upon the duties of his office he was con- fronted at once by the two difficulties to which allusion has been already made, viz. : 1, The bad repute of the Univer- sity for order and discipline ; 2, The reputation which had been unjustly attributed to it, but which had, by natural consequence, cleaved to the institution, that its tendencies were towards infidelity. The result of the second session (the first of the new administration) could hardly be consid- ered a success, in the usual acceptation of that word, in all respects, there being in attendance during the whole year 276 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. only seventy- six students. It was soon ascertained, how- ever, by the people of the State that there was at the helm a master spirit, and year by year the patronage steadily in- creased until the number two hundred and sixty -four was reached. Although this number was attained after his re- signation, it is not to be doubted for a moment that this prosperity was due to the wise administration of President Longstreet, which had gained for the University the entire confidence of the people of the State. Naturally, therefore, the impulse imparted b}^ his instrumentality to the Univer- sity continued to oj^erate after he had left it. The resignation of this pure-minded, upright, and able college executive took effect in July, 1856, and I take occa- sion, at this point of his record, to present to the reader my estimate of him as he was known to me in the capacity of a public servant and in the sacred retirement of private life. (1.) As a public servant. His character was adorned not merely with a morality current with the world, but with the enduring yet chastened lustre of Christian purity. He was vigilant without being offensive ; he succeeded in impressing students with the conviction that he was solicitous for their highest intellectual and moral advancement ; he was emi- nently self-possessed, preserving ever self-control; he gov- erned without any ostentatious display of the machinery of government. He possessed, in a remarkable degree, the faculty of swaying the student- body during exciting scenes. Equally estimable was he (2.) In^private life. Genial and cordial in his tempera- ment, he was well-known as possessed of a deep and subtle vein of rich humor, which was irresistible in its cheerful and even mh-thful influence. In his heart there was no mahce or bitterness, and his wit partook of no sarcasm for the person, but was aimed at the follies of the times which called for rebuke. He was charitable in his judgments, liberal in his views, and public-spirited in any good cause. Prof. John Millington. 277 His opinions in religion and politics were preeminently de- cided, yet with catholicity and charity of tenderness towards the creeds of others, and with entire absence of dog-matism on the one hand, or timidity in expressing his views on the other. As a preacher, he was solemn, earnest, and instruc- tive ; as a writer, his style was chaste and beautiful ; as a man, then, take him for all in all, his character will bear the closest scrutiny in pubhc or private life. He was a kind husband, an affectionate father, a humane master, a consid- erate neighbor, a genial companion, an affable teacher, a wise counsellor, a man of faith and trust in God, enjoying to a degree that was remarkable the assurance of his accept- ance with his heavenly Father. He tendered his resigna- tion of the office of President m July, 1856, and retired to a residence distant some twelve miles from Oxford, where he proposed to spend the evening of his days in tranquil re- tirement. In this, however, he was destined to be disap- pointed, as on the 25th of November, 1857, he was elected President of the South Carolina College, and after two years spent there, was compelled to abandon the office and retire to private life by the revulsion of public affairs consequent upon the breaking out of the civil war. After the close of the strife he returned to Oxford, and ended his days in the midst of his family and his many friends on the 9th of July, 1870, aged seventy-nine years nine months and eighteen days, leaving as a precious legacy to his descendants a spot- less reputation and the example of a transcendently noble life. Of another of my revered and beloved colleagues of the fii'st Faculty of the University of ]\Iississippi I proj^ose to give my reminiscences as a part of the history of the insti- tution. I allude to Professor John Millington, M. D. An Englishman by birth and education, he had already 278 John N. W.\ddel, D. D., LL. D. attained advanced age at the time of his election to the chair of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy in the "Univer- sity. I remember, on an occasional intervicvs^ of the Faculty soon after the opening of the first session, a proposal being made that each should state his age, Dr. Milhngton claimed to be sixty years of age. He was reared in London, and he %\-as the associate and pupil of the celebrated chemist, Fara- da}', and an associate of McAdam, the road-maker, and other distinguished savants of that j)eriod, being himself a mem- ber of the Royal Society. He -was profoundly versed in the science of Mathematics and its applications to civil en- gineering and his own professional departments. He had pubhshed a work on ]\Iechanics and one on Civil Engineer- ing. He came to the New "World, as I have heard from his own lips, to act as superintendent of the interests of an Eng- lish company in the mines of Mexico, and after some years sj^ent there he came to the United States, and in 1835 he was made Professor of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy in the College of William and IMary, in Virginia. He occu- pied that chair for twelve years, and left it to accept the same chair in the "University of Mississippi in 1848. Dr. Millington was in temperament a child of nature, full of " the milk of human kindness " ; guileless and a stranger to malice and envy; and his was a character of the utmost simplicity and honesty. Conscious of no fraud or deceit in himself, he sus^occted none in others. Faithful and just in the discharge of duty and in the fulfillment of his relative and j^ersonal obligations, he never indulged in charging others with any deficiency of these qualities until he fell a victim, as he sometimes did, in dealings with men, to the unscrupulous and unprincipled. Even then he was disj^osed to forgive, full of that charity that " thinkcth no e^sil" and " covereth a multitude of sins." He took for granted that men were what they professed to be. He was wholly devoid of any disciplinary ability, and yet Prof. Albert Taylor Bledsoe, 279 such was the universal Iotg and respect with which he in- spired liis pupils, that he had no diiliculty of controlUng them. A member of the Protestant Episcopal church, he was devout without bigotry, and while consistently devoted to his own church, never ostracised others. He remained connected with the University during the first five years of its existence, when he resigned to accept the chair of Chemistry and Toxicology in the Medical Col- lege of Memphis. Here he resided until the civil war be- gan. He had possessed himself of a most beautiful and romantic home in the quiet little village of La Grange, Tenn. — fit retreat for a sage in the decline of life — and here he fondly hoped to close the evening of a long and labori- ous life in peace. But he was doomed to a sad disappoint- ment of his cherished hopes. La Grange became one of the points of permanent occupancy by the army of the United States, and, although he complied with all the re- quirements of the government, and availed himself of all legal means of protection for himself, his family and his property, which were offered to him by the authorities of the United States, yet all this availed him nothing. He was robbed, his lovely home was despoiled by the ruthless rav- ages of war, and to avoid these intoleral^le evils he removed to Philadelphia. There he resided until the close of the war, and, subsequently, took up his abode in Richmond,, Va., w^here he closed his life, being, as reported, eighty-nine years of age. ^Vhen he closed his career in death, one of the kindest, gentlest and truest hearts that ever warmed human bosom ceased to throb. Albert Taylor Bledsoe, LL. D. At the time of his election to the chair of Mathematics and Astronomy in the University he was a citizen of Spring- field, 111., in the practice of law. He was born in Kentucky in 1808. He was appointed to a cadetship in the Militar}'- ^80 John IT. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. Academy at "\Vest Point iu 1825, at the age of seventeen, and he was graduated in 1830. He was in the mihtaiy ser- vice of the United States two years, and then resigned. At West Point he received his scholastic, as well as his military training. Here also he enjo^-ed the great privilege of attend- ing the chaplaincy of Rev. Charles P. Mcllvaine, afterwards Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio, and who was so highly es- tieemed and beloved by all the evangelical churches of the country. I learned from himself that at a time of a religi- ous interest which occurred during Dr. M's term of ser- vice as chaplain, he made a j)ublic profession of religion. Of this noble minister of Christ I have often heard Profes- sor Bledsoe speak in terms of unqualified admiration and esteem. I have always heard that he became a minister in the Episcopal Church, and served in that capacity somo jears. In 1833 hs became Professor of Mathematics in Kenyon College, in Grambier, Ohio; thence, after ser\dng two years, he was transferred to the same chair in Miami University, and from 1840 to 1848, he practiced law as above stated in Springfield, 111. He was elected to the chair of Mathematics and Astronomy in the University of Missis- sippi in 1848, and in 1854 he was elected to the chair of Mathematics in the University of Virginia. AVith regard to his qualifications as a mathematician, I have never heard him represented otherwise than as an accomplished master of that department. My impression, formed from my association with him for several years, is that he did not find his highest interest and congenial en- joyment in that branch of exact science. I have heard him say that he regarded theology as the c[ueen of sciences, metaphysics her hand-maiden, and mathematics next iu rank. In 1845 he had published a work, the title of which was "An Examination of President Edwards on the Will," pub- lished in 1845, of which work I have seen but one copy, and as I did not read that, I can give no report of the character Albert Taylor Bledsoe, LL. D. 2 SI of its contents. In 1855 or '56 he published another work, much larger, to which was given the title of "Theodicy, or Vindication of the Divine Glor}-," and an "Essay on Liberty and Slavery." The design of die " Theodicy" was to vindicate the justice of God in permitting, or ordaining, natural and moral evil in the world. It w-as, I remember, also among the aims of the author, often expressed, so to characterize the system of Scripture doctrine as to avoid the extremes of High Calvinism on the one hand, and that of Arminiauism on the other. In 1851 he was elected to the chair of Mathematics in the University of Virginia, which became vacant by the death of Professor Edward Courtenay, and thus he closed his term of service in the ^'Diversity of Mississippi. This position he continued to fill until the occui'rence of the war in 1861. During a part of the time of the continuance of hostili- ties he held the office of Assistant Secretary of War. After the close of the war he visited Europe; and on his return he established himself in Baltimore as editor of the South- em JReview, having as an associate editor, William Hande Browne, who held this position from its inauguration in 1867 to January, 1869. Professor Edward Stern then joined Professor Bledsoe for one year. In 1871 the lleviti'-> began to appear as the accredited organ of the Methodist EpiscojDal Church South, and was, in some sense, under its auspices. But the Jievieio was still pubUshed in Baltimore, and Professor Bledsoe, as its editor, received a salary. After several unexpected changes in the location of the office of pubhcation, from Baltimore to St. Louis, and thence to Nashville, he became the sole manager, and it was kept in existence under the management of his daughter, Mrs. Her- rick, "who was his associate editor and business manager for three years, and sole editor for one year, as his health began to fail. The account of his last days, furnished by his 282 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. dang'liter, ]\Irs. Herrick, of New Jersey, is full of interest to {survivors who knew liim in the days of his physical and in- tellectual vigor. It was well known that he "loved Po- lemics; that he had a love of truth that "was very strong. This, with his fearlessness of temper, and his intolerance of humbug' and cant, made his life a stormy one. But there was a marked change in the last three years of his life. His whole nature was softened and mellowed, and while losing none of the unwavering' faith and fiery ardor that had always characterized him, he became more gentle and for- bearing. He was stricken with a slight attack of paralysis while sitting in old Christ church, Alexandria, listening to an evangehst, on the 9th of November, 1877. His illness "was creeping paralysis, and one faculty after another seemed to go down, till at last he slept his life away, surrounded by his wife and all of his children, in full Christian faith." My last interview with him occurred in November, 1877, about the time of his slight attack of paralysis to which Mrs. H. refers above. I was in attendance on the sessions of the Synod of Virginia, in Alexandria, as Secretary of the Assembly's Committee of Education. I took tea with him at the residence of his son-in-law, Eev. Dr. Dinwiddie. On that occasion I found him as genial, and as full of humor and pleasantry as ever, and with the exception of a scarcely perceptible halting of his footstep, no change was observable. Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, LL. D., D. D. In the year 1851, on the resignation of Prof. Bledsoe, Dr. F. A. P. Barnard was elected to fill the vacant chair of Mathematics and Astronomy. He had been filling various positions of honor and usefulness from his early manhood, and always to the entire satisfaction of those for whom his labors were performed. Born in the village of Sheffield, Mass., on May 5, 1£09, he was graduated from Yale Col- lege, second in his class, in 1828. His life-work was that of Fkedekick a. p. Baknakd, LL. D., D. D. 283 an educator, and his fii*st field of labor was in the Hartford Grammar School soon after his graduation. In 1830 he •was appointed tutor in Yale College. He served two years in that capacity, and subsequently he served in two Asylums for Deaf Mutes, successivel}' in the cities of Hartford and New York. From 1837 to 1818 he served in the Faculty of the University of Alabama as Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. From 1848 to 1854 he filled the chair of Chemistry in the same Faculty. He was then made a minister in the Episcopal Chui'ch, and in 1854, soon after that event, as above stated, he was elected to the chair of Mathematics and Astronomy in the University of Missis- sippi. On the resignation of President Longstreet, Dr. Barnard was elected to succeed him, in 1856. In the ca- pacity of presiding officer, first under the title of President, and then of Chancellor, he served the University until the breaking out of "the war between the States." As was the case in most southern institutions of learning, scholastic ex- ercises were suspended, and many of the students volun- teered as soldiers, under the name of "The University Grays," and President Barnard resigned, and returned to the North. He was appointed to a position in the National Coast Survey, and resided in Washington city. He held that position for a short time, and in 1864 he was called to the Presidency of Columbia College, in the city of New York. He had been heard to say while in the occuj)ancy of the Professorship in the University of Mississippi that he would "prefer the office of President of Columbia College to any other in the United States." This office he held in active service for twent^'-four years, and in 1888, although he ceased to act, he was nominally President still, until 1889, when he died, on Saturday, the 28th of Aj)ril, lack- ing just one week of the completion of the eightieth year of his age, having devoted his time, talents, and learning to the actual business of education and the promotion of 284 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. scientific knowledge during the long period of more than sixty years. Dr. Barnard ^-as a man of yast learning, and was among the foremost of the great scientific men of this age. ^\Tiile at the Uniyersity of Mississippi the minute details of college management and discipline ^vere so exacting as to preclude the possibility- of his deyoting much time to the interests of science on its broader theatre. He was not by nature a ■disciplinarian, and although greatly esteemed, he was not successful in the line of government. I was associated with him but one year during his presidency, and I well remem- ber that the session referred to closed with a number in ac- tual attendance less by about one hundred than that wdth which it opened. I do not think that he felt that the prac- tical work of goyerning j^oung men was at all in accordance "with his ta,stes, and he no doubt would have found his library and his apparatus to furnish a far more congenial atmosphere than the lectiu'e or recitation-room, where he should meet a body of young students. Still, admitting this to bo true, few men of the present age can show such a record of grand achievements in the wide field of literary and scientific labor as Dr. Barnard has left behind him. ■Some have censured him for leaving the South at the open- ing of the war of the States ; but while, of course, we did not, and could not, sympathize with him in his preferences, at the same time who of the many critics of Dr. Barnard, placed in his circumstances, would have felt and acted differently ? It was reported, with what foundation I never knew, that he used all possible influence with the authori- ties of the invading army under General Grant to prevail upon them to prevent the soldiers from destroying the Uni- versity propert}- when they took possession of Oxford in 1862. Be that as it may, it is a fact that the fine appoint- ments of the Observatoiy, the collections, cabinets, and in- etrumeuts, and the hbraries, with the buildings, w^ere less Fkedeeick a. p. Bakxaed, LL. D., D. D. 285 disturbed and molested by the northern army than those of many other Southern colleges ; indeed, little or no damage Avas inflicted upon the institution by the soldieiy. Let jus- tice be meted out to Dr. Barnard in view of all that he was instrumental in effecting in the way of scientific and literary work. He raised Columbia College from the status of "a highly respectable and old-fashioned " American institution to the rank of a "modern university." The following ex- tract, written since his death, and published in the journals of the time, will demonstrate his successful work truly and briefly -. " Under President Barnard's regime, the college proper, the Academic Department, doubled its strength, and more than doubled its usefulness ; but this department has been overshadowed by the development of the University schools, which have gTown up about it." And while it is true that " The School of Mines " was in existence when he entered upon the presidency, yet it is stated by the same writer that "where, in 1864, less than thirty students pursued their studies in a cellar, this school has grown, largely through President Barnard's fostering care, into one of the largest, best equipped, and most celebrated schools of ap- pHed science in the world." Besides all this, "the law school has quadrupled in numbers" and efficiency. The medical school is also part of the system, and the higher education of women is to be provided for by the estabhsh- ment of an annex— the Barnard College for Women." Ac- cording to a recent catalogue of the college, there were in the various faculties connected with it more than one him- dred professors and assistants, and something like sixteen hundred students. It is a touching incident related in regard to his funeral. After the most impressive pubHc services had been con- ducted by the authorities of the college and church in New 286 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. York, his remains were borne to his native village, Sheffield, and buried there, after funeral service had been held in the the little chui'ch which had been used by him in his earlier years as his law office. ''He was the author of various scientific and educational books. The degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him in 1844, by Jefferson College, and four years later by Yale; the degree of D. D., by the University of Mississippi; that of L. H. D., by the New York University ; of D. C. L., by King's College, Canada. It is said by the writer from whom I have drawn these facts, that while " no man is in- dispensable, yet Dr. B. was not one of the men who are easily replaced It will be hard indeed to fill the j)lace which his death leaves vacant." The following statement is copied from the yew York Observer : " Columbia College has received a valuable bequest from its late President. Dr. Barnard left it all his property, ex- cept a few personal legacies. His valuable collection of microscopes has been given to the School of Mines; his en- tire librar}', which had been selected with great care, has been, with the exception of a few books retained by Mrs. Barnard, added to the College library. Ten thousand dol- lars have been set apart for helping scientific research. The bulk of the estate is to go to the College library, and to endow a fund to j^erpetuate the founder's name, Mrs. Bar- nard receiving the interest while she lives. The fund is ex- j)ected to reach the sum of $50,000." CHAPTER XX. Bkief Sketches of IMembeks of the Chartered Board. THE original chartered Board of Trustees consisted of thirteen, T^'ho -^ere elected by the State Senate, upon the general principle of representation of various sections of the State, so as to interest the Tvhole of the citizens as far as possible in the University, allowing three to the town of Ox- ford, as the selected site of the institution. The list will be found on a preceding j)age, and a brief sketch of each will be here given ; 1. Hon. J. A. Ventress, from Woodville, Miss., was a gen- tleman of scholarly attainments, and was educated in Ger- many. 2. Hon. John Anthony Quitman was born in New^ York, and won the enviable reputation of being universally re- garded one of Mississippi's noblest public men. He was a distinguished lawyer, and a prominent leader in the Demo- cratic party, and equally distinguished in the Mexican war, and always a devoted friend of the University. 3. Hon. Willia:,i L. Sharkey needs only to be named in any company of Mississippians to secure the homage of ad- miration and respect for him as a profound jurist and a large-hearted, high-toned nobleman of nature. 4. Hon. E. C. Wilkinson, eminent as a lawyer, a judge, and a publicist. I cannot dismiss this name without recall- ing a fact illustrative of his character as a gentleman of high and generous principles and motives of action. By reference to his course, as recorded on a preceding page in the discussion of the College curriculum, and the other pre- liminaries needful to be settled in order to a proper order- 287 288 John N. Waddel, D. D-., LL. D. ing and arrangement of the future career of the University as an institution of the higher learning, it will be brought to mind that Judge ATilkinson boldly and earnestly assumed the position — first, that the Evidences of Christianity should be excluded from the course of study; second, that no Pro- fessorship should be filled by a clergyman of any denomina- tion. When the Board decided against his views in both of these particulars, he openly declared that he should cease to feel interested in the Universit}', and it was supposed that ho would never appear on the campus in the ofiicial ca- pacity of a trustee; but as the University became highly prosperous and universally popular, he was present during a Commencement occasion, and in zealous discharge of his duties as a trustee, having abandoned his opposition, and in the most candid manner acknowledged that he was in error. In a pleasant interview with him, he remarked to me that lie regarded the prosperity of the institution as resulting from the fact that, of its Faculty, the ministers were the most useful and efficient instruments. 5. Col. John J. McCaughan figured largely in the finan- cial history of Mississippi. He was a pronounced infidel, and resigned his membership of the Board because of their action in connecting religion and its ministers with its prac- tical system. 6. Bev. F. L. Hawks, D. D., was a polished scholar, a re- fined Christian gentleman, an eloquent orator. He was a distinguished minister of the Episcopal Church, and author of a history of Xorth Carolina. He was once a resident of Holly Sj^rings, and a nominal presiding officer of a classical academy in that town, and afterwards was called to a church in New York. He was made a Bishop, but died without en- tering upon the discharge of the duties of the office. 7. Hon. A. H. Pegues was born in South Carolina, and for many years was prominent in the councils of the State of Mississippi as a Senator. He served the University with Trustees of the Univeesity. 289 marked Udelity as a trustee for sixteen years. He was a citizen of the county of Lafayette, and held a high place in the esteem of his fellow-citizens on account of his patriotic devotion to the true interests of his country. He passed away universally lamented, in the full communion of the Episcopal Church, 8. Hon. WiLLiArsi Y. Gholson was appointed by the Senate a trustee from Aberdeen, Miss., but removed from the State- at an early period, and died in Cincinnati, Ohio, 9. Hon. Alexander M. Clayton, as I learn from a memo-- rial card published after his death, was a native of Virginia, January 10, 1801, and died in Benton county, Miss., Sep- tember 30, 1889, in his eighty-ninth year. He had been a devoted faithful public servant of his country in many ca- pacities from his early manhood. He was a judge in Ar- kansas when it was a Territory; then, successively. Justice of the High Court of Errors and Ap^^eals of Mississipjoi for nine years ; Consul to Havana under President Pierce ; drafted the Secession ordinance when Mississippi severed her connection with the United States ; Confederate States judge under appointment of President Davis. After the war between the States he was elected judge to the Circuit Court, and served in that office until he was removed by Governor Ames, during the times of the reconstruction of Mississippi and the other Southern States. Judge Clayton was always a devoted friend of the Uni- versity, and was always present at its meetings, anxious and zealous for its welfare. He was for some jeavs previous to his death one of the two surviving members of the char- tered Board of Trustees, the other being myself. We mei in Oxford at the Commencement of 1889, and within three months thereafter, "when the summons came, he laid his burden down, and, in the peacefulness of the hope of a glo~ rious resurrection, passed through death to immortal life." Eull of years, he was laid in his grave, without a spot upon 19 290 John N. AVaddel, D. T>., LL. D. the brightness of his honor, and lamented by all who knew him. 10. Hon. Jacob Thompson was born in North Carolina, and was graduated from the University of that State at Chapel Hill. He held the office of tutor in that institution, but removed at a comparatively early age to Mississippi, and established himself as an attorney at law in the northern part of the State, and spent many jesus of his life in the town of Oxford ; w^as an active trustee until his removal to Memphis, in 1864. During his residence in Mississippi, and his membership of the Board, he was active, zealous, and devoted to the duties of trustee. He was long a mem- ber of Congress, and was Secretary of the Interior in Mr. Buchanan's cabinet. He was singled out as an arch-rebel by the Federal government, and charged by the voice of public sentiment of the North with many accusations of treason and disloyalty, which w^ere utterly false, and origi- nated from the extreme madness and ignorance of the peo- ple, as well as the unscrupulous malignity of the party in power. Mr. Thompson spent his last years in Memphis, in private life, possessed of great wealth, and passed away among devoted friends, and surrounded by his own family, after having reached more than the allotted period of hu- man life, threescore and ten years. He was a member of the Episcopal Church for many years before his death, and died in that communion. 11. Of Pryor Lea, Esq., so little is known to me that I am only able to state that he resided in Jackson, and I think he was a practitioner of law. He resigned his j)lace on the Board in 1846. 12. Hon. James M. Howry was a native of Virginia, his birth-place being Botetourt Courthouse, and the time of his birth being August 4, 1804. He resided in early life in Nashville, Tenn. ; he settled in Oxford, Miss., in 1836, and was elected circuit judge of that District in 1841 over two Teustees of the University. 291 distinguished competitors. He practiced law, after leading the bench, in Oxford, until the year 1860, when he retired, with a handsome fortune. Like many other fortunes, this was swejDt away by the rude hand of war throughout the South. He was one of the original chartered Board of Trustees in 1844, and he served the University vdth. great fidelity for more than a quarter century; he served the people in both branches of the Legislature. He died at his home, in Oxford, on April 15, 1884, in his eightieth year. He was an eminent member of the Masonic fraternity, and an elder of the Cumberland Presbj'terian church. His end w^as peace. CHAPTEK XXL Financial History. SOMETHING more minute in detail in reference to the financial history of the University than has thus far been recorded is now in order, if the true state of the case is to be known. I premise by stating that my authorities on this subject are found in the Journals of Congress of 1819 ; in Hutchinson's Mississippi Code from 1798 to 1848; and in a message of the Hon. John J. McCrae, Governor of Mississi^Dpi, addressed to the Legislature on February 6, 1856. From these sources the following facts have been gathered, viz. : Li accordance W'ith an act of Congress of February 20, 1819, a township of public land was granted to the State of Mississippi for the express purpose of estab- lishing a seminary of learning; that the right should be vested in the Legislature, in trust, for this purpose ; that the Legislature accepted the trust ; that after the selection of the lands, w4iich was judiciously made, the State pur- sued the policy of leasing them until March, 1833, at which time an act of the Legislature was passed, providing for the sale of the thirty-six sections ; that the sale was made in 1833, on one, two and three years' time, and the notes were made ^^ayable on November 1, 1834, 1835 and 1836, re- spectively. The next legislation in regard to this fund, which is of importance, is that recorded in the eleventh section of ''An Act for the Collection and Investment of the Seminary Fund," whereby it is made the "duty of the State Treasurer to credit the University Fund with interest at the rate of five per cent, per annum, upon all moneys heretofore paid into the treasury, from the time when so 292 Financial History. 293 paid to the passage of the act; and, thereafter, to credit said fund with interest at the rate of eight per cent, per annum upon all moneys due from the State to said Fund." UjDon this subject there has been a great deal of discus- sion and feeling on the part of many, and the question has been extensively debated even of late years. It will be my object, under this state of the case, to record only the facts of history, together with their natural and legitimate infer- ences. Accordingly, it is a well-known fact that, after the sale of these lands, and during the crisis consequent upon the wild and reckless financial management of the State, very nearly all the proceeds of these sales were lost, the rem- nant saved from the wreck amounting to less than two hun- dred thousand dollars ! Again, I quote next from the message of His Excellency, Governor McEae in 1856, these words, viz. : " By applying the rule laid down in this law to the ascertainment of the condition of the fund on the 1st of January, 1856, it is dis- covered that the sum due from the State to the Uni- versity Fund was at that time $1,077,790.07. The Governor then proceeds to deduct the appropriations made from time to time by the Legislature for the establishment and sup- j)ort of the University, computing interest upon those ad- vances b}' the same rule as had been followed in computing interest upon the fund itself. The amount of these appro- priations, with interest added as above computed, reached the sum of $203,465.58, which, deducted from $1,077,- 790.07, leaves as the actual sum due seventeen years ago, $874,324.49. This calculation, I very well remember, was made by my immediate predecessor. Dr. F. A. P. Barnard, at that time Professor of Mathemadcs, whose skill in such calculations no one ever doubted. This state of facts was made to the Legislature, but that body persistently refused to acknow^ ledge the indebtedness of the State to the University to 294 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. that amount. The utmost that could be obtained from the Legislature was the recognition of the sum of less than $200,000, referred to above, on ^\'hich the State had been paving interest, amounting to about $11,500 per annum. From an article contributed to a magazine in 1856, pub- lished by the students of the University, before the waa', the author of which, I think, was not given at the time (yet known to me), I quote the following, and of the truth- fulness of its statements there is no doubt : " To the honor of the Board of Trustees then in office, a bill was prepared and introduced into the State Senate, acknowledging this amount, of $874,324.49, as due to the University from the State, when, forthwith, opposition of such a character was manifested as to induce its friends to accept a poor substitute, and to withdraw the original tem- porarily. The substitute passed the Senate, no one dissent- ing, but when it reached the House it encountered a fierce, bitter, and almost malignant opposition. After a long and arduous struggle, however, it was passed by that body by a majority of two, and received the signature of the Governor. The amount thus appropriated, $20,000 annually, and was accepted by the Trustees, ver}' properly, under j)rotest. The Legislature considered this only as an appropriation, and not by any means an acknowledgment that the State was under the slightest obligation to pay, either principal or interest, of the debt claimed b}" the Trustees. The Board, on their j^art, did not ask for on approjjriation, they only demanded the payment of a just and lawful debt. In my capacity of a chronicler of the history of this insti- tution, I record, as the next fact which marks its financial life, that since the war, at a time when the University was in great need, a similar effort was made by the Board of Trustees to obtain an acknowledgment of the States's in- debtedness to the institution, which was again defeated, and in lieu thereof, a similar appropriation of $20,000 per annum Financial History. 295 then was nominally granted. Duinng my term of service as Chancellor a calculation was carefully prepared by my esteemed and distinguished colleague, L. C. Garland, LL. D., at my request, which makes the indebtedness of the State to the University at that time over a million and a half of dollars, after deducting all appropriations. I may just here make the history of this subject complete, in so far as my personal connection with it is concerned, by stating' the following fact, which occurred after the war, during the^ mihtary and provisional government of Mississippi, usually denominated in political circles " The Carpet-Bag Dynasty.'* During the term of service of the Hon. James L. Alcorn as Governor, and when the Legislature was overwhelmingly " Radical " in its political complexion, the affairs of the Uni- versity engaged a large share of the attention of the Legis- lature, and, with other of its interests, the material aid and support of its practical work was much discussed. The^ Governor being a Southern man by birth and interest, was,, in my judgment, a true friend of the University, when others of different professions gave him no credit for the- possession of any such feelings. At all events, he recom- mended to the Legislature the passage of a bill appropriat- ing the sum of $50,000 annually for ten years to the sup- port of the University, and in the body of the act it is care- fulty inserted that this is in lieu of the annual appropriation, made by law for the adequate support of the University. The question was raised whether this includes the $11,500 annual interest on the remnant of the debt saved out of the financial wreck of the original indebtedness, which was also acknowledged in 1844, or whether it refers only to the $20,000 of which the University had been the recipient for many years by appropriation. The latter was undoubtedly the true and just construction to be placed upon this clause of the act. I have thus placed on record so much of the financial his- 296 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. tory of the Universit}' as had actually been realized during* the term of my service as Chancellor. But a few additional facts cognate to this subject will be here submitted, in order that the whole may be j^i'esented at once and an intelligent view may be taken of the matter. The appropriation of $50,000 per annum seemed at the time so ample for all purposes, and so munificent withal, that at a meeting of the Board of Trustees subsequently a resolution was passed by which the tuition fee (only $50) "was abolished, throwing the halls of the University open to the free access of all Mississippi students. This, though done with the very best intentions, proved, in its practical "working, to be somewhat disastrous to the finances of the University. To go back a few years, it is known that previous to the "war the income from all sources amounted to about $40,000 in cash, and very frequently in gold. After the war, for .some years, the same amount was generally realized from the same sources, viz. : 1. Interest of the acknowledged debt $11,500 2. Appropriations, including Law Department,. . .. 22,000 3. Tuition fees, say 8,000 $41,500 Now, although the income had become nominally $50,000, it was paid in State warrants, at a discount of twenty-five to thirty per cent., the State loses $12,500 to $15,000 annually; so that the $50,000 only ga^e to the University $37,500, and often $35,000, less by $4,000 to $6,000 than it w^as before the appropriation had been made. Obviously thus, at that time, the abolition of the tuition foe operated to the damage of the University. A consideration has been urged against the recognition of the indebtedness of the State, and the consequent obhgation to pay the annual interest, and that is, the poverty of the Financial History. 297 people. The fact may be admitted, and yet the debt may be acknowledged. A part was acknowledged at the outset, and interest was regularly paid over to the trustees for years. If the State owed any part, it owed the whole ; if it be a just debt, the State had no right to repudiate one dol- lar of it upon the simple plea of poverty. The whole debt might long since have been acknowledged, and a rate per cent, decided upon that would have been reasonable, and which the people would have been abundantly able to pay. Even four per cent, on the entire amount would have yielded $65,000 or $70,000, a sum amply sufficient to have met the necessities of the University, and entirely within the re- sources of the great State of Mississippi. Let one remark be added to all that has been written thus far. The University was not endowed by the State, but its endowment w^as furnished by the Congress of the United States. The State, by its Legislatui^e, is declared to be merely the trustee of the fund. It was accej)ted on the con- dition that it was to be managed for the benefit of a semi- nary of learning. Coming to the facts of history, it aj)pears that not even the interest has been paid. It is, therefore, not one of the schools that are suiDiDorted by taxation in the proper sense of the word. At the close of my administration, in IST-I, the debt re- mained in the same unrecognized condition. It was, how*- ever, pressed ceaselessly by the trustees upon the considera- tion of the Legislatm'e ; and as there Avere several prominent alumni of the University members of the Board and of the Legislature, it is gratifying to learn that the authorities of the State were finally prevailed upon to acknowledge the in- debtedness of the State in the sum of $544,001.23, l)y the income of which the institution is supported in a manner far more in accordance with the claims of such an establishment than it has ever been before. CHAPTER XXII. Statistical Statements. TO resume the regular statement of the progress of the University, we may now briefly record some of the sta- tistics connected with its affairs. It began its prosperous career from the auspicious period of the accession to office of the second President, the eminent and beloved Long- street; for although the number in attendance during the second session (which was the first of his administration) was small, yet in all the elements of true prosperity, in or- derly deportment, diligent application, and successful intel- lectual 2)rogress on the part of the students ; in fidelity and. success on the part of the Faculty, the institution was far in advance of its status during the first session. The patron- age of the University during the actual operation of its work can only be accounted for upon the fact that the con- fidence of the people of the State had been steadily increas- ing. The following is a condensed statement of the number in attendance during its successive sessions. It must be re- membered that the Law Department was not put into actual operation until 1854, and the number of students pre^dous to that year and to the year 1856-'57 is credited only to the Department of Arts. The number of students registered during the first session, in 1848-'49 80 1849-'50 76 1850 '51 134 1851-52 144 1852-'53 130 1853-'54 158 298 lu the Law Department... ...10 ...17 ...12 ...13 ...29 ...19 University Statistics. 299; 1854-'5o 173 185o-'56 225 1856-'57 264- 1857-'58 178 1858-'59 168 1859-'60 216 1860-'61 22G 1861 This brings the statement of patronage to the opening of the war in 18G1, when the exercises of the University were suspended until October 2, 1865. During these four disas- trous years the history of the University has Httle to attract interest. Professors Quinche and Hilgard had, in some nominal way, charge of the grounds, buildings and appara- tus of all kinds. But one fact may be recorded as extraor- dinary in the story of similar invasions by a victorious foe,, and even where the military bodies may not be hostile. The fact to which I here allude is, that although the large body of General Grant's army were encamped around Ox- ford, on the campus, the buildings being occupied, to some extent, by officers and private soldiers, for some time during^ the winter of 1862, the amount of damage that was done, as the result of this occupancy, was far less than was appre- hended. True, some injury was inflicted upon the sur- roundings, but by the overruling kindness of Divme Provi- dence in protecting the interests of the University, it was made an exceptional case, widely differing from the fate of other institutions of learning in the South; as it was more frequently than otherwise the case that dire disaster fol- lowed the line of march of the enemy wherever it led them in the neighborhood of such institutions, from which, in some cases, they never recovered. Accordingly, when the war closed, and the foot of the invader no longer trod the soil of the South, the University w^as found to be almost intact, and ready to pursue its assigned career as the leading school of the State for the instruction of its vouth. 800 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. We may resume the statistical statements by anticipation and dismiss tliat topic. The attendance in the first session after the close of the war was in 1865-'6G 193— lu the Law School — 1866-67 246 1 1867-68 231 24 1868'-'69 214 13 1869-70 208 15 1870-71 120 6 1871-72 260 3 1872-73 302 11 1873-74 208 14 It will appear, from the list just given, that two of the sessions show the number in attendance to have been under t\Yo hundred, and one of them (1870-71) to be exceedingly diminished. This admits of easy explanation. The ses- sion during which there were in attendance 193 students, was the first session after the close of the war, when the whole State was reduced to distressing poverty, and the means of the people at large had been so utterly exhausted that it could not possibly be expected that the University could be very extensively patronized. It was indeed a most gratifying surprise to its friends that the patronage attained the high figures of 193 at such a time of distress in its pecuniary condition. As to the session of 1870-'71, the small number, 120, is accounted for very easity and natu- rally from the fact that it occurred during the existence of what is known as the Provisional Government of the State, or what is more easily remembered, the " Carpet-Bag Gov- ernment," when there was a general or widely extended ap- j)rehension j^i'e'^ailing among the people that colored stu- dents were to be forced upon the University. This state of feeling, however, did not continue long, as the theor}' to make the University a mixed school was never carried into efiect, so the very next session the number reached 260. CHAPTER XXIII. Changes and Additions in the Faculty from Time to Time. — Dan- ville Theological Seminaey. — Other Changes in the Coijrsb. OF Study, and Other Facts. IN the year 1853 occurred the first resignation of office in the Faculty. Dr. John Milhugton, ^vho was Professor of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy in the first Faculty, ten- dered his resignation of the offioe, after having held the chair only five years, during which he had served the Uni- versity with fidelity and zeal, and established a character of unblemished purity, and had won the affections of all who had been his associates, whether in the Faculty, among the students, or in the community around him. He had been called to occupy the Professorship of Chemistry and Toxi- cology in the Memphis Medical College, then in its incipient existence. The sequel of his life and labors is given in a preceding chapter. In the succeeding year (1854) Dr. A. T. Bledsoe resigned the Professorship of Mathematics and Astronomy, and en- tered upon the duties of the same chair in the Faculty of the University of Virginia, succeeding Professor Courtenay, deceased. Dr. Bledsoe's vacancy was immediately filled by the elec- tion of F. A. P. Barnard, D. D., LL. D., who was then fill- ing a chair in the University of Alabama. Dr. Barnard re- mained inciunbent of this chair in Mississippi until 1856, when he was elected to the Presidency of the University upon the resignation of Dr. Longstreet. He filled this po- sition as President until 1859. After this year he served under the title of Chancellor until 1861, at which time he 301 302 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. resigned the i^osition, ou the outbreak of the civil war, and returned to the North, as ah-eady related. This is the joroper ^^lace, I think, to record an event of «ome interest and importance in my life, and to which I sometimes recur, as affording me much honest gratification. I do not believe that it ministered to any increase of vanity or self-conceit, for the simple and sufficient reason that the honor conferred was one which, strictly speaking, I did not deserve, since my conscience assured me that, at the time of my election, I was much better qualified to teach Latin and Greek than to fill the chair of Pastoral Theology and Church Polity in a Theological Seminary. It was at the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presb^'terian Church in Buffalo, N. Y., in the year 1854:, seven years previous to the disruption of the church which occurred in consequence of the civil war, that I received, by tmanimous election of that body, the Professorship of Pas- toral Theology and Church Polity in the recently-organized Theological Seminary at Danville, Ky. No intimation of such a state of things being in prospect had been communi- cated to me, and the intelligence of this action of the Assem- bly was sudden and unexpected. Many were the communi- cations received by me from official and other sources of the fact. But I was not long in doubt as to the course to be pursued under the circumstances. I respectfully, but most positively, declined to accept the position tendered me so honorably by the Assembly. My reasons were based upon several grounds, any one of which appeared to me to be valid and sufficient. In a general sense, I felt a reluctance to leave the South, to go even so far north as Danville. I felt, too, that the field in which I was then laboring was one full of promise of great usefulness before me. I was known, and had already succeeded in securing the cordial esteem and attachment of a large constituency in my work for the people of the State, and I felt greatly attached to them. Called to other Spheres of Labor 303 Besides all this, the work of instruction in which I was serving the public at Oxford was that for which I felt my- self more competent, as I had spent my life, in large mea- :sure, in that form of teaching; that I had never turned my mind to the subjects required to be taught in that Profes- sorship so as to be accomplished sufficiently to fill the chair to the credit or benefit either of myself or of the Seminary. For these reasons, while I felt truly grateful to my brethren for the high consideration which led them to confer upon me the honor of such a distinction, I felt constrained to de- .cline its acceptance. In the appendix to this memoir the correspondence upon this subject is given in full, if any one may desire to read it. I did feel honored by it, as the vote by which I was elected was practically unanimous, and such men as Robert J. Breckinridge, Edward P. Humphrey, John T. Edgar, and J. E. C. Doremus, R. B. McMullen and James Park, and many others, \\Tote urging me to accept the office. Never- theless, I felt that I could not conscientiously accept it at the time, and considered my reasons then strong and satis- factory. I have, I think, great cause of thankfulness now when I review the subsequent history of events that have passed throughout this region of country, that I was di- vinely guided in this decision, and guarded from doing that for which I should have been led into troubles not then foreseen, but which have since been fully developed. That I might have accomphshed myself, by hard study, to fill that chair, I did not doubt, but be it remembered that I would have found myself, at the very outset, sur- rounded by an atmosphere of theological learning and criti- cal acumen from which I could not expect to escape criticism, and to w^hich I did not desire to expose myself, accompa- nied by whatsoever fraternal charity on the part of others. I was unwilling, therefore, to exchange a work for which I had prepared myself by years of hard and incessant appli- 304 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. cation and practice in the impartation of instruction to stu- dents, and in which I was giving satisfaction, for one which "was to be subjected to an ordeal so severe. In the year 1856, after I had filled the Professorship of Ancient Languages for eight years, the Board of Trustees decided to separate the joint chair into the two Professor- shi]3S of "Greek Language and Literature," and of "Latin and Modern Languages." The privilege of making a choice of these two languages, that which I preferred, was granted me by the Board, and I, accordingly, selected the Greek, and filled this chair only one year, making my first term of service in the Faculty of the ITniversity just nine years. My work was by no means light while serving in the first arrangement of instructing all the classes in both languages. This I kept up during seven years, from 1848 to 1855, at which time the Board appointed as a tutor in this depart- ment, George Tucker Stainback, who was a j^oung preacher of ability in the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and who had been graduated with distinction in the class of 1854. On the separation of Greek and Latin, and my being as- signed to the chair of Greek, Mr. Stainback left the Faculty, and the Trustees ajipointed as my tutor, Wm. Alexander Eakin, who had been a classmate of Mr. Stainba<:*k's, and who had graduated with the highest honors of his class. I will add just here, that Mr., or (as he afterwards became) Dr. Eakin, had been, when quite a boy, a pupil of mine iu the Montrose Academy, and from his early youth to the day of his untimely death, he was among the most unexcep- tionable characters with whom I was ever associated. We were together again in the Synodical College at La Grange, Tenn., and although he had attended a regular course of medical lectures, and had been a practicing physician, he considered it his duty to enter the ministry. Such was his modesty and huml)le estimate of himself, that he said to me once, that he felt as though he was only fit to preach, if at Changes in the Faculty. 305 all, to the colored people. But just wliile he was studying- the subject prayerfully, and before he had taken a decided step in the direction of the ministry, it pleased the great Head of the church to call him away to a scene of higher service above. He died in 1861. The changes which occurred in the University Faculty before the war, and up to the time of my resignation, iu 1857, consisted of the organization of a chair of Metaphys- ics and Ethics, the first incumbent of which was Rev. N. M.. Crawford, D. D., a classmate of my own, who was grad- uated from the University of Georgia in 1829, and a sketch of whose career I have given in a preceding chapter. He filled this chair only one year, being called to the Presidency of Georgetown College, in Kentucky. This Professorship was subsequently filled by Eev. G. AV. Carter, D. D., and by Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar, LL. D , successively, until the war of 1861 -'65. There was also an Instructor ship of Modern Lan- guages established by the Trustees in 1850, and to this po- sition was elected a foreigner, by name Adolph Sadluski, as the first incumbent, but whose health was so deplorably feeble that he was prevented from ever entering upon the work of instruction at all. He was succeeded by a very un- suitable man, by na^xie William A. Strozzi, also a foreigner,, who was in office only two years. Both of these men came recommended as competent for the position ; but perhaps there have rarely been found such complete failures as they both proved to be. The Board decided to combine the in- struction in the modern languages with the Professorship of Latin, and in 1854: elected "Wilson Gaines Eichardson to that chair. Mr. Richardson had been graduated with dis- tinction from the University of Alabama, and had filled the ]3lace of Tutor of Languages in the service of his Alma Mater for some time. He had also spent some years in France, and had perfected himself in the knowledge of Modern Languages. He held the office first of Modern 20 30G John N. ^\^\ddel, D. D., LL. D. Languages alone for two years, and after the combination of Latin languages, in 1856, lie served in this chair until 1859. He was a fine scholar, but did not succeed in the manasfement of students. He w as successively a member of the Faculties of Davidson College, North Carolina, and of Central University, Kentuck}^ and of Austin College, Sher- man, Texas. In his later years he entered the Presbyterian ministry, and died after a brief service in that sphere of effort. He had charge of but one field of ministerial labor, and his churches were greatly pleased with him as a minis- ter and his work was fruitful of good results, and he passed away deeply lamented. There was also established previous to m}" resignation a School of Governmental Science and Law in 1854, and to this chair w^as called, as the first Professor, William F. Stearns, LL. D., a very prominent and eminent lawyer, who was a Northern man by birth, but had spent many years in Mississippi in the practice of his profession. He held the office with great efficiency as an instructor until 1861, when the exercises of the University were suspended. He com- mitted suicide after the war. The vacancy in Dr. Millington's chair was occupied very briefly and very inefficiently by a minister of the Baptist Church, Eev. J. C. Keeney. He was elected ill 1853, and resigned, by request, in 1854. His class was one consisting of young men of rather extraordinary intelligence, and his "want of qualification was so excessive as to be obvious upon slight test in his lecture-room, and this led to the resolu- tion, on the part of the class, to invite him to resign. He declined the invitation of the young gentlemen, but at the ensuing meeting of the Board of Trustees he became con- vinced that " discretion w^as the better part of valor," and he decided to succumb. His place was filled in 1856 by the appointment of Capt. E. C. Bo^Titon, a graduate of West Point, who held the Changes in the Faculty. 307 office before the war until the suspension of the exercises of the University of Mississippi, when he returned to the North. He was an accomphshed chemist, but a profane swearer, and under provocation gave full vent to his irrita- tion in W'ords unbecoming any man under any circum- stances, but far more unbecoming an instructor of youth. On my resignation of the chair of the "Greek Language and History of Greek Literature," the vacancy was filled by the election of Professor Henry "WTiitehorn, A. M., in 1857, which he filled until the occurrence of the war, when he also went North. My acquaintance with him w^as very slight. I only knew he was an Englishman, and had been teaching in Holly Springs some time. As to his accomplish- ments as a Greek scholar I had no knowledge ; but I was impressed by a little incident that occurred in my lecture- room just previous to his election. Being on a visit to Ox- ford, he called at my room very natiu-alh% in order to ascer- tain my mode of instruction. It w^as my custom to teach pro- Body in all the poetical authors read by the students in both languages. As the class was pursuing the study of some one of the Greek tragedians, not now recollected, I practiced them in the scansion of the lines in the trimeter verse. At the close of the hour he volunteered the remark that "if it was expected that he would teach prosody, it must be un- derstood beforehand he would not do it." I learned after- wards that when he went North he was made Greek Profes- sor in Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. Other i^rofessors held office during my ante-bellum term of service, and up to the time of the war. Among them, I recall the name of Lewis Harper, who was placed in the chair of "Agriculture and Geological Science." He was a German, and the degree of LL. D. had been conferred upon him by some unknown authority, but he seemed to take peculiar delight in appending it to his name on all oc- casions. 308 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. He disappeared from our circle after serving two years — from 1854 to 185G. He was located somewhere in the Northern States after leaving the University. On the promotion of Dr Barnard to the Presidency, Jordan M. Phipps, who had passed successfully through the University classes from 1848 to 1851, and having earned high position among the graduates, and had been appointed Adjunct Professor of Mathematics in 1852, now succeeded to the full Professorship^ of Mathematics in 1856. He held the office also until 1861. Professor Phipps was, after the cessation of hostilities, an attorn ey-at -law and Mayor of Oxford. My last knowledge of him is that he was a citizen of Florida. He was a Cjuiet, unassuming gentleman, and was much esteemed as a faithful and comjDetent teacher. There were in service of the University" before the war, only two adjunct professors, both of Mathematics. There were, however, eight tutors during the same period, but how they were distributed among the departments is not recorded. This brings the history of the University down to the opening of the civil war. CHAPTEE XXIY. Beview of Private and Domestic Histoey from ISiS to 1857. AT the time of 1113' election to the chair of Ancient Lan- guages in the University of Mississippi, in 1848, mine was a family circle consisting of the beloved wife of my youth, who for sixteen years had been the light and joy of my home. She had been the sharer of my bright and pros- perous days, the sympathizing comforter of the many sea- sons of my gloom arising from changes of fortune that have been referred to in this record. She had felt, with me, the heavy burden of parental grief in the death of two lovely little boys just as they were growing more and more win- ning and attractive, and we were still the happy parents of four children, two daughters and two sons. Mary Robert- son, whose birth has been recorded on page — of this me-' moir, and who was now our eldest living child, as Moses, our first-born, had died in 1839, and John Newton, our fourth child, had passed away in 1846. Mary was now eleven years of age, and had always been remarkable for her fond- ness for books and perseverance in pm'suing with earnest- ness all those studies which are ordinarily adopted in the best training-schools, even though for some of them she might not have manifested any considerable native taste or talent. As an illustration of this, she certainly was not naturally a musician, but she did not hesitate for a moment to embrace the fine opportunity afforded her of pursuing with ardor the study of music : so that she became profi- cient as a performer, and was thoroughly acquainted with the principles of the science. As she afterwards became a teacher, she had a number of pupils in this dehghtful 309 310 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. study, and, as in every other department of her course of instruction, she was always successful as a teacher. Her career may form the subject of a future chapter. The other little girl, Elizabeth "Woodson Pleasants, was^ born on June IG, 1840, at our Alabama home, and was now in her ninth year. She was a very timid and sweet-tem- pered child, and had inherited her mother's gentleness and her intellectual brightness. These two, with their two lit- tle brothers, George Robertson, named for his maternal grandfather, nearly four years old, and John Gray, called for Rev. Dr. John H. Gra}^, of Memphis, who married my wife's sister Jane. Then, to render our circle complete, the mother of my wife, and the grandmother of these chil- dren, Mrs. Mary Collier, was also an honored and beloved member of our household. It was under such circumstances of domestic prosperity and comfort that I entered upon the discharge of my professional duties. I was in my thirty-seventh year, in fine health, and with a bouyant spirit, which, although rather easily depressed, was as easily restored to its normal tone. "When I review that period of my life, after long years of vicissitudes since experienced, it seems to me that I was then just so situated as to enjoy life in the sense of enjoyment, as that word should be understood bj^ a rational being. I had a happy famih% a wide circle of attached friends, who watched my new career with profound interest and kindly anticipations of my future success. I was sur- rounded also with all those outside circumstances calculated to advance and to facilitate my progress, a competent salary, and a comfortable home. As I have not referred to my finances minuteh' for a con- siderable space, I will take leave of that subject just here by stating that my remnant of indebtedness for Alabama lands was still unsettled when I entered upon my term of service at Oxford ; but by the kindness of my friend, Mr. AVilliam Politic Ai:^ Excitemfnt. 311 M. Lewis, then of Gainesville, himself a member of the Land Company which held my promissory notes, I was enabled to make an honorable compromise of the entire amount of my liabilities and to settle it on terms perfectly easy and satisfactory. Thus, by a kind Providence, I was enabled to find myself, in due time, relieved of the whole debt which had burdened my heart and life as a horrid in- cubus for so many dreary years. I was then free from all such incumbrances for an interval of 3'ears, and was only brought under financial pressure again by the misfortunes which fell upon the South, resulting from the issues of the _war of 1861-'G5. These come into review in their proper place, and to them no allusion need be made further for the present. Things moved on with comparative smoothness in the TJniversit}', and nothing that need be related here occurred beyond the preservation of the even tenor of our way as an institution of learning. The orderly deportment of the student body was commendable, as a general thing, and the discipline of the University would compare favorably with that of any contemporaneous school of the higher learning. In 1850, there was brought into a very great state of ex- citement the discussion of slavery, growing out of the ques- tion before Congress of the admission of California as a State, and of New Mexico and Utah as territories. The canvass for political elections in Mississippi became ex- tremel}' bitter, and the two parties were aiTayed againsti each other under the names of Unionists and Disunionists. During the progress of the political excitement, much that was to be deplored occurred in the State, under the pressiu*e of hostile feeling, among which was the assassination of the venerable and beloved President of Oakland College, Rev. Jeremiah Chamberlain, D. D. There had been held an election for members of a State convention in Mississippi, a card was published in Port Gibson, asserting that a student. 312 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. jiad been expelled from Oakland college for expressing Dis- union sentiments in a speech. This statement was at once contradicted by Dr. Chamberlain and a trustee in a pub- lished card. The author of the charge gave as his inform- ant an individual of the neighborhood by the name of B . The latter went on the 5th of September to Eodney much excited, and after drinking deeply, left for home, and called on his way at Dr. Chamberlain's house. The doctor sus- jDecting nothing, met B. and stood talking with him at the gate. Two of the doctor's family — his wife and daughter — ■ sitting on the veranda, heard part of the conversation that took place, and that B. called their father repeatedly a liar, to which he replied : " That you will have to prove." Upon this Briscoe leaped from his buggy, and with a loaded ^^hip felled Dr. C. to the ground twice, and as he rose from the second fall, stabbed him to the heart with a bowie- knife, and then jumping into his vehicle left the spot. The doctor was just able to get back to the house, and on being asked if he was hurt, answered, "I am killed; " fell and expired. The death of Dr. C. was universally lamented, and the cruelty of the deed struck the community and the State with horror and amazement. A vast concourse of mourning friends assembled to pay the last tribute to his memory on the next day, the 7th of September, as he was laid to rest in the college cemetery. A writer who gave an account of the dreadful occurrence in a journal, adds the following : " On the afternoon of the same Sabbath Briscoe was found by a negro in a thicket in a dying state, giving every indication of having poisoned himself. He lived a few liours after being found, and then passed to the bar of his Judge." I aUude to this sad event for the two-fold reason that, Pirst, it is a very closely-connected fact with the history of education in Mississippi, of which Dr. Chamberlain had Called to' Oakland College. 313 T3een one of tlie most distinguished pioneers, and a most laborious and successful promoter. Second, his death made a vacancy in an impoiiant position, to the supply of which the Board of Trustees found themselves confronted with great difficulty. Only a very brief space of time had elapsed after Dr. Chamberlain's death, when I most un- expectedly received the following dispatch : " Dr. Chamber- lain has been murdered. "Will you entertain a proposition to become his successor ? " To which I immediately re- plied, " I cannot entertain such a proposition. "Will write." I had many reasons for declining the proposition, which need not be mentioned — all of them — but the leading and most influential objection with me was, that I shrank from ihe weighty responsibihty which I felt was inseparable from the presidency of any college or school of the higher learning. This was among the most earnest of many calls to induce me to leave the University, but I had no disposi- tion to comply with this or any other at that time. But this I mention as but an incident of no greater im- portance than the evidence it furnishes that I was becoming better known as an educator, and was somewhat in demand. During this period of my life I was supphdng the Presby- terian church in Oxford every Sabbath. My labors as the stated supply of that church commenced soon after my arrival, being invited by the session to take charge of it, as it had just been made vacant by the dissolution of the pas- toral relation existing between the church and Bev. S. I. Beid. This was my field of regular labor as a minister of the gospel. I, however, frequently spent a Sabbath at other j)oints with my brethren and in attendance upon the meetings of the Presbytery of Chickasaw, of which I had b)ecome a member by dismission from the Presbytery of Tombeckbee. I also attended the meetings of the Synod of Memphis, Chickasaw being one of its constituent Presby- teries. This reference to my ministerial office brings to 314 John N. "Waddel, D. D., LL. D. mind a fact "uhich seemed at the time to create some dis- satisfaction in certain quarters. It will be remembered that the President, Dr. Longstreet, was a minister of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. In this capacity he was very natu- rally invited by liis brethren to visit them and preach in their churches. He also (as I was in the habit of doing m. my church), made it a j)oint to attend, when convenient, the ecclesiastical meetings of the M. E. Church. But in these occasional calls from our place of labor, neither he nor I ever absented ourselves from duty for any time that was lost to the true interests of the University. Our classes lost no appreciable advantage, as we were not absent simulta- neously, and, indeed, our visitations abroad among other bodies of .our brethren and fellow-citizens evidently tended to increase the interest of the people of the State and com- munities around us in the University. But this habit of ours, for some reason not exactl}'' known to me, gave offence to some member or members of the Board of Trustees, and. they jDassed an act at one of their meetings annexing, as a penalty to such absences of the members of the Faculty during the session a fine of ten dollars for each day so lost from duty. The effect of this action of the Board was offen- sive to Dr. Longstreet, insomuch that he immediately de- termined to tender his resignation. I did not regard the matter in quite so serious a light, for the reason that it would not, in my opinion, ever be enforced, because I was convinced that when it became known to the public that such an act had been passed, it would be denounced by all riii'lit-thinkinof men, and knew that the Board would not be willing to defy public sentiment to such an extent. On, Dr. Longstreet's views on the subject being made known to an influential trustee, he made such representations to Dr.. Lono'street as convinced him that the action would not in- terfere with the freedom of the Faculty ; and so the matter was quieted, and no further provocation being offered, Dr^ Degree of "D. D." Cokferred. 315 Long-street withdrew his intention to resign. I made no demonstrations of any intention of resigning, but was strict in keeping an account of my days of absence from the Uni- versit}', so that, at the close of the summer session, when the half of my salary fell due, I presented my claim to the Trea- surer for paj^nent, giving the University credit for ten days' absence at $10 per day, making $100, which, deducted from $1,000, left me entitled to only $900. The Treasurer glanced at the paj)er when I presented it, and, laying it aside somewhat lightly, he paid me the salary as usual, taking my receipt for one thousand dollars. So ended this incident, at one time wearing a rather threatening aspect ; but nothing more of fines inflicted for absence was ever mentioned. In the year 1850, when I had been connected with the Uuiversity about two j^ears, my attention was called by a friend to a notice published in the Herald, a journal edited in Louisville, Ky., by Eev. W. W. Hill, D. D., stating that, at the commencement of the University of Nashville, the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity had been con- ferred upon me by the authorities of that institution. This- printed notice of the honor was the first intimation I had re- ceived that such a thing had occurred; nor had I ever received the slightest intimation that any of my friends had contemplated such a suggestion to the Trustees as bestow- ing upon me this distinction. But enough of this, and I only add that the man who has. no more tenable claim to honor and esteem than that which is the result of the accidental attainment of a title, or a de- gree, is to be pitied. Such distinctions, whether of a civil or militaiy, or even ecclsiastical origin, have become of late years so plenteous and almost universal as to have lost their value, if, indeed, they were ever possessed of much. " Act well your part, there all the honor lies ! " But it was not the will of my heavenly Father that I should Hve a life of entire freedom from trial and trouble. So, that I 316 John N. Waddel, D. T>., LL. D. miefht realize more and more that this world is not the rest of God's people, I was destined soon to realize another series of afflictivo providences. A sweet little boy, sent to us in 1849, after passing about one year with us, sickened and died. Two years after this, my dear wife, as the result of the premature birth of her eighth child, passed away, and left our circle in impenetrable gloom. The infant sur- vived its entrance into this scene of suffering onh' thirteen hours. Mother and two infant boys lie sleeping in the cemetery of College church, near Oxford. " Lovely and jDleasant in their lives, in their death they were not divided ! " Thus passed away one of the truest, purest, and holiest of her sex. A devoted mother, an affectionate sister and daughter, an exemplary and tender wife, an indulgent mistress, a conscientious Christian, all the warmest affec- tions of her husband, children, mother and sisters were concentrated upon her. Her servants were so attached to her that they only needed to know, in order to do her will, and there was no service that would have been deemed too hard for them to perform for her. For nineteen years we had lived together in as much real happiness as is allotted to mortals here in this world. Sure am I of one thing, that if ever I was unhap^Dy in an}' degree during this period it could not be traced directly to her as the originating occa- sion. Such inevitable events of an afflictive character as occasionally were experiencd, were shared one with another; but she never caused me a pang of grief, except when I laid her away in her grave. Then it was that I became conscious of the truth of the trite and worn line of the poet : " How blessings brighten as they take their flight ! " These regrets are unavaihng now. It is the common ex- perience of most of us that w^e might have done more to brighten the lines of the dear departed when we look back over the returnless track of past life. Time wore on sadly enough with me imdcr these circum- Second Markiage. 317 stanccn, and I had now to learn what I had never known before, the true meaning of the word loneliness, the loneli- ness of the heart ! My professorial coiu'se passed on with- out any interruption until August, 1854, when, on the 24th of that month, I was married to Miss Mary A. Werden, of Richmond, Berkshire county, Mass. This lady had been in the South for some years, as a very fine teacher, and had been known to my first wife and myself from 1849, and in consequence of a peculiar state of her mind in regard to the salvation of her soul, she had been the object of our kind regard and sympathy. I still continued my services as stated supply of the Oxford Presbyterian church, and as she had attended my ministr}-, she had been much affected and very deeply distressed during a season of a revival meeting that occurred about that time. I had frequent oc- casions to converse and pray with her. She received very little comfort from all this intercourse, as her feehngs seemed profoundly melancholy. She became better satisfied however, in j^i'ocess of time, and made a pubhc profession of religion, and connected herself with the Oxford Presby- terian church. I was impressed wdth her as a lady of fine talents and culture, her piety and the general excellence of her character, and after three years we were married. But her health, from being frail and delicate, grew worse and worse after marriage, bidding defiance to the skill of the most eminent physicians South and North, whose services I could secure. She continued in this condition for over seven years, and during these years I had placed her first under the care of the then eminent surgeon and specialist, Dr. Marion Sims, of New York. Afterwards she was under the care of Dr. Parker, of the same cit}^, and all to no pur- pose. I finally accompanied her, in the early months of the year 1861, to her native place, our design and plan then being that she should spend the spring and summers in the North and her wdnters in the South. Soon after her 318 John N. Waddel, D T>., LL. D. arrival in Massachusetts, having seen her comfortably lo- cated among her friends, I returned to our home, and not lon«- after this the terrible civil war beo-an its devastations and ravages, and all communication by travel and by mail "was stopped between the North and the South, save that a single i)age of epistolary intercourse was allowed between parties, which was first to be submitted to the inspection of Federal officers appointed for that purpose. "While this ■was better than no interchange of letters, it was unsatisfac- tory. Several letters of this kind passed between us during 1861, but after one received from her in January, 18G2, I heard from her no more until, by letters from her friends, the intelligence of her death, on the 10th of April, 1862, was received by me long after it occurred. In a letter from her sister I learned that she gi'ew more and more feeble, until she ceased to write, and passed away calmly trusting in her Saviour. It seemed that in her feebleuess she had been attacked just three months previous to her death with a violent cold, which settled on her lungs and carried her off in rapid consumption. Of one thing I feel some satisfaction, and that is, she had been abundantly provided by me wdth the necessary funds in gold to meet all her w-ants, and the testimony of her friends in our last intercourse is that she lacked for nothing whatever. It pleased God in this way to cast this shadow of her broken health upon the period of our wedded life. But I humbly accept it as among the " all things " that He has declared " work together for good" to us. CHAPTEE XXY. Establishment of a Chukch College by the Synod op Memphis. — Election of a Faculty. — Discussion in Relation to the Loca- tion. — Choice of La Grange, Tenn. ABOUT this time there had arisen among the i^eople of the region now covered by the territory of the Synod of Memphis, and embracing the Presbyteries of North- western Mississippi and those of AVesl^rn Tennessee, ex- tending as far as the northern boundary hne separating the State from Kentucky, very considerable discussion of a scheme for the organization of a college, to be strictly con- trolled by the Presbyterian Church. The subject was broup-ht before the Synod, and it was known that such an institution would be organized at the earhest possible period consistent with prudence and favoring prospects. The result was that various towns presented proposals to the Synod inviting the body to locate the college in their midst, and offering inducements to that effect. Among those places there were prominent the city of Jackson and the town of La Grange. The former place had, for many years, been the seat of 8 college, which was one of three in- stitutions founded by the State of Tennessee, viz.. East Tennessee University at Knoxville, now known as the Uni- versity of Tennessee; Nashville University in the centre, and West Tennessee College, at Jackson. This last institu- tion was in possession cf an endowment of $40,000, which was yielding an interest of $2,400, punctually and promptly paid. It had also been tolerably successful in securing re- spectable patronage. But beiug a State institution, it was sometimes under a president cf one denomination, and 319 320 John N. Waddel, D. D, L L. D. again iincler a different administration. At one time it had been nnder a minister of the Episcopal Chnrch (name now forgotten), and at another time tinder the Rev. James Holmes, D. D., a man of very great reputation as an educa- tor, the fruit of whose labors in the field of education are still found in every walk of prominent usefulness in the land. He was succeeded by Rev. Ch:u'k;s S. Dod, once pas- tor of the Presbyterian church in Holly Springs, Miss., a gentleman of fino abilities and of considerable experience as a college officer. Reference will be made to this institu- tion at a subsequent period of this history. Sufficient for our j)resent purpose it is, to state that the trustees of the AYest Tennessee College, at Jackson, proposed to the Synod of Memphis to enter into a joint partnership, whereby they should furnish to that body the use of their endowment, as to the annual interest, and a good building already erected, as an inducement to its location in Jackson, upon condition that the Synod on its part should raise a like sum of $40,- 000 as their part of the endowment. In passing, let it be noticed that these Trustees did not make this offer of their money and other franchises as a gift, but only as a loan, in- asmuch as it was a State institution and could not become the property of any denomination. The proposition from La Grange consisted in the offer of a subscription list of $37,500 made by the Masonic frater- nity to the Synod, to induce the body to locate the college at that place. The Masons had been engaged in endeavor- ing to establish a college under their own auspices for some time before this enterprise of the Synod was inau- gurated. Eut the}^ had found it a difficult matter to ac- complish ; and, no doubt, felt that the prestige of the church Avould greatly facilitate the object in view, and that the establishment of a college under the name and endorse- ment of Presbyterians would induce many to subscribe to the endowment, and so render it certain that the college Choice of Site for a College. 321 "would be a success. But it proved that it was more in ap- pearance than in reality that this proposition Tvas advanta- geous. For while it seemed that the amount of the sub- scription offered by the Masons was nearly as large as that offered by the Jackson Trustees, there was this material difference between the two propositions : the La Grange subscribers were not required to pay the principal of their subscriptions, but only the interest annually due at six per cent. On the other hand, the proposal made by the Jack- son people was of an amount already paid in, and well se- cured, which was yielding the annual interest punctually" and promptly. Now to many persons it appeared the j)lain and prudent course for the Synod to close in at once with the offer made to them by the Trustees of West Tennessee College, which was a certainty, and which admitted of im- mediate occupation, and the inauguration of the proposed church college without any delay. Accordingly, at a special session of the Sj'nod of Memphis, which was held at Eip- ley, Miss., in the summer of 1856, the question of location was discussed, and all the proposed inducements were fully considered, in earnest and animated debate, and the deci- sion reached by Synod was to accept the proposition of the Masonic fraternity, and to locate the college at La Grange, Tenn. Justice to the Synod demands that it should be stated here, that the paramount objection against the offer from Jackson was that the college there was a State insti- tution ; that tho funds constituting its endowment were given by the State, and that these funds were not furnished by Presbyterians alone, but by the tax-payers at large, and that the endow^ment was not offered to the Synod in fee simple, but only as a loan, which might be withdrawn at any time ; and that other denominations through the State might object to this partnership of chui'ch and State ; therefore, the Synod should avoid this sort of co-operation and accept the offer from La Grange, as the Masons made 21 322 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. no conditions, but that the Synod should establish their college in the town of La Grange, and they surrendered to the Synod all the j^i'opei'ty and franchises possessed by them. The Synod of Meraphis accepted these proposals and determined to proceed at once to organize a church college at the town of La Grange, Tenn. At a meeting of the Synod, subsequently held at La Grange, on or about the 23d of October, 1856, the subject was discussed, and it was at this meeting that the election was made of a President and a Professor of Ancient Lan- guages. For the former office the Synod unanimously se- lected Eev. John H. Gray, D. D., who at that time was pas- tor of the Second Presbyterian church of Memphis. The universal popularity of Dr. Gray drew upon him the atten- tion of the entire Synod, both of the laity and the ministry, and, indeed, the peoj^le of the community of all the various classes, both secular and religious. He was made Presi- dent, and was commissioned soliciting agent on this occa- sion, although the f uU organization and opening of the col- lege was necessarily postponed until the 1st of October, twelve months thereafter. Dr. Gray signified his willing- ness to accejDt the call of the Sjniod, subject to the decision. of the Presbytery of Memphis. After a great struggle and opposition to this movement, on the part of the Second chui'ch, the pastoral relation was dissolved. He occupied the intervening time in building a residence in La Grange, and visiting various parts of the Synod in prosecution of his agency for raising the endowment of the college, and he removed to La Grange in 1857, and entered upon the dis- charge of his duties as President of the college and stated supply of the Presbyterian church in that place. The Synod, as above stated, had filled the Professorship of Ancient Languages at the same time, in October, 185G. To that position I was called — not being a candidate — but I gave no intimation of any willingness to accept, nor did I Elected to College at La Grange. 323 encourage my friends to exx^ect that I would do so in the f utui-e. I remember that dming the progress of the discus- sion in Synod at La Grange great enthusiasm was mani- fested by all, and among others who took i^rominent part in the consideration of the subject, Col. E. H. Porter, an elder of the Thii'd Presbyterian church, Memphis, made a most stirring speech, which he closed by placing at the dis- posal of the Synod 10,000 acres of Arkansas lands as his donation to the college to aid in its endoTVTnent. This created quite a sensation, and *every one felt elated by the prospects opening before the college^ CHAPTER XXYI. Keluctaxce on ]mt paut to Leaving Univeksity of Mississippi. — In- ducements Held Out. — Eesignation and Removal, to La Gkange» — Action of Faculty and Students on my Resignation. I RETURNED to Oxford, however, with not the least de- sire to leave the University of Mississippi. I had pecu- har views in regard to college and university life. During the presidency of Dr. Longstreet, my close and intimate as- sociation with him as a colleague and a friend, led me to realize that the responsibilities inseparably connected wath the office of President were exceedingly w^eighty, and that, the successful discharge of the duties of that office re- quired qualities rarely possessed. Hence, whenever it was suggested to me, as was often done (particularly by Dr. Longstreet himself in casual conversation), that I would most probably succeed him as President, I invariably shrank from the thought of such an event. I did not conceive my- self at all, by natural constitution or experience, fitted to occupy such a position. I had found the chair of a profes- sor sufficiently responsible for my qualifications, both as a teacher and disciplinarian, but I had become sufficiently^ self-assured, and perhaps self-confident in my ability to meet the requirements of the subordinate office, so that I felt quite at home in my position in the University, and wa& by no means dissatisfied ^ith my suiToundings. In addi- tion to all this, I was most comfortably sustained in the matter of salary and home, as well as in my standing with the Board and Faculty. I allude to these facts merely to show why I did not feel inclined to change my sphere of effort, or my field of labor. In others words, I greatly pre- 324 Reluctance to LEA^'l: the IJNrvERsiTY. 325 ferred the chair of Ancient Languages in the University of Mississippi to the position of President of that institution, or of any other, and I considered it greatly preferable to the same chair in an untried and unestablished institution^ such as the Synodical College at La Grange. This view of my entire satisfaction with my position at Oxford will serve to explain my reluctance, or, perhaps, a better word would "be, indifference, toward La Grange. I gave no decision of the question of acceptance, however, for many months. During the summer of 1857, Dr. Gray, while on the agency to which he had been appointed, in soliciting funds for the endowment of the college of the Synod, came to Oxford during the exercises of the annual commencement of the University, on a visit to me. He was very earnest and pressing in his appeals to me to accept the professorship at La Grange, and go at once, on the nominal salary of $2,000, without a house. My salary at the University was $2,000, promptly paid, and a very good residence, rent free. I was not in a pecuniary condition to live without my salary, and the prospects held out at La Grange wore by no means llat- tering as to a support. I finally said to him that the verbal promise of the Board at La Grange was not sufficient, as they had no endowment from Avhose returns the salary could be realized, and that, although I entertained the most exalted estimate of their integrity, as well as of their regard for me personally, I could not consider them indi\'idually responsible, nor was there any wisdom in depending upon the arrangement as matters now stood. My position sur- l^rised him, as he was a man of confiding temperament, and always believed that what men promised they would per- form. I had not such faith in men — not even in Presbyte- rians. The steadiness of my refusal to go on the terms presented so wrought upon him that he proceeded to apply at once to certain men, friends of his, and myself also, who pledged themselves to guarantee my salary for five 326 John L. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. years, at $2,000 per annum. Accordingly, after mucli prayer and deliberation upon the subject, I accepted, not without some misgivings as to the wisdom of the plan. I tendered my resignation to the Trustees, then in session^ which, at first, they declined to accept. They appointed a committee to wait on me to request me to withdraw it. !But on my persisting in resigning, they expressed a wish that it should take effect at once, as it was important to have the vacancy filled during their session then in progress. The reason for this last intimation was that I had proposed that my resignation should not take effect until Januaiy, 1858. It will not, I trust, be regarded as savoring too much of egotism that I refer at this point in the narrative to the testimonials voluntarily presented to me on occasion of my resignation, by various parties with whom I had been asso- ciated for nine years. Those who accorded to me these parting tokens of friendly regard and esteem were: First, the Trustees ; second, the Faculty ; and third, students of the University. In all these papers, such were the expres- sions of regret on the subject of my dissolving the relations which had so long held us in close association, and the terms of high appreciation conveyed to me of my services, that I could not but feel a sympathetic and responsive awakening of sadness at the idea of departure from a scene of so much congeniality in my surroundings, and I ac- knowledge a pang of regret at the thought that the stej) had been decided ujDon which would then bring to an end so pleasant a period of my life. But there was now no alternative, and not many days j)assed until I bade adieu to the campus, and the buildings, and all the familiar scenes where I had dwelt in such mingled j^eace and care, such toil and success, such joy and sorrow, such times of com- parative happiness and times of deep affliction. My removal from Oxford to La Grange occurred in the "vacation of the University. My family, consisting of four Eemoval to La Gkange. 327 children— Man- Eobertson, Elizabeth Woodson Pleasants, and the two httle boys, George, aged thirteen, and Gray, ten, with their grandmother, Mrs. ColHer— went to La Grange on the first passenger train that passed from Oxford northward over the railroad, whose name then was the Mis- sissippi Central railroad. I remained a day longer in order to settle all my private affairs, and having chartered two freight cars, loaded them with my furniture, books, and pa- pers, and went up on the next day, arriving at La Grange about the 22d of August, 1857. Just previous to this the Trustees of the college had elected two additional profes- sors, viz. : Professor John E. Blake, of Georgia, and Profes- sor James L. Meigs ; the former to the chair of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, the latter to that of Mathe- matics and Astronomy ; Professor Meigs having served as chief engineer on the Memphis and Charleston railroad. Of these two gentlemen it will be my pleasure to writa more fully hereafter. The college was now furnished with as fuU a corps of instructors as the means of support in possession would justify. CHAPTEK XXYII. Visit to the North and Opening Peospects of the College in 1857. — General Train of Work. THE first service which I was called upon to perform in my new field of labor, was to go to the Northern cities on an agency to purchase an ap23aratus for the departments of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, and to secure, if pos- sible, some contributions for a library. I arrived in La Grange about the 22d of August, 1857, ^hich was on Saturday, and preached in the Presbyterian church twice on the Sabbath. On Monday, the 24th, I took the train on the Memphis and Charleston railroad for a tour North. The most travelled route at the time was via Chattanooga, Atlanta and Augusta, Ga., etc. My only stop on the way was at Greensboro', Ga., where I met for the first time Professor John R. Blake, Professor-elect at the new college at La Grange. He was then professor in a Tery flourishing female college, presided over at that time by Rev. L S. K. Axson, D. D., afterwards pastor of the Li- dependent Presbyterian church of Savannah, Ga., for so many years. Of Professor B. I shall have occasion to write more hereafter. At this point, I continue the account of my trip North. I spent several weeks in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. In Boston I made a purchase of one thousand dollars' worth of scientific apparatus and instru- ments, paying five hundred dollars of the purchase money in cash, w^hich was the whole amount at the command of the Trustees at that time, the remainder being allowed on short 328 A Mission to the North. 329 credit, and paid fuUy and promptly at the time due. On niY visit I met with many of the prominent ministers of the Presbyterian Cliurch, among them Eev. Br. Potts, of New York, and Dr. John Leighton ^Vilson, who died in the ser- vice of the Southern Presbyterian Church, at the head of the Committee of Foreign Missions, in 1886. At the time I met him in New York he was acting as Assistant Secre- tary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church. This, it must not be forgotten, was four years previous to the separation of the Southern Presbvterians irom the Northern Presbyterians, and the organization of the Pi-esbyterian Church of the United (Confederate) States. Dr. "Wilson had been a missionary in Western Africa as far back as 1837, and perhaps earlier than that period. But was obliged to retm-n on account of the loss of health of his family. When the late civil war began he returned to South Carolina, his native State, and on the convention of the Southern Presbyteries to constitute a Southern Assem- bly, meeting in Augusta, Ga., in December, 1861, he was made Secretary of Foreign Missions, and served in that ca- pacity until his death, in 1886. I also met for the first and only time, Bev. Charles Hodge, the venerable and beloved Professor of Theology at Princeton, N. J., where I spent two days, during the vacation in the college, but after the openmg of the session of the Theological Seminary, as I was present at the afternoon Sabbath conference conducted by him in the lecture-room of the Seminary. I remember walking with him through the Princeton cemetery, and hav- ing pointed out to me the graves of the Presidents of Prmceton College, Burr, Edwards, Davies, Finlev, Stanhope, Smith, and Green, besides the first professors of the Theo- logical Seminary, the venerable and saintly Alexander and Miller. I stopped a few days also in Philadelphia, w^here I met my friend, Dr. Cortlandt Van Bensselaer, then conduct- ing the Presbyterian Magazine, devoted to the cause of 330 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. Christian education. He Avas also Secretary of the Assem- bly's Board of Education at that time. He made the col- lege a present of a fine bell, and through his influence I obtained quite a contribution of valuable books from the jDublishing house of Lippincott & Co. I then left for La. Grange, where I arrived about the 3d of October. The college opened about this time with the following Faculty : John H. Gray, D. D., President, Professor of Ethics, Metaphysics and Sacred Literature. John N. Waddel, D. D,, Professor of Ancient Languages. John B. Blake, M. A., Professor of JS'atural Philosophy and Chemistry. James L. Meigs, M. A. , Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy; and Civil Engineering. Geokge K. Grant, M. D., Lecturer on Physiology. Hon. John W. C. Watson, Lecturer on International Law. The two last gentlemen were not regular members of the Faculty, but promised to deliver lectures as they found op- portunity, Dr. Grant being an eminent physician of Mem- phis, and Mr. AVatson equally eminent at the bar, residing in Holly Springs, Miss. The Board of Trustees appointed by the Synod consisted, of three classes, comjDOsed of ministers and elders in equal numbers. Each class contained eight members, whose term of ser\dce expired after the first appointment in three years, subject to reappointment. The President of the col- lege was ex officio President of the Board of Trustees, and the other officers of the Board were a Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and Secretary. It is a noteworthy fact in the history of La Grange Synodi- cal College that it opened with the full number of the regu- lar college classes : Senior, Junior, Sophomore, and Fresh- men, and, besides, a scientific class and a primary school. The Seniors were seven j the Juniors, seven; the Sopho- mores, fijteen y the Freshmen, thirty; the scientific class, Openmg of the College. 83!L fourteen ; and the primary school, forty-six ; the total in all departments numbering 119. Of these there were from Tennessee, seventy -three ; from Mississippi, forty ; from Louisiana, four ; and from Arkansas, two — total, 119. The location of the college, just near the line separating Missis- sippi and Tennessee, accounts for the large proportion of students from the former State. At all events, it was a fact that three of our newly-organized Senior class left the University of Mississippi, and three of oui' Junior class had also been students in the same institution, and entered at La Grange. No effort was ever made by our Faculty, or by our Board of Trustees, to draw off students from the Mis- sissippi institution. It is to be attributed to the fact that this new enterprise was a church college, which caused a rally of the Presbyterians of the two adjoining States to its patronage and support, and the further fact that the people were satisfied with the manner in which the college had been organized. Its Faculty were all well known to the sur- rounding community, except Professor Blake, whose en- dorsement was of a high order of excellence from Georgia,. and who was not long in taking high rank among his col- leagues. The Trustees were men of the highest character in the ministr^^ and eldership, and the confidence of the peo- ple of the immediate community speedily became enthusi- astic, and almost universal in the success of the college. My mnny warm friends in the churches of Oxford and Hopewell (near Oxford), to which I had been so long minis- tering, and to whom I had been warmly and deeply at- tached, manifested great attachment to me and seemed very unwilling that I should dissolve the pleasant relations which had existed for nine years in uninterrupted harmony^ It was, therefore, settled that I should still supply these churches with preaching, going down every Saturday by rail, and returning on Monday morning, by the early train^ in amj)le time for my duties in the college. This arrange^ 332 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. ment, hj wliich I j^reaclied to Oxford and Hopewell on the usual Sabbaths of our engagement, continued until the close of the year 1857. Then, as my labors became un- usually heavy in the fact that I "was obhged to add a horse- back ride out to the country to my railroad ride, whenever it became the time for that appointment, I gave up the country church, and continued to supply Oxford twice in the month and the La Grange church twice j)er month, in which latter church Dr. Gray preached during the alternate Sabbaths. But the labors of the year 1858 were very heavy indeed on me; so much so, indeed, that at its close I felt that it was gradually undermining my health some- w^hat seriously. I felt obli^fed, under these circumstances, to give up Oxford. I thenceforward confined my labors to the church at La Grange, still dividing the supply of that pulpit with Dr. Gray, and riding down to Lamar, a very weak and poor church in INIississipj^i, south of La Grange a few miles, every alternate Sabbath, and preaching to the few excellent Presbyterians who resided in that neigfhbor- hood. I recall the fact now, that on nearly every day when I preached there, Judge Alexander M. Clayton, whose fine country home was near the church, attended with his family. The judge and I had been long associated in the L^niversity of Mississippi, he and I having been members of the chartered Board of Trustees, and then from 1818 to 1857 he still was an influential Trustee, and I a member of the Faculty. I was always happy to number him among* my friends in whom I had confidence. Before dismissing this part of my record, I will mention a very pleasing inci- dent connected with my reminiscences of Oxford and its ex- cellent and always beloved people. At the close of the year, when I ceased to preach for them, the ladies of the Presbyterian church sent me a beautiful present of a silver 2:)itcher, two goblets, and a large handsome salver, and ac- ., First President of La Grange College. The subject of this sketch was one of a class of men — always few iu number, but still to be found — witnesses for Jesus Christ, of the loving and beautiful fruits of the Chris- tian religion. Some represent that religion as "the Pauls," others as *'the Peters," and yet others as "the Johns," ■among the disciples. Of this last class, Dr. Gray was uni- versally admitted to be a shining member, " a living epistle, known and read of all men," insomuch that he was lov- ingly and affectionately styled by his more intimate friends, as ' the beloved disciple. ' " He was born in February, 1805, in Abbeville district, South Carolina, within the bounds of Hoj^ewell church, of which his j)arents were prominent members, and his father an honored and leading ruling elder. Descended from such parents, it is not by any means surprising to find that Dr. Gray was, at a very early age, made by the Holy Spirit a subject of that grace of God the fruits of which he dis- played in a most extraorclinaiy manner during his whole subsequent life, both as a private member and as an emi- nent minister of Jesus Christ. His heart and mind were at once turned to the gospel ministry as his future life-work, -and he was sent for his literal;;}' preparation to the Univer- sity of Georgia, then under the presidency of Dr. Moses "Waddel, father of this writer. There Dr. Gray pursued his course of collegiate study to his graduation, which he accomplished with high distinction in 1823, in the nineteenth year of his age. Being in due time licensed and ordained, he entered upon the great work of preaching the gospel, having found as his first field of ministerial labor, the then newly settled and attractive region of Western Alabama. Here he spent twelve or fifteen years of laborious and suc- cessful toil in the work of the ministry. He was for many years pastor of the church of Mesopotamia, and afterwards 336 John L. Waddel, D. D. LL. D. of Betlisalem, both in the county of Greene, and then, in the hope of securing better health for his family, he removed to Jasper county, Miss., in 1841. Thence he was called to the pastorate of the Presbyterian church of Vicksburg, and removed to that city in 1843, and resided there for about two years, when, in obedience to another invitation, he went to the young and rising city of Memphis. Kere he organ- ized the Second Presbyterien church, and conducted the services for some time in a building near the river bluff, temporarily converted from a warehouse into a house of wor- ship. Here his labors were blessed, and his devoted and en- terprising people resolved to "arise and build." In this church Dr. Gray served God and His people for fourteen years with eminent success, universally esteemed as a model j^astor. His blameless Hfe, his tender sympathy with all classes of sufferers, his fidelity to the duties of his sacred office, his tender, affectionate, and wise pulpit ministrations, all com- bined to clothe him with an influence and a power for good such as few men have ever wielded in Memphis. His name is still as ointment poured forth among the survivors of those days when he dwelt among them, and went in and out before them, as first pastor of the Second Presbj^terian church of Memphis. It was during his residence as pastor here that the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by the University of Nashville, then under the presidency of the eminent scholar and divine, Philip Lindsley, D. D. In a former chapter of this memoii* is recorded fully the account of the dissolution of this happy and fruitful pastorate, consequent upon the call of Dr. Gray to the presidency of the Synodical College at La Grange. The success of the college rmder his presidential administration from 1857 to 1860, was unparalleled. The prosperit}^ which marked its career, in the fact that the average number of students for the few years of its exist- ence was far beyond what is usual in young colleges, and Eev. John H. Gray, D. D. 337 that the advancement and orderly and gentlemanly deport- ment of the students proved to be so creditable to them- selves and to their Faculty, are attributable, no doubt, in great measure to the ^yise and judicious management of the President, in which he enjoyed the cordial co-operation of his attached colleagues. The close of the disastrous " War between the States " found Dr. Gray again in his La Grange home, surrounded by the ruins of the college and the town, and the material work in entire desolation, and all that could be reached hy the ravages of war passed away " among the things that were ! " But gathering up his last energies, he zealously devoted himself, "heart, soul, mind, and strength," to the work of the ministry, during ten j^ears of toil, preaching in the weakened churches — La Grange, Saulsbury, and Mid- dleton — as often as possible, until increasing debility, arising from a chronic affection of some 3'ears' standing, compelled him reluctantly to cease preaching altogether. His last days were clouded and saddened by the loss of the devoted wife of his youth, and so, by slow and increasing infirmi- ties, he passed to his rest, on Sabbath, September 22, 1878, aged seventy-two years, seven months and seventeen days. Let us sum up the prominent traits of his character, that they may be left on record for the future character of the church's history. 1. Naturally amiable and affectionate, these traits, refined and elevated by grace, made him a devoted husband, a ten- der and loving father, a faithful and constant friend, a sym- jDathetic pastor, an earnest, beseeching pleader with men to seek the salvation of their souls. If he had an enemy, it was unknown. 2. " The chastening of the Lord," which he had borne in the loss of wife and nine of their eleven childi'en, and many others dear to him as kindred and friends, wrought upon him the influence of rendering him only more tender and 22 338 John N. ■\A'addell, D. D., LL. D. gentle, "weaning liim more entirely from the things of earth, and attracting him more eagerly to heaven. He said to one, " I pray for resignation to live ! " Such was his loDging "desire to depart and be with Jesus." 3. As a preacher, he never " served God with that which cost him naught." His sermons he very diligently pre- pared, especially accompanying his studies with prayer, realizing the great Reformer's experience, '■'■hene orasse, est hene studuisseJ' His pulpit exercises were abundant in gospel truth, and his exhibitions of God's love in Jesus Christ were peculiarly tender and impressive, uttered in a voice exceptionally sweet and winning, while his naturally noble face was ii'radiated with the spirit of burning love to God and man. One of his ministerial brethren, who often heard him, once remarked, after one of his happiest efforts, " I surely never preached, so different are my sermons from this." 4. He was the very soul of benevolence. It will nevor be known until the great day what he accomplished in this line of Christian work — how many tears he dried, how much suffering he relieved, how many wounded hearts he aided in binding up, how much he contributed of his substance to the treasury of the Lord ; but it is written in " the Book of God's remembrance." His remains lie in Elmwood cemeteiy, in the family lot, beside thoso of the dear departed who preceded him, and bis released spirit has doubtless been welcomed to the pre- sence of his divine Master with " Well done, good and faithful servant ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord ! " 2. John Bennie Blake, A. M. The gentleman whose name heads this part of the history is a native of South Carolina, and at the time of his election to the Professorship of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry was in his thirty- second year. He was a graduate of the John Eenxie Blake, A. M. 339 "University of Georgia, of the class of 1846, closing Lis term of scholastic training with high distinction in a class re- markable even then for intellectual and scholarly abiUty, many of whom attained eminence in the various depart- ments of professional life. Professor Blake was a student of the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University, taking special courses under the celebrated Professor Agassiz, and was a imvate pupil of Agassiz in his laboratory on the seashore at Nahant, Massachusetts ; and on his nomi- nation by Professor Agassiz, he was elected corresponding member of the "Boston Natui-al History Society." He was also a pui^il of the great chemist, Horsford. He was elected, as already stated, in 1857, to the chair of Natm-al Sciences in La Grange Synodical College. On the dissolution of the College, in 1861, he was elected Professor of Natural Phil- osophy and Astronomy in Davidson College, North Caro- lina. He served during the administrations of Drs. J. L. Kirkpatrick and G. W. McPhail in this chair with such eminent success as an instructor and practical manager that, on the death of Dr. McPhail, Professor Blake was ap- pointed chairman of the Faculty of Davidson College. In this capacity he served the college with signal ability and 13henomenal success until 1879, when, on the change of this provisional form of administration, to which Professor Blake had always been opposed, he became, by election, Vice- President of the College. In 1881 he tendered his resigna- tion of the chair he had so long filled, but was induced to withdraw it by the earnest appeals of those interested ; but renewing his resignation in 1885 persistently, the Board accepted it, with complimentary expressions of high esteem and regret on his severance of a laborious term of faithful service of twenty-four years. The above running sketch of the Hfe and labors of this most exceUent and successful college educator is given as a clear demonstration of the estimate placed by the friends 340 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. and patrons of education upon liis services, talents, and learning-, of all wliicli La Grange was the recipient for only four years. I do not consider, however, that full justice •will have been accorded to him without something addi- tional, first, as a statement of his standing aad character at La Grange, and then as to the estimate placed uj^on him at Davidson College. For the first I am responsible, as it con- sists of a true statement of my own knowledge of his course during his brief sojourn with us of the four years passing between 1S57 and 18G1. Professor Blake's connection with La Grange College began in October, 1857, and from the very outset of his career to its close he manifested the utmost devotedness of all his energies, intellectual and moral, to the work of build- ing up the cause of Christian education. Of his qualifica- tions, by personal training and study and experience, we have already made ample mention ; and no man with whom I have ever been associated Avas ever more zealous and suc- cessful in imparting the benefits of his own learning and acquisitions to those under his instructions. He was faithful, as all who knew him can testify, as a disciplinarian ; and while sufficiently rigid in exacting of his pupils the requisite dili- gence and devotion to preparation for all scholastic exer- cises and just in awarding to all the credit due to their j)er- formances, he w^as courteous and apjDroachable on all occa- sions by the students. He was much beloved and highly esteemed as a member of the Faculty by his colleagues, never shrinking from the assumption of his full share of all the responsibility devolving upon himself. The character- istics thus displayed in his daily work and association with the college department of his life were as clearly manifest in the community and in the church of La Grange. He was, at an early period of his settlement there, made an elder of the small body of believers in the town, and carried out the full details of duty marked out as belonging to that John Rennie Blake, A. M. 341 highly-honored office. He was in this office, as in all others in which he was called to serve, " not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." As a Christian, he was esteemed as devoted, and ready for every good word and work, and as upholding the ministry by his prayers, coun- sel, and sympathy. As a citizen, he was faithful and con- scientious in all the demands of his country ; and from the beginning of the terrible civil dissension of 1861, w^hich re- sulted in the temporary ruin of the material interests of his native South, he was an unhesitating and open believer in the righteousness of our cause. "Wliile I write he still lives, re- tired from all the responsibilities of the teacher's life, but at his own homestead in South Carohna, in otio cum dlgni- tate, enjoying the entire confidence of the community and the church around him. After a tolerably long, and, assuredly, a well-spent Hfe, he is suiTounded by the friends of his early boyhood, awaiting, not in idleness, but in active ai:>plication of all his powers to usefulness in every way, the tranquil old age, or the peaceful summons to the gracious reward provided for all those who hold out faithful unto death. I am indebted to a work called Semi- Centenary Ad- dresses — Davidson College, published in 1887, for some au- thoritative statements in regard to Professor Blake, of which I gladly avail myself. I make no apology for devoting thus much of my history to this sketch, as I hold that it is but carrj'ing out in reality the injunction to give "honor to whom honor is due." Says Eev. Dr. Eumple, of North Carolina : "Professor Blake's administration was characterized by excellent order, attention to study, harmony among the Faculty, and thorough scholai'ship among the graduates. He governed by the Faculty, whose executive officer he was, and the College never had a more satisfactory or successful period than those six 3'ears." 342 John N. >Yaddel, D. D., LL. D. Rev. Mr. Milner, of Georgia, remarks in reference to Pro- fessor Blake : " His subsequent promotion to the jiresidency of the institution sufficiently evinces the fact that his chair was ably and honorably filled." From the long and eloquent tribute to Professor Blake furnished by Colonel A. R. Banks, of South Carolina, to whom had bsen assigned, as his part in the programme of the semi-centenary, the history of the chairmanship admin- istration, the following : " In his twenty-six years of college work he taught in every department of the college, from the geography of the preparatory to the philosophy of the se- nior. Not once during this whole time did he remit the Bible For all these extra duties and labors Professor Blake received no extra pay. Nor was he ever heard to complain of insufficient salary. ' In labors more alnmdant, in duties above measure,' he toiled bravely on ; the interests of the college were his interests, her advancement his high- est aim, asking no better reward than the confidence and reo-ard of his co-laborers and the Board whom he served. Could wo call back those who labored with him, now gone to give an account of their stewardship, they would, with one accord, give to John R. Blake the plaudit, " "Well done, good and faithful servant! " E. C. Smith, Esq., of Raleigh, N. C, in a passing com- pliment, speaks of him, in his history of Dr. Hepburn's ad- ministration, as "the learned, wise, and earnest Blake." ]\Iuch more mi-^-ht be written of Professor Blake, but these facts Avill be sufficient to show that the crowning ex- cellence of a teacher is not simply that he be a learned man, a splendid scholar, and a successful instructor, important and essential as these qualities always are, but that he be a man of earnest Christian character, teaching by example as bv precept, living out, in his daily intercourse with his pupils, the life of Christ, and thus training them by not only conscious, but by imconscious tuition. James Laiviivie Meigs, M. A.. 343" 3. James Lamme Meigs, M. A. This gentleman, T\liom I have mentioned among the mem- bers of the first Faculty of La Grange College, was a native of the town of Athens, in East Tennessee. He was born on. February 25, 1827. His father, the wellknown jurist^ Return Jonathan Meigs, was author of several works, long- held as eminent authority in the legal profession, being Su- preme Court Reports. The removal of this gentleman from Athens to Nashville in 1835 furnished ample opportunities for the education of his children. There the subject of this sketch Avas, in due time, entered as a student in the Uni- versity of Nashville, and was graduated from that institu- tion, which, under the presidency of the celebrated Philip Lindsle}', D. D., became the Alma Mater of so large a num- ber of the distinguished citizens of Tennessee and neighbor- ing States. At the early age of twenty-one Professor Meigs began his career as a teacher in that city, On account of impaired health, he became engaged in engineering surveys on the Memphis and Charleston railroad in 1850, and con- tinued in the service of that company itntil the completion, of the road, in 1857. In 1854 he had been elected Profes- sor of Mathematics in tho University of Nashville, but his previous engagements prevented his acceptance of this call. It was just at the time of his completion of the term of ser- vice as engineer on the Memphis and Charleston railroad that the Synodical College at La Grange was organized and the Faculty of four Professors was filled. Mr. Meigs was unanimously elected to the chair of Mathematics in the new institution, and filled that position with distinguished suc- cess and to universal acceptance during four years, until, by the occurrence of the civil war, its exercises were brought to a close. After this Professor Meigs was occupied during the progress of the war in teaching, having been first super- intendent of the public schools in Nashville, and then in 344 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. conducting a private school until the war closed. He was again called into the service of the Memphis and Charleston railroad as engineer in rebuilding the part that had been destroyed during the war. In 1868, '69, and '70 he w^as en- gineer of the Memphis and Little Rock railroad, and in 1871-74 of the Paducah and Memphis railroad. Since that time he has been engaged in teaching and in river and har- bor surveys on the Gulf Coast, in the employment of the government. He has been twice married, and was the father of a son and a. daughter, the former only surviving. The foregoing are the mere particulars of his life, but I feel that it is due to him and to the public he served to give the record of his moral traits, which are indelibly stamped upon my memory, and w hich endeared him to all w^ho knew Jiim. Professor Meigs was naturally a man of amiable and high- loned principle, yet of most decided traits of virtue and lionor. He was, in my judgment, one of the purest men I liave ever known ; but in addition to all that, he was a man of deep and ardent j^iety — a devoted Christian. As a pub- lic character, in charge of most important trusts, his integ- rity was incorruptible, his honor unimpeachable ; as a dis- ciphnarian, he was firm, and yet kind ; as an accomplished scholar and successful teacher, he had no superior; as a Christian gentleman and a faithful friend, universally esteemed and beloved. CHAPTEK XXIX. Becond Session. — General Character of the Work Done. — Mode of Discipline. — Progress of the Endowment. ¥E closed, our first session, 1857-'58, very successfully, by graduating seven young men. The first honor ^as given to a young man who had left the University of Mississippi to join the La Grange College at its opening. Of the students who shared the second honor one of them •was from the University of Mississippi, and the other from the "West Tennessee College, at Jackson. ^Ye closed, as already stated, with 119 students on our roll, in all depart- ments. The second session opened under the same Faculty, in the college proper, but the preparatory school was now organized under two insti*uctors, both of whom were origi- nally students of the University of Mississippi, the princi- pal being James J. Quarles, who was first honor man of the &"st graduating class of that institution in the year 1851; ihe assistant being a graduate of 1856 of the same. There was not only no diminution of patronage, but an increase of :fifty-one over the total of last session. The distribution of the number in attendance, by classes, the second session, Avas as follows, viz. : Seniors, 7 ; Juniors, 15 ; Sophomores, 31 ; the Freshmen, 33 ; Scientific Class, 23 ; the prepara- tory school, 61 ; total, 170. The distribution of this num- ber, by States, was as follows . From Tennessee, 86 ; fi-om Mississippi, 73; from Arkansas, 4; from Louisiana, 4; from Texas, 2 ; from Alabama, 1. The session v^as characterized by a creditable devotion to study, and a gentlemanly deportment on the j^art of the -students, so that everything seemed to move on without 345 34G John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. friction of any kind. The work accomplished by the Faculty" was by no means the perfunctory discharge of duty, but each of&cer seemed to feel the responsibility rest- ing upon him for the very best work which could be done under all circumstances. Not a single instance of college discipline Avas recorded, and peace, harmony and cordiality prevailed throughout the college community. The College continued its career of usefulness for about three regular sessions, with an attendance of 126 students in the third session, and the number in the broken term of 1860-'61 cannot be stated, in which last jeav the regular operations of the college closed in April, by reason of the war, which began then. So that the result of patronage of the four sessions (including the one interrupted thus) may be summarized as amounting to something over 500 stu- dents. As the war had commenced in the spring by the firing of the first gun from Fort Sumter, and the procla- mation of President Lincoln calling for seventy-five thousand soldiers to meet the South, the exercises of the session were brought to a close in the month of April, 1861, and. "we graduated a class of about thirteen. The catalogue of the college for the session of 1860-'61 was regularly made out, and sent to New York for ^publication, and I learned was actually printed and ready to be sent down to us, but it was considered contra^>and of Kxir, and was never received. The consequence is that the number in at- tendance cannot be recorded save by conjecture. For the following statements in regard to the endowment of the College I am indebted to the Rev. A. H. Caldwell, the energetic and devoted agent appointed by the Synod to solicit funds : " January 20, '90. " 1. In relation to the scholarships of the Masonic fra- ternity ($37,500), the whole contribution was considered, after one or two j-ears' trial, as an incubus on the institu- The Coixege of La Grange. 34T tion. The owners of scholarships who lived not far off were inclined to put in students at such a price for tuition as to lessen the income of such students to the amount of $20. With the advice of friends of the College, I, as agent of the College, compromised with scholarship holders, returning their scholarship notes for what cash I could get. I tried to displace the scholarships within six or eight miles of La Grange. I sold some of the notes for $200 and others for less. None of those scholarships were ever paid in any other way. " 2. The salaries of Professors for the last 3'ear Avere not fully paid. I had a large amount of railroad stock, which I turned over to them, but they made but little out of it. *' 3. The ten thousand acres of land w^ere retui-ned to Mr. E. H. Porter, I had sold and taken notes for the amount of $35,000, of which all was lost by the war. " 4. The trustees made ai)pHcation to Congress for dam- ages to the amount of $32,000. The Sj-nod still keeps up the corporation, and I, as President of the Board of Trus- tees, call a meeting every Synod and make a report. " Gilbert Moyers, of Washington city, is our attorney, and he encourages us to hope that there is still some prospect of success. What was left of the property after the war was^ all turned back to the original contributors." CHAPTER XXX. Hesignation of Dk. Gray. — Election of His Successor. — Corre- spondence WITH Davidson College Authorities. IT will now be projDer to retrace our record so as to bring to view some events that transpired during the last years of the College, so as to make its history complete. We had found, by the gradual increase of our patronage and the extent of the territory from which it was drawn, that there was occasionally introduced into our body of students an ■element of evil-disposed and badly -trained young men and boys who became troublesome and difficult to control. This is the experience of such institutions, and under such a malign influence, it is generally the case that much of the same spirit of insubordination is found diffused among the other students. La Grannfe Colle^*e did not form an ex- ception to this state of things : for while there was never experienced there any very extensive state of disorder among the students — none, in fact, comparable to those re- corded of other colleges whoso history is given — yet enough of trouble of this sort was in existence to require vigilance and to demand the exercise of discipline on the part of the Faculty ; yet it was always readily and jnstly disposed of by them. After the first three sessions had been successfully brought to their respective endings, I was approached on a certain occasion, just previous to the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees at Commencement by the President, Dr. Gray, with a communication which surprised me not a little. He announced his intention to place his resignation of the office of President in the hands of the Board at their ensu- ing meeting. I gave it as my decided opinion that he ought 348 Elected to the Presidency. 349 not to resign, and combated his proposed course by every consideration drawn from the fact of his administration having been successful, and that he was the chosen repre- sentative of the Synod by a unanimity which no other man could command. But he resolutely persisted in his deter- mination, and could not be moved by any representation that I could make. He then added, further, that his object in this movement was to have me made President. To this I at once objected, as it was a position I had never coveted, and that it had no attractions for me whatever ; but the re- siDonsibilities inseparable from it were altogether repulsive to my tastes and inchnations. His reply to that was, that unless I would agree to accept the office he would not only resign the presidency, but he w^ould abandon the institu- tion. The matter thus remained in an undecided position, without my having given any intimation of a change of views on the subject, until the Board met, w^hen he put his plan in execution, tendered his resignation, and it was ac- cepted by the Board. On his projDosal I was jxit in nomi- nation, and unanimously elected his successor. I knew very well that Dr. Gray's main and influential reason for offering his resignation was, he felt the annoy- ances and vexations of the government of the college as exerting too fearful a pressure upon his nevous tempera- ment, and that the very act of restraint which he felt to be binding upon him as President over the student body, and which he saw to be called for so frequently, and then the execution of penalties adjudged as the consequence of vio- lation of rule, all assumed in his view, and before his tender and gentle disposition, an almost frightful aspect. His three years' experience of college presidency had only served to confirm the convictions of his judgment as it was swayed by all his feelings and habitudes. AYhen the action was communicated to me, I signified, very decidedly, my unwillingness to accept the office of 350 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. President. But I was allowed reasonable time in which to make np my final answer. The vacation of two months was on us, and matters remained in this state of indecision until the fall meeting of the Synod of Memphis. It was just about this time, when all this Avas in progress at La Grange, that a very singular condition of affairs was occurring in a distant part of the country, made known to me in the following series of letters, directed to me by the Rev. H. H. Morrison, J). D., of North Carolina, and others, bearing upon a similar subject. As introductory to this series of letters, I present the following communication, dated "April 24th, 18G0" : No. 1. " My Dear Brother : Rev. Br. Lacy, who has been President of Ba^ddson College for several j^ears, has given notice of his purj^ose to resign, in consequence of feeble health. My object in this note is to ascertain if you would accept the presidency of our college, if elected. " Bavidson is strictly a Presbyterian institution, under the care of three Presbyteries in this State and South Carolina ; is now well endowed, having received over two hundred thousand dollars from the legacy of Mr. Chambers. It is worth nearly $300,000. We are now about completing per- haps one of the most splendid college edifices in the United States, costing over $80,000 You would find with us the co-operation of as interesting a Presbyte- rian community as can be found in the South, and might, by God's blessing, do a great work for the prosperity of the church and the good of society. "I should be pleased to hear fully from you on this sub- ject, and will give you any information in my power. The election, I presume, will be at our next Commencement, in the month of July I hope soon to hear from you, and would be delighted to hear in favorable terms. " Very truly your brother in Christ, E. H. Morrison." Call to Davidson College. 351 In repl/ to this wholly unexpected letter, I stated to Dr. Morrison very frankly, that I could not possibly accept the presidency of Davidson College, even if elected; that I Avas bound to serve La Grange College five years by the very terms of my acceptance of the chak to which I had been elected. In answer to this, which I regarded as suffi- ciently plain and decisive to end the correspondence, I re- ceived from Dr. Morrison the following letter, bearing date. No. 2. " Cottage Home, June 26^A, 1860. " Eev. and Dear Brother : I had a letter from Dr. B. M. Smith, a few days since, in which he expressed the opinion that if you should be elected as President of Davidson Col- lege, and strongly sohcited, you might accept the post. " Your letter to me was so frank and explicit, in express- ing a different opinion, that I then concluded that it was not necessary to continue the correspondence. " It is the wish to leave no probability of success untried that induces me to address you again. Of course, I seek not to induce you to depart from any assumed obligation. But it has occurred to me that possibly j-our friends might be willing to release you from jouv j^ledge to stay five years at La Grange. I doubt whether they had any right to exact such a promise. If you think you cannot be honorably released, of course I have nothing more to say. If you could be, I would feel well assured of your election, and that you would do a great and good work for the church in our midst. AVe are sadly in the dark, as we know of no Southern man fully qualified that can be obtained Dr. , of , is spoken of, but some of the trustees are net satisfied with him. Various others are thought of, but not with that regard which will secure a united vote. If you have anything further to say, I would be very glad to hear from you. 352 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. " Oiu* election will ba about the 16th of July. There i& time to hear from you again, if you write without delay. " Very truly, your friend and brother, "' (Signed), " R. H. Mokkison." To this I made no reply at all, as I had said in my first communication all that I had to say in answer to his fii'st proposition. I heard nothing more from Dr. Morrison on the subject of these two letters, until some time after the close of our Commencement, to which reference has been made in preceding page, at which time, being about the first week in July, 1860, the Trustees of La Grange College had, by a unanimous vote, elected me to the presidency as Dr. Gray's successor. The following letter was, in due course of mail, received by me from Dr. Morrison, being the third communication from him : No. 3. " Cottage Home, July IWi, 1860. "Rev. and Dear Brother: I have just returned from a meeting of our Trustees of Davidson College. "As an election for President had to take place yesterday, I much regretted not having received from you a reply to my last letter. " Deeply impressed with the importance of having a first- rate man at the head of our institution, I ventui'ed to lay your claims before our Board, and I am happy to say you have been tinanimously elected President of our college. The salary has been raised from $1,500 to $2,000, and the use of a good house, &c. I am gratified to say that the vote was not only unanimous, but ardent and enthusiastic, as much so as I have ever witnessed. As proof of this, many of our best ministers were most solemnly affected with the deep conviction that it was the interference of God's Providence which led to your election. !For some time before the vote we were engaged in united and ear- Call to Davidson College. 353- ''pnit. To do all we could to remore the difficulties in th! tlTiJsbT"*'' "^ ^«'^»-te to visit .ouversortoa; isle tSn r of r' '■'""'^ '""^^^^ ""'^ f^^-". -1'-. -u_\ son-xu-iaw, Eufus Barrino-er K^n ^x-oo o • z i commissioner. . a ,>,' '?" T pointed om- of «11 +1.. ^^ ••••... And now, dear brother, in view will reopivp -Fv. .1 1 ^^ ^ ^^''^ received, or nmiecene, irom tlie leo-ao a- of \Ty^ ni. i -, 000 m«V.s. ^^^^ac} ot .Ui. Chambers, about $220- South Ca. ! u t n^^^^^ ^^ 'f^ St^te and United States. I reTr vou o ,T "' '""""^ ^" *^« information. We onfid n l-^ °"%^^^^gf ^^^ additional I think the handof G:d21it°'\t 't/Tf r-^^"^^-- don. show you the rath of dut.- '" ^'^ ^""^ °' ^" ^•^^- " Very truly your brother in Christ, "(Signed), "E. H. II0RBIS0.X." ^' ^"'1 surprise no reader of this record thflt T ^ i , ::r"B;ir^ ™""^ ~;^-":; ir uti tire hureh wa oneTf « " "t' "^"^ *'^°"«"'^-* ^'^^ -- loved nainTs'terof 21 H "''* '''''■''^' ^^*^^'"«1' »<1 1^- of characwTn / Le^nt' H^ "' ''.^^ ^^--^ -%^t confidence was reposeT Da^ J„^° Coi^™' """"■^^' established UDon « «„ -^^^Uson College also was then 354 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. show the influence that was brought to bear upon mo in this matter. A very strongly-written and earnest communication was received, dated July 14, 1860, from Messrs. Rockwell, Kerr, and Mclvor, who were then Professors in the Faculty of the College, urging my acceptance. Dr. Lacy, the retiring President, was urgent in a similar letter. Communications of the same class poured in upon me from others, "with some of whom I had slight acquaintance, and of others I knew very little, if anything at all. Besides the official notifica- tion of my election from Dr. E. Nye Hutchison, of Char- lotte, secretary of the Board, I received a long letter from Bev. B. M. Smith, D. D., Professor in Union Seminary, Yii'ginia ; one from Rev. "\V. W. Pharr, of Statesville ; two from Bufus Barringer, Esq. ; one from Edwin B. Harris, Esq., &c., all pressing the call upon me most strongly in language complimentary and kind, exj)ressive of the exalted estimate in which they wero pleased to hold me. I answered, I suppose, all these letters, as I never failed to do during my life, when the letters received required an answer, as I considered these communications all jn'eemi- nently merited my special and grateful notice. But I kept no copies of my replies. My final response, after bestowing upon the subject most mature and prayerful coDsideration, Avas, as far as I now recall it, about to this effect ; I ex- pressed my deep and abiding sense of the unusually flatter- ing manner in which I had been honored and the favorable impression which I had received, and even went so far as to '>^'ithhold a final declinature of the of&ce to which I had been elected. I placed my hesitancy still upon the ground of luy existing pledge to the Trustees of La Grange College, but proposed to postpone an answer until after the approaching meeting of the Synod of Memphis, when the subject of my election by the La Grange Board would be reported to the Synod, and the entire subject in connection with my ac- Call to Davidson Collge. 355 eriod. I determined to remain at home on the next day and decline to fill the appointment. I be- lieved that there had been a plan concocted by the Major and others to allow me to enter the pulpit and then to arrest me for disobedience of orders, and the next step would be to require me to take the oath of allegiance, and if I should i refuse to do so, I took it for granted that I should be sent to some Northern prison. I had no opportunity to consult with friends, but committed the whole matter to God, im- ploring divine guidance and protection. Accordingly, at the usual hour for Sabbath-school services, my children Avent to the church, and, by ray authority, stated to the superinten- dent that I should not preach that morning. I spent the time alone during the hours devoted to the Sabbath-school. I learned that there was the usual crowd of Federal ofiicers and soldiers in attendance, and, if my conjectures in regard to the proposed arrest w^ere correct, there perhaps was a dis- aj)pointment felt by those who were admitted to a knowledge of the plan, that I failed to carry out the part of the pro- o-ramme that had been assigned to me. But perhaps I may not have interpreted the authorities correctly ; I knew that such things had occurred with others, and I supposed that they might occur in iny case. At all events, I had no more intercourse wdth Maj. Peats, or any other of the officers then in La Grange, with regard to my acting as a minister, or on any other subject whatever. But the conclusion to which my mind was tending, and to which it was ultimately brought, was, that La Grange was no suitable place for my residence ; and I formed the resolution to make my escape from the Federal lines at the earhest possible period. I shaped my course deliberately and in consultation with only two of my friends, one of whom was my brother-in-law and devoted friend, Dr. Gray, and the other friend was my kind and prudent neighbor, and family physician, Dr. J. J. Pulliam. With these friends I held frequent conferences, War Experiences. 3^9: and the plan ultimately adopted ^iU now be stated. Two or more matters of prime imiiortance were to be provided for, and arranged to make every part of the plan a success. 1. As I must leave my children behind, it was necessary that some place should be secured for them, as I knew that all my household would be ransacked and evervthing acces- sible would be confiscated as soon as my escai^e should be- come known. It was arranged that they should be taken at once to the residence of Dr. Gray, and make that their home until I should be enabled to make ether arrangements. 2. Transportation by private conveyance must be ob- tamed, as even if the trains should be running, it would be^ manifestly impossible for me to take that method of escape, as my movements must be of the most secret nature. It was so ordered, in the providence of God, that a friend of Dr. Gray's had not long previously made him a present of a very fine horse, and there was an absolute certainty, or, at least the strongest probabihty, that if the horse should be kept m the stable, or on his premises, it would be taken by the soldiers who occupied the town, and that he should lose his horse. It was decided, therefore, that I should take the animal and ride him on my unknown journey. Further- more, Dr. Gray's son-in-law had just come to La Grange a short time previous to its occupancy by the army, and was on a visit to his family, from some post where he had been stationed by the Confederate authorities. Of course, it was a matter of the last importance that he should lelve the hues of the Federal army at the earhest period possible. He had his own horse already provided, and only waited the proper time for a secret departure. He and I agreed to go together, but when, and by what route, remained to be de- termined. 3. There were three young boys, one a son of Dr. Gray another a son of a friend of ours in La Grange, and mv joungestboy, Gray, who, on AYednesday morning, 17th De- 370 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. cember, were directed to go out and ascertain at Avhat points on the nor til side of the corporate limits of the town the j)icket sentinels were stationed whose business it was to halt all persons attempting to pass out of the lines. They re- ported that the pickets were stationed on the line about a half-mile aj)art, and just where parties would y)robably pass who should attempt to go outside the lines, and, yery fortu- nately for us, there was a deep valley of forest between the two points guarded. AYe made our arrangements then, that at a late hour in the afternoon we should pass through this Talley afoot, without baggage, while our friend. Dr. Pul- liam, W'ho had a pass from the Provost-Marshal, to practice his profession outside the limits of the town, agreed to have our horses conveyed through the region where the army was encamped, and along the high road, which he did without risk, and without suspicion, Our destination for that night was at the hospitable home of a wealthy planter. Captain J. "W. Jones, a warm friend, and as he had a large crop of cot- ton, the Yankee cotton buyers, who were camp followers, always, of the Federal army, had made a purchase of him, and a neighbor of ours was employed to go out and bring the cotton in wdth his wagons. So Dr. P. joined the W'agon train with our horses, one of which was to be coupled along- side of the team, and the other (my saddle horse) was to be led by some outrider, and we were to meet the cavalcade after our tramp through the intervening valley. Our plan succeeded admirably, except in a single point — the horse to be ridden by my companion utterly refused to be a party to the arrangement, and had to be sent back to town. This did not break up the plan at all, for my fellow-traveller mounted the wagon aud I received my horse as prepared, and so, without further interruption, we reached Captain Jones' hospitable mansion, and spent the night safely and comfortably. We were still fur from being secure, as we were distant only six miles from headquarters, and we felt Leaves La Grange. 372^ that there was a possibUity of our being pursued and arrested should It be discovered that we had left. Oiu- good friend ready to pursue our journey south on the next morning, after a night of refreshing rest ^' .nJ'tnb" tf "' "'■"" ""^ "°"'^^'' ^°*J^ °f Confederate «^d greenback cuijency, we commenced our journey on the 18th December, 1862, and by a kind Provid nee wL ena! Hed to leave behind all peril of pursuit, and we pauTed nowhere until we reached Central Mississippi, anl from that time until the 'close of the war I lost sight ;f the FeT erai ai-my, both in whole and in part CHAPTER XXXIY. Effect of the Wae "upon the Pkesbyteeies of the South. — De Spring's Kesolutioks. — Atlanta Contention. — Oeganization of THE GeneeaIj Assembly, on December 4, 1861. IT becomes necessaiy now that ^Ye shoukl retrace the his- tory, and take up some of the "dropped threads" of the narrative, in order that the events of those troublous times may move on as nearly 2^(^i^'i passu as may be, considering- the varied and diversified interests, and departments which were so deeply affected by the terrible convulsions of war. Among those matters which were brought into collision in this disastrous period of oui' history, none were more seri- ously affected and threatened than those of the churches, and especially the Presbyterian Church. The condition of the country, both North and South, in the Spring of 1861, after the beginning of hostile preparations, was such that the Northern people were perfectly infuriated toward the South, and the various ecclesiastical bodies of the Southern Pres- byterian Church felt little inclination to send commissioners to represent them in the General Assembly in ]May. In- deed, few went to the Assembly from the Soulli. When those who did attend were known to be in Philadelphia, irresponsible ruffians issued anonymous proposals to hang them as rebels and traitors to the lamp-posts on the streets. "When, therefore, the famous "Spring Pesolutions" were presented in the Assembly, and, with slight modification, passed, though under solemn protest by Dr. Hodge and others, the die was cast as to Southern sentiment among Presbyterians ; and it was but a question of time as to a 372 The Atl.aj^ta Contention. 373 definitive dissolution of the bond of ecclesiastical union between the Southern and Northern Presbyterians. At separate meetings of various Presbyteries, from Virginia to Texas, resolutions were adopted withdrawing themselves from the Northern Presbyterians, and, as the proceedings were published all over the land, a proposition was made to send delegates from these bodies to Atlanta, to meet in convention, and discuss the situation and concert measures for united action. This was adopted by eleven Presbyte- ries, and, accordingly, the delegates met in the First Pres- b^'terian Church of Atlanta, and continued in session during the 15th, 16tli, and 17th of August, 1861. After much consideration, touching the state of the church, the follow- ing recommendations were, on the third day, unanimously r.dopted, viz.: "I. That all the Presbyteries which have passed an act dissolving their connection with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, at the ensuing Fall sessions, declare their adherence and submission to the Confession of Faith, Form of Government, Book of Discipline, and Directory for Worship, with the single change of the phrase from that of 'Presbyterian Church in the United States of America' to that of 'Presby- terian Church in the Confederate States of America ' ; and that such Presbyteries as have not renounced the jurisdic- tion of the General Assembly aforesaid by a formal act, should at the ensuing Fall sessions take such action as may be necessary to effect a union in a General Assembly with their sister Presbyteries in the South. "2. That these Presb5i;eries send commissioners, accord- ing to the former rule of representation, to a General As- sembly, to be held in the city of Augusta, in the First Presbyterian Church, on the fourth day of December next ; and that the Rev. Dr. B. M. Palmer, as principal, and the Bev. Dr. Wilson (pastor of said church), be requested to 374 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. preach the opening sermon, and to preside until the Assem- bly be organized, and a moderator and clerk be chosen. "3. That the Rev. Drs. Waddel and Gray, of the Pres- byteiy of Memphis, and Dr. Joseph Jones, of Augusta, Ga., ruling elder, be a Committee on Commissions, to examine the credentials of all who may present themselves at that meeting; and that these brethren be requested to be pre- sent, in the First Presbyterian Church, in the city of Au- gusta, on the evening previous to the meeting of the General Assembly. " 4. That the Presbyteries which have passed an act re- nouncing the jurisdiction of the General Assembly of the Presl^yterian Church in the United States of America, do declare, that in that act they did not design to withdraw from their sister Presbyteries in the South, nor to dissolve their Synods. "That all the Presbyteries in the Confederate States send up their records to their respective Synods, for re- view, and that the Synods confirm the action herein pro- posed " The Convention (in explanation of the motives for organ- izing a New Assembly), after quoting what is known as the "Spring Eesolutions," adopted the following: "By this act of the Assembly (at Philadelphia, May, 1861,) a large proportion of the churches under its care felt them- selves aggrieved, not because they disputed the right of the Assembly to give a deliverance upon any c|uestion of duty growing out of their several relations, civil, social, and eccle- siastical, but because, during a state of war between two sections of the Confederacy formerly known as the United States of America, one of which had found it necessar}' to withdraw from the other, to establish an independent gov- ernment of its own, and to resort to arms in maintenance (;f its rights, and in defence against threatened invasion of barbaric character, the Assembly assumed the right of The Spring Eesolutions. 375 determining the political status of eveiy member of every cliurcli under its care, a right inherent in the State, and not in the church; and in the assumption of this right, enjoined upon said members the perforpjance of acts which, as to those residing within the Confederate States, were absolutely treasonable, in view of the political relations established for them by those States./ I am not absolutely certain that the Presbj'tery of Mem- 2)his, to which I belonged, was the first to renounce the juris- diction of this Assembly, which adopted tho Spring Resolu- tions. If not the first, at any rate, that Presbytery was among the first to decide upon withdrawal. It cannot be improper to insert a copy of the famous document known as the "Spring Resolutions," which was productiYe, in its influ- ence upon the Southern Presbyteries, of their withdrawal from the Presbyterian General Assembly of the United States of America. Few of the younger generation of the Southern Presbyterians know exactly its nature and spirit, and it is well to preserve a copy of it for reference. It is as. follows : " Ilesolved, That this General Assembly, in the spirit of Christian patriotism which the Scriptures enjoin, and which has always characterized this church, do hereby acknow- ledge and declare our obligation to promote and perpetuate, so far as in us lies, the integrity of these United States, and to strengthen, uphold and encourage the Federal govern- ment in the exercise of all its functions under our noble constitution; and to this constitution, in all its provisions, requirements and principles, we profess our unabated loy- altv. And to avoid all misconception, the Assembly declares that, by the term ' Federal Government,' as here used, is not meant any particular administration, or the peculiar opinions of any particular party, but that central adminis- tration which, being at any time appointed, and inaugurated according to the forms prescribed in the constitution of the 376 John N. Waddel, D. D,, LL. D. United States, is the visible representative of our national •existence." It must be stated that this action of the General Assembly 'Nvas taken after nearly all the Confederate States had seceded, and so the entire body of the church witbin the bounds of those States was in effect driven out of the connection and fellowship of the Presbyterian Church. I proceed to say, using the language of Dr. J. R. Wilson, in his memorial address, dehvered by him on the occasion of the Quarter- Centennial Anniversary of the Organization of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Speaking of the convention just referred to. Dr. Wilson says : " It was in response to a request on the part of this excep- tional body of trusted brethren, that all the Presbyteries addressed — not one excepted — were here not many months afterward, regularly represented in accordance with the an- cient forms, and in every instance by a delegation of minis- ters, in whose number there was not a single blank, as also, save in the case of a few of the far-distant constituencies, by a full commission of ruling elders, making altogether an author- ized membership of ninet^^-three, and possessed, as a whole, it soon became apparent, of an unusually high average of Christian character and mental ability, whilst some of them, conspicuous above the many, would have adorned the church in any age or countiy. On a mild Tuesday morning, although it was now the beginning of winter, this novel assemblage was, at eleven in the morning, " called to order " by one of the most dignified of its members, but of whom, being now present, I may not, without indelicacy, say anything further • — Rev. Dr. John N. Waddel — and who, you are glad to know, is expected to take a leading part in these memorial services. He, with two others — Eev. Dr. John H. Gray and Dr. Joseph Jones — had, with well-directed judgment, been named by many of the Presbyteries, as likewise by the At- Addkess of Eev. Joseph R. Wilson, D. D. 377 lanta conyention, to constitute the Committee on Commis- sions; and, as chairman of this committee, it became his pre-arranged duty to utter the inceptive words of organiza- tion. And, upon his motion, the Rev. Francis McFarland, T>. D., one of the most venerable commissioners present, and who, five 3'ears before, had been the singularly able Moderator of the old Assembly, was apjDointed temporarily to preside." It will be remembered that, in the Atlanta convention, it was recommended unanimously, that " the Rev. Dr. B. M. Palmer, as principal, or, the Rev. Dr. Wilson (pastor of the chui'ch), be requested to preach the opening sermon, and to preside, until the Assembly be organized and a moderator and clerk be chosen." I resume Dr. Wilson's words here : "The opening sermon on that solemn occasion was preached from the admirably-chosen words of inspiration found in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians : *'And gave him to be head over all things to the church, w^hich is his body, the fulness that filleth all in all." " I go on, therefore, to say that on the day following that on which Dr. Palmer delivered his remarkable sermon, he was, by acclamation, elected to the moderator's chair, and two days subsequently Dr. Waddel and your present speaker were respectively chosen to fill the ofiices of stated clerk and of permanent clerk. " Thus, with the addition of the Rev. Dr. D. McNeill Tur- ner as temporary clerk, the first Assembly was duly and fully organized." This brings into view the method pursued and adopted by the Southern Presbyteries in the organization of what was then knov^n as the "General Assembly of the Presbyte- rian Church in the Confederate States of America," but, after the close of the v.ar, when the "Confederate States" as a government became a thing of the past, the title of the 378 John N. Waddill, D. D., LL. D. Assembly Avas so modified as to read thus: "The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States," leaving off the two words, "of America." Still the church was known by the former name all through the war, and was not changed to the present title until the meeting of the Assembly in Macon, Ga., in December, 18G5. The proceedings of the first General Assembly, in Augusta, Ga., were characterized by great dignity and solemn earn- estness of pui'jDOse, accompanied by much fervent prayer for divine guidance. Conspicuous among the commissioners njid/acile princeijs, as a leader in every important measure, was James H. Thornwell. He was a member of many im- portant committees, and his influence was weighty and effective in the deliberations of the body. The Assembly, at an early period in its sessions, resolved, on motion of Dr. Thornwell, to appoint "a committee consisting of one min- ister and one ruling elder from each of the Synods belonging to this Assembly to prepare an address to all the churches of Jesus Christ throughout the earth, setting forth the causes of our separation from the churches of the United States, our attitude in relation to slavery, and a general view of the policy which, as a church, we propose to pursue." Of this committee Dr. Thornwell was appointed chairman, and pre- pared and read an elaborate address, which was received and adopted. Three thousand copies of this address were ordered to be j)rinted for the use of the Assembly, and that the original address be filed in the archives of the Assem- bly, and that it be signed by the moderator and members of the Assembly," all of which was done. This address is found in the Appendix to the Minutes of that Assembly, occuppng ten closely printed images, beginning on page 51. The bodies having charge of Missions, Home and Foreign, Education, Publication, etc., were styled "Executive Com- mittees," not "Boards," as is the plan pursued by the Northern Assembly. First General Assembly Organized. 379 Dr. Palmer's opening sermon was jDublishecl also by order of the Assembly, in the Appendix to the Minutes, and wiE be found on page 61. Dr. J. Leighton Wilson was elected Secretary of Foreign ^Missions; Dr. John Ley burn, of Domestic Missions; Dr. John H. Gray, of ''Education," and Dr. William Brown, of Publication. Columbia, South Carolina, was chosen as the location for the Executive Committee of Foreign Missions; New Orleans for Domestic Missions, Richmond, Va., for PubHcation, and Memphis for Education. These Executive Committees continued to act as four sep- arate and distinct bodies, with each its own secretary and treasurer, at the several locations as above stated, until the session of the Assembly in May, 1863, at which time it was decided to combine theExecutive Committees of Education and Publication together, with the same secretary, treasui'er and members, and location, and to make the same arrange- ment in regard to the Executive Committees of Foreign and- Domestic Missions. Dr. Gray having resigned the secre- taryship of Education, and the city of Memphis being within the enemy's lines, and the same thing being true of Dr. Ley- burn, that his location was in the hands of the Federal army, and the Committee of Domestic Missions in danger from that cause, on the occasion of the meeting of the As- sembl}^ in Columbia, it was determined that Education and Publication should be united at Richmond, Va., and as Dr. "William Brown had resigned the ofQce of secretary of Pub- lication, Dr. John Leybui'n was elected his successor. The Committee of Domestic Missions was transferred to Colum- bia, South Carolina, and combined with that of Foreign Mis- sions. Both were put under the care of the original Execu- tive Committee, with Dr. J. Leighton Wilson as secretary. This was designed, however, as a temporary arrangement, to which the Assembly was forced by the pressure of the 380 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. times. These items of information are all accessible to the curious, as they can be found in the Minutes of the General Assembly of 1861, and of 1863. To these Minutes I refer all inquirers, and only add to these items and facts some things of less public interest, but which will be found to have close connection with this history. CHAPTER XXXY. Return to La Geange — Continttation of the Wab Record, and. Peesoxal Incidents. AT the close of this first Assembly, I found myself within fifty miles of my native soil, in Abbeville District, South Carolina, and as I had met in Augusta several of my old friends, who w^ere there attending as spectators, I received pressing invitations to go up and pay them a visit before going west. I accepted their call, and spent a week, more or less, in that familiar old region of country. I preached during the time in my father's old church, visited my mother's grave, where her dust had been resting for more than thirty years, saw many old friends, who were j'oung when we parted, a quar- ter century before, and some who were in childhood then who had come to maturer years, and outgrown my know- ledge altogether; and again I set my face westward. At the time to which I refer La Grange was free from hostile occupancy, and I returned, and began the year 1862 wdth my family and friends, in peace and tranquillity, "with none to molest or to make us afraid." But these quiet times w^ere of short duration. On the 17th of February, of that year. Fort Donaldson fell, and very soon after that Federal gunboats ascended the Tennessee river, and reached Flor- ence, Alabama. We have already recorded the fact that we had closed the supplementary exercises of the La Grange Col- lege just at that time, after the regular fourth session had been interrupted prematurely, by anticipation, on the 25th April, 1861. We also, as already stated, held an examina- tion of the only two young men who had belonged to our Junior Class of 1860-'61, and who had returned after the 381 '382 John N. AYaddel, D. D., LL. D. battle of 3Ianassas and had been admitted to the Senior Class. "We admitted them to graduation in February, and closed the college for the time. This "^as followed by the enlist- ment of both these young men in the army. One of them ■^as James T>. West, who had married my oldest daughter just before the battle of Manassas, and, in half an hour after the marriage ceremon}^ performed by myself, on Sabbath morning, had taken the train on the M. & C. E. R., and left his bride with me, and joined the Southern army in Vir- ginia. To make the story short, let me say, that he arrived in time to take his place in the ranks on the field of battle, and came out unscathed, only to fall into camp-fever, which came near to a fatal termination. On the following week, or perhaps ten days after the battle, I received a dispatch from a friend of his from Lynchburg, Ya., stating that he was dangerously ill at the house of a friend. As soon as possible I left home, wdth his newly married wife, and reached Lynchburg on Sabbath morning, just tvso weeks from the day of their marriage, and found him prostrate and uncon- scious, under the hospitable roof of Samuel McCorkle, Esq., a noble patriot and elder of our church, who was afterwards a member of the Assembly of 1861. AYe remained wdth my soldier son-in-law three weeks, and, by the blessing of a kind Pro\'idence, he became convalescent, and we returned to La Grange. As he was regularly discharged on account of his sickness, he emploj^ed the time in finishing his scholastic course of study in the college at La Grange, preparatory to the gospel ministry. The other young man who was gradu- ated at the same time with j^oung AYest, was AYilliam F. Markham, a first-class student, of gi'eat promise, w^ho joined the army soon afterwards, and met his death in one of the bat- tles that occurred in the neighborhood of Atlanta, J. D. AYest also re-entered the army in Mississippi, and was in the Divis- ion of General J. E. Johnson when near Marietta, and was captured, with some others, in some of the many sku-mishes Among Army Movements. 383 ihereabouts, carried to Johnsou's Island, and held as a pris- oner until the close of the war. He had pursued his studies in camp, under the direction of the Presbytery of Cherokee, and had been licensed, just before his capture, having ob- tained leave of absence just long eiijugh to pass his exami- nation by the Presbytery, at Marietta, Ga. On the occasion of the closing of our school, in February, 1862, not only did West and Markham enter the army as soldiers, but Professor Scott, one of the teachers, and my son, George, then seventeen, with Robert Loughridge, son of the missionary to the Creek Indians, also enhsted in the army, and I accompanied them to Columbus, Ky., where General Polk was encamped with a division of the Southern army, and they were enrolled as volunteers for the war. I soon ascertained that this encampment was abjut to be broken up, and the place was to be evacuated at once, hav- ing been ordered to Jackson, Tenn. This arrangement rendered it necessary for me to go along with the army, and return to La Grange by rail, instead of by the Missis- sippi river. All this movement of Polk's division was only a j^art of the preparation then going on, in various parts of the arjny, to concentrate a large force at Corinth (where the Mobile and Ohio Railroad crossed the Memphis and Charleston Railroad), preliminary to the battle fought at Shiloh, on the Gth and 7th of April, between General Albert Sidney Johnson, of the Southern forces, and General Grant, ol the Northern army. I rode on a freight-car loaded with tents, etc., and accom- panied by many soldiers, and with a long train of freight- cars laden with the munitions of war, all the way to Jackson, the weatiier baing extremely cold, as it was late in March. After the battle of the 7th, we recaived a telegram at La Grange from W. C. Gray, to the effect that he and my boy, George, had escaped safely, but that their companion, Loughridge, was badly wounded. Yv'e had just returned 384 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. from the Spring meeting of the Presbytery of Memphis, when we met the sad tidings of that disastrous battle. The death of General Johnson, on the field, shed intense gloom over the land, and then the capture of General Prentiss, of the Federal arm}', with over three thousand prisoners, and immense quantities of stores gathered up, all created great excitement among the people. Accordingly, on Tuesday afternoon, in company with crowds of passengers, going to Corinth to look after their friends in the army. Dr. Grscy and I, having packed up a goodly store of provisions, took j)assage on the train for Corinth. We reached that point about midnight, in the midst of a terrific storm of thunder, lightning, wind, and rain. I have often thought, on re- curring to the scenes of that night, that they were certainly invested with as many of the elements of gloom and horror as I had ever witnessed. We made our way through mud and mire to the hotel, a large wooden building near the depot, and on the platform and veranda we found multi- tudes of sick, wearj^ and wounded soldiers, w^ho ** Had Slink on the ground overpowered, The weary to rest, and the wounded to die." All was dark, and the storm still raged. Ever and anon, the roar and crash of the loud thunder, and the vivid light- ning-flash added increasing horror to the scene. Kot a light w-as visible, save one dim ra}', streaming with difiiculty through the almost palpable darkness, from a tallow candle in a room on one side of the house. Thither we directed our steps, and inquired of a sleepy, weary woman, who sat alone ainid a surrounding mass of the sick, dying, or dead, if she knew anything of the Thirteenth Tennessee Regi- ment? Our bo3''s belonged to that regiment. She knew nothing of them. Turning back w^e made our way to a large room, which might have been the reception-room, cr bar of the hotel. And here we were met with the same After the Battle of Shiloh. 385 siglits, of the dirty, muddy floor, covered over -uitli sleepers ;. so we concluded to go up stairs (as we gathered no tidings of our boys), and rest contented, if possible, till the dawn- ing of the day, when we might renew our search under more favorable auspices. "We sat on the steps, having no spot large enough to admit of lying down at full length, half -reclining and half-sitting ; we remained in this condi- tion, until the first light of day broke in on us. In this condition we were unable to sleep; for, ever and anon, groans and curses were heard from many a poor wounded soldier, and persons were passing up and down the stair- way, stepping on and over us, and the droppings of their- their shoes and boots falling upon us. As soon as we could see to walk we abandoned our filthy quarters, and ascertain- ing that the camp of the Thirteenth Tennessee Regiment lay thiee miles north of Corinth, and learning nothing of our boys at the hotel, we walked out to the camp. It was a dark and gloomy morning, and our route lay up the track of the railroad, and as the ground was muddy and slippery, and as I carried a large pair of saddle-bags filled with pro- visions, it may be readily believed that, by the time we reached the camp, I was somewhat exhausted. AVe found our boys there resting, after the battle of Shiloh, or, as it was also named "Pittsburg Landing," and spent the day in camp. Dr. Gray remained there until young Loughridge (who had been left behind after the battle among the wounded) was brought back, more dead than ahve. The other boys of our set were left in camp as they were unhurt. But he was conveyed carefully back to La Grange, and ten- derly nursed in the home of Dr. Gray, until, contrar}- to all expectation, through assiduous care and the best medical skill and attention under God"s blessing, he was, after long convalescence, so far restored as to return to service, but never sufficiently so to enter the ranks. He became usefully 25 386 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. employed in tlie hospitals and in clerical work, to the close of the war. On the way back to La Grange, Rev. E. R. Evans and I took a flat car, as there was no better mode of travel offered, all the cars belonging to a long train being filled with the sick, wounded, and dying soldiers, and after reach- ing nearly the end of the route to La Grange the train was derailed, and several of the cars containing the wounded were thrown off the track and some of the soldiers dread- fully crashed. We were thrown off our flat, and deposited in safety ten or twenty feet from the track upon a sand bank; making a marvelous escape by the kindness of our Heavenly Father; and with no further accident we reached our homes. The long train, after being replaced on the track, proceeded to transport its freight of the woiuided and helpless soldiers to the hospitals along the route, where they were to be cared for. The Confederate army lay at Corinth after the battle of Shiloh, recruiting and awaiting the further movements and orders from headquarters, for nearly two months. They evacuated the place on the 30 th of May, as a Federal force of 100,000 men, under the command of General Halleck, was led against them. Fort Pillow w^as abandoned June 4th, and Memphis was captured on the 6th, after our little flotilla was destroyed. And as New Orleans had been captured on the 25th of April, we, in our La Grange homes, were threat- ened north, east, south and west, by hostile forces. It was about this time that the General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian Church was to meet, according to adjournment, in Memphis ; but the fact that this was ren- dered impossible in consequence of the invasion of the entire region around the city, led to the necessity of our meeting in Montgomery, Ala., as that city was, at that time, undis- turbed by war, and had been the i^lace voted for as desir- able, next to Memphis. Inasmuch, therefore, as I had been Q\RE FOR Sick .\nd Wounded 387 made, at tlie Augusta Assembly, Stated Clerk, I made all the needed iDreiDarations to leave home, and to be present at that meeting. I left home in ample time to have reached there, and I had gone so far as to Oxford, Miss., my old home, when, upon deliberation, and seeking counsel above, I decided to return, as I had every reason to apprehend that, by pursuing my journey, I should be entkely cut off from home by the Federal troops before the time of my return, and so be unable to join my family. In this way I failed to be present at the Montgomery meeting of the General Assembly. I have already referred to the fact that I spent the sum- mer of 1862, and until December of that year, in La Grange, during which period there were occasional raids upon us by the Federals. But about the latter part of April, previous to the evacuation of Corinth by our troops, quite a number of sick soldiers were sent up from camp to the hospital at La Grange, one of whom was my son George, and w^th him a j-oung man from Mississippi, by name Walker, both of whom I took into my house to be niu'sed and attended. As there were a good many of our soldiers in hospital there, I prevailed upon those who had control of the transportation on the raih-oad to send up a sufficient number of box cars to La Grange to convey them down into Mississippi, for the reason that there was no doubt of the speedy advance of the enemy to the place, and the result would bo the capture of all these sick soldiers as prisoners. I then had my two sick men placed in comfortable cots on board of a close car, and accompanying them myself as far down into Mississippi as Oxford, left them in the hands and care of friends until they recovered sufficiently to rejoin the army at Tupelo, on the M. & O. R. R. I returned in time to witness the entry of a large body of hostile troops into La Grange, on the 13th of June. This body of the enemy remained in the possession of the place until somewhere about the middle of July, v/hen. 388 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. for some cause or other, I know not why, they evacuated the place. Just before they left, as I had every reason to beheve they were there for 23ermanent occupation, suspecting that they would begin very soon depredations, and persecutions of all who were not lojal, I left, without their knowledge, and visited the army at Tupelo, and spent the Sabbath preaching to the troops. After a day or two spent there, I learned that the enemy had left La Grange, and I secured a safe return to my home, and there remained, with various interruptions from the Federal raids, until some time in No- vember, when a larger body of Grant's army took possession of the town and country, as already stated, and, with one gar- rison after another, held possession of it until the close of the war. I have now brought my history of these eventful times of the country and of the church, evenly up in ]3arallel columns, to the time when, as already related, I effected my final escape from the hostile lines. CHAPTER XXXYL Eesumptiox of the Naekatite of the Escape, and j\Iode of Life IN Mississippi. —FiEST Occupation, and Service until the Speing of 1873. ¥E— that is Mr. J. O. Hardeman, the son-in-law of Dr. Gray, and I — found ourselves, on the morning of the second da}^ after our escape through the Federal lines, mounted, and leaving the j^remises of our kind and hospita- ble friend, Captain Jones. And although ^\e were, in one sense, safe, yet we were by no means without some appre- hension in regard to our success in prosecuting our onward journey south. Marauding and irresponsible parties of these reckless soldiers were known to be rovingr throujrh the surrounding country, in search of boot}', or mischief, ai:d it was with some misgivings that Ave commenced our ride on that morning. AVe avoided all public roads at the outset, and after winding about through ^^aths and unfre- quented and unsettled parts of the country along the border- land of Tennessee and Mississippi, we found oui-selves, about noon of that day, south of the littlo hamlet of Saulsbury, only nine miles from La Grange ! Not long after we reached a j^ublic road leading south. As we began to breathe some- what more freely, we espied a Federal soldier, as we sup- posed him to be as he approached, just before us, coming on horseback in our front, and meeting us. "We now felt that w^e were probably at bay, and that we should be arrested. But, unaccountably, he passed us without inter- ruption, and we w^ent on our way without any farther inci- dent, and with our minds relieved and our hearts lightened. We had decided before we left La Grange to divest our- 389 390 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. selves of eveiy external khid of baggage, lest it might awaken suspicion that we were refugees, should we fall into company with any person or persons unknown to us. Hence we had nothing like saddle-wallets, or portmanteaus, about us, but would have readily passed for persons near home, or wdthin their own region of country visiting. The conse- quence was that we were clothed with just as many pairs of underwear and upper garments as we could draw over our persons ; and in this way, while we added to the mass and hulk of our persons, it became somewhat inconvenient and uncomfortable as a style of di'ess. Still, we bore it in the prospect of making our successful journey out of a place rendered hateful by the sight of the "Boys in blue," and in hope of getting to the free land of Dixie ! We arrived in safety about dark at the residence of an old friend of mine, a gentleman by the name of Black well, a planter, whose hospitality I had enjoyed on former occasions, and where I was sure of a cordial welcome. But on first arriving we learned to our dismay that the husband and father of this worthy famih' had been arrested by a ro\dng band of Southern Yankees, as they were styled, and carried as a prisoner to the camp of the Federal army in Tennessee, and for no other reason than that he was a secessionist in principle, though a non-combatant by reason of being over age. My recollection now is that, as I afterwards learned from others who knew the facts, he refused to take the oath of allegiance, and was kept a prisoner until he died of exposure and severe privation of all comfort. The lady of the house, not recognizing us at first, and being apprehensive of all visitors, in consequence of the state of the country, and by reason of her recent experience, decHned to entertain us. But as soon as I made myself known to her she was glad to receive and take care of us, and felt herself thankful for our visit. "When we heard from her the story of her husband's cap- The Van Dorn Expedition. 391 ture, and that this roving band of Southern robbers were in that part of the country, committing the same kind of out- rages at other points, we were again thrown into fresh ajD- l^rehension lest we might si ill be overtaken and an-ested. We rested quietly through the night, and at an early hour after breakfast, on the next morning, we mounted and re- fiumed our onward journey. As we proceeded, however, w& were met by continual rumors of Yankees being ahead of us, and that they had possession of Pontotoc, a town directly on our route, and through which we were expecting to pass. Nor did we lose our apprehensions until we were met by the men of Van Dorn's command, on their way to Holly Springs, to cut off the supplies of Gen. Grant's arm}^ which then had possession of Oxford, Mississippi. Then we dismissed all our fears and felt secure, for the time, of reaching our journey's end in perfect safety. A description of this expe- dition of Van Dorn and his brigade will repay perusal, as it, certainly was among the most brilliant exploits achieved during the war. It Avas at the time when Grant was jDrojecting an inva- sion of Mississippi, through the interior of the State, so as to capture Vicksburg on the land east of the Mississippi river. He had massed a very large force in and around Oxford, and while he held possession of the town. General W. T. Sher- man was holding his headquarters not far distant in the country. Eelying upon the Mississippi Central Railway for transportation of his supplies, he had stationed a garrison of some 1,1; 00 men, under command of Colonel • , and Lad accumulated an immense quantity, and vast stores of all sorts of provisions and munitions of war, at the town of Holly Springs, distant thirty milus north of Oxford, on the railroad. As it was known throughout the country that such was the fact, a body of the Confederate cavalry, under the command of General Van Dorn, were secretly collected with the jAsm of cutting off the suj^plies of the army of inva- S92 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. sion, and thus to compel General Grant to abandon his grand expedition through Mississij^pi. Accordingly, ^ith about 2,500 cavalry' troops, Yan Dorn made very quietly a cir- cuitous march far to the east of Grenada, and having arrived at a sufficiently safe distance from the enemy, he turned northward, through Pontotoc and Chickasaw counties; then wmding again westward, he made his way through the south-east corner of Marshall county, and about daylight of the 20th or 21st of December, he dashed into Holly Springs with his men, and captui'ing, by complete surprise, the entire garrison of 1,500 men, proceeded to destroy the whole amount of the accumulated stores of General Grant's army, by burn- ing and destruction in every way. It was reported that these stores, piled up in the court-house and in the railroad depot building, and standing on the ground fi'om the town to the station, consisting of barrels of flour f oui' deep in a row, and other needful supplies, were estimated at a value of millions of dollars, and of all this nothing was saved. "Whatever truth or exaogeration mav have been found to be the case in these reports, the result proved to be that General Grant was compelled to break up his entire j^lan of a Southern campaign, and to retreat with his grand army precipitately to the northward, in the direction of Memphis, where he employed himself in concerting and preparing other, and more promising, plans of campaign. As Van Dorn had no artillery and no transportation, l:c seemed to be satisfied with the success of his expedition, and made his way on the west side of the Mississippi Cen- tral E. E. safely down to Grenada, whence he had begun his inarch. To return from this digression, Mr. Hardeman and I had fallen in with Van Dorn's men, in straggling companies of three or four, as they w^ere on the way to Holly Springs, and from them we learned that our wa}' south would be quite safe. They told us, furthermore, that the cavahymen of the enemy Among Friends at Meridiax. 393 liad been to Pontotoc, but having beard something of Van Dorn's expedition, the}' returned in great haste to Oxford, to Teport to Grant. But they were too late, Van Dorn had reached Holly Springs and had accomplished his j)urpose. "We rode on without anything to obstruct our journey, until IVednesday, 2J:th of December. AVe separated on that day, as we arrived at Shuqualak, a station of the Mobile and Ohio R. E. Here Mr. H. relieved me of my faithful friend, Dr. Oray's fine horse, and he stopped with a relative who resided there. The train passed shortly, and I took a seat for Meri- dian, Avhither I was bouud. I was unexpectedly gratified to find on the train my friend and brother, Eev. W. C. Emer- son, a Presbyterian minister, on his return to his home near Meridian, having been on a trip up the country. We arrived at our destination about 11:30 o'clock p. m., and, on his in- vitation, I spent the night at his house comfortably and pleasantly. I met at Meridian several of my old friends of former days, and was kindly welcomed by them all. As Mr. Emerson was at this time the stated supply of one of the churches to which I had been for several years j^i'eaching statedly, Mt. Moriah, when my home was in Jasper county. Miss., during the iuten'al from 1^4-1 to 1848, I w^as very ^asil}' persuaded to accompany him on the following Satur- day to his appointment. There I had the pleasure of meet- ing many old friends, who had been my parishioners f;)ur- teen years previously, and among them was my devoted friend, Mrs. Watson Evans, at whose house I had the great pleasure of making my home during much of the time of my war pilgrimage, from 1862 to 18G5. My first and most earnest desire, now that I felt myself safe among friends in the South, was to get some employ- ment in which I might be useful. It was suggested that it would be well to pay a visit to my friend and brother, Dr. J. R. Vrilson, of Augusta, Ga., with whom I had been closely associated in the organization of the General Assemblv in 394 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. the previous 3'ear. I remained for a few days in Missis- sippi, "with my old friends, visiting and preaching among them, and then turned my way to Georgia. Passing through Atlanta, I foimd my son George there, in the hospital, after the battle of Miu'freesboro, but convalescent. I was with him one day, and after furnishing him with some needed clothing, I pressed on to Augusta. Here, after conference with Dr. Wilson and the Committee of the Bible Society of the Confederate States, I was appointed agent of the Society for the West, which I gladly accepted, and returned to Mis- sissippi, made the necessary preparations, and began the work of the a'rencv on the 7th Februarv, 1863. In this work I continued for three months, j^i'esenting the cause to the people of Columbus, Brandon, Meridian^ Enterprise, Jackson, Grenada, and to the country churches of that re- gion, successfully, as the people of all these places were very zealous in the interest of the Confederacy, on every account. As the General Assembly had adjourned at Montgomery, Ala., to meet in Columbia, S. C. on the 7th of May, and as I was stated clerk, I suspended the work of the agency to at- tend that meeting. On my way to Columbia, in passing- through Augusta, I presented my report of the first quarter of my w^ork, and settled my accounts with the committee. CHAPTEB XXXYII. Appointed Commissioner of Aemy Missions in the Mississippi Aemt, —Two Sad Events of the Yeak. — Akkival of My Children from La Grange. THE third annual meeting of the General Assembly oc- curred, according- to a^Dpointment, in Columbia, S. C, on May 1, 1863, and there were in attendance during its ses- sions forty ministers, and twenty-four ruling elders. Only thirty-live of the forty-iiYe Southern Presbyteries were rep- resented at this meeting ; the Synod of Arkansas had but one of its four Presbyteries represented; the Synod of Nash- ville only two; the Synod of Texas none at all, as the enemy had possession of the river, aiKl of the city of New Orleans. But it Avas quite an imi3ortant meeting, as may be seen by reference to the Minutes of 1863. Among other measures adopted at this meeting was the inauguration of a system of chaplaincies, to be managed by the Executive Committee of Domestic Missions, to supply the religious wants of the army. On motion of Dr B. M. Palmer, the Assembly re- solved to engage for one hour in a free conference ui:»on that subject. Dr. Pahner had received a communication ad- dressed to the Assembly by Mr. Samuel Barnett, of Georgia,* in which this subject was presented for consideration, and he had sent at the same time, by letter, the sum of five hun- dred dollars collected in AVashington, Ga., for the purpose of assisting in the su^iport of army chaplains who might be ap- pointed under the authority of the General Assembly. The result was, that the Standing Committee on Domestic Mis- sions, in their report, recommended that we proceed to es- 395 396 J. N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. tablisli the office of commissioner to each of the grand armies of the Confederacy, ^vhose duties are pointed out as follows: "(1,) To labor as chaplains; (2), to select, and secure other chaplains; (3), to procure commissions for those chaplains; (4), to welcome and employ other ministers on temporary \isits to the army, and give them opportunities for usefulness ; (5), to circulate books and tracts, etc. ; (6), to organize this work, so that our church should have the opj)ortunity of do- ing good in this interesting field of labor." Eev. B. T. Lacy was appointed Commissioner to the Army of Virginia, and Dr. Palmer was appointed "provisionally to the Army of Tennessee." He was appointed in this way because he stated that he must be "left to his own discre- tion with regard to the length of time, and he proposed to sei-ve "on his own charges." It was also left to the Execu- tive Committee to appoint other commissioners to the other great armies of the Confederacy. Under this last provision, I was appointed Commissioner to the Army of Mississij)pi, then under the command of General Polk. ^Thereupon I resigned the agency of the Bible Society, and entered at once upon the discharge of the duties of the new office of commissioner to the army. My time was spent in visiting brigades and preaching to the soldiers, every facility for this being allowed by the com- Inanding officers ; and visiting hospitals where our wounded and sick men were confined ; paying the salaries of our chap- lains, and aiding in every way in the work of preaching and instruction of the army within my assigned field of labor. I can give only a brief statement of the work actually done by me during the j'ear while I held the office. I preached then not less than one hundred sermons, and to do this I had to travel from one brigade to another, many miles apart ; and from hospital to hospital, located in Montgomery- and Me- ridian, and Selma and Marion and Jackson, and in these places, not once only, but repeatedly, and so, with some in- The General Assembly of 1863. 397 teiTuptions upon other ^ork assigned by the Assembly, I was not allowed much time to rest. The Assembly of 1863 acted also on an overture from East Hanover Presbyteiy, recommending that the Assembly take measures to secure a union between the Old and New" School branches of the Presbyterian Church. It was, there- fore, agreed that a commitee, consisting of Pev. R. L. Dab- ney, D. D., Rev. J. N. Waddel, D. D., Pev. 'William Brown, D. D., Pev. J. B. Pamsey, D. B., Pev. E. T. Bailed, D. B., Col. J. T. L. Preston, and F. N. AVatkins, Esq., be appointed to confer with a similar committee, should any such be ap- jDointed from the United Synod of the Presb}i;erian Church, touching the matter of a union between that body and the General Assembly. Accordingly, about the twenty-fifth of July, this commit- tee met a committee from the United S}-nod, in the city of Lynchburg, Va., and under the joint chairmanship of Br. Babney on our behalf, and the eminent Br. J. C. Stiles on their part, we j)rayerfuliy and candidly discussed for some days all the doctrinal points which might be supposed to be at issue between the two bodies, and agreed to report favor- ably to the two separate bodies at their next annual meeting in 1864. My time was spent in these various ways most generally in Mississippi, but occasionally in adjoining States, as it was a part of my duty as commissioner to visit the churches, and lay before them the wants of the army as to religious instruction and preaching, and to raise money for the sala- ries of those chaplains who were sent to the arm}- by our Executive Committee of Bomestic Missions. I was much on. the various railroads, passing through the territory occupied by Gen. Polk's division, and spent a part of my time in Mont- gomer\% where my eldest brother. Prof. James P. Waddel, lived, and sometimes in Jackson, Mississippi, in both of which cities were large hospitals. On one of my visits to 398 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. Jackson I met the intelligence of two deaths which occasioned deep distress to me. The one of these was that of a very dear and intimate friend of mine, Eev. John H. Miller, of Pontotoc, the j)astor of the Presbyterian church in that place. I give this as an incident of very deep interest on two ac- counts • (1), The loss of a noble and gifted character, who was the centre of not only a large circle of admiring friends in the community of his residence, and of devoted church members whom he served as their spiritual leader and de- voted friend, but the almost idolized husband and father of a large family, who regarded him with most tender affection, and j)i'ofoundest reverence and esteem. The other consideration justifying a narration or record of his death is the fact that it furnishes an illustration of the fearful horrors of the brutal and unnatural war of 1861-'65. The death of Rev. Mr. Miller was on this wise : He was an ardent Southern patriot, and on the call for troops by the State authorities, he volunteered as a cavalry man, and was elected captain of a company, and served in Kentucky for a while. He very soon was promoted to a col- onelcy, but he soon also made the discovery that, on account of the uncontrollable wickedness of soldiers in camp, he' was sadly out of place, and he resigned and returned home. He was on a ministerial visit to Pipley, to aid the pastor, Eev. Wm. A. Gray, in conducting a sacramental meeting. Ee had the appointment to preach on Sabbath morning, when the intelligence reached him, on Saturday evening, at the house of Judge Pogan where he was entertained, that Ripley was occupied by a body of cavahy commanded by the notori- ous Hurst, ■who, though a citizen of Tennessee, had entered the Federal service, and had raised troops from among his neighbors for the scourging and ravaging of the country. Mr. Miller, of course, abandoned the aj^pointment of the next day, and after remaining and spending the night with his friend in safety, the question of the best coiu'se for him Death of Eev. Mr. Miller. 399 io pursue under the circumstances, was discussed. His host strenuously insisted on the propriety of his remaining se- creted on his premises until the raid under Hurst should be finished and the raiders should have departed. But ]\Ir. Miller insisted on going on home at once, as he felt sure that he would get safely on his way. In pursuance of this determination he mounted his horse and in a short time he met one of Hurst's lieutenants, with an attendant Federal soldier, having two Confederate soldiers as prisoners, and he was captured. As they were then on the way to Eipley, Mr. M. made the attempt to grasj) the pistol from the holsters of the officer as they rode on abreast, whereupon he was immediately shot, and again, after falHng fi'om his horse, was shot a second time, and the body was left lying in the public road, dead, after they had robbed him of his horse, his v.'atch, and a sermon, for which last article they, doubt- less, had very httle use ! Thus this most excellent man, and influential and useful minister, wcs ruthlessly murdered by a vagabond raider, "vvho was onl}^ a vile traitor to his country, and the commu- nity deprived of a high-toned citizen, and a most virtuous and lovely family plunged into the deepest grief. The body lay exposed during half the day, imtil discovered by a friend, Mrs. B., living near, and then it was carefully taken and transported to Pontotoc, where it was placed in the care of the disconsolate family, and consigned by sorrowing friends to his last resting place. The other case, one of a more private nature, was the death of "William C. Gray, the eldest son of Dr. Gray, of whom we have recorded on a j^revious page that he had been graduated in the Class of 1861, of La Grange College. Willie, as he was called by us all, was a very remarkable youth. Lovely and amiable in his disposition, attractive in person and gentle in manner, he was bright and promising intellec- tually, and, to crown all his other traits, he was a modest, 400 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. earnest Christian. He was among tlie first to volunteer for the war, and I remember the morning- when he and his classmate, Charles Y. Thompson, were standing at the clej^ot, awaiting the arrival of the train that was to convey them to camp, and where they were to enter the lists and encounter the perils and hardships of war. Prof. Meigs and I standing near, the remark was made by one of us, and affirmed by the other, "Is this not costly food for bullets'?" And so it was. They were comrades in many an army expe- rience, but Wilhe never returned to his home and dear ones. His ending of earthly life and w^ork was as follows : In the latter part of July, 18G2, after the evacuation of Corinth by Beauregard, and the arrangement made by •which General Bragg was to invade Kentucky, the army was marched in force into Kentucky, and, on the 30th of August, General Kirby Smith, with a division to which our boys belonged, met the enemy at Kichmond,, Ky., and achieved a victory. After this fight, and Bragg's battle w ith a Federal force, at Perr\wille, under Buel, the Southern troops retreated through Cumberland Gap, carrying with them immense quantities of supplies of every descrij)tion, but having gained no other advantages whatever. Our boys, "Willie Gray, George, mj' son, and their companions, "West and Thompson, came safely out of the battle of Eich- mond, but on General Kirby Smith's continuance of his march towards Covington, "Willie Gray was taken sick and left on the way for recovery, at Cynthiana, Ky., so that when the army of General Smith was on the retreat, he was unable to go with the rest, and the enemy following on the track of our army, found "Willie and took him prisoner, and he was taken to Cairo, where he died and was buried. Of all this, his father was utterly ignorant until the winter of 1862, or spring of 1863. Dr. Gray, having heard in some way that the Federals had stopj^ed in Cairo, thinking that probably Willie w^as there, took the train and went up to Colum.bus,, Death of "Willie Gray. ^01 Ky., soon after I liad made my escape from La Grange. But wlien he arrh-ed there he learned that all possible chance to reach Cairo had been cut oif by reason of a panic that pre- vailed in Cairo, on account of a report that Forrest, with an immense cavaliy force, was approaching. So he returned, and came down through Mississippi, and went on to Vicks- bui'g, having learned that an exchange was to be made there, and hoping to find Willie there. When he reached there, he found, indeed, that the exchange had been agreed upon, and that many of our boys were there on their way home, paroled; but, alas! his boy had been left in his grave, at Cairo. After the war, to end the story, Dr. Gray succeeded in recovering Willie's remains, and having them brought to Memphis and buried in his family lot, in Elm wood Ceme- tery, As I have said in a j)revious part of this chapter, I learned all this on the occasion of one of my visits to Jackson. It so happened that I reached Jackson just in the evening of the day on which Dr. Gray had left Jackson, to retiU'n home to La Grange. He learned in Jackson that I was expected in that place, and he left letters explanatory of all his movements subsequent to the time of my departure from La Grange. Among other letters, I found one from my daughter, Mar^r West, informing me that she and her sister Bessie, and her brother Gray, had come out of the lines of the enemy, and were at Pontotoc at that time. My joy may be imagined more truly than can be expressed by me in words. I has- tened back to my home at Mrs. Evans', packed up and took the train for Meridian, thence to Okolona, and then, by hir- ing a mule, I rode on to Pontotoc, and found my children safeh'" resting with the bereaved family of my murdered friend and brother. Miller. Let me state a fact for my abohtion friends to explain. With my children when they came, one of my old servants, without any expression of such a wish on their part, came 26 402 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. out with them, determined to share their lot whatever it might be, leaving her own children behind. To dismiss this jDoint, she remained with them all the rest of her days, taking care of them until she closed her faithful life of ser- vice, and was nursed kindly and tenderly in her last illness, and buried decently, with the assistance of friends, at their home in Mississippi, and there she rests in peace until the morning of the resurrection. She died in faith. She would hardly have left her own children had she not loved these children that she had "raised;" and she would hardly have loved them if she had been so cruelly and unjustly treated as the falsely so-called friends of the colored people delight to represent. CHAPTEE XXXYIIL Moke Perils and Escapes. — Residenxe at Mekidian and at Mont- gomery. — Wanderings. — Change or Work. — In Danger of Cap- ture. DUEING tliis year, 18G3, several of tlie more disastrous and disliearteuing misfortunes came upon the Confed- erate government. Among them was the fall of Yicksburg, which was surrendered on the morninsr of the 4th of July by a capitulation, the parties to which were General Pemberton, of the Confederate army, and General Grant, in command of the Union forces. After this event there was a general expectation that the armies under Grant and Sherman would march across Mississippi, eastward from Vicksburg, aaid such an expedition did advance as far as Jackson, and rumors reached Meridian that the forces were on the march, having crossed Pearl Eiver. As might be supposed, great panic seized the people about Meridian, and nearly aU were fl^'ing from their homes and temporary places of refuge. As my children were at the time making their home near Meridian, with my friend, Eev. Mr. Emerson, I also I'emoved them, as speedily as possible, to Montgomery, Ala., and placed them there in my brother's family. In this place they had a comfortable home for nine months, while I was almost entirely devoted to the work of visiting the various points of the western army and the many hospitals in Ala- bama and Mississippi, making my headquarters at Mont- gomery. I spent the year 1863 in hard work among the soldiers and chaplains, in this way having little time to rest, and often suffering from loss of sleep, and being obHged to 403 404 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. avail myself of modes of transportation of the most uncom- fortable and disagreeable sort. I was received most cordi- ally always by the officers and private soldiers, and the church chaplaincy with which I was charged as commis- sioner and sujDerintendent, during 1863-4, was, I have no doubt, attended wilh great benefit to the army, as I know that many of our mcst godly and zealous ministers devoted themselves to the work of preaching to the soldiers in camp and in visiting the hospitals and ministering to the spiritual wants of the sick and w^ounded, and soothing and cheering the last hours of many a brave and gallant soldier. It was previous to the fall of Vicksburg that I determined to 2)ay a visit to our boys, J. D. West, C. Y. Thompson, and my son George, in camp at Shelbyville, Tenn. I left Mont- gomery on June 12th, and reached Chattanooga on Satur- day evening, and spent the night there. Here I met with some of my La Grange friends in the hospital, who gave me a considerable budget of news in regard to the state of mat- ters in our old home. On awaking, I passed through a mental conflict on the subject of my duty as regards prose- cuting my onward travel on the Sabbath. I arrayed the arguments ^:>7*'0 and con about as follows . 1, The evils of going forward on the one side, and those of resting on the other: 1st, If I remain I shall incur addi- tional expense. 2. Be lonely : 1st, If I travel I shall fall in with uncongenial company ; 2nd, ShaU be apprehensive of peril fur travelhng. 3. My conscience will condemn me. "What are the reasons for travelling '^ 1. I shall be with the boys ; 2. May attend divine service in camp, perchance even have the privilege of listening to Dr. Palmer. Even with these thoughts passing through my mind I saw that the de- cision was that I should remain in Chattanooga. But when I considered, 1st, that by remaining I should enjoy the j)rivilege of reading my Bible ; 2nd, could attend divine ser- vice in some of the churches ; 3rd, the travel was not a work Preaching ix Camp. 405 of necessity or of mercy; 4tli, I should have a clear con- science ; 5tli, it was certainly right to remain ; I liesitated no longer as to this question, and spent the Sabbath read- ing my Bible, attending preaching both morning and even- ing, by a young brother then a stranger to me, but since then well known as Key. H. B. Boude, D. D., j^astor of sev- eral churches in various parts of the Southern Presbyterian Church, and President of Austin College, Sherman, Texas. At the time to which I refer he was a chaplain in the Con- federate army. His text of the morning was IMatt. xvi. 26. In the evening heard Eev, Mr. Boude again, text not now remembered. I reached Shelby ville about G o'clock p. m., and by the kindness of a friend, who was Post-commandant, I obtained the use of a horse, and rode out to the camp, about three miles, and found the boys well, and glad to see me. I re- mained in camp and in the town about a week, during which time I preached to the soldiers of Vaughan's and AYalthall's commands four times, and had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Palmer and of hearing him preach to a vast assembly in the open air ; and as he stood upon a rocky mound, and the audience stood, and sat, and lay upon the slope before him, the scene was unspeakably solemn, and the sermon equally solemn and impressive. Among the va- rious regiments I met many of my old pupils, former stu- dents of the Vniversity and of La Grange College, some of whom survived the war, and others passed away during its continuance, either in battle or in the hospital. In leaving the camp, Dr. Palmer and I called on General Bragg at his headquarters, and were received courteously. I obtained from the General a passport, and, leaving Shel- byville on Saturday, 20th June, arrived at Wartrace, the j)oint of junction of the branch road from Shelby ville with the main road to Chattanooga ; found myself checked by orders from headquarters that all citizens should leave the 406 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. train, as a brigade of soldiers had been unexpectedly ordered to Chattanooga, and thence to East Tennessee, to reinforce General Buckner, to meet a raid of the enemy on Knoxville. I returned by next train to camp, and after spending Sab- bath there, left again on Tuesday, and arrived, without further interruption, at Montgomery. With the exception of my trip to Lj-nchburg, Ya., to meet the Joiut Committee of the Southern Presbj^terian Church and the United Synod, to which I have referred, I spent my time as usual in travelling from post to post, from hospital to hospital, in prosecution of my duties as commis- sioner. The most important event of the war, the fall of Vicksburg, occurred on July 4th. This rendered it neces- sary to remove my children to a more secure place of refuge, inasmuch as there were immediately in circulation flying- rumors of the approach of the Federal troops toward Me- ridian. There were immense crowds of refugees passing through the place, and the trains on the railroads w^ ere filled to their utmost capacity, so that I found great difficulty in securing transportation for my family and their baggage. I was successful, however, in getting to Montgomery via Mobile, and placing them in care of my brother, James P. AVaddel, where they were in perfect safety and comfort. I returned to Mississippi very soon, as the rumors of an east- ern advance of General Grant's army proved to be false. A veiy large number of the Yicksburg soldiers having been re- leased on parole, and among them all their officers in com- mand, an encampment was formed at Enterprise, on the Mobile and Ohio railroad, and there I spent a great deal of my time, and preached much in the camp and in the Presbyterian church, and thus I worked on through the winter of 1863-'G4. I must not omit to mention that Rev. Dr. E. II. Ruther- ford, having been pastor of the Presbyterian church in Yicksburg previous to the beginning of the siege, remain rd A Marriage Ceremony. 407 in tliG city during the entire time of its investment by Grant, suffering all the hardships to which the besieged army and the citizens had been subjected, and came out with the soldiers Avho were on parole. He soon became actively en- gaged as a missionary chaplain to the troops in camp at Enterprise, at the same time supplying the Presbyterian church at that place. "VVe were associated in many such works in the camps and hospitals. There were many other chaplains with whom it was my privilege to associate during those times of gloom and trial. Among them I call to mind Eev. Dr. Thomas R. Markham, Eev. Dr. J. H. Bryson, and the brethren, Rev. Dr. Richmond Mclnnis, and Rev. Dr. H. M. Smith, Rev. D. D. Sanderson, and A. P. Si Hi man, Rev. S. J. Bingham, and Rev. Dr. W. T. Hall, with many others of our most devoted and prominent ministers, all of whom were faithful and zealous in supplying the religious wants of the army. The year 1864 began darkly and gloomily, both within me and in the prospects of the country. The first service I was called to perform was to officiate at the marriage of Miss Kate Calhoun to a Lieut. George Jones, of our army. The lady was the daughter of James L. Calhoun, (a nej^hew of the great J. C. Calhoun,) who had been a pupil of mine in the first school I ever taught, when I was in my nineteenth year, but who was not much younger than I. He now held some office under the Confederacy, having his place of busi- ness in Montgomery. The ceremony was solemnized at the town of Tuskeegee, in the presence of a fine assemblage of friends and relatives of the bride, who was a most charming lady. The next incident that occurred in my private history was that my youngest boy, now just having passed his seven- teenth birthday, entered the army of the Confederacy in January, and thus I had furnished to the cause of my native South, in her struggle for independence, my two sons and 408 JoHx\ X. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. an almost innumerable host of young friends and former pupils, among whom was the husband of my eldest daughter. Rev. James D. AVest, and the affianced of my younger •daughter, C. Y. Thompson. The months rolled slowly on through the winter and spring, with one additional incident in my narrative which I projDose to record, which, whilo it was in the line of my worli, was exceedingly perilous, and unpleasant at times, un- til its final and fortunate denouement. About February 1st I left Meridian with a view of paying a visit to North Mis- sissippi, to raise money for army missions, and visit Forrest's division of cavalry, then in camp at Oxford. I arrived at Oxford on the 3rd of February, aud made my home with my long-tried and devoted friends, Mr. Rascoe and family, visit- ing many friends beside, all of whom seemed glad to sec me. I preached in Oxford to a crowd, and raised $';18.75 for the army mission. Also j^reached i:t College Church, and raised for army missions ^181, for the Bible cause $200, and for T'oreign Missions $G0 — total at both places, $759,75. I re- mained in and about Oxford until Februaiy 8th. During this interval the town was filled with exciting rumors of the Yankees having captured Jackson and Canton and going on eastward, our troops falling back. It was also reported that a strong column of Federal cavalry was moving out of Mem- phis. We were told also that the forces under Forrest were to evacuate Oxford, and all the army stores were to be moved, and every one was to abandon Oxford who could get away. Of course, under these circumstances of peril and confusion, nothing could be accomplished by stopping longer there ; accordingly, I obtained from a friend a mule, and rode out to the neighborhood of Hopewell Church, and spent the night with Brother Patton, pastor, j^r cached the next day (Tuesday, 9th), and raised $53 for army missions and $10 additionrJ fiom Brother Patton. On Thursday, 11th, I rode over to Lebanon Church, driven in a bugg}' by Daniel Mc- A Fedeeal In\'asion. 409 F'arlaiir!, Jr., then a bov of twelve or fourteen years, now Hev. Dr. McFarland, of Staunton, Va. I preached at Le- banon Church on the 12th of February, and raised $106 for the mission. I silent the night there, and we were still assailed with Tumors of a confused and unsatisfactory nature. On the 12th, by another relay on a borrowed horse, and accom- panied by a young friend, I rode over to Pontotoc and spent the night (Saturday) with my afflicted friends, the Miller family, of my murdered friend and brother, Eev. J. H. Mil- ler, having an appointment to preach the next day at 11 o'clock. Early the next morning (Sabbath), just after dress- ing and coming from my room, I was met by a Confederate artilleryman in the hall, who told me that, havhig learned that I was at Mrs. Miller's, and supposing that I was not willing to be captured, he had come to warn me to leave Pontotoc as quickly as possible, as he had received reliable information that at New Albany, a small town about nine^ teen miles above Pontotoc, 12,000 cavalry troops, under a commander who was best known as " ^Vhiskey Smith," had encamped the night before, and would probably reach Pon- totoc about 10 o'clock A. M. Of course, I expressed my thanks to my unknown friend for his kindness in giving me this timely warning, and my mind was quickly made up to leave at once. But I had no horse, nor had I made any preparation to obtain one. Making known my decision to ihe family that I would leave at the earliest moment, and at the same time the fact of my being without a horse or con- veyance of any kind whereby to make my escape, the whole difficulty was removed by the quick perception and generous proposal of Miss Mary Miller, the daughter of my friend, whose brutal murder has been recorded in a urecedino- chapter. To set the matter in its just hght, it is worthy of the reader's time and attention to understand the circum- stances connected with Miss Miller's conduct on this occa- 41C John N. Waddel, D. T)., LL. D. sion. Her eldest brother, Edward G. Miller, inlieiiting tli© ardent patriotism of his father, and fired "with the martial spirit and unflinching courage "which characterized his fel- lo^Y-students of La Grange College, had Tolunteered in 1861, and joined a company of cavalrs' ; and on occasion of an en- gagement which occurred between his company and a body of Federals near Moscow, ten miles west of La Grange, on the Memphis and Charleston railroad, young Miller w^as killed, and his horse and all his accoutrements were, of course, taken possession of by the enemy, as this engage- ment w^as disastrous to our forces. The sad intelligence of the death of this beloved young soldier having reached the family. Miss Mary heroically resolved to go to the camp of the enemy at Moscow and recover her brother's remains. She put her resolve into execution as soon as j^ossible, went to the battle-field, and lecovered from the commander the remains of her brother, and, by her eloquent a]")peals, also obtained his horse, saddle, and bridle, and succeeded in having all brought homo in safety. The body lies buried by the side of the remains of his father in the cemetery at Pontotoc. The horse, a sacred and cherished memorial of the beloved brother, was taken care of, and it was on this occasion offered to me, in my dire extremity, as the means of my escape from the threatened capture. I shall never lose the sense of profound gratitude to Mi~s Mary, nor my^ admiration for her heroic character. I was thus again, in the kind, protecting providence of God, enabled to escape what I conceived to be imminent peril, and I left Pontotoc, immediately after an early break- fast, for Okolona, the nearest station on the Mobile and Ohio railroad, at which j)lace I proposed to take the train for Meridian. Here, however, I experienced the truth of the proverb, "Man proposes, but God disposes"; for as I approached Okolona I met a solitary horseman, just from, the place-, and from him I learned that the train I had pro- Peepaeing foe Flight. 411 posed to take liad left Okolona, and that no other train was to be run on the road under present arrangements. He gave as the reason for this state of matters that the tele- graph operator at Meridian had just sent his last dispatch over the wires to Okolona previous to his departure, to the effect that the advance of Sherman's army was just entering Meridian as he left. Again I found myself "at my wit's end," and surely knew not " what next ? " or whither to direct my steps. I rode on to the station, nevertheless, and, calling at the residence of an elder of our church, Mr. Shepherd, who received me kindly, I mad 3 known to him my pressing strait and my in- formation in regard to the prospective invasion of the coun- try by Smith's cavalry force, expressing my behef that the enemy w^ould reach Okolona that day. He directed me to the house of another elder, Mr. Wiley Bearing, an old friend of mine, who lived four miles in the country, as the safest place of refuge. In the meantime he informed me that a lady at his house was just then expecting to leave fur Georgia or South Carolina in a small vehicle or carriage, and that she wished, if possible, to leave next day, if not prevented, and she would be glad of my company and pro- tection. He planned for me to go out at once to Mr. Dear- ing's and spend the night, and that he (Mr. Shepherd) would keep me informed as to the arrival or non-arrival of the Federal cavalry. If they should fail to come, he would send a horse for me on the next day, and I could then leave in safety. I carried out this plan; rode out and spent the night very pleasantly and very comfortably with my friend, Mr. Bearing, and next day, after leaving Miss Mary Miller's horse, etc., Avith him, with a letter informing her where the horse would be found, I rode back to Okolona. I foimd that the expected raid had not reached there, and that the arrangement which I had considered decided, that I should leave with the lady aforesaid, had failed, as she had aban- 412 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. doned the idea of leavino-. So, once more, I was disap- pointed as to a way of escape, and the troops I so much dreaded were constantly expected. But the good providence of God was still over and round about me for my protection. I found at Okolona that a Confederate cjuartermaster's train, which had made Okolona headquarters all along, w^as preparing to leave and escape the enemy, and were to go east to Aberdeen that ni^ht. On calling on the officer in charge, I found, to my great gratification, that one of the men in the train was Captain Street, who had married a lady friend of my daughter, and making known to h:i:i my condition, he at once most kindly offered me a fine horse, saddle, and bridle, which I could use as far as Aberdeen. Mailiug my letter to Miss Miller (informing her about her horse), I left about ten o'clock p. m., in company with my friend and his wife (who travelled in his buggy), with cpnte a cavalcade. We did not pause until about one o'clock a. m., having accomplished about ten miles. We remained there in perfect safety until next morning after breakfast, when "we renewed our journey uninterruptedly to Aberdeen, which we reached about eleven o'clock a. m. Hero we parted, my friend, Captain Street, having orders to proceed no farther on my route, and I gave up his horse, with earnest thanks for his great kindness. I now began to realize that we were in no great danger of the pursuit I had so much dreaded, but, at the same time, there was the anxiety still resting upon my mind as to my future return to Montgomery, and as to the mode of prose- cuting my route eastward. At Aberdeen I was fortunate in meeting quite a number of old friends who had patronized the University at Oxford, Dr. Sj'kes, Mr. Randall, Mr. Evans, and others, besides also Ira G. Holloway and Lucien Sykes, former students at Ox- ford, and I am sure I never was more cordially received at any. place in all my life. I found, however, at first. A "Way of Escape. 413' very great difficulty in securing a plan of prosecuting my onward travel. After seeing my friends, and trying ear- nestly to get on in some way or other, one expedient after another having failed, I met with a gentleman, Mr. Walton, a citizen of Aberdeen, who had a pair of line horses and a carriage which he was very anxious to save from the " Yan- kees." His plan was to send them to his son-in-law, a Dr. Green, who was a surgeon in the Confederate army. He had learned that Dr. Green, with all the Meridian medical staff, had, on the approach of Sherman's forces, made their escape, and taken up their headquarters at Marion, Ala. Still there remained another obstacle to the full and entire carrying out of the plan, and that was to have with me some companion or companions to aid me in the enterprise of driving the horses and taking care of them, for about one hundred miles across the country, and delivering everything safel}' to Dr. Green. Let me not omit to record another in- stance of the continual care and kindness of Divine Provi- dence manifested toward me in all these perilous times. There were then in Aberdeen two officers of Gen. Josej^h E. Johnson's army, on furlough, very anxious to get away be- fore the enem}' should reach there (for it was confidently expected that the forces of Smith would be in Aberdeen sooner or later), and when we met and compared notes we very quickly and successfully arranged to take charge of the entire establishment and deliver it to Dr. Green in Mar- ion, Ala., this point being on the direct route which they must travel back to their command. These gentlemen were a Major Pegram, of Tippah county. Miss., and a Mr. Peck, of Aberdeen. A still more favorable circumstance for us was that the latter gentleman had a servant who would re- turn with him to the arm3\ So we had nothing to do but to make ourselves ready to go on our way rejoicing, in the most comfortable way possible, with a fine family carriage, a* pair of fine horses, and a driver. Having stored away 414 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. our small amount of baggage in the yeliicle, v,e left Aberdeen on Wednesday about sunset, and drove on over bad, miry roads, and spent the night very comfortably at a farm-house distant some six miles. How thankful was I that we were now evidently safe from pursuit, and that the way was now clear for an uninterrupted retreat from the dreaded foe ! Our journey was successfully' prosecuted through Pickens county, Ala., via Columbus, Miss , having a brief interview in the street of that city with my friend and brother, Rev. J. A. Lyon, D. D., who agreed with me that it was wise in us to place as great a distance as possi- ble between the enemy and our fine establishment I We passed through Clinton, Eutaw, and Greensboro to Mai'ion. As I passed the cemeter}" in Eutaw I recalled the fact that, just Avithin a few hundred yards, lay buried the ashes of my first-born little boy, which we had laid to rest a cjuarter century previously, and nature even then claimed for his memory from my troubled heart the tribute due. We reached Marion on Saturday afternoon in perfect safety, and gladly delivered over to Dr. Green the equipage with which we had been entrusted by his father-in-law, Mr. Walton, of Aberdeen. CHAPTER XXXIX. "Finale of the Shekman-Smith Raid.^Retukn to Mississippi with MY Children. — Marriage of my Youngest Daughter. — Fourth Meeting of the General Assembly. — Change of Location in Army Work. I MET in Marion all the medical men who were in Meri- dian when I left there on mr expedition of visiting the northern part of Mississi^Dpi, the account of which I have given in extenso in the preceding chapter. Dr. Isom, and Dr. John Smith, and Dr. Branham were of Oxford previous to the war ; and besides them, I met also Dr. Frazier, an old friend, of Tupelo, Miss. I was greatly gratilied also to meet again Eev. Dr. Eaymond, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Marion. I took up my quarters in the same building with the medical men, and preached twice on Sab- l)ath, and collected $210 for army missions. I only re- mained in Marion imtil Monday morning, 22nd ; when on my way to Montgomery, passing through Marion Junction Station, saw our troops in considerable numbers passing on to reinforce General Polk at Demopolis, who, with his army, was awaiting the advance of Sherman from Meridian. From them I learned that General Cheatham's Division was on the way to join General Polk, and accordingly I found this to be so on my arrival at Selma, for all of my boys were there awaiting orders to go by next train on to DemopoHs. It was soon ascertained, however, that this expedition was needless, as General Sherman had evacuated Meridian, after burning the Httle ^411age, and had marched back to Vicksburg. So far as I was able to learn the facts of these movements on the part of the enemy, they were about as 415 416 John N. Waddel, D. D.., LL. D. follows : It was the design of General Sherman to march his forces from Vicksburg eastward across the State, and that he, with these troops, would effect a junction at Meri- dian with a large body of cavalry from Memphis, under Smith, ard then both bodies of troops united should con- tinue their march across to Montgomery, and take possession of Alabama and Georgia. The entire plan was defeated by the cavalry imder General Forrest, who met Smith in the prairies in the northeastern part of Mississipj^i, and drove him back, after a disastrous battle, with terrible loss. This being ascertained by Sherman, he left without further at- tempts at the grand invasion, and the troops which he had led in such formidable array were led back again by him, with the same experience of a certain king of France in the old couplet, of whom it is related that he — "With twice teu thousand men. Marched up the hill, and then marched back again. " As there was no further demand in that direction for re- inforcements for General Polk's troops. General Cheatham's division was ordered to return to Georgia. Our boys were j)assing back through Montgomery, and we had pleasant visits from them until they were ordered on their w^j. They left in high spirits and good health, and we cheered them on to the front, and followed them wdth our fervent prayers, unconscious of the solemn trials through which we and they were destined to pass before we should be allowed to meet again. My children had spent about nine months in Montgomery with my brother's family, but although I knew they were not only cordially welcome, but gladly entertained there, with their uncle, aunt and cousins, yet I felt that it would suit better on all hands that they should return to Missis- sippi, as the enemy had, at this time, ceased to be at all troublesome. I therefore made very comfortable arrange- Eeminiscences of Was. Times. 417 ments to have tliem make tlieir Lome with Judge West, the father-in-law of my eldest daughter, her husband being- in the army. This, I may say, was assuredly among the most secluded and inaccessible retreats, and consequently one of the safest places that could have been selected in the State, as a home for a family, where one might reasonably expect to be secure from raids, and at the same time afford- ing all the comforts and social enjoyments of a most excel- lent Christian family. Judge West was a very prominent elder of our church, and universally esteemed for his excel- lent character and devoted piety, and was full of kindness. Here my daughters were welcomed by the judge himself, as well as by the ladies of the family, and in that retired spot they remained quietly until they were invited by Rev. J. H. Alexander, of Kosciusko, a neighboring town, to take part with him in a female academy located there, of which he was principal. During the latter part of theiir abode at Judge West's hospitable home, on the 25th of Jan^ uary, 1865, Charles V. Thompson, of w^hom I have written frequently in the preceding part of this memoir, came on a visit to my youngest daughter, on furlough from the army, and they were married after their long engagement. The invitation of the Rev. Mr. Alexander was accepted not lon^ after this event, and they remained in the Academy a» teachers, boarding with him, until the close of the war.^ There I for the present leave them, that I may go back to matters of public interest which occurred in the interim. As the time approached for the fourtli annual meeting of the General Assembly, commissioners began to make their appearance from various Presbyteries in the West, on their way to Charlotte, N. C. There was no commissioner from Arkansas, and Rev. R. F. Bunting was the sole representa- tive of Texas, and this because he w^as already on the east side of the Mississippi, serving as chaplain in a Texas regi- ment. There w'ere no commissioners at all from Nashville^ 418 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. Synod, as Tennessse, East and Middle, were overrun by the Federals. Still there were three from the Synod of Mem- phis, notwithstanding that West Tennessee and North Mis- sissipj)i were in the hands and under the control of the enemy. We had a membership of sixty-five afc Charlotte. We left Montgomery on the 29th of April, and spent the Sabbath in Augusta, Ga. I must not omit to make mention of a signal escape from a sudden and violent death which I experienced, through the mercy of God, just as I left Montgomery. I was con- veyed in a buggy, driven by a rash driver, to the depot, and on ax^proaching the railroad, an unobserved freight train came down just in front of our crossing. At this the horse took fright, whirled suddenly, and would have dashed across and carried us all over a precipice, but by a kind pro- tecting Providence he fell, broke a shaft and a wheel of the buggy, and I stepped out upon the ground in safety. Truly thankful for this preservation, I took my seat on the train, and, in company with other commissioners, we passed suc- cessfully through Columbus, Macon, and Augusta, reaching the latter place on Saturday, where we sj^ent Sabbath. We arrived in Charlotte, N. C, on Monday, 2nd of May, and as there still was an interval of two days before the meeting of the Assembly, I availed myself of the opportunity' to visit Davidson CoUege, distant about twenty miles. There I spent a pleasant time, in company with Dr. Kirkpatrick, the President of the College, and my former colleague and friend. Prof. J. "R. Blake, the exercises of the College being- still in operation ; and although laboring under the terrible pressure of these fearful war times, it is a wonderful his- toric fact to her credit, that "Davidson College was one of the few colleges in the Confederac}^ not closed during the war."i ^ Since writing this sentence, I learn that the University of Alabama was kept in operation during the war, and probably the Military Insti- tutions. Meeting of the General Assembly. 419 At this meeting of the Assembly, on Thursday, 5th of May, Eev. Dr. John S. AVilson was elected Moderator. The most important measure adopted at this meeting was the union of the Southern Presbyterian Church with the United Synod of the Presbyterian Church. The report of the joint committee of these two bodies was read by the chairman of our committee, Rev. Dr. R. L. Dabney. There was a con- siderable discussion of the report /?ro and con, but with eight dissentients, some more and some less thoroughly op- posed, it was passed and ratified. I spent my time during the sessions of the Assembly at the house of a Captain White, of the Southern army, who was absent with his command ; but we were hospitably en- tertained by Mrs. White, a noble-hearted Christian lady, who was sister-in-law of my classmate and friend, E. J. Erwin, in the University of Georgia, in 1828-'29. It was also a great joy to me that he was present, though not a commissioner to the Assembly, as we had an opportunity of personal intercourse during several days, which was our last meeting, as he did not long survive our separation. We foimd ourselves greatly changed. We were not only thirty- iive years older than when we parted in Athens, Ga., in 1829, but, as we trusted, we had both experienced a still greater change in our spiritual life, having passed from the condition of careless young men to that of Christians, he to serve God as a ruling elder in the church, and I as a min- ister of the blessed gospel. On my return west after the adjournment of the Assem- bly, as I passed through Columbia, S. C, I was informed by Dr. J. L. Wilson, Secretary of Domestic Missions, that I had been appointed commissioner to the Department of the Army, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston. I stopped, therefore, at Atlanta as I passed, and ascertained that our army was falling back before Sherman ; that the two armies were above Marietta, and ail the sick and 420 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. wounded of onr army were every day arriving at that point. I went then to Marietta, and, stopi^ing with Dr. Setze, a friend, whose wife was my niece, I spent a night there, and on the morning of the next day I found, on a freight train, my son-in-law, James D. West, and my son, George, on sick furlough, going to the hospital at Newnan. Charles Thomp- son, who had been wounded, had also been sent back to Newnan, where he had friends, and was taken care of there. I remained a day with the boys, and after a hurried visit to Montgomery, and arranging business concerns there con- nected with my change of location, I returned to Newnan, and I learned that my youngest boy (Gray) also had been sent back, worn down and sick, but could not learn to what place he had been sent. After vain efforts to find him, I visited Iho hospital at La Grange, Ga., and there I found him, well cared for by some of my friends, among them Dr. Evans, surgeon in charge, one of my Aberdeen acquaint- ances. A brother Presbyterian minister, Eev. T. F. Mont- gomery, pastor at La Grange, after that removed my boy to his own house ; and after I had preached at the hospital, on the 30th of June, I left Gray in good hands, and when he became convalescent, he went back to the arm3^ I returned to Newnan, ai-id found that James West had gone back ta the front, but that George was still there. Eev. Dr. St-x-cey, pastor of the church at Newnan, was conducting a meeting of some interest, and many soldiers there in the hospital were attending, and some of them professed conversion, among whom was my son George, who joined the church at that time and place. I preached a week for Brother Stacey in Newnan, and once at a country church of his twelve miles west of Newnan. I was kindly entertained during my stay with Dr. Calhoun, and after a visit of a week at Mar- ietta, where I waited on the sick and wounded, I had occa- sion to leave there for a few days. On my re-turn to Marietta I found everything in great confusion. Dr. Setze's family Aemy Movements. 421 had left, with whom I had spent my time ; his lot had been converted into a cavalry -horse lot, the house abandoned, and in the town the appearance was as if every one who could leave had left and were leaving. This was about July 1st. I remained until the night of the 3rd, when, learning that the place was to be evacuated, I went to headquarters and secm-ed the appointment of agent to go with some govern- ment property to Atlanta that afternoon. I took my seat by the open door of a freight car loaded with stores, and as the train did not leave as early as was expected, I was a si- lent watcher for many hours of the silent but steady march of our army as they made theii- way to the point of safety beyond the Chattahoochee river, within seven miles of At- lanta. During this time the enemy kept up a sullen shell- ing of the now empty town and firing their cannon upon the imoccupied works. All reached the place of their encamp- ment in safety, and I arrived in Atlanta about midnight of the 3rd. AVe learned that Sherman's army entered and took possession of IMarietta on the morning of the 4th. General Johnson halted his army on the south bank of the river, and for the time the enemy moved slowly and cau- tiously down South. CHAPTEE XL. Sojourn in Atlanta and in Camp. — General Johnson Kelieved. — Evacuation OF Atlanta, — Stay in Eufaula. — Death of my Son AT JONESBORO. — ArMY MOVEMENT ToWARD NaSHVILLE. I REMAINED in Atlanta about one month watching for opportunities to do something for the boys. It was just before the evacuation of Marietta by our troops that James West and a number of others, being out on a kind of skirmish west of Marietta, in the neighborhood of Kenesaw Mountain, were caj)tured and sent to Johnson's Island as prisoners, and this put an end to their active service. They were not released until the close of the war. I found it almost im- possible to do any thing in the way of my chaplaincy and commissioner work in Johnson's army, for the simple reason that they were not stationary long enough at a time for much visitation. I was making my headquarters in Atlanta, and took up my board at a house where one of my former La Grange pupils was boarding. He had been disabled in the army, and was ordered to serve on a military court that was sitting at that time in Atlanta. I shared his bed-room and his bed Tvath him. His name was Wm. M. Ingram, and he was a universal favorite in college, and, surviving the war, became a Presbyterian minister, very acceptable and extensively useful, giving bright promise of a future in the ministry, when he was brought to a premature end of his term of service by a wasting insidious disease. With him I was very much blessed, as a friend and a congenial com- panion. I was able to go out to the camp every day for a short time, and spent one Sabbath at the headquarters of General Featherston with the Rev. Dr. Thomas R. Mark- 422 Kemoval of General Johnston 423 ham, and preached three thnes, once at Canty's Brigade and twice at Featherston's. While there engaged in preaching, some exciting news was brought into camp about the move- ments of the enemy. I spent the night there, however, and returned to Atlanta next morning. The first intelhgence which we received on getting back was that orders had been received from Richmond relieving General Johnston, and putting General Hood at the head of the department. I have rarely ever witnessed such a distressing and dishearten- ing influence produced by any piece of news as that whick followed the removal of General Johnston, manifested in the saddened and gloomy appearance of the officers and private soldiers. At that time the General was assuredly the ob- ject of the admiration, confidence and love of the men of that ai'my. The dissatisfaction was universal among the citizens and the whole community and the country. The court to which I have referred, and with which I was somewhat associated as a boarder, was very soon after this ordered to i-emove their quarters to Macon. As I saw that there was no further work which I could do at that time,, while there was nothing but one retreat after another in. progress, I took advantage of the train on which the mem- bers of this court were to leave, and took passage for Macon. I hardly knew why. We arrived there on the evening of Friday, July 22nd, and spent that night there. Next morn- ing found me desolate and lonely, in the utmost bewilder- ment and ignorance as to the course to be pursued under the surrounding circumstances. I knew that the way was blocked up to the Atlanta army, and the raih'oads were about to be closed as to their running in that direction. I, however, after breakfast, strolled along down to the depot, thinking that I might discover, by the movements of trains, in what direction to shape my course. Just as I reached the station, carpet-bag in hand, I found a train on the eve of depai'ting on a trip to Eufaula, Ala., where a large hos- 424 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. 'pital liad been csiablished for our sick and wounded. As an acquaintance, standing on the platform of one of the passenger cars, beckoned to me to get upon the (rain, I did so. This gentleman was one of a relief committee sent up from South Georgia and Alabama to minister to the soldiers ^ho were in the army from that region such articles of food and clothing as they should need, and he was now return- ing. My decision was made, without further deliberation, to go to the Eufaula hosi^ital, and there await future devel- .opments. I Avas the more inclined to pay this visit to this ^lace from the fact that a cousin of mine resided there, who had been my playmate, companion, and fellow-student at Athens, Ga., in our 3'outhful days. "We reached the place at a late hour that evening. On our way down we passed the place afterwards known by horrible notoriety as the Andersonville prison for the captured soldiers of the Fed- eral army. Even then there were in j)rison, said to be, thirty thousand of the victims of the cruelty and savage barbarity jji the wretch ^Yirz. He, at the close of the war, was ar- rested by the Secretary of War of the United States in Au- gust, 1865, and tried by a special military commission. He was indicted *'for subjecting the j^risoners to torture and great suffering, by confining them to unhealthy and un- wholesome quarters ; by exposing them to the inclemency of the winter, to the dews and burning tsun of the summer ; by compelling the use of impure water ; by furnishing insuffi- •cient and unwholesome food ; also, for estabhshing ' the dead line,' and ordering the guard to shoot down any pri- soner attempting to cross it ; for keeping and using blood- liounds to hunt down prisoners attempting to escape ; and for torturing prisoners by confining them in the ' stocks.* 'Wirz, having been found guilty on these charges, was ex- ecuted by hanging on November 10, 1865." If half these jmrliculars were true, it must be admitted that he deserved his fate. Death of Youngest Son. 425 I remained at the residence of my cousin (who -was teach- ing a large school in Eufaula) two or thi-ee weeks. Here I found a large hospital of Confederate soldiers, which I vis- ited; and as the Presbyterian church of this place was va- cant, they engaged my services for their pulj^it every Sab- bath during my stay there, which covered about three months. About the last of August I had occasion to visit Montgomery, and during the time of my absence the iU- fated battle of Jonesboro', below Atlanta, was fought. Al- though rumors were abundant on the train of the battle then in progress, yet no particulars could be gathered that were rehable. On my return to Eufaula, at a late hour, after the family had retired, I also retired, and slept till dawn. I was awakened by a heavy knock at my door, and a dis2:)atch was handed me, which I read by the grey light of early morning, containing these dreadful words : "Your son, Gray, was killed lliis morning bj- a fragment of shell.'' "[Signed] John Ingram, "■A. A. A. Oen. of General Cheatham." I knew that others had j)assed through these great sor- rows in those fearful times of soul trials ; but for me, I must believe that this was a blow exceeding in terrible se- verity all my previous trials combined. O, my son! my son I my youngest, my darling boy ! Would any sacrifice have been too great could it have shielded thee from such a fate, and saved me from such a calamity ? Only seventeen, bright and promising and affectionate! Little, indeed, or rather not at all, did the thought of such a fatal result pass through my mind when, but a few months previously, I gave my unwise consent to his joining his brother and other friends in the army ! God only knows the bitterness, the heart-breaking agony of that dreadful morning. He had never made any profession of rehgion, but the. testimony of his friends and kindred in the army, with whom he had held conferences on the subject from time to tune duiing 426 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. his brief term of service, gave me ground of hope that he was a Christian. Nothing else could soothe my grief ; yet I shall bear the wound upon my very soul down " with sor- row to the grave." To intensify my bitterness, I had an api^ointment to preach on that very day in the Eufaula Church. I lilled the ap- pointment, I hardly know how. Ko doubt I need the special pardoning love and mercy of my heavenly Father for dishonor done to the cross of Christ on that day. May I find that mercy on the day yet to come, from Him who givesr us these gentle words of tenderness and love, " Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them, that fear Him;" "He knoweth our frame, He remembereththat we are dust." I remained at Eufaula a few days in the hope that I should receive a letter explanatory of, or enlarging the dispatch, but I waited in vain. And as I found the sus- pense intolerable, and my mind, in its dark and gloomy im- aginings, was suggesting all manner of dreadful things that might have occurred in connection with the remains of my boy, I resolved to return to the camp, if possible, and learn the true condition of matters by personal inquiry. On ar- riving at Macon I met a friend and former neighbor of East Mississippi, who belonged to the army, and I learned from him that my son Gorge, assisted by a young man of his compan}', who was also from La Grange, had been allowed to prepare a decent coffin for his remains, and they had laid them to rest in the cemetery at or near Jonesboro. This was, indeed, some mitigation of my sorrow, and subject of gratitude to God, as I reflected upon the dreadful treatment to which the bodies of the slain soldiers were sometimes subjected, and from all which his body had been rescued. As the camp where the defeated army of General Hood rested after the battle was distant not very far above Macon, I jiursued my journey to that point, and found my boys, George and Charles Thompson, safe, and glad to welcome me. I Resigns Office. 427 spent several days with them, and preached four times in General Vaugiian's Brigade, the last of ^\hich was on an ap- pointed fast day, and once in General Lowry's brigade ; this officer being a Baptist preacher of Mississippi of high stand- ing, and after the war an honored and esteemed member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Mississippi from 1872 to 1876. Ascertaining that General Hood would soon break up his camp and move with the remnant of his troops to Nashville on the ill-fated expedition, resulting in the en- tire breaking up of the army and his removal from command, I saw at once that my connection with the commissionership of that army was dissolved, as I had no horse, nor was there- any railway transportation, and to accompany the army on foot was a matter of utter impracticability. After a melan- choly visit to the grave of my slain soldier boy, I took leave of the boys and returned to Eufaula, arranged all my affairs there, gave up the church, resigned the office of commis- sioner, and left there about the latter part of October. CITAPTEE XLI. Appointment to a New Service, and Last Days of the Confedekact. — Gloom and Despondency. — Destitution of the South. N arriving in Montgomery I was told tliat there was in contemplation by the Synod of Alabama the founding of an asylum for the orphans of deceased Confederate soldiers. 1 was offered the agency of that enterprise by a committee of the Synod, which I accepted ; and to illustrate the fearful depreciation of the Confederate finances, whereas just be- fore, while acting as commissioner, my salary had been fixed at $2,500 to $3,000 and expenses, now I w^as employed at a salary of $600 per month, or $7,200 per annum, and all expenses ! M}'' first visit in my agency was to Mobile, where I was kindly received and hospitably entertained, in part by Captain "Wheeler, a warm-hearted elder of our church, and partly by Thomas A. Hamilton, Esq., a member of the committee on the asylum. Eev. Dr. Burgett, pastor of Government Street church of Mobile, was very active and zealous in the cause, visiting with me and canvassing among the people. Very little success attended my efforts in that city. I cannot now recall statements made to me by differ- ent parties to account for this comparative failure; perhaps it was really owing to the destitution and poverty occasioned by the pressure of the war, which had then been in deso- lating progress for nearly four years. From Mobile, then, little was collected, and when I reported subsequently to the committee in Montgomery if I could show in cash or sub- scriptions anything above my bare expenses from that place, I cannot now recall it. But I had a set of jewelry contributed to the cause by Mrs. Dr. Burgett, which I handed over, and a five hundred dollar bill of Confederate currency, handed 428 A Confederate Oephanage. 429 me by a gentlemau with whom I uuexpectedly met on a car, a casual acquaintance from La Grange, Tenn. I spent my time while in Mobile in presenting the cause in public and in private. I preached in the Government Street cinu-ch and in the Jackson Street church, and at tended prayer-meetings, but collected with small success. As I was engaged in the work on a certain morning, I found my La Grange friend to whom I have just alluded, and on ascertaining what I was engaged in, he simply remarked, '' I know the cause is a good one, and I know the man who is acting in it, and so I hand you my mite," or words to that import, and with that he j^laced in my hand the five hundred dollars. This, to be sure, was worth httle intrinsicall}-, but it was, at that time, much the largest coutribution I had received, and I felt encouraged and expressed my thanks. I remained in Mobile some days, until the friends of the cause, on consultation, decided that nothing could be done at that time. I returned to Montgomery, and after a brief stay there I visited Selma, and presented the asylum cause with very encouraging success. With the efficient cooperation of the pastor, Eev. A. M. Small, I succeeded in obtaining subscriptions and in cash about $40,000, of which amount the sum of $10,000 was donated by one gentleman in cash. He was editor of a very popular daily paper in Selma. This was truly satisfactory work, and all that remained to make it a grand success was to have bought cotton with the money, as could have been done, and had been done, by Mr. "WTiiting in Montgomery. But as there was a shadow of the coming storm just then visible, I left the subscriptions in Selma, in order that I might visit Marion, 28 miles distant, for the purpose of canvassing that place and its surroundings. I was sure of ultimately collecting every dollar of the Selma subscription on returning from this visit. In carrying out my proposed canvass, I laid 430 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. B. the cause before the j^eople of Marion, v/ith the earnest help of Kev. Dr. Eaj^mond, and before the Fairview church, •with its devoted pastor, Rev. E. A. Mickle, and Yalley Oreek church, with the aid of Kev. James Watson ; and we were riding a great deal over the country visiting every family where it was supposed we could raise a contribution, but met with very indifferent success. It was just then, as I w^as about returning to Selma to finish the work w^hich had been so auspiciously begun for collecting the subscriptions ah'eady made, when we learned that the little city of Selma was being surrounded b}- fortifications, expecting an attack, and that every citizen, without distinction, and all able- bodied men were set to work on the entrenchments and breastworks. I could not venture under such circumstances to return. As this was near the close of March, it would have been the surest and most speedy way to my closing the business of raising money or of doing anything else for the country, since on the 2d of April Major-General J. H. AVilson carried the works by assault around Selma, after a short but severe contest with Qeneral Forrest. This was a dreadful blow to the country, and thenceforth all was dark and gloomy, and one disaster after another befell the Con- federacy until the final consummation, w4iich was reached by the suiTender of Lee to Grant at A^^pomattox, in Vir- ginia, and of Johnston to Sherman in North Carolina in April, 1865. My occupation being now gone, there was nothing left for me save to make my way to Mississippi, join my children, and provide ways and means whereby we could all begin life anew, and place ourselves as nearly as we could in static quo ante-bellum. Having decided to give up the prosecution of my agency, I du-ected my first efforts to visiting Gainesville, Ala., where two prominent members of the Synodical Committee resided — Rev. Dr. Charles A. Stillman and Jonathan Bliss, Esq., an elder of the church. As I recall the time to which I here refer, when I took my Death of Eev. A. M. Small. 431 leave of that part of Alabama, aud especially of the town of Selma, where I passed so large a part of my time with such congenial society, and so much enjoyment of genuine hospitality on the part of its excellent people, there rises up the image and memory of that devoted Christian pastor, Kev. A. M. Small. I regarded him then as one of the love- liest characters with whom I had ever associatad. His ^'odly life, his fidelity as the pastor of an important and in- fluential people, his patriotic devotion to the cause of his native South, his large and ever- widening hospitality; and all this orignating from an equally large and boundless gen- erosity of heart, so endeared him to every one who knew him, that the mention of his very name was the signal of praise and admiration. The particular exciting circumstance that gives ground for my notice of this beloved man is that he was one among the numerous ^dctims of this cruel and relentless war, that had no respect for persons. At the time of the assault upon the defences of Selma he was behind the breast-works among the citizens, and when the city fell he was among those who fell. Thus ended the career of one w^ho was in the prime of his young manhood and the bright field of his use- fulness, growing in every great element of mental, moral, and spiritual power, beloved by all who knew him, and be- wailed by every high-toned heart. I return from this digression to record other matters of more general interest, but which all jDartook of the gloomy character and coloring that cast their dark shadowing over the entii'e South. In fact, I do not consider it out of j)lace to record that this gloomy aspect of j)ublic affairs had begun to pervade the Confederacy for some time previous to this epoch, and there was everywhere apparent a despondency that could not be concealed; and although there was an earnest effort on the jDart of the public journals to light up .hope on all possible occasions, yet these efforts were less 432 John N. Waddel, D. D , LL. D. and less iufruential in the ininds of the people, and the con- clusion was finally reached that all was hopeless, and this ■was followed by the reality that " all was lost." The attempt to record, in a brief space, the actual condi- tion of things at this juncture in our history would be an utterly impossible task for any one, and flie effort to make such a record would be vain and futile with the material at command. Let it be sufficient to say that, with few' ex- ceptions, in cases where the farmers were remote from the seat of war, and secure from raids, or where enterprising- commercial men had been successful in running the block- ade, and thus carrying out cotton and bringing in gold and greenbacks and pro\'isions, the country was without a cur- rency, and, in many places, without means of living. The order of the Confederate government, that cotton in regions exposed to raids (and there were very few places of that kind) should be burned, in order to prevent the enemy from seizing it, operated disadvantageously to those wdio obeyed the order, and opened the way for others to disreputable, and, one might say, dishonest dealings. As an illustration : Sometimes, in the interior, there might be found a large crop of cotton, packed and prepared for market, and an armed body of men, who w^ere charged with the business of burning cotton by the government, destroyed this crop, as the owner was law^-abiding ; while, at the same time, in the same section of the country, a farmer who had a crop in the same condition might meet the band of burners, and, by offering them some amount of money as a bribe, succeed in preserving his cotton, and thus have the opportunity of ob- taining a very high price for it, not in Confederate cur- rencj^ but in " greenbacks," as it was styled, dealing with camp-followers of the Federal army. But the large mass of the Southern people were left by the war in utter destitu- tion. The slaves were freed by the emancipation act, and the consequent w^ant of laborers rendered the rich lands of no present value. CHAPTER XLII. Incidents of Peesonal Histoey. — Release feom all Official Duties Geowing Out of the Wae. — Visits to Old Homes. VHEN I clecicled to abandon the agency in which I had been employed during three or foiu' months, for the very sufficient reason that nothing could then be accom- plished, in consequence of the fact that the country from ■which the contributions were to be drawn was entirely over- run by a hostile body of troops, I tm-ned my course to the State of Mississippi, my purpose being to retrace my jour- neyings to my former home. In doing this I made it my first object to %dsit Gainesville, Ala., and wind up in due form with the committee of the Synod the entire business of the orphan asylum, in so far as I was concerned. I found it by no means an easy matter to obtain necessary transportation, as there was no public way of travel then in operation. But in this state of matters, as I had always had the experience of a kind overuling Pro\ddence in every time of need, so now I met with great kindness at the hands of friends, by whose aid I was enabled to go from point to point of my route in comfort and safety to my destination. From Marion to Greensboro, by the kindness of Mr, AVhitsett, an elder of Dr. Raymond's church, I was sent comfortably in a buggy, driven by his servant. There I was met by Rev. J. M. P. Otts, D. D., who took care of me hos- pitably in the family of Mr. McCrary, his father-in-law. I spent the Sabbath in Greensboro, and preached to a mere handful of frightened ladies, the news from Selma being alarming, and straggling cavalrymen from Forrest's brigade passing west singly and in small squads day and night. 433 434 John N. ^^addel, D. D., LL. D. From Greensboro, I j)assed on Moncla}' to the west side of the river "Warrior, by means of a wagon, in which were stored away valuable articles belonging to Mrs. McCrary, and which w^ere to be convej^ed to a friend for safe-keeping. At the house of this friend (a Mr. Gully) I spent the night com- fortably, and on the next morning I rode over to the house of a former friend, Captain Nott, who resided near Mr. Gully, in that part of Greene county known as " the Fork," i. e., the territory l3'ing between the Warrior and Tombigby rivers. Thence procuring a horse, after a brief delay, I rode on, crossing the Tombigbee river at Jones' Bluff, where I found a large party of refugees (making their escape from a reported raid from above), and so on the w^est side of the river I made my way to Gainesville, and there I was met with great kindness and entertained with great hospitality by my friend and brother, Eev. C. A. StiUman, D. D., and made his house my home for a week or ten days. During my abode in this place I made a formal report of my agency to Dr. Stillman and Mr. Bliss, the two committeemen. Hav- ing made a full and accurate statement of all moneys re- ceived, and all subscriptions made, and all my expenses, to- gether with all other disbursements, I deposited with these gentlemen my book of accounts and the cash in hand, which last amounted to the (apparently) large sum of ten thousand dollars ! But alas ! it consisted solely of Confederate dol- lars. In Gainesville I had the pleasure of meeting the family of Colonel James Brown, Avho had taken refuge in this p)lace from their home in Oxford, Miss. Colonel Brown had been a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Mississippi, and therefore we had been associated to- gether there, and always had been warm friends. I was much gratified to meet him and his warm-hearted family, after a long period of separation ; under the circumstances it was a sort of green and cheering spot amid the desert of Condition at Close of the Wak. 435 our environments. After preaching in Gainesville once, and finding that the surrender of the Confederacy was a fact be- yond all question, I left that place and made my way to Meridian by a branch road to Gainesville Junction, and thence down the Mobile and Ohio raih-oad. I have to record, with regard to the period that elapsed from the reported surrender, on the 9th of April (about which time I left Gainesville), to the middle of the ensuing summer of 1865, that my financial interests wero character- ized by the most complete condition of impecuniosity con- ceivable. All along through the dreary years of the pro- tracted war, I had never known anything liko scarcit}^ or the want of a dollar at any time, having such funds always in hand as carried me and mine safely and satisfactorily through. But when I left Gaines\dlle, about the middle of April, I remember well that I had in my purse $800 nomi- nally, which was mere worthless paper. Then if any one had been so idiotic as to steal my purse, it would have been found literally true that he had stolen trash ! As my ulti- mate destination would most naturalh' be La Grange, Tenn., whence my highly eccentric travels had begun on December 17, 18G2, and as I had niatters of private and family concern to look after at various points in the central and northern parts of Mississippi, I was detained in the needed attention to these things, so that I did not &s':iY^ reach La Grange on a brief visit until about the 1st of July ; but that was suffi- cient to fill me Avith sadness, when, with a single glance, I beheld around me the desolations wrouoht by the ruthless hand of war. There lay in the dust the remnants of the once massive walls of the college building, its brick used by the ruthless soldiery for huts and chimneys during their occupation of the ill-fated town, and the apparatus and in- struments of illustration of scientific truth, and its libraries, in their idiomatic phrase, " confiscated," or destroyed and stolen, and the once promising institution, now without " a 43G John N. Waddell, D. D. LL. D. local habitation or a name," vanished and buried " among the things that were ! " My time was passed partly in paying closing visits of brief duration to the places where I had made my war- homes ; and among these, not one in this way attracted my presence more strongly, by the many and pleasant seasons of enjoyment afforded me during the toilsome season and sad scenes of the war, than the home of my long-tried friend, Mrs. Evans, of Newton county, Miss. She was a sister of Rev. Bichmond Mclnnis, so long an evangelist of the Presbytery of Central Mississippi and editor of a Presbyterian journal pubhshed in New Orleans, just at the opening of the war, who had also conducted a similar journal pre^•iously in Jackson, Miss. I had been the pastor of Mrs. Evans from 1842 to 1848, at Mt. Moriah church, when I resided at Montrose church in Jasper county, Miss. It had always been one of my favorite re- sorts during the time of peace, before the days of war, and it was one of my many pleasant places of rest and refuge during my wandering life of toil and sadness, while hostili- ties were in progress. I also paid similar visits to Jackson, Miss., and it was on occasion of one of those visits that the exciting intelligence came to us of the assassination of President Lincoln, and this only increased the wild confu- sion and manifold gloomy forebodings of the community. My principal place of temporary sojourn, however, was Kos- ciusko, wiiere my daughters were engaged in teaching. I had heard nothing from my son George since he had left Montgomery to join General Johnston's command in North Carolina, which was at the time when the Southern army was making its last forlorn stand against Sherman, after his "march to the sea" and "the burning of Columbia, S. C." I knew that the fighting W'as over, and naturally, I supposed that George and Mr. Thompson would be return- ing home, if alive, of which last contingency I was utterly Condition at Close of the War. 437 in the dark. It occurred to me to dispatch to my brother, iu Montgomery, for any information he might have on the subject. Bat as I was penniless, I knew I could not pay for a telegram. As a dernier resort, I laid the case before the operator at one of the stations, by name Monroe, and as he had married the daughter of a friend of mine, he was kind enough to allow me to forward the dispatch. I, how- ever, received no tidings in response, and my message, I imagine, never was received by my brother. I will record another similar favor received by me in my destitution, and I mention such incidents, which, under other circumstances, might savor of indelicacy, in order to illustrate the providential kindness of God in never lea\dng me without His favor in time of need, but in raising up friends for me always in my extremities. I had no way of travel save by rail, and wished to visit Oxford, Miss. I had an acquaintance who was ticket agent on the railroad be- tween Meridian and Jackson (the son of my old friend. Judge Watts, of East Mississippi), and, applying to him for a ticket, on the faith of future payment, he also gave me credit for the amount. I add that, in addition to the ex- pression of my heartfelt thanks to both of these gentlemen, I promptly, and not long after, remitted to them, severally, the amount due for the message and the ticket. Being still in a state of great anxiety about George, I borrowed a horse and rode up to Kosciusko, just before or about the time of my intended trip to Oxford. As I passed into the town, I was recognized by a lady of my acquaintance, who, during the war, had been a refugee from Memphis, and who had just returned, after a business trip, to Kosciusko. From her I learned that she had met George in Memphis, on his re- turn from the army, in perfect safety. One may conceive, but I cannot adequately express in words, the joyful emo- tions of my heart at this news, and my gratitude to my heavenly Father for his unceasing loving kindness to me. 438 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. As I sat at dinner wdth Brother Alexander on that very day, SL servant called to me, sajdng that "a young man at the door wished to see me," and behold, there was the dear boy himself in very deed ! Having ascertained in Memphis from Dr. Gray's family, as he there had taken np his abode, that his sisters were in Kosciusko, he had taken the train, and come down to find them. There was joy in that house,. it may easily be imagined. The evening was spent in free and varied interchange of narratives, of incidents, and ad- ventures occurring during our separation, and we all felt once more comparatively happy. There was still naturally in all our hearts a feeling of subdued sadness, as we recog- nized one vacancy in our once happy circle, broken now, and no more to be restored on earth. Not long after this, every- thing of that state of our affairs was radically and j^erma- nently reorganized. Mr. C. V. Thompson had returned from the arm}^ and removed my youngest daughter from Kosciusko to his father's house, in Fayette county, Tenn. The fact of his marriage is recorded on page 417 of this memoir. James D. West, who had been captured near Ma- rietta, Ga., in 18G4, after an imprisonment on Johnson's Island of more than one j'ear, returned later than the date of these just now mentioned facts, and, stopj)ing in Kosci- usko, took part in the school until the close of the session, and then removed his position to my former field of labor, in Jasper county, and took charge of my old churches of Montrose and Mt. Moriah, making his home with my friend Mrs. Evans. I then, with George, made a journey to Ox- ford first. While there in Oxford, at the home of my excel- lent friends^ H. E. Eascoe and Mrs. J. E. Rascoe, the noble daughter of the first friend I ever made in Oxford, in 1847, Dr. Z. Conkey, I met with a still more remarkable instance of generous kindness at the hands of Mrs. Eascoe. At her request, I succeeded in having, at some store in the j)lace, a fifty-dollar bill of greenback currency exchanged for two Travelling Under Difficulties. 439 ticenties and a ten. Ou returning the money to her, she placed one of the twenty-dollar bills in my hands as a gift ; so that I might say gratefully, adopting the language of the Psalmist, with my whole heart, " Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life," judging by my past experience, and especially during these latter days of gloom and privation. Surely no one had ever greater reason than I to acknowledge the remarkably kind and abundant supply of noble and thoughtful fi'iends, into whose hearts He had sent the impulses of such generosity as has been manifested toward me. I had owned a small farm at La Grange, and my servants had been cultivating it during my exile, and as there was no railway in operation toward La Grange beyond Holly Springs, I conveyed a message by some sure method to one of the colored men w^ho had been left on the premises, to the effect that I desired him to send a conveyance down from La Grange to meet George and myself at Holly Springs, and carry us to our old home, designating the day when we should probably reach Holly Springs. I must be indulged in an attempt to describe our mode of transportation from Oxford to Holly Springs, as it will give the reader some conception of the utter demolition of every- thing like the facilities and conveniences of passage and lo- comotion that had resulted from the war, and which before the war had been in successful operation in that region of the country. The distance between the towns of Oxford and Holly Springs is thu'ty miles by rail. Over the first thirteen miles we rode on a flat car, quite a company of us together, drawn by a very small engine. This placed us on the south bank of the Tallahatchee river. There we were reduced to locomotion on our feet, crossing on a flat ferry- boat, as the railroad bridge had been destroyed, and on the north side of the river we found the track again with a flat- car standing waiting for us, drawn by a single mule ! On 440 John N. AYaddel, D. D., LL. D. this, at the rate of five miles per hour, we performed the re- mainder of the trip, reaching Holly Springs about 2 o'clock T. M., having been on the way some six hours, a space ordi- narily requiring but little more than one by steam. "We arrived there in safety after all our difficulties, which really afforded us more amusement than inconvenience. This visit paid to La Grange found us in Dr. Gray's family once more, after an absence of two years and a half. The interval from our arrival there until my settlement in Oxford is of sufficient interest to admit of its being recorded in a separate chapter. CHAPTER XLIIL "Private Histokt. — ATTENDA^x•E at the Meeting of the Presbyter-s OP Memphis. — Meeting at Holly Springs. — Bexurn to Oxford, AND Settlement There. I HAVE recorded something already in reference to my financial deficiencies, and as to the manner of their alle- viation. But I must trespass somewhat upon the patience of my reader by some further incidents, which, however trivial they may seem at this distant day of peace and pros- perity, loomed up largely to me just in that day of poverty and depression. As I was in need of some articles of com- iort, and as George had returned in a somewhat dilapidated condition in respect of raiment, I applied to my brother-in- law, Dr. Gray, for information as to some source whence I could effect a loan of needed funds. He promptly assured me that it could be easily effected in this way : Said he, I have in my care for safekeeping the sum of six hnndi'ed dollars, belonging to your servant Wash, being money ^hich he has made by cultivating your farm in cotton, and selling it to the Federals at high prices during your ab- sence, and I know that you can borrow of him whatever you desire. Accordingly, on application to the man, he readily placed in my possession $100, which I proposed, of course, to repay at the earhest possible period. The meeting of the Presbytery of Memphis, of which I ^as a member, occurring about the 25th of August, Dr. Gray and I rode to Dance^wille, the place of meeting, where I met many of our brethren, and among them, Eev. Philip "Thompson, an old friend, who was supplying some country ohurches in that region. We met, and among the first 441 442 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. tilings he said, was thai, lie had a message for me, and tak- ing me aside, to my great surprise he handed me one hun- dred dollars in gold ! The explanation of this transaction ■was this: It may be remembered that a body of earnest and devoted friends of the college at La Grange had en- tered into an obligation to pay the sum of two thousand dollars as a salary for me, to induce me to accept the profes- sorship to which I had been elected by the Synod in 1856. Of this number Dr. Macklin was one, and each of them thus combined, voluntarily agreed to insure me this salary for five years. The contract was honorably fulfilled as long as I was permitted to serve, but my subsequent departure, on compulsion in 1862 from La Grange, brought the matter to an end. In the interim, during the progress of the war, Dr. Macklin had died, and although I had considered that this arrangement was void, and had not expected such a payment for a moment, or had even thought at all on the subject, yet, as Mr. Thompson informed me in our inter- view, Dr. MackHn had left with Mrs. M., on his dying bed, the solemn injunction to pay to me this amount, which was due by him as his part of the pledged salary, and w^hich would have been paid me, had an opportunity occurred, be- fore I left. This was the fulfillment of Mrs. M.'s commis- sion, according to her husband's last request. The transac- tion was as imexpected as it was welcome, and gratefully received. To make an end of my gradual recuperation, two more items remain to be added to this list of good things just then occurring. Returning to La Grange I met with a gentleman who was indebted to me for a small sum of money for servant hire before tlie war, amounting to some sixty dollars or more, who honorably discharged the debt, and then visiting Memphis, I exchanged my gold for currency at the market premium. These operations which I here re- cord in fiscal affairs were not the result of any financial skill on my part (to the possession of which quality I could not Payment of Old Debts. MS" lay tlie slightest claim), but simply as the regular process of a kind Provideuce in caring for me. I realized then a feeling of safety and comparative independence, to which I had been a stranger since the fall of the Southern Con- federacy. On my arrival in La Grange, after my visit to Memphis, I sent for AVash, my colored man, from whom I had re- ceived $100, and informed him that I was now ready to re- turn the amount I had received from him a few days pre- viously. To my great surprise, he utterly declined to re- ceive one cent of it. He reasoned the case out thus: "I made that money out of your farm, I occupied your houses with my family, and cultivated the land with your mules. You were always a kind master; the money is yom's." In thinking over this incident afterwards, two reliections oc- curred to me growing out of the conduct of this man: 1. That our Northern fellow-citizens would have been surprised at the transaction had they known the circumstances ; 2. This colored man, in his sense of honor, would have j)ut to shame many a white man of high standing in society. I enjoined upon him, when he left, that if he should ever, at any time, become involved in difficulties in his business of farming, to inform me of it ; and I am thankful that I had afterwards an opportunity to redeem my promise by re- sponding to an application which he made to me for aid in his embarrassments in farming. Before my final settlement in Oxford, I spent a great deal of the time in visiting in the region above and below that place, and preaching in Gre- nada, Water Valley, La Grange, Holly Springs, (assistmg in the latter place at a protracted meeting for nine days,) and at Danceyville (at Presbj-tery), at Somerville, Tenn., and at Hickory ^Vithe. Alter these pleasant labors, spent with friends and with churches in whose pulpits I had preached many times previous to the war, I at last once more found a delightful home in Oxford, Miss. There I re- 444 John L. Waddel, D. D., LL D. newed iny labors as a member of the Faculty of the Uni- Yersity for nine busy and toilsome years of rarely varied ex- perience, during the period kno^vTi in the history of the times as the Beconstruction, and, in political parlance, as the *• carpet-bag government of the Southern States.'* CHAPTEE XLIY. GOVEENOE ShAEKEY's TeKM OP SeKVICE. — OxFOED AS My HoME. Election to the Chancelloeship of the TJni^'eesity. — ]\Iae- EiAGE. — Caee of the Oxfoed Chuech. — Addeess Befoee the Legislatuee. I WAS now a widower, with only one member of my once large and liajDi^y family present with me. Out of eight children, there remained now only three living, four having died in infancy, and one having fallen in the military ser\ice of his countiy; one soldier boy having returned from the war, and my two daughters having left my care to preside over other homes of their own, and render other circles as happy as that in which they once moved. I found a tempo- rary abode with my friends, the dear Rascoe family, where I was made as happy and welcome as one could be in so bereaved circumstances. George, my only surviving son, spent a few weeks among his friends in Tennessee, until the time should arrive for him to join me in Oxford. The first event of historical interest and importance to the State of Mississippi was the appointment, by the Presi- dent (Andi-ew Johnson) of the United States, of that truly great and noble jurist and statesman, Hon. William L. Sharkey, as Provisional Governor of the State. No man of all those whose names stood prominent and eminent among the great and good citizens of the State could, by any possibihty, have been found whose appointment would have been so acceptable and universally satisfactory to the people of Mississippi. "We felt that sm-ely we had been im- der the special protection of a divine providence, who had put it in the heart of the then ruler of the countiy to make 445 446 John N. Wadell, D. D., LL. D. so wise and accej^table an api^ointment. His aclministra' tion in other and more general departments of State policy is not mine to dwell uj)on, but must be assigned to others more competent to do him the justice to which his memory is so richly entitled. It has always been, in my judgment, among the many acts of Governor Sharkey's official service, that one which merits admiration and reflects high honor upon this noble man, that among his first executive orders "was a call to the Board of Trustees of the University to convene at Oxford, and reorganize the University, whoso ex- ercises had been suspended during four years. As the Southern States were all in what may be con- sidered state of anarchy, especially in the view of the victorious party, the same measure was inaugurated and adopted in reference to all that had been engaged in Avhat was called the rebellion, viz., Provisional Governors were appointed for every Southern State. But among them all, none had greater reason for self-gratulation than the State of Mississippi. A very serious obstacle in the way of the Board of Trustees to the execution of the Governor's in- structions in reference to the reorganization of the Univer- sity met them at the outset, which was, that the State trea- sury was empty. In order to remedy this condition of things, an order was issued from headquarters to the proper officers in the various counties, to collect a tax of two dollars per bale on aU the cotton in the limits of the State. There ^vas a large quantity of this staple in possession of the planters, and of the amount thus collected, Governor Shar- key had the sum of $6,000 set apart to meet the necessities of the University. Accordingly, in pursuance of the Gov- ernor's order, the Board met in Oxford on the 31st of Au- gust, and j)roceeded to elect a Faculty, and provide for the re-opening of the institution at the earliest practicable date. The names of all the members of the Board who were pres- ent and participated in the election I cannot now recall, but Ee-opening of the University. 447 there was a quorum competent to transact all the business to which their attention was requii-ed. The result of the action of the Board was as follows : 1. They elected a Faculty of only four members, of which for Chancellor, they selected John N. Waddel, D. D. For Professor of Mathematics, General Claudius W. Sears, M. A. For Professor of Greek, Eev. John J. "Wheat, D. D. For Professor of Latin, Alexander J. Quinche, A. M. 2. They appropriated the salaries and perquisites to the Faculty as follows : For the chancellor, $2,000 and a resi- dence; for each professor, $1,500 and a residence. While this amounted to $6,500, and exceeded the a^^pro- priation from the State treasury, it was supposed that any possible deficit would be abundantly supplemented by the j)roceeds of tuition fees. This anticipation was more than realized subsequently. 3. They directed that the exercises of the tJniversity should be regularly resumed on the 1st of October, 1865, and this, accordingly, w^as successfully done. The Trustees, as stated, felt that these salaries were as liberal as, under the circumstances surrounding them, they could venture to appropriate ; and this was, indeed, a very much better pro- vision for the Faculty than was expected. But on the opening of the University in October, it was at once brought to view that the patronage would be beyond our most san- guine expectations as to the number of students, as the im- poverished condition of the country was such as to justify the anticipation of a diminished attendance of students comparatively. On the other hand, as it became apparent in the progress of affairs, the privation of all educational facilities to which the young men had been subjected by the demands of the country for soldiers to enter the armies of defence, had been felt by them as a heavy mis- fortune. And now, Lhese facilities being again presented 448 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. on their return, tended to arouse in them the most eager and ardent desire and thirst for education. Four long- weary years of camp life and war experience had changed many of the survivors of these perils from thoughtless and daring boyhood to reflecting and serious manhood, and the participation in the pursuits of war, in which they had been engaged, had only prepared them for a higher and keener appreciation of the advantages of peace. The average aga of the students of the first session of the University after the war was above that which is found among a similar number in ordinary times. This is easily accounted for when it is known that, while the age of admission in 1861 was sixteen, and, in all probability, these identical students would have been apx^licants for admission at that time, and of that age, there were two reasons preventing this. The first was that the exercises of ths University were sus- pended in consenuence of the existence of war. The second was the direct result of the first. These young- men, by a large majority, who would have been admitted into the University in other times, volunteered as soldiers for the war. The natural end of this state of things was that, having spent in camp four years, they were candidates for the University classes at the age of twenty, instead of sixteen. It must be recorded here that the long privation they had sulfered gave them a far higher appreciation of these ad- vantages now furnished them, and stimulated their minds to a more severe application to study, and diminished pro- portionally that tendency to frivolity and idleness so gen- erally prevalent among college students. My experience, therefore, of the student-body of the session 1865-'66, was that they were characterized by diligence, devotion and earnestness in stud}^ and orderly, gentlemanly, and excep- tional observance of rule. That they were not advanced in the regular curriculum of study is not surprising at all, as they had enjoyed no opportunity for preparation, and this Students at Eeokganization. 449 part of our work must needs be performed by the members of the Faculty. Indeed, the post-behum work of the Uni- versity seemed more hke the beginning than the resump- tion of suspended exercises of the University. But we gave our most zealous and conscientious thoughts and la- bors to the work which we found pressing upon us. Very many of the one hundred and ninety-three young men who made their appearance on our campus were really only be- ginning the rudiments of language and science, and it was not for a moment to be conceived that we were to put our- selves upon the high ground of advanced professorships, and dismiss worthy young aspirants after knowledge be- cause they were backward and ignorant. We felt it our duty to take them by the hand and raise them from the lower to the higher, from the simpler to the more soHd and advanced departments of an education. In passing, I stato that, while we were acting thus in obedience to a stern de- mand of the most imperious obligation of duty, there were not wanting self-styled educators even in Mississippi, who felt called upon to pubhsh criticisms upon us as incompe- tent for our positions as at the head of the highest institu- tion of learning in the State, betraying our trust and de- grading the cause of the higher education. "We felt con- scious, however, that we were willing to bear the charge thus invidiously brought against us, as we were abundantly sustained by the public sentiment of the State, as well as by the hapi)y results of our earnest and devoted work for our students. The most advanced class formed during this first session was the Junior Class, and v^as composed of only five youngs men. Our Sophomore Class, however, was much larger, consisting of forty-seven in regular enrollment ; the rest of the students were at various stages of advancement. Wa graduated four in 1867, and twenty-four in 1868. Certain facts in my personal history demand a record just 29 450 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. at this point, as they are insepai*able from any proper me- moir of my Hfe and labors as an educator and as a minister of the gosi^el. I ysill add, that if I \^•as ever enabled, in the providence of God, to exert a wholesome influence oyer others, it was due, in great measure, to these two facts. It was a singular fact that all through the troublous times of the war the subject of entermg again into the marriage relation not only formed no part of my thoughts, but was really repugnant to my feelingSo The idea of assuming ad- ditional responsibilities with those already resting upon me always seemed to me prejDosterous. My daughters were helpless and dependent upon me, and my boys in the army also constituted a source of deep and abiding anxiety. Be- sides all this, I had no home, nor any place where to receive a wife. In this state of mind and feeling I wore my life on, lonely and sad, until peace was established. Called as I was to the chancellorship of the University, with a home and the means of support for a family furnished to me, the memory of the past brought to me the home joys and social comforts I once enjoyed, and I felt that I should be unhappy and the position I held would be incomplete without some one to share it with me. Just as alwaj'S has been found in my experience, a kind providence in this case also brought to me the very one who was to fill the vacancy and to restore the long-lost light of my dwelling. I had kno^\Ti the lady thus suggested to me before leaving La Grange, and met her in Memphis on a visit paid to that city after my return. She was Mrs. Harriet A. Snedecor {7iee Godden), and her home was in Lexington, Miss. ; and, without further details. Jet it suffice to record that, after a delay of five months, we were united in marriage, on the 31st of January, 1866. As I look back through the quarter century which has elapsed from that time, I am sure that our union has been replete with every blessing, and nothing has occurred to mar my enjoyment, so far as she was concerned ; and, on the con- Call of Dr. Witherspoon. 451 traiy, on the occurrence of those inevitable evils to which this world is subject and man is heir in his imperfect state, she has always proved to me the source of comfort and wise counsel, and has shared in all my burdens and shed hght on my pathway in my darkest days. Thus, by God s pecu- liar favor shown to me, I began my third married life un- der very bright auspices. My son George I now entered as a student in the Sophomore Class, and Mrs. Waddels only child, a boy of ten years, was placed in a good training school in Oxford. More of this again. About the time of the opening of the exercises of the Uni- versity, in 1865, Eev. T. Dwight "Wither spoon, who had been ordained and installed pastor of the Oxford Presb}i;erian church just about one year previous to the war, and who had served the church with great acceptableness, and had inspired the entire community w^ith lo'a and admiration, re- turned to his home and to his church, after having served as chaplain during the war. His return was hailed with de- light by his friends and by all the citizens ; but the condi- tion of the church had become greatly changed in numbers as well as financial ability within the four years that had elapsed since his entrance into the military service. I mean to have it understood that he w'as not only a chaplain, but had previously enlisted as a private in a company that was organized in Oxford, called the "Lamar Killes," under the command of Captain Green. I have been credibV in- formed that he took active part in the ranks, and fought as a soldier in the many battles in which his company was en- gaged. Like all the survivors of these perils and hardships, he found himself in veiy reduced pecuniary circumstances. As stated above, the situation as to the church was not much better. By one cause or another the membership of the church had become greatly reduced in numbers, as w^hen investigation was made it was ascertained that the maxiraum did not exceed forty in all. Under such circumstances, it 4:52 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. became necessary for the pastor and the members of the church to seek a dissolution of the relation, and to make other arrangements, though with the greatest reluctance on both sides. The Second Presbyterian church of the city of Memphis was about this time vacant. During the time of the occu- pation of that city by the Federal trooj)S the pulpit was filled by Rev. E. C. Grundy, D. T)., who had been pastor before the ATar, and who, being an ardent Union man, wa& permitted to serve the church, or that portion of it that was left, until he removed to Dayton, Ohio, where he died, on the 4th of July, 1865. Dr. Gray had filled the same pulpit toward the close of the war, but had returned to his La Grange home, so that this important church was now va- cant. In a correspondence with Henry Wade, Esq., an elder of that church, a godly and prominent citizen of Mem- phis, engaged in business there, I stated the facts of the case to him in terms so favorable to Rev. Mr. Witherspoon that they invited him to visit them, and the result was that he was called to the pastorate of the Second church unani- mously, and served the church faithfully and successfully for years, and was induced at last to leave Memphis only on account of failing health, which required a residence in a more congenial climate and a less laborious and exacting work. That church has enjoj^ed the services of talented and eloquent pastors since Dr. "Witherspoon's term of ser- vice with them expired ; but I do not hesitate to record here that no one of them all has ever acquired a more exalted aj)- preciation by the membership of that church of his labors in the ]oulpit, in his pastoral visitation and sympathetic ministrations, in their joys and their afflictions, than that felt for their beloved and honored pastor, Eev. T. D. With- erspoon. I claim to be a competent witness in this case, as I bore to him the relation of instructor in his university course at Oxford. He was not only a favorite pupil with Ministerial Work at Oxford. 453 me, but this "was his status ^vith all his professors and with all his companions. A more lovely character I have never known. He was graduated from the University with the highest honors in the class of 1856, and finished his theo- logical course of study at the Columbia Seminary, in 1859. He has filled the pulpits of some of our most important and X^rominent churches, and always with the greatest accept- ableness and edification of the people of God. He received the honorary degree of D. D. in 1868, and that of LL. D. in 1884, both conferred by his Alma Mater, the University of Mississippi. The church in Oxford being now vacant by the removal of the pastor to Memphis, the}- asked me to supply them, which I did, preaching every Sabbath, conducting weekly prayer-meetings, and teaching a Bible class on every Sab- bath morning ; all of which was voluntary on my part, and in addition to the duties of the office of Chancellor. I may say here that this double work I performed, seizing the church with the University for several years, until the church became strong enough to call a pastor, after which I was so strongly solicited by a church near Oxford (I mean the Hopewell church), to which I had ministered before the war, to give them lirst, two Sabbaths of each month, and afterwards three, that I consented, and in this way my time was quite fully occupied. The exercises of the University continued to go on dur- ing the 3^ear 18G5, and when the Trustees saw the large number of students with which the session opened, they felt justified in increasing the salaries of the Faculty to $2,500 for the Chancellor and $2,000 to professors, and these have been the salaries since. Shortly after the opening of the University in October, 1865, the Legislature which had been elected on the 2d of October, by order of a convention, called by Provisional Governor Wm. L. Sharkey, met on the 16th and proceeded 451 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. to the business of re-orgauizing the State government, with Benjamin G. Humphrej^s as Governor. One of their ear- liest acts, in j^oint of time, was the issuance of a jomt invita- tion to myself, from the Senate and House of Representa- tives, to deliver an address on "Public Education." This was accordingly accepted, and I delivered the address in the Hall of Eeprcsentatives, in Jackson, Miss., on the even- ing of "Wednesday, October 25, 1865. My address was published by order of the Legislature. An outline of the address is as follows : 1. The country is to be congratulated upon the restora- tion of peace, though still left amid the desolations of the war, and on being now furnished with a grand opportunity for the untrammelled restoration and renovation of aU the great interests of the State. 2. Among those interests, none transcend in importance those of education. 3. The establishment of a thorough system of pubHc schools, and this S3"stem combined with the reorganization of the University upon an enlarged scheme, will complete the circle of education, as concentric, not antagonistic, but mutually auxiliary, and free to the culture and training of all Mississippians. 4. The order, discipline, and general government of the institutions of the State for literature and science should be parental as nearlj^ as possible, not military, the object and purpose being to train our youth to be citizens, not soldiers. 5. Military academies should be provided for training sol- diers ; literary and scientific institutions for citizens. 6. The Department of Preparatory Education demands ceaseless and wise consideration, in order that our j^outh may reap the benefit of the higher learning by preliminary training. 7. Such a system, well-matured and developed, will pre- clude the necessity of our patronizing the institutions of Address on Public Education. 455 those States unfriendly to our customs and interests, to which we have heretofore been tributary, and upon which we have been dependent. 8. The man who devotes his time, talents, energies, and prayers to this grand enterprise of public education, will reap his most precious and enduring reward in the eleva- tion and greatness of the State, and when his career is closed, those who ask for his memorial may well be pointed to the old inscription, '' /Si monumentum qumris, circum- spice." CHAPTEE XLY. Advance of Univeesity Woek. — Additions to the Facttltt. — Annoy- ances Threatening Distuebance. — Close op First Session. — Sketches op Some Pbofessoes. — Changes op State Govekniment. — Political Teouble in Peospect. SUCH ^vas the unex23ected increase of students that the work required of the Faculty then elected was pros- pectively becoming* burdensome. There was, therefore, plainl}' presented to the Board of Trustees the necessity of adding to the teaching force, and thus of dividing the labors of the Facult3\ So they proceeded to fill the chair of Physics, Astronomy and Civil Engineering by the appoint- ment of General Alexander P. Stewart, who declined the Vaddel, D. D., LL. D. prosperity as an institution of learning to be tlie organiza- tion of the Board of Trustees on the proper basis. Accord- ingly, I addressed the Governor soon after his inauguration, a communication suggesting to him as a wise arrangement that the twelve Trustees who were to constitute the Board (not including the Governor, who should be ex officio by law the presiding ofiicer), should be always nominated by the Governor himself to the State Senate, in three classes of four each, whose term of service should expire at regular intervals after appointment. ?Jy reason for this suggestion was that the appointment of Trustees hvA been made by the body of the two houses of tlie Legislature in convention assembled, and this was attended with a great deal of con- fusion, and I was afraid that unworthy parties might be ap- pointed. It would be safer a great deal, I thought, to place the nomination in the power of the Governor, and the con- firmation in that of the Senate. I do not claim that this suggestion of mine was the moving iniluence with His Ex- cellency, inducing him to adopt this method. At all events, this plan was adopted, and the result was that a Board of Trustees was appointed, consisting in ^^art of Bepublicans, and in part of Southern men, which proved to be satisfactory. I close this chapter by the statement that our attendance of students in the session 1870-71 ran down to 120. In my communication in answer to Judge Hudson's letter of inquiry, I alluded to the fact that it was too late for our de- claration to reach the people of the State in time to affect, in any way, the patronage. It was generally apprehended throughout the State that, to use the expression common in those days, "the University was going to be radicalized," and it required the entire session to pass, and the most pru- dent and devoted zeal and vigilance on the part of the Fac- ulty, to bring the institution into the confidence of the citi- zens of Mississipi^i, which it had enjoyed to so remarkable a degree previously. But we triumphed, by the blessing of a kind Providence, in due time. Bev. Jas. a. Lyon. 471 During the year 1870, at a meeting of tlie Trustees, Kev. Jas. A. Lyon, D. D., Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Miss., was elected to fill the chair of Metaphysics, which had been vacated by the resignation of General Shoup, in 1869. Dr. Lyon entered at once upon the discharge of the duties of this chair, and continued in the faithful work of aii instructor, and in the additional labors of a minister of the gospel in various neighboring churches, some time in Oxford, and for some time in Grenada, until his resignation in 1S81, in consequence of the loss of his health. He did not long survive after his resignation, but lingered on in great feeble- ness until ho closed his hfe peacefully, on May 15th, 1882, surrounded by his devoted family, Dr. Lyon was a man of no ordinary intellectual ability, and a lofty sense of Christian, honor. His quickness cf sensibility made him intolerant of the violations of the courtesies and civilities of gentlemanly social life. He was a high-toned Christian gentleman him- self, a warm and devoted friend. I have known him to carry his devotion to a friend so far as to really endanger himself. The duties of his chosen clicir were his special study, and his favorite pursuit, outsido the ministry. My last intercourse with him was through the mail, in July, '81,. and consisted of a card, in which, after speaking of his health somewhat hopefully, he closes by remarking that "Mest — rest of body, mind and soul, is essential." Froin this it may be inferred that he had led a most laborious life, and that his sufferings were all traceable to this fact. Dr. Lyon had a call to various positions, and among them I can recall the presidency of the Stewart College (afterwards the South- western University) at Clarksville, Tennessee. This oc- curred in 1869, bat he declined in consideration of the ear- nest devotion of his church in Columbus, of which he was then pastor. He was also called, after he had been in the "University for some years, to a professorship in the Danville Theological Seminary, which he also declined. CHAPTEE XLYII. 3.ETUEN or CoNriDE>-CE IN THE UNIVERSITY ON THE PaKT OF THE PEO- PLE OF THE State. — Gov. Alcoen. — Respect Shown the Board. — - Two Unpleasant Incidents. — The Dormitory System. — Change x)F The University System. IT may have been very objectionable to many of tbe party in power, that this correspondence between the Faculty and Judge Hudson seemed to j)lace the University on such -lofty and independent ground in regard to the race pro- '"blem. But, judging by the evidences which we received on all hands, and from r.U quarters, the true citizens of the State and the repl patrons of the University, not only within ihe limits of Mississippi, but from other surrounding States, ■ were prompt and cordial in dismissing their api^rehensions on the subject of mixed patronage ; since the catalogue of the session of 1871-'72 presented as in attendance, 260 stu- dents, an increase of more than 100 per cent, as compared with the number in attendance during the preceding ses- sion; and in 1872-73 there Avere present 302. Indeed, in all the elements of true i)rosperity, we were gratified to find the institution regaining lost prestige, and doing noble -work in training the youth of the land for their future po- sitions in the State and country. I sincerely believe that the policy of Governor Alcorn was directed to the advance- ment of the best interests of the University at all times, and "by his influence with the radical party ho restrained what- ever tendency might have cropped out to curtail its useful- ness. The members of the Board, as has been stated, con- sisted of an equal number of both parties; and as they were bound to be present on the grounds of the University at the annual meeting in June, during the exercises of Com- ±7'Z Partisan Feeling. 473 Tnencement, tbev were always received with respect by Fac- ulty and students, and the deliberations of the Board were always harmonious, I remember two occasions, however, when there seemed to be appearances of a threatened storm on the part of the radical members of the Board. One of these incidents occurred in 1869, on the day appropriated i;o the Sophomore Prize Declamation, during Commencement. One of the declaimers delivered a selected piece, which was a violent denunciation of the Congress of the United States, as it then existed, composed of Kepublicans almost exclu- sively. One of the Trustees, who had been appointed re- cently, by Ames, then Provisional Governor, was a Repub- lican, and (at that time the only one of that party) took great offence that this speech should have been allowed to be spoken at all. It was freely discussed by the Board, and Professor Shoup w^hose duty it was to supervise the speeches of the students, and to decide what should be spoken and what should be excluded, ^^ as harshly criticised. This professor, in an inter- view with me, declared, that while he might have been un- intentionally somewhat careless in his duty of critical censor, at the same time, if he should fall under censure by the Board, he should tender his resignation at once. This he did, but he was allowed by the Board to withdraw it, with the understanding that such speeches were not to be ]:)re- sented again. The professor declined to withdraw his resig- nation, and left the University. A similar occurrence took place, in which I myself was innocentty under censure, on another Commencement occa- sion, in 1872, somewhat in this wise : A student, who had submitted his speech to my criticism in the usual course (not a selected speech, but original,) after my having al- lowed it to pass, inserted a sentence in the body of the pro- duction, reflecting, in very disrespectful language, upon the 3)arty in power. On this occasion, there probably were 474 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. present on the rostrum as man}- as half a dozen Republican trustees ^vho heard the remark, and were very indignant. I told them that, while I was responsible for all the speeches on such occasions, and was careful to require every impro- per word on anj' subject to be erased and omitted, I cer- tainly could not account for the insertion of any such pass- age and its delivery, as I liad no recollection of it when it was passing under my review. I did not deprecate their displeasure, but submitted the case to their decision, as I totally disapproved of the conduct of the speaker. They passed it over ; but I learned subsequently that the youth had omitted it in the speech as submitted to me, and in- serted it ill the speech delivered. These things are men- tioned to illustrate the state of feeling then existing in the State. The party in power naturally felt jealous of any dis- respect shown them by the community. The students were all young, and they felt restive under the " yoke of bondage," as they considered the government by Northern men. The Faculty were earnestly desirous of peaceful exercise of their authority over the students ; and I can testify to the fact that we not only ourselves met the Eepublican trustees on all occasions with respect and courtesy, but it was our ear- nest and constant injunction upon all the students, in pub- lic and in private, in the chapel, where we daily assembled with the entire student body, and in our private social in- tercourse with them, that they should conduct themselves with special propriety and respectful demeanor towards these gentlemen, in whose hands the very existence of the University was placed, and that this great interest de- manded the sacrifice of all private animosity, and the re- straint of every demonstration of ill-will to those who were in authority by legal appointment. It cannot be denied that these were troublous times for the institution, so much so that I felt, at first, almost decided to consider a call to an institution in a distant State. But matters were managed,. Disorder Amonct Students. 475 under divine gnidance, successfully, and we entertained tlie trustees hospitably when they attended at Commencement, and kept our institution from falling into disrepute with our own Southern fellow-citizens, during the whole of those trying years. There was, however, a tendency of a differ- ent nature growing up among our students as the time rolled on. The students who constituted the body in at- tendance nearest to the days of the re-organization, in 1865, we have described as being disposed to make the wisest and most profitable use of their time and advantages ; but they completed their course in due time, and by natural and ne- cessary consequence many of them rose, step by step, to positions of great usefulness and distinction in the church and in the State. In due time a younger class of students entered the University, and while, like all of our boys at that age (from sixteen to twenty) in our institutions of learning, there is a tendency to more or less of disorder, there was no such state of things as exists in many of the colleges and universities of the country, and such as is recorded by Professor La Borde, of the Sonth Carolina College, in his history of that college under its earher presiding officers, when there was scarcely a year in the history of that insti- tution during some part of which there did not occur a re- bellion of the students ; yet we had more or less disorder. I think I may safely announce it as my opinion that if or- derly and desirable deportment, with quiet and home-like manners, are expected of students in our colleges and uni- versities, the families of the locality furnish a far more suc- cessful and desirable placo for boarding them than the sys- tem of dormitories, which was in use at Oxford. This de- cision of mine is the result of an experience at two colleges over ^yhich it was my lot to preside, where the family sys- tem prevailed, contrasted with my eighteen years of connec- tion with the University of Mississippi, where were three lar::re dormitories. 47G John N. Waddel, D. V>., LL. D. This subject need not be further discussed, as it has al- ready been discussed in my historical sketch of La Grange College in a former chapter of this memoii'. Let me merely add on the subject of discipline, in its practical "working, that the phrase, ''2)uttifig sticde?its on their honor,'' requires «ome impartial consideration before it should be discarded as a principle of college government. Carried to the ex- treme of utter neglect of all enforcement of law, it will prove disastrous ; but to lay down, at the outset, the axiom that students are not worthy of the confidence of those entrusted with authority, and to have if understood that rigid stern- ness is to characterize the intercourse between the two bodies who are to be associated in the joint enterprise of imparting and receiving instruction, tends infallibly to that old antagonism which once held sway between pupil and teacher, and which will give the teacher, in the mind of the pupil, the role of a mere police detective. Two things I have discovered to work favorably with bod-es of students : 1. Let them be imj^ressed at the outset of their course and association with the Faculty that they are esteemed as gen- tlemen, Christian gentlemen, and that they shall be so con- sidered and treated until they, by unw^orthy bearing, unbe- coming such a character, prove that they are undeserving of esteem ; that the motto of institution must be understood to be, " Liberty without license, and authority without despot- ism." 2. That it is much easier to j^revent a scheme of miscliief than to remedy it after it has been developed. To particularize under this head would require minute details of all sorts of incidents that have occurred during my career as a presiding officer. Let it suffice that I simply indicate the cost of success to be that vigilance which may always note the state of public sentiment in such student commu- nity, and an ordinary degree of sagacity will often enable the presiding officer to interfere so quietly as to arrest a scheme of this kind without making public the manner in which it was defeated. System of AD>nNisTRATioN. 477 The cares of the external and internal management of the University were very onerous during the latter part of my second term of service in connection with it, in the capacity of presiding officer. The sj'stcm of its administration had been, from the beginning, merely the ordinary close college method of four regular classes — Freshman, Sophomore, Ju- nior, and Senior — to which we had been compelled to sub- join what was called an Irregular class, the student being not obliged to take all the studies prescribed in the curricu- lum, and not expected to take a degree. This class, not being full^^ occupied with their comparatively meagTe ex- tent of study, gave the Faculty no little trouble in control. In addition to this, we felt that it was absolutely necessary to re-organize our system so as to make the institution such as would entitle it truly to the name of a Universit^^, and to keep it abreast of the world of science and letters, or be left behind in this advancing age. Accordingly, in my annual report to the Board of Trus- tees, bearing daie June 17, 1863, I find the following pas- sage, which explains itself: " YII. Tour of 'Visitation to Other InstitiUioJis. In con- sequence of the late war, it is obvious that all the Southern institutions have fallen behind in the march of improve- ment in many resj^ects. Impressed with this fact, I re- spectfully suggest to the Board the propriety of commis- sioning me as your agent to visit as many of the colleges and universities, both North and South, as can be reached within the ensuing vacation, with a view to obtain, by per- sonal visits to their faculties, all the information that may be made valuable to our University. The. subjects embraced in such an investigation would be modes of instruction, sys- tems of discipline, with all minute details and plans for the more efficient management and accomplishment of univer- sity education. Many facts of great importance and valuo might be elicited by personal conference, which could not 478 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. be acquired hy correspondence. The amount necessaiy to be appropriated to the objects of such an agency cannot be ascertained with exactness, but such a sum as may be deemed adequate should be appropriated, a strict record of expenses kept, and only so much expended as might be needed, and all the rest accounted for." In accordance with this recommendation the folio win 2f action was taken by the Board at their meeting on June 17, 18G9: " On motion of ^Ir. 'West, it was Resolved, That the Chancellor of the University be, and he is hereby author- ized, to visit as many of the colleges and universities, both North and South, as can be reached during the ensuing va- cation, with a view to obtain, by personal visits to their facul- ties, all the information that may be made valuable to our "Universit3-.' Aqain, on occasion of an adjourned meetiuGf of the Board in September, I presented my report of the tour of observa- tion thus authorized, and the Board received it, accompa- nied by the following action : " On motion of ]\Ir. "West, Jiesolved, That the report of J. N. Vraddel, Chancellor, of September 22d, 18G9, is able, instructive, and comprehensive, and furnishes evidence of an efficient and faithful discharge of the responsible duties of bis mission. " Resolved, That the sum of thi'ee hundred dollars be 2:>aid by the Treasurer to the Chancellor, to cover his expenses while in the service of the University during vacation-" In explanation of the last resolution, I add that I ren- dered, on my return, a strict account of every item of the actual expense incurred, and I very well remember that my account did not much exceed two hundred dollars. But, as I was informed by a member of the Board, they felt that the sendee rendered entitled me to the sum named in the resolution adoj^ted. I had submitted the substance of my report to the Fac- Change ix Curriculum. 479 iilty, and it liad been fully discussed previous to its being- submitted to the Board. I shall not record the entire re- port, but content myself with a mere epitome of its contents. After stating that I had visited the University of Georgia, Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Am- herst College, Yale College, "University of the City of New York, Princeton College, Erown University, and the Univer- sity of Michigan, and that I had failed to visit Columbia College, in New York, on account of the absence of Dr. Bar- nard in Europe, and was prevented, by circumstances, from visiting Cornell University, I presented for the consideration of the Board what was then the plan of the University of Michigan, and the plan adopted at Harvard University, and some others. The first consists of three general depart- ments : 1, The Department of Science, Literature, and the Arts; 2, The Department of Law; 3, The Department of Medicine and Surqerv. But included under the first head are no less than six different courses of study ; 1, The Class- ical course ; 2, The Latin and Scientific ; 3, The Scientific ; 4, The course of Civil Engineering ; 5, The course in Mining Engineering ; G, The course in Mechanical Engineering. Besides all these coiu'ses, they j^rovide amply for a regular course in Analytical Chemistry. A student, in order to attain the degree of B. A., must take all the studies of No. 1. In No. 2 Greek is omitted and Modern Languages substituted. In No. 3 both Greek and Latin are omitted, and Science and IModern Languages pursued. Should any student desire a selection of studies, he will be allowed to pursue his choice in any of these de- partments for such a length of time as he may choose, but he cannot attain a degree. The other plan is one which, to some extent, accomplishes the combination of the university, or elective scheme, with the close college curriculum. This consists in making the close sj^stem obligatory upon the student who is a candidate for the degree of B. A. only to a certain point in the course. 480 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. This is attained at the close of one of the classes in some institutions, and at the close of a different class in others. AVithout giving particulars, it 'will be sufficient to state that this is a fair description of the second plan, where the com- pulsory and elective systems are combined. The only remaining scheme for consideration is the en- tirely open system in operation at the University of Yir* ginia. There was some variance in the views and preferences of the members of the Faculty when I read my report to them in full form. The majority favored the plan of the University of Michigan, and it was finally adopted in t'he "University of Mississippi, with such modifications as were deemed best adapted to the circumstances. It may be stated that very great changes have taken place in the general plans of various institutions of learning, North and South, since the time to which I here refer. In regard to these changes, some of them have proved to be beneficial, and of others there is a diversity of opinion among educators. In some of the very best of our schools of the higher learning co-education has been introduced, with fine effect in certain respects, such as the enlargement of woman's mental culture and intellectual vigor. But some have shown a reluctance to its introduction, and such seem to cling to the ancien7ie regime with great tenacity, wherein the sexes were trained separately with sedulous care. This change has occurred in the institution at Oxford, and seems not to have been attended with any injurious results to the cause of education. There may be, however, some ground for the opinion which I have seen expressed, that this asso- ciation of the sexes in so close quarters " impaired that deli- cacy which was woman's adornment." Still, such an im- provement as this had not been inaugurated at the time of my connection with the University, and does not fall pro- perly within the limits which I have prescribed to myself as the historian of its progress. CHAPTEE XLVIII. BtTRDEN OF EeSPONSIBILITT. — ChUECH AND StATE IxSTITTTTTONS. — ATTI- TUDE OF THE UxiYERSITY ToW'AKD CHRISTIANITY. — FkEE TuITIOX. — WoKK Done by its Gkaduates. — Historical Addkess. — Degree OF LL. D. Conferred by the Uniyersity of Georgia. J HAD felt for some time a pressure of tlie resxDonsibility that is inseparable from the position which I occupied that was becoming heavier every 3'ear. The question of duty was that which I had to decide, and it was to be set- tled in my own mind, not simply upon the balancing pro- cess, of the personal ease, or difficulty of the office to my- self, for my convictions had long been settled that this is, or should be, always a secondary consideration. The main point to be considered certainly is in what position are men found capable of the greatest usefulness to those for whom they are laboring. If, in spheres different from that one occupied by them, they are convinced they can exert an in- fluence more salutary to the j)romotion of truth and vii'tue, and the advancement of the true interests in morals and culture of those around them, then they are justified in making the exchange. But, unless this can be made mani- fest to them under an enlightened conscience, it is a be- trayal of solemn trust to desert a post of honorable useful- ness merely because to hold to it, and discharge its obhga- tions successfully, involves personal discomfort and mental anxiety, the sacrifice of bodily ease and enjoyment. Still there is conceivable such a state of things as a combination of one's own freedom from trouble, and, at the same time, a field of greater usefulness in some other deiDartment of human effort than that one occupied at the time. It is true that I 31 481 482 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. liad reached the point in my administration of the affairs of the Universify which seemed to be favorable to its future career. I felt that it might be compared to a ship which, after having been tossed by winds and waves upon a bois- terous sea, was now sailing in tranquil waters, and that the same divine Providence which had been at the helm was at hand still to guide and control all the elements, and make the institution a blessing to the church and the world, as He had done in its past history. But two things still pre- sented themselves to my mind in this discussion : let. Could I not engage in some other employment that would be attended by as much benefit, and result in as great usefulness to the church and to the world as the work I am now doing in the University, and avoid at the same time the wear and tear of body and mind that accompa- nies it. 2d. Is it best for me, personall}^ that I have so close a connection in my work with the political affairs of the State as seems necessary by the fact of the control exercised over the University by the State ? My meditation on this subject did not disturb my mind to such a degree as to bring me to the conclusion that I ought to leave the institution. Still I felt more and more that a release from the burdensome cares and anxieties of office would relieve me greatly. But I was not prepared to see the path of duty with sufficient clearness to take any deci- sive step, either in one or the other direction, contenting myself with making no mention publicly of my feelings and "^'iews, but moving on in the ordinary course of daily duty. "With regard to the relation existing between church and state education, I have had not a little experience in the actual working of these two agencies. The State has the means whereby the very best arrangements can be made to conduct the business of education in the most extensive and enlarged system, so that, if the controlling powers of the Relations Between Church and Univee«ity. 483 State be imbued "vvith tlie wisest and best principles that sliould constitute the great subject of education for the youth of the country, it possesses the power to perform the work successfully. But in our republic, the great political principle of a separation of church and state is understood by our people to extend to the exclusion of religion as far as possible from our public school sj'stem ; and, as our people are divided into many different denominations of Christian churches, there seems to be a jealousy aroused by an ap- parent favor shown to one or another of these sects, when a representative is put in office in the Faculty from one rather than from another. In order to do away with this state of things, some institutions prefer excluding any form of religious teaching whatever. The churches, on the other hand, have felt bound, in self-defence, to establish schools and colleges of their own. They have, all over the land, good institutions of every church, w^here their children are trained to accept the doctrines and j)references of their fathers, and rehgious instruction in form is amply provided for in the curriculum, as a part of the studies called for in every case. But then the churches labor under one of two disadvantages : either they have not the pecuniary resources at command with which to establish such institutions, or the private members of these churches fail to come up with their contributions. There is a lamentable lack of V esprit du corps ^ among the churches of the South at least. The University of Mississippi has not been chargeable with any disposition whatever to exclude Christianity from its system of instruction, since the effort attempted by some to exclude the " evidences of Christianity," and the policy of " excluding all ministers from office in the Faculty,'* were defeated, both of them in the origin of the institution. There is a remarkable fact in its history which ought to be recorded to its credit. It has been the alma mater of a large number of our best and most useful ministers of the 484 John N. Waddel, D. D , LL. D. gospel, and little or no interference has ever been experi- enced by any minister "who may, from time to time, have held office in its corps of instructors, in his ministerial du- ties of preaching to his own people. There are other statements to be made on this subject equally honorable to the University, and which, even in the earlier days of its comparatively contracted pecuniary re- sources, were made public in its printed code of laws under the heading of provisions for " Free Students. " 1. Students preparing for the ministry of any denomi- nation of Christians will be admitted into each class, with- out tuition fee, on application to the Faculty ; but, w^hen- ever the student shall abandon such intention, or shall act in a manner inconsistent therewith, the fees so dispensed with shall be considered due. " 2. Any young man desirous of entering the University, but unable to j)^y foi' tuition, will be admitted by the Faculty without fee, on standing the regular examination, and jDroducing certificates of good moral character, and of his inability to i^ay ; such certificates to be signed by some resi- dent minister, or the principal of some academy in the neighborhood from which he comes. "3. In both cases, strict secrecy will be observed, and and there will be no difference in the treatment of different classes of students. " 4. A student from each senatorial district in the State will be admitted upon the recommendation of the Boards of Police, tuition free. The admission shall be termed a scholarship, and shall be the reward of merit." I repeat that this provision for free tuition was made at a time when the University was cramped for the means of maintaining the full responsibilities of her position as a school of the higher learning, and for fully meeting the ex- Alumni of the Uniyeesity. 485 pectations of the people of the State. But one step after another was gradually taken by the authorities, until ulti- mately tuition was declared free to all students, not only of the State of MississijDpi, but of the world. Moreover, although a State institution, under all its trials and difficulties, it has so far enjoyed the confidence of the Tarious churches as to have furnished the preliminary train- ing in their literary and scientific course for seventy-three ministers of the gospel (one of whom is a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Galloway), within the first forty years of its existence and operation. Nor has this institution failed in giving to the world others from its training who have filled honorably the various spheres of usefulness in almost every department of public effort. The Alumni of the University have filled the highest positions in the judiciary of the State, and in the legislative halls, and in all the professions. " Last, though by no means least," her graduates are recorded among the incumbents who successively have filled the place of Trus- tees, and they have occupied the chairs of instruction in al- most every department of her established course. Among these we find one Chancellor, four full Professors, one Acting Professor, seven Adjunct Professors, and thirty tutors; in all forty-three, who were once receiving instruc- tion, and who subsequently were called to occupy the seats whence they so acceptabl}^ and honorably imparted it to many others. Long may the University keep its record bright, and be a blessing in the future, as it has been in the past, to both State and church ! I feel that I should say thus much in justice to this State institution, whose policy has been known to me from its origin. Yet, returning to myself, I simply add that, while I had never been trammeled by its authorities in any ministerial work, I felt, as I grew older, that I ought to be more closely identified with my own church. I continued, however, to 486 John N. AVaddell, D. D. LL. D. "work, amid much anxiety and under some discouragements on account of disorders among our students, and with some apprehensions from dissatisfied poHticians, until the year 1873-74. The Commencement occurring in June, 1873, was the quarter century of the organization of the University. On that occasion (by request of the Board of Trustees the year previous) I dehvered a historical discourse to a large audience, on Wednesday, June 25th, on which occasion the following action was taken by the Board of Trustees: "University of Mississippi, Oxford, 1873. " Wednesday, June 23th, being the twenty -fifth anniver- sary of the organization of this institution, a historical dis- course was delivered, by invitation of the Board of Trustees, by the Chancellor, Eev. John N. Waddel, D. D., after which the Board unanimously adopted the following resolutions r "Resolved, That Chancellor Waddel is entitled to the thanks of every friend of the University for the splendid oration delivered by him on yesterday. That his able and conclusive vindication of the University against the assaults of all its enemies insj^ires the Board of Trustees with re- newed hope of making this noble institution the pride and glory of Mississippians, and their posterity forever. ''Resolved, That the Chancellor be respectfully requested to place his oration at our disposal for publication, and that five hundred copies of the same be printed. ''Resolved, That there now being new material enough for one volume of the history of the University, our be- loved Chancellor be earnestly requested to prepare the same for publication at as early a day as he conveniently can." I was, of course, gratified by the foregoing reception my discourse met with at the hands of the Board, but my time The Degree of LL. D. Conferred 487 was so fully occupied by daily duties ^vllicll pressed upon me that I found no time to write the histoiy. It was at the annual Commencement of this year, m the month of August, that I received from my alma mater, the rniversity of Georgia, at Athens, the unsolicited and unex- pected honor of Doctor of Laws (LL. !>•). This I of course, regarded as pecuharly complimentary, from the fact that, from the origin of the University in 1801 to the year 1873-iust seventv-two years of its existence— I was tne^ seventh instance k its having been conferred. The names opposite to which these initial letters stand recorded on the. Centennial Catalogue are the following: Hon. Wm. H. Crawford, in 1821. Hon. George McDuffie, in 1843.^ Hon. John McPherson Berrien, in 1850, Hon. Eugenius A. Nisbet, in 1868. Dr. L. a. Dugas, in 1869. Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar, ia 1870. Bev. J. N. Waddel, D. D., in 1873. CHAPTER XLIX. GsNERAii Assembly of 1868. — Elected Moderatoe. — Proceedings, — Educational Convention. — Director of Church University. — Kesults of Two Meetings. — Meeting of The General Assem- bly in 1864. — Elected Secretary of Education. — Resignation. THE reader of these pages must bear in mind that my public life has been of a two-fold character. I have been exercising the somewhat analogous functions of a ieacher and a minister of the gospel. It has been found necessary, therefore, that this narrative should, from time to time, be interrupted in its record of my life, as it pro- gressed along one of these lines of "work, in order to bring the two together at some synchronous point. I find myself just now at one of those periods, during thej^ear 1874, when, after having been released from official connection with the General Assembly as stated clerk, by resignation, my labors were confined to the University, over which I had been called to preside in 1865, save that I continued to preach at Ox- ford aud at other churches as I found opportunity. If this, then, be a matter of interest, I will recur to the transaction in which I was interested, and in some of which I was an actor during the interval of nine busy years, from 1865 to 1874. I had the ajopointment of Commissioner to the General Assembly that met in Baltimore in May, 1868, and I found it a most agreeable recreation to withdraw for a brief space from the heavy and exacting pressure of daily labor, to en- joy once more the society of my esteemed and beloved brethren, and to take again some part in the dehberations of the church. 488 The General Assembly of 1868. 489 I left home in Oxford on Monday, May IS, 1868, and Teached Baltimore in due time, where I met many of the brethren who had been my associates during the troublous Avar times, and whom I had not seen since. I was unex- pectedly made moderator of the Assembly; and I may be permitted to remark that, while I was not aware of making any very signal blunders in parliamentary law and order, I attribute my moderate success to the fact, under Divine favor, that our church south had then been in her separate existence for so short a period as not to have accumulated business out of which might possibly have arisen complica- tions of interpretation by ecclesiastical lawyers. The Assem- bly w^as visited on this occasion b}- a delegation of ministers from the Synod of Kentucky, the chairman of which was Eev. E. S. Breck, T>. D., and my impression is now that Eev. Samuel E. ^Yilson, T>. D., was his associate. Dr. Breck, on the second day of the meeting, "delivered an address conveying the assurance of the kind feeling, sympathy and confidence " of the Synod of Kentucky, to which I, as mode- rator, responded. The Synod extended an invitation to our body to hold their next meeting in Louisville, Ky. But the Assembly declined to accept it, as it was "judged inexpe- dient, under present circumstances." Yet a commissioner, with an alternate, was " appointed to conve}- to the Synod of Kentucky the salutations of the Assembly." Eev. J. A. Lefevre was appointed principal, and Eev. E. AY. Bedinger his alternate. After the usual routine of business was finished, the As- sembly adjourned on Wednesday, May 27th, after a pleasant session of just six days, to meet on the third Thursday in May, 1869, in Mobile, Alabama. The number of commis- sioners present on that occasion was ninety-five, of which number there were fifty ministers and forty-five ruling elders. The total of ministers then belonging to the South- ern church was 786 ; and the membership numbered 76,949. 490 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. In 1890, twenty-two 3-ears later, there were 1,179 ministers,. and of communicants 108,791 were in connection with our Southern church, making an increase of 393 ministers, and 91,849 communicants. We had in 1868, licentiates, 51 ; candidates, 92. In 1890 we had 66 licentiates and 336 can- didates. Some w4io were j)resent in Baltimore, in active "work, have closed their labors on earth, and have entered into their everlasting rest. Of the eighteen w ho have left us, we number such consecrated and godly-minded workers as John Leighton Wilson and Dr. T. V. Moore, with many as dear to the survivors, but not so prominent in the church. My own eye rests upon two names of peculiar interest to my memory; one is the aged minister of Christ, Rev. David Humphreys, of South Carolina, my first teacher, to whom I have already referred in the first chapter of this memoir. The other is my nephew. Prof. "Wm. H. Waddel, of the University of Georgia, an elder-commissioner from Pres- bytery of Augusta, one of the most accomplished scholars of his time, who died in 1878, just ten years later, of heart affection, I notice just here, that at the Commencement exercises of the University of Mississippi, there was graduated the sec- ond class after the close of the war, consisting of twenty-four, among whom I sadly recall my eldest son, who became a minister, and after a consecrated service of about seven years, passed away, in 1885. I attended the meeting of the Assembly in 1869, in Mo- bile, the record of which is found in the printed minutes of that body, Vol. II. My connection with the public history of the church is not on record at all, except as a minister enrolled as S. S. from year to year, at Oxford, Miss., until the year 1874. Previous to that year, however, at a meeting of the General Assembly, held in Louisville, Ky., after the union of the Synod of Kentucky had been perfected w^ith the Southern Assembly in Mobile, an educational convention was A Presbyterian University. 491 called, to meet in Huntsville, Ala., in 1871; and the Presby- teries were notified to empower their commissioners to act as members of that convention. Of that convention I was empowered to act as a member, in behalf of the Presbj-tery of Chickasaw, The conception of holding this convention originated with Eev. James A. Lyon, D. D., and the idea at the basis of the convention was to discuss and, if piossible, adopt the plan of establishing one grand University for the whole church South, to be under the care of the Presbyte- rian people. The convention was composed of a number of our ablest ministei:3 and ruling elders, and the whole sub- ject was most thoroughly canvassed. The scheme did not prove acceptable to some of our brethren, upon the ground that they were amply provided in their region of the country with the means of education already, and while wishing Godspeed to those who favored this concert of action, they declined participation in the enterprise. Not regarding this as a defeat, the matter held fast hold upon their minds as something not to be surrendered, but to be develojDed in full efficiency, even though on a more limited scale. "Cast down," they were, but by no means "destroyed." Of that convention I was honored by being made chairman, and a public address was adopted by the convention and scattered broadcast throughout the southwest, suggesting that con- tiguous Synods unite, and thus supply, by co-operation, what no single one could furnish alone. This suggestion was in- dustriously and successfully pressed and elaborated by Eev. Dr. Shearer, then President of Stewart College, at Clarks- ville, Tenn. " A meeting of commissioners from five Synods was held in May, 1873, and a plan was then adopted, and in the autumn of the same year, commissioners were sent from the Synods of Alabama, Ai'kansas, Memphis, Missis- sippi and Nashville (and Texas afterwards joined the asso- ciation), who adopted a plan of union, and all the six Synods agreed upon it ; and each one of thorn apjDointed two direc* 492 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. tors, to ineet in January, 1874, and take charge of the enter- j)rise." Among these, I was chosen a director in 1873, while still •Chancellor of the Universit}', without my knowledge, and, accordingly, with the other directors, I attended a meeting in Memphis in January, 1874. There were many apj^hcations before the board at this meeting, for the location of the university proposed to be organized; and Eev. Dr. Break also was present, urging us to unite with Kentucky in establishing a university in some central locality ; but, after a patient hearing of many speak- ers, the board adjourned, to hold another meeting in May, 1874, at which time they proposed to receive propositions for the location from all who were willing to make them, and to transact any other matters of business that might come before them, to be settled with a view to the organization of the university at the earliest period consistent with the true interests involved. This second meeting was held at the time appointed, in Memphis, and, after a careful examina- tion of all the proposals from various communities, " the board selected Clarksville as the location, and Stewart Col- lege, with its funds and appurtenances, as the nucleus of future operations. The former Faculty of Stewart College was continued provisionally, and the institution was kept in oj)eration on the same scale as heretofore, until such time as the way might be open for the formal organization of the university proper. I attended this meeting, also, and took part in all the deliberations. Among other important sub- jects acted upon by the board at this meeting, the election of a chancellor was projDosed, and the unanimous voice of the the members called to this ofiice of trust the Rev. B. M. Pal- mer, D. D., LL. D., thus manifesting that their minds were inspired with hope and expectation of success in the erec- tion of a university on the most elevated scale. It was during the month of May, 1874, that at the regu- Committee of Education. 493^ lar meeting of the General Assembly in Columbus, Miss., the annual report of the Executive Committee of Educa- tion Avas presented by the Standing Committee of the Assembly in the following language: " The Secretary (Dr. E. T. Baird) states that, since the organization of the committee, there has been no year of its history which has been attended ^Yith so many circum- stances to cause anxiety and to produce painful mortifica- tion. The year commenced vrith a deficiency of $2,900." The chairman then continues to report several facts besides this deficiency, the second of which is t'lat " a number of students have left the seminary or college, and resorted to secular business to supjDort themselves." Then, after (in the language of Dr. Baird) stating that "the committee, through circulars issued by the secretary, had exhausted its ability to urge this matter on the attention of the churches," the chairman of the standing committee adds the fourth discouraging fact to be, that, "after all these urgent appeals, there is a deficiency of $4,000." The recommendations of the standing committee are that, "in view of the whole case," the Assembly should adopt one or the other of the two following courses : " (1), Abolish the Committee of Education altogether, and throw the support of the candidates upon the Presbyteries ; or (2), separate the causes of Education and Pubhcation, elect an additional secretary, and locate him at some central point in the "West." They gave the highest testimonial in the report to Dr. Baird, the secretary, as an "efficient and suitable man for the work of secretary, and expressed the gratification it would afford them " to see his great energies, experience and wisdom fully engaged in this pre-eminently important W'Ork of beneficiary education." After tho Assembly had selected Memphis as the location of the committee, instead of abolishing it, "the following was ado^Dted"; 494: John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. "Jlesolved, That tlie following ]Dersons be elected the Executive Committee of Education for the ensuing year; Eev. John X. "Waddel, D. D., Secretary; James Elder, Treasurer ; J. O. Stedmen, D. D., Eev. "W. E. Boggs, Eev. E. M. Eichardsou, Eev. A. Shotwell, M. E. Jarnagin, B. M. Estes, J. B. Griffing, W. AY. Armstrong, and A. C. Ewell." This all occurred during the last session of my term of service as Chancellor of the University of Mississippi. I did not, indeed, seek the office, but I was not entirely taken by surprise, as some such intimations had fallen upon my ear, and had to some extent been passing through my mind. The subject of resigning my office, as I have already stated, had begun to occupy my thoughts, and the question of duty had led me to the throne of grace and wisdom for divine guidance in its proper solution. But, up to the period of June 26th, 1874, I had been able to reach no decision that seemed satisfactory to my judgment on this important mat- ter. The annual Commencement exercises were finished on Thursday, 25th, yet the Board of Trustees had not con- cluded all the business, but were to hold their last meeting and close up their work on Friday, 26th. I awoke very early on the morning of that day, and realizing the relief which was consequent upon the successful winding up of another toil- some year's work, my heart w^ent up in grateful thanksgiv- ing to the Giver of all good, and in prayer for divine guid- ance for the future. In what I am^ about to record, I am a ware that I may incur the charge of infatuation, on the part of those w^ho do not hold the same views upon the doctrine of Divine Erovidence that I hold; but I shall be found to be entirely in congenial accord with every one who believes in the consolatory doctrine of answered prayer. I had a per- ception just the?!, such as I had felt on only two previous occasions in my life, of a ray of Hght entering my mind, as I made the decision to tender my resignation; after which I found all my hesitancy and uncertainty at. an end. Resignation of the Chancellorship. 495 There was no sucU feeling as excitement, but a calm and peaceful acquiescence in >Yhat I felt convinced was the will of God in regard to my duty. It will serve to heighten the interest of this case that I state the fact that at the Chan- cellor's annual reception on that occasion, during Com- mencement week, the Trustees were present, and among them those who belonged to the Republican j^arty. As I sincerely desired to have them feel at home, and enjoy the evening, I made it a point that ought to be observed, to have these gentlemen introduced to the ladies who were present. I, .at the same time, took the precaution to ascertain the per- sonal sentiment of the ladies in this regard, and ascertain whether it would be agreeable to them to be presented in this way, and this I did without the slightest intimation to the Trustees themselves. Every lady whom I approached declined very quietly, but very promptly. These gentlemen, (I was informed by a party present in company with them), resented this neglect, and laid the entire blame to my charge, considering it a tacit jpur^Dose on my part, and a j)ractical indignity done to themselves. It was just one of those unavoidable occurrences one is called to encounter sometimes in society, which could not be explained without making matters vrorse ; so I said nothing to any one about it. But as I heard of the fact as stated above, I confess that, while under other circumstances their dissatisfaction would not have influenced my action at all, it had the effect of simply confirming my decision already reached, to tender my resignation. This I did immediately on the assembling of the Board at their ofiice, after breakfast. My v.ritten resignation was very brief, only conveying to the board the fact in words enough to answer the purpose, without the assignment of any reason for my course. ]My resignation w^as x^laced in the hands of a sj^ecial friend of mine (one of the Trustees), and hardly ten minutes iiad elapsed when I was smnmoned to appear before them 496 JonN N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. to explain. My reasons were demanded not in any un- friendly manner at all, but ^Yith evident disappointment, and apparent, and (I believe on the part of the majority) real regret and surprise. Protestations of the warmest friend- ship, and most perfect confidence, were made by members of the Board, and thev were manifestly all of them unwillinir to accept my resignation. I made a speech to them iu which I offered two considerations as my justification for the course pursued: 1, The heavy pressure of responsibility resting upon me in the multiplicity of details of duty in which I had and (from the nature of the case) could have little or no alleviation ; 2, The fact that I had been devoting most of my working days to the service of the world at large, and only a few of my years to the service of the church; that I lacked but eight 3'ears now of the limit of human life assigned in God's appointment, and I felt that those eight years, and whatever additional years I might have, ought to be spent in doing work for my chiu'ch. The result was that they resolved to adjourn for one month, and refused, in the moantime, to accept my resignation, with the hope that I would reconsider the subject, and withdraw it. I may as well dispose of this part of my history by recording that, at the appointed time to which they had adjourned, they re-assembled, and finding me still resolute in my pur- pose, they accepted my resignation, and proceeded to elect to the vacated office, Lieutenant-General Alexander P. Stew- art as my successor. CHAPTER L. Matukikg My Views as to Accepting the Office of Seceetaey op Education.— Advised Against It.— Foemal Acceptance. — Sup- ply OP A Chuech. — A DiFFEEENCE. — Decision op the Question BY THE Assembly. —Epidemic op Yellow Fever.- Joined the- Pkesbyteey op IVIemphis. I HAD not decided even then to accept tlie Secretaryship of xi^ducation. I, however, felt that it was highly j)i'oba- l)le that I should coine to that conclusion ultimately, as it appeared to me that it opened before me a field of abundant usefulness to the church, and that I should be freed from t]iose peculiar forms of responsibility inherent in college and university work, especially where the institution is the j)roperty of the State. I assumed it, as the most natural state of things, that I should find congenial employment in laboring to build up the interests of the Southern church, sustained, as I should be, by my brethren who had called me to the position. It may be just as well for me to state that, in a correspondence held previous to my leaving the University wtih one of my warmest friends, and one of the most judicious advisers — a distinguished minister of our church — it was suggested to me that it might not prove ta be so favorable a change of occupation as it seemed to bo. He gave as objectionable to any of these secretaryships, that they were, all of them, more or less the subjects of criticism and fault-finding from the churches and muiisters throughout the countr}-, and that it would be by no means, as free from trouble as I had imagined it to be. Yet, w^hile I felt that he was actuated by the purest motives and the most (Sincere regard for me, I did not agree with him in his 32 497 498 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. views ; but in August I visited Memphis, and, at a meeting of the newly-appointed Executive Committee of Education, I formally accepted the office of secretaiy, and removed in November to Memphis, rented a house, and at once entered upon the duties of the office with zeal and earnestness, relying upon the great Head of the church to guide, uphold and sustain me in all my efforts to do His work. Eeferring to the action of the Assembly at Columbus, Miss., in May previous, I found that the duties of the secretary were prescribed in language following, viz.: "It shall be the duty of the secretary, in addition to visiting the Presbyteries and Synods for the purpose of raising funds, to act as a medium, of communication between our •candidates and the Presbyteries, for the j^urpose of secur- ing prompt and remunerative employment for our candi- dates during their vacations." (See Minutes of General Assembly for 1874, i^age 515, paragraph 4, of Eeport of Standing Committee.) To tliis I endeavored to apply myself at once, visiting the four SjTiods of Missouri on October 17th ; of Arkansas, on the 24th ; of Texas, on the 4th of November ; and of Kentuck}^ on the 12th of Novem- ber, and making addresses before all of these bodies, I very soon found that the cause of beneficiary education "was among the most unpoj)ular of all the four objects of •church benevolence. As an illustration of this fact, I made nn honest effort at the Assembly of May, 1875, that met in St. Louis, Mo., to j)revail upon some of our most eloquent preachers to address the Synod of Missouri on the evening set apart by resolution of the Assembly for a general meet- ing to discuss the subject, and as I failed utterly to obtain the consent of all I approached to do that service, I had the matter re-considered, and no such meeting was held at all. Nor was any such meeting, for the benefit of that cause, ever held at any session of the General Assembly during my term of service as secretary. Year after year came up to Beneficiary Education Unpopular. 499 the Assembly propositions to do away with the Executive Committee of Education entirely, and to relegate the busi- ness of beneficiary training and support to the various Presbyteries. This continued as long as I was engaged in the service of the church, and at the meeting of the Assem- bly in Louis^-ille, Ky., in 1879, which was the last time I ever attended as secretary, there was an effort made by dissatisfied parties to do away with this committee as a separate agency, and combine it with the Executive Com- mittee of Home Missions, under the secretary in charge of the latter. It was not presented before the Assembly, but I mention it to show the difficulties encountered by the Executive Committee of Education. Let me dismiss this subject by referring to the noble and exhaustive report, which was the work of a committee consisting of Kev. Jos. B. Stratton, T>. D., Rev. Stuart Robinson, D. D., and Ruling Elder John L. Marye, of Virginia, the object of which was, according to Overture No. 8, " to consider the propriety of abandoning the present scheme of education, and remand- ing this subject to the Presbyteries." The Committee on Bills and Overtures, in reporting upon this overture, " re- commended that, as the overture contemplates a radical change in the policy of the church, a committee of two ministers and one elder be appointed to consider the subject maturely, and to collect the sense of the church by corres- pondence, and report to the next General Assembly." This report was written by Dr. J. B. Stratton, and pre- sented to the Assembly at the meeting in Savannah, Ga., in 1876. It was published by order of the Assembly, and will be found in the Appendix, in extenso, on pages 278-285, in- clusive. This report had the desired effect, as the Executive Committee is still the accredited agency of the Assembly in conducting the business of beneficiary education, but by no means interfering with the preferences of any Presbytery adopting an independent plan. But other difficulties came 500 John N. Waddel, D. D, LL. D. on after awhile, which were wholly unexpected by myself^ I wdll refer to one of them as a matter of history, designing not the slightest reflection upon any of the parties concerned. Soon after my entrance upon the duties of Secretary of Edu- cation, I was invited to take charge, as Stated Supply, of a little mission chapel, and to give to it only just that amoimt of time and attention which could be spared from the duties of the secretaryship. This was distinctly specified, and, with that understanding I agreed to serve the httle chapel. But the majority of the committee looked at the matter with very different views, and disapproved of the arrangement. At first, I felt disposed to give up my engagement with the church, but, upon second thought, I decided to preach to them for the time. After a fair trial of the question of con- flict between the office and the church, finding that I could perform the two services without neglecting those l^elonging to the office, I continued to preach on Sabbath, w hen not away on business of the Executive Committee. My breth- ren, all except one member of the committee, differed with me, upon the alleged ground that all my time and attention "was due to the secretaryship. As it was a question that we could not decide among ourselves, I proposed to the com- mittee to leave it to be decided by the General Assembly, ■which was to meet in 1876 in Savannah, and this proposition was accepted b}' the committee. I, in the mean time, pro- posed to 3'ield $1,000 of the salary fixed by the Executive Committee at my entrance upon the office. The Standing Committee on Education made their report through the chairman, Eev. R. G. Brank, D. D., to the effect that "they do not regard the engagement of the secretary as Stated Supply of a church in the city of Memphis as incompatible with the duties of his office as secretary of the committee." They state, after discussing the subject in all its aspects, that the '-'committee (the Standing Committee on Edu- cation, then reporting) recommend that the action of the A Legacy. 501 secretary in this matter be approved." This ended that matter. I state further, that one heavy burden which fell upon the committee was the deficit reported by Dr. Baird, in his account presented to the Assembly at Columbus, in 1874, which amounted to $4,000. Of course this resulted from the fact that the churches failed to furnish the means to pay the candidates the various sums which had been pledged to them bj^ the former committee. We were thus encum- bered with a debt at the very outset of our administration, which proved a very heavy burden, with the limited resources at command and in prospect. Yet we braced ourselves to the work, and. although we had. in accordance with the practice of the former committees, to pledge to all candidates in seminary courses $200, and to college students $175, we managed, by Divine favor, to pay a percentage in reduction of the debt, and to send our special beneficiaries enough to carry them through their annual terms of study. We also met with an unexpected event, which proved a signal bless- ing in our struggles, and it came about in this way ; Previous to the disruption of the church, in 1861, in con- sequence of the civil war, a devoted elder in Mississippi, Mr. Lusk, of Water Valley, had by his last will, bequeathed to the Boards of the old United Church certain liberal sums of money, and among them he gave a certain amount to the Board of Education, part of which amount had been paid by his executor to the Board before the war. That, of course, arrested all further payments, and the balance of the sum unpaid was claimed by the Northern Board. But, in a letter received from a brother (Rev. S. F. Tenny, of Texas), who was in Philadelpliia about the time of our pe- cuniary straits, I was informed by him that in an interview with the Secretary of the Board of Education of the North- ern church. Rev. William Speer, he was informed that a remnant of that legacy of Mr. Lusk was under the control 502 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. T>. of the Northern church, and he suggested that, upon the ap- phcation of our Assembly to the Northern Assembly, in proper legal form, the whole of the balance now due would be tui-ned over to us. The needed arrangements were con- summated as soon as possible, and Dr. Speer made the trans- fer of all the papers to myself, and we placed all in the hands- of our church Board of Trustees. The Assembly of 1876- instructed the Trustees " to turn over the legacy of the Lusk estate, amounting to something over $3,000, to the Treas- ui-er of Education, to collect and use for liquidating the ex- isting debt, or otherwise, as the exigencies of the case may require." This was accordingly done, and the subject may be dis- missed with the statement of the fact that this money was collected by the attorney, Hon. J. W. C.Watson, as soon as pos- sible, and paid over to the committee from time to time, and the debt against the committee was gradually reduced, until, at the end of my term of office in 1879, only a small rem- nant of it remained unliquidated, and ample provision was made to meet that by the balance still due from the Lusk estate. In closing the record of my connection with the Executive Committee of Education, I feel that, by the gracious mercy of God, the work accomplished was a success, considered in all respects, especially when considered in relation to the gloom that overshadowed its prospects at the time of its loca- tion in Memphis, in 1874. It must be borne in mind that the operations of the committee had been conducted under great j)ressure from financial troubles among the churches, and from an unfortunate want of favor to the general subject of benefi- ciary education, and from the debt on the committee, w^hich had to be paid to former students, and at the same time from their own obligations to the students under their care. It is cause of great gratitude, when it is considered that these two objects were accomplished in less than five years^ Union Street Chapel. 503 and tiiat over four hundred young students were helped into the gospel ministry. To God alone be all the glory ! As stated in a foregoing page, while I was acting as Sec- retary of Education, I supplied a church with preaching'. This had been, originally, a mission chapel, located on Union street, and came into existence during the pastorate of the popular and beloved Dr. T. D. Witherspoon, and was. established as a preaching station by the Second Presbyte- rian church of Memphis. The building was of the simplest architecture, and wholly destitute of all ornamentation. On the retirement of Dr. "Witherspoon it seemed to have been deserted, at least for a time, but ultimately, (I do not know at what time), it was resumed as a place of worship. At the^ time of my arrival in Memphis, in 1874, it was under the ministry of Rev. A. Shotwell. He removed shortly after that, to St. Louis, and the church was left vacant. I was asked, just then, to fill the pulpit at such times as I could redeem . from the actual duties of the secretaryship, which I did for more than eighteen months. I found that when I began to- preach there, the membership consisted of about thirty members. The location was not fortunate for increase, but the members, though few in numbers, were zealous, and were anxious to build up the little church, and during the year 1876 (my second year in Memphis), I preached my last sermon in that building, on the 8th of October. It was abandoned in order that the members might take possession of a new and far more eligible house of worship, on the corner of Beale and Lauderdale streets. This house wa» built by the contributions of a few wealthy members of thia congregation, assisted by smaller amounts from others, who contributed according to their ability. It was designed as a lecture and Sabbath-school room, and ample space was left on the large and beautiful lot for the erection of the building which was ultimately to stand as the more capa- cious house of yrorship. In the meantime, the first build- 504 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. ing, newly finished as above described, was to be used for :all purposes of a cliui'ch, until the plan should be fully car- lied into effect, by the completion of the church proper. The new house of worship was solemnly dedicated to the service of the Triune God, by all the usual solemnities; the sermon, a masterly effort of spiritual and intellectual power, being preached by Eev. T. D. "Witherspoon, T). T> , from the text, Ephesians iv. 15, 16. The church has been known, thenceforward, as "the Lauderdale street church," .and to it I ministered, as its Stated Supply, until July, 1879. In September, 1878, the yellow fever was declared epidemic in Memphis, and a very general tendency to leave the city was manifested by those citizens who were able to get away. The membership of the Lauderdale street church, which ^was about thirty in number while they occupied the mission chapel on Union street, had now increased to 107. But the chui'ches were all soon closed on account, not only of the desertion of the congregations, but also by the considera- tion of sanatory prudence and caution against exposure on the part of the small number who were still ui their homes. Having made up our minds to remain in our place of resi- dence, my wife and I, adopting the plan suggested and pursued by others, secured as a temporary place of resi- dence for sleeping, the country home of our friend, Mr. J. N. Ford, some two or three miles from the city, whence I could come in during the day to visit the members of the congregation, and go out again at evening. "We kept up this course until we were driven, by force of circumstances, from one place of refuge to another in the neighborhood by yellow-fever patients being brought to the very house we occupied. I visited the few cases in my congregation who remained and who were taken with the fever, bm'ied two, and assisted in depositing the corpse of one in her burial case. I preached in the Lauderdale streeii church twica Yellow Fever at Memphis. 505 after the outbreak of the fever, but on the first of these oc- casions there were not more than thirty, and on the second only thirteen ; and so we closed up the church. It was un- occupied, as all the other churches were, during the pre- valence of this fearful epidemic. The aspect of the city was truly deplorable and depressing ; deserted of the once busy and active inhabita-nts, its streets once resounding with the hum of business and the rattling and roaring tramp of horses and cars and drays, now silent and still as in the solitude of death. Main street, the great avenue of active life, and the chief mart of city commerce, one might traverse without encountering a familiar face, and such was the a^^ul stilhiess that the foot-fall of a child might have been heard, as it smote the jDavement. Finding no place near to the city for visiting and returning at night, I de- cided on going out to Germantown on a trail that made a daily trip in and out, but just as we had used this mode of accomplishing the object in view, this train ceased to visit Memphis, and that train which bore us to Germantown proved to be the last in that direction for many weary days and weeks. After spending some days with Rev. R. R. Evans and his excellent wife, at Germantown, as I found that I was denied access to Memphis, I decided to leave on an ex- tended visitation of the churches and church courts, in be- half of the cause of Education. Mrs. Waddel and I left on the east-bound train for Georgia, and I visited nine of the churches of that State and Alabama, and attended the meetings of the Presbytery of Cherokeo and the Synod of Georgia, at Atlanta. After the subsidence of the fever, and the resumption of railway travel in the direction of our home, we returned to Memphis and settled down once more to regular work, about the middle of November, after an absence of nearlj' two months. We found the aspect of the city beginning to be brighter, but still there hung over it a lingering gloom naturally consequent upon so terrible a 506 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D scourge which had fallen upon the people. There were many families which were mourning for those of their num- ber who had fallen victims to the plague, and few utterly exempt. The Lauderdale street chm-ch had suffered greatly by the epidemic in the number of deaths of its members, and when the church was opened again for worship on the 17th of November, it was solemn and sad indeed. "We witnessed the comparatively thin congregation and counted fourteen of the membership whose seats would no more be filled on earth. The chiu'ch, though greatly weakened by death and some removals, began shortly to recover its lost ground. I continued to supply the pulpit, and to discharge my duties as Secretary of Education during the remainder of the ecclesiastical year, having in the meantime removed my membership from the Presbytery of Chickasaw to that of Memphis, at a meeting held after the end of the fever, when the Presbytery had been, for the first time, permitted to gather together for regular business transactions. CHAPTER LI. Resume of Matteks. — Cokkespondence with Dk. Palmer in 1878-'79. — Conflict of Feeling. — Attendance on Meetings of Dikec- TORT. — E,E-0RGANIZATI0N OF StEWART COLLEGE ANT) ELECTION OP THE Faculty. I RECALL just here some facts that occurred during the last years of my connection with the University of Mis- sissipi^i. I had been appointed as director of the newly outlined, though not yet organized, university, which was under the control of the six Synods of Alabama, Ai-kansas, Memphis, Mississij^pi, Nashville, and Texas. I had at- tended two of the meetings of this Board of Directors, and two very important acts had been passed : First, in locating the institution, and second, in the choice of a Chancellor. The location was decided to be at Clarksville, Tenn., and Rev. Dr. Palmer was made Chancellor by a unanimous vote of the Directory at their meeting in Memphis, in May, 1874. The Presbytery of New Orleans declining to consent to a dissolution of the pastoral relation between Dr. Palmer and the First Presbyterian church of New Orleans, the Board proceeded to institute a provisional government for the institution at Clarksville, by appointing Rev. Dr. Shearer, who was at that time President of Stuart College (the nucleus of the proT)osed university), agent for the en- dowment, and electing Eev. Dr. Flinn, of New Orleans, Provisional President. This arrangement contluued for some years, and some progress was made in raising funds under the earnest efforts of Dr. Shearer, which would no doubt have been more successful but for the temporary fail- ure of his health. I attended a meeting of the Board in 507 508 John N. Waddel, D. T>., LL. D. May, 1875, and another meeting at a later period. But very little progress was made until 1879. In 1878-"79, during some months, a correspondence began between Dr. Palmer and myself upon a projected scheme of his origina- tion, proposing to prevail upon me to become Chancellor of the new University at Clarksville, I found myself very de- cidedly opposed to even entertaining the proposition with any degree of allowance at all. My reasons for this disin- clination (to call it by no stronger name), it is not my pur- j)ose to state at all, as they are of such a nature as would draw into public notice matters of a character so personal as to involve relations too sacred to be disturbed. I will mention one principle upon which I have always endeavored to act ; it is this : I have never been willing to accept office at all of any kind, when assured that there were inflitential individuals among the voters opposed to me. Furthermore, while insisting upon unanimity of supporters in my dis- charge of any official duty, should existing opposition pro- ceed from parties of influence, my inclination always has been to abandon the situation, to avoid any dissatisfaction or hostility. This state of feeling may proceed, I doubt not, in part at least, from sensitiveness or pride, or some similar trait of my inner constitution, but I mention it can- didly, simply to show the mode of action I chose to pursue from one single standpoint. Suffice it to say that I was never, in all my past history, the subject of such a conflict of feeling as to the decision of any question of duty, as I found myself in regard to this proposition of the chancel- lorship of the institution at Clarksville. In March, 1879, a meeting was called to take place at Clarksville of a Commit- tee on Organization, previously aj)poinfted by the Board of Directors. This committee consisted of Rev. Dr. Palmer, Dr. Shearer, and myself. The result of the dehberations of this committee was the maturing of a plan embracing every particular necessary to the actual working of the proposed The Plan. 509 Tiniversity. This plan was to be reported to the Board of Directors at their annual meeting on the last days of May and the first of June. At the appointed day the Board met, all being present except Bev. Mr. McNair, one of the Directors from Arkansas, making in all eleven members. The following is a full list of the Board as then constituted : Synod of Alabama. — Rev. C A. Stiilmau, D. D., and Thos. A. Hamilton, Esq. Synod of Arkansas. — Eev. E. McNair, D. D., and Rev. Thos R. Welch, D. D. S.ynod of Meniphis. — G. W. Macrae, Esq., and Rev. Jno. N. WaddJl, D. D. Synod of 3Iisslssippl. — Rev. B. M. Palmer, D. D., and Rev. Joseph Bardwell, D. D. Synod of JSFashville. — D. N. Kennedy, Esq., and Rev. J. B. Shearer, D. D. Synod of Texas. — Rev. D. McGregor and Rev. W. K. Marshall, D. D. Great interest was manifested by the Board in the busi- ness of this meeting, as there was to be an entire re organi- zation, not onl}'' of the sj^stem of instruction of the institu- tion, but an election of a Faculty also was to be effected on this occasion. Previous to the present meeting of the Dkectory, the condition and character of the institution was simply that of the ordinary close college, which was in existence in most parts of the South. This is, perhaps, an appropriate place to fiu'nish a brief historical sketch of the college which formed the nucleus of the Southwestern Presbyterian University. "About the year 1850, the Masonic Fraternity of Tennessee founded in Clarksville the Masonic University of Tennessee, which school was conducted under the Presi- dency of W. F. Hopkins, T. M. NeweI4, W. A. Forbes, and Wm. M. Stewaii: successively until 1855. At this time certain pai'ties in Clarksville, in the name of the Synod of Nash- 510 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. ville, purchased the buildings, grounds, etc., and the school "was thenceforth known under the name and title of Stewaet College, which name was given in honor of President Wm. M. Stew- art, who had been, and continued to be, a most liberal patron and friend of the institution. The Faculty was re- organized under the Presidency of Wm. M. Stewart, and the school was conducted by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Synod of Nashville. He served as President until 1858, when Rev. E. B. McMullen, D. D., was elected to suc- ceed him. Professor Stewart in the meantime continuing his labors as Professor of Natural Sciences. The college was rapidly increasing in funds, appliances, and patronage, when the war came on and the school was of necessity closed During the war the libraries, cabinets and aj^paratus were lost, and the buildings were entirely dismantled in the fortunes of war. In 1868 and '70, the buildings were re- paired and re furnished, at a cost of about eight thousand dollars. After some dela}^, the Faculty was re-organized, with Rev. J. B. Shearer, D. D., as President, assisted by a competent corps of j)rofessors. The school grew in favor and popularity more rapidly even than its best friends had expected. Negotiations, looking to concentration of effort over a larger field, were prosecuted diligently, until, in 1875, a new corporation succeeded to the property and f imds of Stewart College, under the name and title of the Southwestern Presbyterian IJNmERSiTY. In Chapter XLIX. of this memoir, some reference to the great subject of enlarging the scheme of church education is made, and the facts of the location of the University and the adoption of Stewart College and its appiirteufinces as the nucleus of operations for the University, are re- corded. DUHNUTION OF PaTRONAGE. 511 We may also, with propriety, make a concise statement at this point of the course pursued by the College from 1874 to 1879, as that "U'ill show both the basis of its operations and the details of its internal work until the College was merged into the University under the new corporation of the Board of Dii'ectors, consisting of twelve members, ap- jDointed by six Synods. The Board of Trustees of Stewart College, before the re- organization, who were appointed by the Synod of Nash- ville, consisted of twentj'-eight members, the President of the College being ex-officio President of the Board. The Faculty consisted of a President, who instructed in Meta- physics, Logic, and Rhetoric ; a Professor of Mathematics, a Professor of Latin, a Professor of Greek, a Professor of Modern Languages, and one of Natural Sciences. The number of students in the year 1870-71, reached 101 1874-75, reached 151 1871-72, " 124 1875-76, " 131 1872-73, - 115 1876-77, " 105 1873-74, " 125 1877-78, " 97 In 1878-79 it seems that no catalogue was published, but it is the impression that the number was not far from sev- enty. The diminution in the patronage I have never heard exj)laiiied satisfactorily. But it is always the case that in- stitutions of learning are subjected to variations in the num- ber in attendance from time to time, and there is generally experienced subsequently some difficult}- in recovering fi'om such diminished numbers. This was the existing status of Stewart College, then, when the Board of Directors met at Clarksville on May 30, 1879, continuing in session for sev- eral days, and arranging all the preliminary work for the opening of the career of the new institution, under the name of the Southwestern Presbyterian University. It will be sufficient to say that, on this occasion, the curriculum 512 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. was abolished. There was no longer to be recognized the Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior Classes. Instead of that, " they re-organized the school on the j^lan of co- ordinate schools and elective courses. There were at first established nine co-ordinate schools, covering the ground usually embraced in the departments of Literature, Art, and Science, and they were : I. The School of Ancient Lan- guages ; II. School of Mathematics ; III. School of Natural Sciences ; IV. School of Philosoj)hy ; V. School of Modern Languages; VI. Schoolof English Literature and Ehetoric; VII. School of Biblical Instruction; VIII. School of Com- mercial Science ; IX. School of History. In some of these schools there were three classes, called Junior, Middle, and Senior ; in others there were only two, Junior and Senior ; and in certain departments under these general schools only one class was formed, just in accordance with the time re- quired to complete the study of that department. It was, from the origin of the university system, contem- plated that professional schools should ])e added to the or- ganization at the earliest possible period. But the Board did not establish any professional school at their meeting in 1879. Their action in this regard was postponed for sev- eral years, and will be recorded at the apjDrojDriate time. Having completed the work of organizing the institution in this way, provision was also made for an elementary de- partment of instruction in Latin, Greek, Higher Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry, this department to be under the same discipline and control as that of the other schools of the University. The second important item of business before the Direc- tory on this occasion was the election of a Faculty. It was at a late hour in the afternoon of Saturday, May 31, 1879, that the Board proceeded to this subject. On the nomina- tion of Dr. J. B. Shearer (who had been the President of Stewart College from 1870), my name was placed before Elected Chancellor. 515 them, and I was unauiraoiisiy elected Chancellor of the Southwestern Presbyterian University. I accepted the office in a brief reply to a verbal communication of a com- mittee appointed to inform me of my election. Yet I was by no means in an exultant or cheerful frame of mind, but as I find in my diary recorded, " I was troubled with con- flicting feelings." On Monday, June 2d, the Board finished the election of a Faculty, which resulted as follows : Eev. C. R. Hemphill, A. M., Professor in the School of Ancient Languages. James Dinwiddie, A. M., Professor in the School of Mathematics. John AV. Caldwell, A. M., M. D., Steioart Professor in. the School of Natural Sciences. S. J. CoFF^L^NN, Professor in the School of Modern Lau" giiages. Eev. J. B. Shearer, D. D., Professor in the School of English Literature and Rhetoric. There was an assignment of the duties of the two remain- ing Professorships of Bibhcal Instruction and of Commer- cial Science to the members of the Faculty, as might seem best. The former chair was filled by Dr. Shearer, and the duties of the latter devolved upon Professor Dinwiddie in case a class should be formed. On Tuesday evening, at 7 p. m., a previously appointed memorial service was conducted in honor of the late Wm. M. Stewart, deceased, the benefactor and former President of the college. The exercises were interesting, and con- sisted of — 1st. An appropriate essay, by Professor J. W. Caldwell, M. D. 2d. " Eulogy on the Life and Labors of Professor Stew- art," by Professor J. B. Shearer, D. D. 514 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. 3. A splendid dedicatory discourse of the building, called " Stewart Cabinet Hall," delivered by Rev. B. M. Palmer, D. D., LL. D., in his own inimitable style. On Wednesday, June 4th, the exercises of the last Com- mencement of Stewart College were held, when seven stu- dents were graduated, and at the close it was announced by Dr. Shearer, who presided, that the exercises of the next session (the first of the new organization), would open for the reception of students on Monday, September 1st, 1879. CHAPTER LIl. Attendance on the Assembly, May 15, 1879, — Return to Memphis AND PkEPAKATIONS TO EeMOYE. — RESIGNATION OF THE SeCEETAEY- SHip AND Election of Successoe. — Faeewell Seemon. — Aeeivaij AT ClAKKSVILLE, AND AdDEESS TO THE SiX SyNODS. THE narrative of my life, as already alluded to and as appears in its progress thus far, is broken up to some extent necessarily by the fact that I have been endeavoring to live a sort of double life and to work out two diverse careers simultaneously. So it has been a matter of neces- sity, at times, to dwell entirely upon the incidental events of one of these departments, and to leave those of the other sphere of effort in temporary reserve to bide its time for record. The two forms of work thus have been sepa- rated in this Avay in their course, apparently^ and only ap- parently. For it is a fact that, during the times of which my story treats, I have been combining the work of two men, and carrying on both at specific and appointed periods, so that the attention necessary' to the discharge of duties belonging to the one should not encroach upon that which should be devoted to the other, and that neither should in- terfere with, but both, in the end, should prove to be mutu- ally auxiliary. The events recorded in the preceding chapter embrace the period that elapsed from the latter part of December, 1878, to the 4th of June, 1879. It must not be supposed that during these months I had been thinking and acting solely in connection with the absorbing interests of the in- stitution whose history I have dwelt upon so closely. It is true I had signified my willingness to accept the office of 515 51G John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. Chancellor of Southwestern Presbyterian XJniversit}', bnt I had not ceased to act as Secretary of Education. On the contrary, I had never been more devoted in my services in that capacity. I had kept up a constant correspondence with the various churches and students, and had j)repared the usual annual reports to be presented to the General As- sembly. I also attended the meeting of the Assembly held in Louisville, Ky., on May 15th; read my report and gave information to the standing committee, addressed the As- sembly on the subject of Education, and heard expressions, from individuals and through the committee, approving of the year's work, and the usual amount of dissatisfaction with the plan of a separate executive committee for this purpose ; and had the satisfaction of being able to report to the Assembly the pajnnent of all the pledges to candidates for the current ecclesiastical 3'ear, and the reduction of the heavy debt which had been incurred by the preceding com- mittee, from $3,500 to $318, and I had the gratification, further, to be enabled to state that ample provision had been made to meet that small balance. This was the last meeting of the Assembly which I ever attended in an official capacity, and my reason for declining at that time to surrender the trust which I had heM for five years was simply because I had not then fully made uj) my mind as to my future course. I returned to Memphis after the adjournment of the General Assembly, and spent the time, from the 26th of May till the 16th of June, at home, with the exception of the interval already accounted for in the preceding chapter, w^hen I made my visit to Clarksville, and one to Lexington, Ky., to dehver an address before Sayro Institute. Having accepted the chancellorship at Clarksville, I called a meetmg of the Executive Committee of Education for Monday, 16th of June, at which time I pre- sented my resignation of the office of secretary in the words following, viz. : Resignation of Secretakyship. 517 " To the Executive Committee of Education, hi session, Jtfemj^his, Tenn. : « June 16, 1879. " Bretliren : I herewith tender to you my resignation of the office of Secretary of Education, which I have held, un- der successive appointments of the General Assembly, for the past five years. Feehng justified in this course by cir- cumstances which seemed to me clearly to indicate its entire propriety, and which it is not expedient to mention, it only remains that I ask your acceptance of my resignation, and that I assure you of my abiding interest in the cause of beneficiary education. " The books, correspondence, and archives of the commit- tee, so far as they have come into my possession, shall be turned over at any time to the party properly authorized by the committee to take them in charge. The fullest infor- mation in regard to the condition of the cause under your care, so far as its interests have come under the knowledge and control of the secretary, together with any desired in- struction as to the method of the office work, will be fur- nished, with sincere ^^leasure, by the committee's fellow- servant in Christ Jesus, . John N. Waddel." N. B. — My term of office expired on the 31st of May, as on that day I accepted another office. The declinature of the office would have been made to the Assembly itself but for the fact that the way was not clear to the mind of the secretary that it was right for him to do so at that time. The committee met on the 16th, and accepted my resig- nation, and action was taken to appoint a committee to pre- pare a paper expressive of the views of the Executive Com- mittee in relation to the resignation, and adjourned to meet again on the 23rd of June, and on that day Rev, E. M. Bichardson was elected Secretary of Education. On the 518 John N. Waddel, B. D., LL. D. 24th the newl^'-appoiuted secretary came to lu}^ house, and I transferred all the papers from my keeping to his; and thus ended my term of service as Secretary of Education. My occupation in this line of service to the church having* been brought to a close in Memphis, there remained nothing for me to do but to make preparation for removal from that city to my new field of labor; and to that I directed all my attention for the ensuing w^eek. I dehvered a farewell dis- course to the Lauderdale-street church on Sabbath, June 29th, on 2 Corinthians, xiii. 11, and parted with the peo- ple with every manifestation of affection and regret on their part. The feeling which pervaded my soul in turn- ing my back upon IMemphis, after a residence of five years, was of a nature made up of combined sadness and relief. I forbear entering into any delineation of my state of mind on the subject, except to say that I was thankful to be as- sured that I had a warm j)lace in the affection and confi- dence of many of the best people of the place, and w^as dis- posed to consign to silent forgetfulness anything that had marred my peace during ni}'' abode and term of service there. We took our departure on Tuesday, July 1st, and, with the pajTiient of a visit to friends on the way for a day and two nights as our only delay, we reached Clarks\dlle at six o'clock p. M. on the 3rd, in peace and safety, "by the good hand of our God upon us." I recur to the state of my mind on this new enter j)rise, not to give any history of the reasons for its existence, but to bring into view a single fact connected with my expe- rience. It is this : That often, in the contemplation of j)ro- spective changes which seemed determined upon in my fu- ture, I have felt gloomy, and reluctant to meet them, and anticipated no enjoyment in their realization ; but when the time came to meet the demands and requirements of the situation, the way was found clear and smooth, and my fears were removed, and were succeeded by as much true comfort Arrival at Clark sville. 519 and success as are allotted to any of God's servants in " this i3resent evil world," TN'itli its prevalent imperfectness. It proved so preeminent^ in the case of my removal to Clarks- ville and my service there. I may add that it seems to me now, in the retrospect, that I went there under di\dne guid- ance, and was enabled to rejoice in the work performed. On my arrival, as it was during the vacation, and very few of the attaches of the University were present, I was oj)pressed with a sense of comparative loneliness. There were very few of the usual arrangements for the accommo- dation of a Faculty provided by the authorities of the Uni- versity. The members of the Faculty were not furnished with residences : every Professor was obhged to rent or fur- nish his own house. The case of the Chancellor was no ex- ception to this rule. Some of the Faculty owned the houses and lots they occujoied, and others of them rented places which were within convenient distance of the campus. I, with no one to provide for except my wife, secured a small cottage on the jDremises of Professor Dinwiddle, and boarded with him for the first term of my service. The outlook was not bright for the new enterprise by any means. There had been a diminution of the number of students in attendance for some few sessions past, and there had been no grounds, of hope presented that there would be any considerable ac- cessions made very soon. There were many cheering ex- pressions circulated in the public journals of the State by the friends of the institution, and arguments abundant, set- ting forth the importance of patronizing the new Univer- sity as a great agency for promoting the interests of sound education. In furtherance of the objects contemplated by the institution, it was thought advisable that I should, in the capacity of Chancellor, issue some address to the public on this occasion. Accordingly, I prepared and furnished for publication in the newspapers the following as an an- nouncement of the Southwestern Presbyterian University: 520 John N. ^Yaddel, D. D., LL. D. Salutatory. The undersigned ventures to indulge the hope that he is committing no offence against good taste, or that modesty that becomes his humble pretensions, in presenting his re- spectful salutations to the constituency of the University on assuming the high and responsible office of Chancellor, to •which he was recently elected by the unsolicited and unani- mous suffrage of the Board of Directors. In view of the many comphmentary comments of the press on this action of the directory, as well as the expressions of personal con- gratulation received from numerous friends, he can certainly do no less than present his most sincere and profound ac- knowledgments. Fiu'thermore, he cheerfully pledges, in advance, the devotion of whatever pow^ers and endowments he may possess, and the utilization of his long and varied •experience as an educator, to this new and difficult enter- prise, with a firm determination to discharge his whole dut}'" io the full extent of his ability, in humble reliance upon the gracious assistance of the great Head of the church to •whose glory the institution has been solemnly dedicated. To the 337 ministers and the 3,800 church members under the care of the six Synods w^hich control the University, viz. : Alabama, Arkansas, Memphis, Mississippi, Nashville, and Texas, the directors and the Faculty naturally look for the encouragement arising from the zealous exertion of their moral influence in recommending the institution to the favor of their circles of association for j^atronage to fill our class- rooms with a large accession of students, and for such ma- terial aid as can be extended to increase the permanent en- dowment fund of the University, whereby its blessings may 1)6 perpetuated to successive generations. II. Advantages of Location. The remoteness of the city of Clarksville from the ex- tremes of our territory has been jDressed as an objection to Southwestern Presbyterian University. 521 the location. This is met by the fact that it is accessible by railway from all points, and other facilities of approach are in contemplation at an early day. The healthfulness of Clarksville will challenge comparison with that of any place in all the land. While it is not "the joy of the whole earth," it is certainly "beautiful for situation," reposing upon the hills of Montgomery, embowered among grand old forest trees, and having its base washed by the clear-flowing waters of the Cumberland. It is comj)actly built, adorned "with costly and attractive residences and public buildings, suiTounded by large and commodious lots, beautified by green grassy lawns and a rich profusion of shrubbery and flowers. These material surroundings are part, and they are a legitimate part, of the evidences of the high state of culture and refinement of the citizens of the place. ^Yher- ever persons who have from time to time sojourned in Olarksville, for a longer or shorter period, have been met, their voluntary testimony has been given to the superiority of the population, their high moral tone, theii* genial hospi- tality, their social tendencies, and their consistent religions character. The membership of the various churches is generally large and influential, the houses of worship im- posing and commodious, and the pulpits of the city are filled with able, devoted, and successful pastors. The po^^ulation is estimated at about six thousand, and is increasing. The city is rapidly improving ; the burnt district is nearly again occupied by massive structures of r. bettor class and more imposing architecture than those which were destroyed a year or two since. Such is the proper description of the place, physically and morally, to which our friends are in- vited to send their sons for education. III. Prospects of the University. Of course, this is very much a matter of conjecture. All anticipations connected with the subject, to be rehable, must 522 John N. AVaddel, D. D , LL. D. suppose certain facts as a basis of calculation. Our friends, as they are scattered over all this broad land which stretches from the northern hmit of Tennessee to the Gulf, on the south, and from the eastern line of Alabama to the Rio Grande, on the west, must put forth their strenuous efforts in securing students who shall resort to us for instruction and training, AVithout this prime fundamental considera- tion of personal effort, and the exertion of personal influence in making known and recommending the institution, we shall struggle hopelessly on, as so many of our schools of so- called higher learning haye done. But if our friends will but work energetically, our halls will be yery soon crowded with students. The citizens of Clarksyille must rally around, the University. This, we feel persuaded, they will do. The^'" haye done so in times past. They are prepared, with their moral wei^iit and otherwise, to sustain all the efforts of the directory and the Faculty to build up tho institution. There is nothing more potent as a factor in securing success to such an enterprise than the favor and kind feelings of the immediately surrounding community. AYithout it, failure is almost inevitable ; with it, everything is encouraging in the future. Now, let this morally weighty, influential commu- nity of Clarksville stand by and support the authorities in every good word and work, co-operating with them in every way for the success and good order of the institution, and this will strengthen the hearts of the Faculty and friends, and parents will be re-assured of the safety and moral pro- tection of their sons who may be entrusted to our care. And for the members of the Faculty, who are the immediate guardians of the interests of the University, the honored colleagues of the undersigned, I am j)ersuaded that, with their eminent and tried qualifications as instructors, their experience of many years in the management of schools of learning, and their well-known success amid many opjDOsing circumstances, the best founded hoi)es may be indulged that Advantages of the University. 523 the institution, with God's blessing to accompany their work, may prove a grand success. None of them, it may be asserted, will feel disposed to shrink from the share allotted to them as individuals, and to the body as a unit. The labor imposed upon each is very heavy, but they will be found equal to duty. With fidelity and devotion to work, indus- try and vigilance, with harmony in co-operation, such as will be reasonably anticipated, it would seem that God's smile of favor would be all that would be required to com- mand success, and Clarksville w^ould be developed into a grand educational centre for all our six SjTiods, and the blessed influence of Christian culture would extend to all the region round about and beyond. " Our endowment is respectable, but we hope to increase it. We have a suppty of class-room apparatus, mechanical, chemical, astronomical, and electrical, and to these addi- tions will be made. The scientific library is unusually fine, the donation of the late Wm. M. Stewart, and our facilities will be found ample in all resj)ects for imparting a first-class education. "Send us, therefore, students, and let our work be illustra- ted in the preparation and sending forth of highly-culti- vated Christian citizens in all dej^artments of human effort and usefulness. The University is not designed to be ephemeral, but to be perpetuated, and if its friends respond to its demands and reasonable claims, there seems no reason why it may not become a fountain of usefulness, a nursery of piety, and a source of infinite blessedness for generations yet unborn. John N. Waddel, Chancellor T The above was published extensively in the newspapers throughout all the adjacent States; and we were very busily engaged during the vacation in writing and answering let- ters in reference to the approaching session, and in prepar- ing for the reception of students until the 1st of September, on which day the exercises of the University were regularly opened, with something like fortj' students in attendance. CHAPTER LIII. 'The Epidemic Ag.u:n. — Numbek of Students. — The Public School. — The Fkee Feature of the University. — Character of the Faculty. — The Student-Body Before and After the New Or- ganization. — Discipline and Christian Influence. WE had scarce!}' found ourselves fairly settled in our new quarters when the exciting intelligence was flashed along the wires that the city of Memphis was again visited by the j^ellow-fever, and the trains were crowded with refugees who were fleeing from the . epidemic. This interrupted the travel to some extent, and no doubt created some apprehension of danger on the 2')art of many who had thought of sending students to Clarhsville. For although the distance between the two j^laces was two hundred miles, yet the communication between them was direct and open. The people of Clarksville were much exercised upon the sub- ject, and held a meeting to consider the Cjuestion of quaran- tining against Memphis ; and although there was a portion of the citizens in favor of throwing open the town to the refugees, there was a majority who decided against that coui'se, and so the town was placed under strict quarantine regulations. It was in this position that we found ourselves about the middle of July ; and although many people from Memphis did make their temporary sojourn in Clarksville, and two military companies of the city of Memphis en- camped there during the summer, yet not a case occurred of fever in the city of Clarksville. The panic subsided after a few weeks, and the ravages of the plague were not comparable to those of the summer of 1878, and we settled down with earnestness to our academic labors, and suffered no interruption from the visitation of yellow-fever. 524 Need of Preparatory Work. 525 Our catalogue of the first session records the number of" students in attendance on all the courses. "We were patron- ized to some extent by all the constituent Synods, and, in addition, by Georgia and Kentucky. They 'were appor- tioned as regards the various courses in the languages and sciences to a more enlarged extent than ordinarily is found in new institutions, which was truly a gratifying circum- stance in our prospective sphere of labor. There were, even in the School of Philosophy, of which I was placed in charge as my department of instruction, no less than thirty- five. We found our classes also including in their number, in various stages of advancement, ten candidates for the ministry. Yet such was the limited range and defective quality of preparatory schools throughout the entire region of country from which our patronage was drawn, that the Professors in Latin, Greek and Mathematics were obliged to do double duty in training unprepared students in the ele- ments of those schools. This was, however, an advantage of great importance and value to the students themselves, as they were in this way much more thoroughly fitted for the more advanced departments of the University schools,, and more intimately familiar with the methods of the pro- fessors by daily association with them for at least one addi- tional academic year. The city of Clarks-s^lle had in opera^ tion then, and also previous to our organization, the public school system, which was well sustained and largely patron- ized. It was not like many of the schools of the system in other places, which are in active operation for only a limited portion of the year, but its sessions were held through the usual term of the scholastic year. The town originally made a very generous contribution to the Directory as an inducement to locate the University at Clarksville, on this, among other conditions, that the public school should be en- titled to ten free scholarships, to be awarded to those stu- dents of the public school who should be adjudged entitled 526 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. to a scholarship upon examination. This was often con- ferred upon young men who properly appreciated their op- portunity and imj)roved their advantages, but, as is some- times the case, others thus favored failed to meet the respon- sibility accompanpng the benefaction. Yet there were also among our free students of this class those who reflected credit upon the University in their after course in life. The free feature of the institution was based upon two other j)rinciples in its original establishment, and these be- came, in process of time, very largely adopted and practiced in the reception of students. One of them was part and parcel of the very nature of our system as a church college, •viz. : that all candidates for the ministiy of the Presbyterian Church should be trained free of all tuition fees. The other was that all sons of Presbyterian ministers should be ad- mitted free of tuition fees. This last provision is not with- out reason, as, w^iile it may be accompanied by a diminu- tion of the salaries of the officers of the Faculty, it relieved the authorities of any burden of debt to them, which is often found to be incurred by colleges where fixed salaries are pledged u23on the basis of tuition receipts. In the case of the Southwestern Presbyterian University, the number of ^professorships unendowed were supported by distributing the actual proceeds of the entire tuition fees among the Pro- fessors, and this, of course, was subject to fluctuation ; but at the same time, out of the general endowment fund, an income was sufficient and secure to paj^ to each an invariable bonus, which they might confidently rely upon, and would ordinarily enable the Professors to sustain themselves. The University of Mississij^pi charges no candidate for the ministry of any church, nor any young man who is de- sirous to obtain an education, and unable to pay tuition. But it is abundantly able to affi^rd this generosity by its ample endowment lodged in the State treasury ; bi't church colleges and universities are not in circumstances of financial ClARKSVLLLE and the IJNrV^ERSITY. 527 ability sucli as those of Mississippi University, and while the latter should have the credit of her generosity, it must be kept in mind that she can well afford it. On this subject it has always been to me a sui'prising, and yet a most gratifying fact, that the Southwestern Presl)yte- nan University has been so highly favored as to retain in service for so long a period Professors of such acknowledged ability as those occupying the several chairs of instruction in the Faculty. It is not, b}' any means, an extravagant estimate of the merit justly accorded to these gentlemen, that they would have been found, respectively, fully equal to any similar position in any of the institutions of the higher learning in the country. I have no doubt that it is due, in part, to the fact that the community in which the University is located is justly reputed as remarkable for its genial courtes}' and social feeling, and for its refined and generous bearing toward the University. That this w^as not the case in its original opening is known to those familiar with the history of the institution. It is not possible to state, j)roba- bly with absolute certainty, the causes which might have combined to produce a result which, at the first, seemed to argue coldness of interest toward the University on the part of the citizens. And even were it j)ossible, it will not be proper to enter it on record, as it most assuredly no longer exists. The citizens, as is well known, began to take great pride in the institution, and to regard it as an acquisition to the city, every way calculated to attract attention from abroad and add to the population of Clarksville. Those of the authorities in more immediate charge of the institution were resolved, from the beginning, to devote their best energies to the elevation of its character and the grade of its standard. That they were successful to a most gratifying extent, in the course of time, is a matter of his- tory that is well known to all who had the opportunity to watch the progress of events in the gradual development o:^ the system newly established. 528 John N. Waddel, D. T>., LL. D. The College, for some years previous to 1879, had lost the confidence of the region from which its support was mainly drawn, as to the character of the student-body. When the University was opened, there was found a mixture, consist- ing of a goodly ]3roportion of young men of the highest character for morals and intelligence, wath young boys who had no proper apjDreciation of their surroundings, and who were not disposed to be studious or law-abiding. The for- mer consisted of candidates for the ministry and others of sufficient maturity of age and purpose to induce them to make the wisest use of their time and opportunities. The latter were just of the class always found in schools, and even in colleges, who seek their own enjoyment in any pursuit rather than in books and study. The misfortune was that these last were proportionally numerous, and this gave them confidence in their chosen methods. From them proceeded all those l^etty annoyances iu which idle students delight to engage for the j)urposes of disorder and trouble. "College tricks" of mischief became very common, and the equanimity of the Faculty was often distured at night by shouting noises on the streets. It was nearly always expected that some exhi- bition of low practical mischief would be j)i'esented on the assembhng of the Faculty and students at morning prayer in the chapel. This course of things, for the first session, was very discouraging, I must confess, to myself, and almost in- duced a conviction that I had committed a great error of judgment in undertaking to build up an institution of such material. But I will cease to dwell upon these matters further than to add that, by persistent enforcement of dis- cipline, sometimes of the rigid kind, and at other times of a milder character, but always impartial, and adapted to each case individually, we were gratified to observe a steady and sure, though gradual, improvement and elevation of the character of the student-body, year after year, until after three years of the University had elapsed, such low and vul- Eeligious Instruction. 529 gar hal3its had disappeared from among the students. AVhile, therefore, v>'e cannot record such a state of conduct existing as approached perfection, yet every observer might have marked the reformation of manners and bearing in their public association with the community from time to time. The annual report of the chancellor to the directory gave the gratifying statement that the year had closed ^Yith- out a case of discipline. Religious instruction entered into the course to a very large extent. The School of the Bible vras not among the electives at all ; it was required of every student, and for the attainment of anj^ of the degrees in the course, it formed an essential prerequisite. To this was added that Sabbath instruction was imparted to every stu- dent, and, for this purpose, he was required to attend the Sabbath-school of some evangelical church in the city, at the discretion and choice of the parent or guardian. At an early period in the history of the University a Young Men's Christian Association was formed among the students, con- sisting of active and associate members, and this proved a sig- nal advantage, contributing to the elevation of the insti^.ution and the cultivation of the Christian character of the students. Our morning worship consisted of music, led by profes- sors who were scientific musicians, who performed on a cabinet organ, and there was among the students a regular choir of sijigers. The Bible was read and prayer oftered. We called no roll, but the students were distributed into classes of ten, and each class assigned to a separate seat in the chapel, with its own monitor, furnished with a card, on which were written the names of his class of ten, and his sole duty was to note absentees, and hand his card on Sat- urday morning to the presiding officer, and receive a new card for the ensuing week. Hymn-books also were dis- tributed among the students, and it was really enjoyable to be present at prayers on account of the music, in which the large body of them engaged, with perfect decorum. 34 530 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. By this sort of control, continued for some time, and by tlie j)ersonal intercourse Avbicli was established between the professors and the students, partaking, as far as was possi- ble, of the family natui'e, that disposition which seems to have prevailed among the institutions of the times long passed, and which seemed at first also to be very generally characteristic of the students of our first sessions, viz., to look upon the Faculty as antagonistic to the student body in iheir feelings, to our great gratification, gradually disaj)- peared, and the relations which ultimately obtained between iis became most pleasant and confidential. CHAPTER LIV. Peoceedixgs and Action of the Boaed. -Eesignation of Peofessob DiNwiDDiE.- Election of Pkofessok Massie. —Resignation of Peofessoe Hemphill. -Election of Peofessoe Nicolassen.— Es- tablishment OF A Chaie and Its Endowment. —Election of De. Welch. -Refusal of Presbytery to Dissolve Pastoeal Rela- tion. -De. Peice Elected and Accepting. THE University continued the even tenor of its way, with- out any change of a material kind, until Commencement on the first Wednesday, the 2d of June, 1880. The usual preliminary exercises connected with the occasion were all successfully passed through. The directory met on May 28th, and closed their session on Wednesday, June 2d, eight being present. No new or important items occupied the Board, but the chancellor delivered his inaugural addi-ess, and he was regularly installed in the office in which he had been acting for a year past, the keys, emblematic of au- thority, being delivered to him by Eev. Dr. Palmer, accom- panied by a brief and cordial address. We closed with a Faculty as full in nmnber as our means of payment would admit at the time, and we had been remarkably successful in collecting the entire income due from students for Uni- versity charges, amounting to nearly $3,000, to which was added the semi-annual dividend arising from the endow- ment fund, which was $3,000. We felt, therefore, that we had thus far reahzed our anticipations of success, and we "thanked God, and took courage." The Professorship of Mathematics was vacated after Commencement by the resignation of Professor Dinwiddle, and we were caUed upon unexpectedly to fill this chair,' 531 532 John N. AYaddel, I). D., LL. D. "which could he done only lyrocisionally by the Executive Committee, as the Board of Directors had adjourned and could not be assembled at Clarksville conYenieutly. We met for this j^urpose accordingly, and proceeded to read testimonials and discuss the claims of candidates "who had been nominated. Out of the foUowing list of names, Adz. : D. B. Johnson, of Knoxville ; G. B. Halstead, of Princeton ; C. C. Norwood, of Georgia, and E. B. Massie, of Charlottesville, Va., we, by a unanimous vote, elected the last named gentleman, IVIr. E. B. Massie, Professor of Mathematics. We, of course, could not object to either of his competi- tors, as they were all alike entire strangers to us, but the re- sults which have followed the choice of Professor Massie in the history of his connection with the University, and the universal testimony of Faculty, directors, and all the succes- sive bodies of students that have enjoyed the benefit of his instruction, and the influence of his personal and social in- tercourse with them, would, if ascertained, be that we were certainly wisely guided in our seleciion, and that we secured "the right man in the right place." The Board ratified this action of the Executive Committee at their next meet- ing. Two facts may be recorded as occurring during this session which (although in one of them I was personally concerned) exerted some influence upon the interest of the University. On the 11th of February of this year I became conscious for the first time of my having symptoms of a dis- ease that has never been entirely remedied or eradicated from m}" system, although every possible and almost every conceivable effort of an earthly nature has been resorted to by phj'sicians to the present time after the lapse of eight years. I was for five of those years a great sufferer, and yet continued to serve as best I could as Chancellor of the University. The result, however, need not be anticipated, as it will have its record at the ^^roper time in the j^i'ogress of this narrative. A Generous Donation. 533 Another matter claims notice just now bearing directly upon che fortunes of the institution, which was the election of Professor C. E. Hemphill, of our Faculty, to the position of "Associate Professor of Biblical Literature, with the sal- ary of full Professor " (and a year later, on the death of Dr. Howe, he succeeded to the full chaii- of " Biblical Lit- erature," covering the "Exegesis of the Old and New Testa- ments, as well as instruction in the Hebrew Language and New Testament Greek") in the Columbia Theological Semi- nar}^, his acceptance of the appointment, and his resignation of the Professorship of Ancient Languages in our University. He had filled this chair for three years with signal ability and universal acceptance, and his departure was felt to be a great loss to the University and the community, and espe- cially regretted by the social Faculty circle, which was much devoted to him and his charminof familv. The attention of the Board was called at once to the fill- ing of two important chairs ; one vacated by the resignation of Professor Hemphill. The occasion for the filhng of the other needs a brief explanation. The professorship of History, English Literature and Elocution had been filled at the re-organization of the Uni- versity in 1879 by the appointment of Rev. Dr. Shearer, and he had been conducting the instruction in that school, and at the same time he had been charged with teaching the Bible. The work required by these two departments was manifestly too onerous for one incumbent, and it had been the purpose of the Board to appoint an additional professor as soon as the requisite endowment could be se- cured. Just about this time, Mr. J. J. McComb, near the city of New York, made the generous donation of $30,000 as the basis of a professorship (through Rev. Dr. Palmer) to the University. This being presented at this meeting, the Board proceeded at once to make use of it for the support of the additional chair; and as Dr. Shearer preferred the 534 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. chair of Biblical Instruction, it was resolved that lie should now be made professor in that school, and that it should be placed in the same grade with those already estabhshed. In the meantime they proceeded to fill the chair of History, etc., and rested its support upon the McComb fund just presented. The Board at once then, by a unanimous vote, elected to this position Rev. Thos. B. Welch, D. D., one of the Directors from Arkansas. Dr. W. being present, signi- fied his willingness to accept the appointment subject to the action of the session of the Presbyterian church in Little Bock, of which he was pastor. There were several candi- dates for the chair of Ancient Languages, and among them gentlemen of eminent qualifications according to highly complimentary and satisfactory testimonials. The election resulted in the choice of G, F. Nicolassen, Ph. D., of Johns Hopkins University. So that our Faculty was now in- creased in number and efficiency by filling the McComb Professorship. On June 7th the Board met and brought their business to a close by electing Bev. Dr. Welch vice- chancellor. We closed the exercises of the academic year, and dismissed the students for the long summer vacation of three months, to open again on September 1st. The Board made provision previous to adjournment for meeting any emergency that might occur in case of a re- fusal, on the part of the Presbytery of Arkansas, to allow Dr. Welch to leave the Little Bock church, by which the execittive committee were instructed to elect Dr. Bobert Price to the professorship of English Literature. Informa- tion was in due time received from Bev. Dr. Craig, who had attended the meeting of the Presbytery as the representa- tive of the directory for the purpose of urging them to dis- solve the pastoral relation, and also from Dr. Welch him- self, to the efiect that the Presbytery refused to consent to the dissolution. These letters were received by me while I was absent from home, on July 31st, at Wankeshaw, whither Increase of Patronage. 535 I had gone to spend a season for my broken health. I at once "wrote to Dr. Lupton at Clarksville, and urged that a meeting of the executive committee be called at once, and that they should carry into effect the instructions of the Board, and elect Dr. Eobert Price, of Vicksburg, Miss. This ■was done by them, and in process of time he accepted the call, and, being released by his Presbytery (Central Missis- sippi), he resigned the charge of the church in Vicksburg,. made his arrangements at once, and effected his removal, arriving at Clarksville on September 8th, and was engaged in regular work on the 11th. Dr. Nicolassen, the newly- elected Professor of Languages, who had arrived on the 30th of August, was at work at a very early period of the session; and as large accessions of new students were arriving daily by every train, the usual degree of pleasant excitement consecjuent upon the opening of a new session. j)revailed, and all concerned found themselves very closely engaged in the several departments of work assigned to each in his sphere. We had very little interruption to our internal progress this entire session, slight cases of discipline only occurring occasionally, easily disposed of without rigid application of correction. The scholarship of the student-body was im- proved, their deportment much more manly and dignified, and the patronage handsomely increased. I find, on a re- view of the first four sessions of the University, ending in. 1883, that the improvement was steady and gradual in every desirable respect as regards the character of the stu- dent body. It is attributable, under the blessing of God, to some extent to the nature of the system of discipHne in. operation, as already alluded to, and to the additional fact that there was every year an addition of pious students. It is admitted that such an influence as this last is not so effective always as may be expected, and as should be, from, the nature of the case. But when we observe that the same 536 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. deficiency is discovered to exist in society, and even amongf the membership of organized churches, it may be accounted for as readily in the one case as in the other. The latter of these cases, used here to illustrate a fact, it would seem, should be under a deeper sense of obligation to elevate and refine public morals, from their more extensive experience, and from their more prominent j)osition, than a body of students occupying a comparatively subordinate j^osition. Yet while the churches are not exerting an universal influ- ence for good, we should find, by their expulsion, or their ab- sence from any community, the disastrous consequences that would immediately follow. Just so the presence of a greater or less infusion of the element of piety into any stu- dent body will be the means of a perceptible correspondent and relative elevation and refinement of character of the mass of the students. They are a part of " the salt of the earth," and act as the preservative element. We find, in the announcement of the year lS86-'87, the statement that Mr. S. B. Steers, of New Orleans, had estab- hshed a fund of $500 a year as a pious memorial of his son, Edward C. Steers, deceased, to be used, under the direction of the Faculty of the Southwestern Presbyterian University, in aiding candidates for the ministry in the institution, sub- ject to such regulations as may seem wise. I add to this that this amount of $500 was regularly remitted by the donor, Mr. Steers, in prompt quarterly payments during his life. At his death, he, by bequest, left the sum of ten thou- sand dollars for this purpose, the interest of which sum only is to be used. Two other distinguished gentlemen, friends of the insti- tution, generously aided in the support of needy candidates for the ministry, provided they were represented by proper authority as promising, as well as needy. CHAPTEK LY. DiTixiTY School Established. —Electiox of Pkofessoe, and the Chaib Endowed. — Dr. Caldwell's Resigxatiox. IT should be understood, and is here recorded, that in the original organization of the rniversity it was the design of the Board of Directors to enlarge the sphere of its ojDera- tions, so as to make it what its name would naturally imx^ly, a comprehensive combination of such other schools as the nature of the case demands, and as the means and re- sources at their control would authorize. Especially was it contemplated that a " School of Divinity," or a " Theological Seminary," should constitute a prominent part of the sys- tem. The constantly increasing number of candidates pre- senting themselves annually for admission into our classes, preparatory to their entrance uiDon the study of theoloo-y and cognate departments, some of whom were already grad- uated from the Department of Literature and Science, im- pressed upon the minds of the members of the Board the urgent importance of carrying out this scheme, and the time seemed propitious for inaugurating the school at the the earliest period possible. Accordingly, at the annual meeting of the Board in 1884, it was decided unanimously to add a theological school to this University. In pursu- ance of this purpose, the follo^^dug action was taken : " 1. The School of Theology shall be a component part of the University, in the same mani:\er and under the same reo-u- lations, and under the same general supervision of the Chan- cellor, as the other schools now existing. "2. The instruction in Theology^ Didactic, Historic and Polemic, is assigned to the Professor of Theology : the He- 537 538 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. brew and New Testament Greek, is j)laced under the charge of Dr. J. B. Shearer ; Church History, under that of Dr. Price ; Church Pohty, under that of Dr. "Waddel ; and Dr. J. W. Luj)ton is requested to give instruction in PastoiaL Theology. " This general outhne is intended to give to the professor of theology the assurance of the support he will need in the office of instruction. It may be modified to any extent by conference between himself and the Faculty of the Uni- versity, when he shall take the work in hand to which he is chosen. "The School of Theology will be open for the reception of students September 1st, 1885." The Board at once felt the necessity of placing this; gre^t trust in the hands of the right man as professor,. and by a common impulse a committee was ajDpointed to wait on Dr. Palmer, and ascertain his views as to accept- ance of the professorship. He very clearly and unequivo- cally declined to entertain the idea. On Monday, June 2d, the Board proceeded to an election of a professor of theology, which resulted in the choice of Rev. E. L. Dab- ney, D. D. By order of the Board I wrote a long and earnest letter to Dr. Dabney, which was signed by Dr. Palmer, Dr. Welch, and myself, and entrusted to Dr. Mar- shall to deliver to the Doctor personally. On June 21st, I received a long, kind, and yet decisive letter from Dr. Dab- ney, declining the professorship to which he had been elected. This was greatly to our disappointment, but we were now called upon to devise a method by which this difficulty could be met, so as to fill the chair in time for the session of 1885. At a meeting of the executive commit- tee, held on September 24th, at which Dr. Palmer was present, the question was discussed — first, as to the pro- priety of conducting an election by correspondence ; and, second, by nominating a candidate and addressing a circu- A Professor of Theology. 539- lar to each director individually, requesting him to note by letter his aiDproval or disapproval. After much discussion, the name of Eev. Dr. J. E. AVilson was presented as the nominee for the chair of Theology, and a circular was agreed upon, a copy of which was to be forwarded by mail to each director for his consideration. This was done, and in due course of time answers were received from all, indi- cating, by a large majority, their acceptance of Dr. "Wilson as professor of theology. He was written to officially and informed of his election, and signified his willingness to ac- cept the appointment. Thus we were enabled to announce through our catalogue that the School of Theology would form a prominent department of the University at the open- ing of the session 1885, with Dr. Wilson as principal pro- fessor. There was not a dollar of endowment provided at the time, but the Board aj^pointed Eev. E. F. Bunting, D. D., agent for the purpose of raising the funds for that pui-pose, and Dr. Bunting entered at once upon the work assigned him. In the meantime, provisional pledges were secured in the six Synods, from friends, to ensure the payment of tha salary of the professor until such time should elapse as might be necessary when the endowment would be com- pleted, invested and productive. We may dismiss this mat- ter by stating that the blessing of God crowned the enter- prise with perfect success, and that the chair in due lime W'as fully established. It is a most gratifying fact, that the estabhshment of this department of the University at so early a period in the his- toiy of the University was reahzed under circumstances so entirely satisfactory. When we remember that there was not in the treasury of the University one dollar which might be devoted to the support of the Divinity School, nor, at its inauguration, any pledges from any source that such sup- port should be furnished ; and yet that the Board of Direc- tors had the strong conviction that induced them to ^o for- 540 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. ■\\'ard iu the work ; it was verilv no other than an act of faith in the God of infinite wisdom and love, under whose guidance the institution had thus far been so signally sus- tained, and had been built up in honor and usefulness to his church. This is the true secret of all success, and it is cause of grateful remembrance, on a review of this part of the Board's administration, that this strong and fervent faith in God was inspired into their hearts and strengthened them to go forward in the work. And now, when we look into the progress of events in connection with that period which has elapsed since the actual opening of the Divinity School, our conviction of the propriety of its organisation is well assured by the fruits which have resulted in the com- pletion of the theological courses of so many young brethren, and their prompt entrance upon the work of preaching the gospel in various parts of our Southern Zion. The resignation of Dr. John W. Caldwell of the chair of Natural Sciences, which he had filled acceptably for many years, rendered it necessary that we should take steps at an early period to supply, as far as possible, the vacancy thus occurring. The executive committee in this case, not deem- ing it advisable to go into even a provisional election of a professor who should be recommended to the Board for confirmation at their annaal meeting, were fortunate in find- ing that the duties of the chair could be discharged for the remainder of the session by Professor E. B. Massie, who was not only iullj qualified, but kind enough to undertake the additional labor of instruction that would be necessary until the close of the session. The resignation of Dr. Caldwell was felt by the Faculty to be a serious loss to the University, and a series of resolu- tions were passed by them of the most complimentary chai'- acter, expressive of their sense of his high and valuable ser- vices and usefulness to the University, as well as their sincere regret in the loss that they would sustain of the so- Close of Fifth Session. 541 ciety of himself, and that of his refined and esteemed family, from our circle of association. Dr. Caldwell was very soon placed iu a position of commanding influence and useful- ness as Professor of Chemistry and Geology, and curator of the Museum in Tulane University, New Orleans. Beyond the exercises usually occurring at Commencement, wliich were creditable in 1883, nothing of remarkable interest is recorded, except the matters already referred to above. Thus ended the fifth session of the University, during which period much material action, mainly preparatory, had been transacted by the authorities, and the actual execution was reserved for 1881-'85. At the annual meeting of directors, on May 30th to June 3rd, inclusive, the vacancy in the Stewart professorship, oc- casioned by the resignation of Professor J. "W. Caldwell, was filled by the appointment of Professor James A. Lyon, Ph. D., by a unanimous vote of the Board. Dr. Lyon was a son of the Rev. J. A. Lyon, D. D., and was a graduate of Nassau Hall, Princeton, New Jersey, where he had held a high grade as a student, and at the time of gradu'ition had awarded to him a fellowship for superior mathematical at- tainments. He had filled a chair in Highland Universitv, in the State of Kansas, and in aw3ollegiate institute of high re- pute at York, Pa., and at the time of his election to the chair at Clarksville he held the professorship of Physical Science in the Washington and Jefferson College, of Penn- s^'lvania. Dr. Lyon accepted the call, and entered upon the duties of the chair at the opening of the session, September, 1885. CHAPTER LYL Oeganization of the Divinity axd Academic Schools. — Fikst Class, — Sketch of Dk. Welch. VE opened under the enlarged system established and inaugurated by the Board September 8th under the following Faculties in the Academic and Divinity Schools : ACADEMIC FACULTY. John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D., Chancellor, ProfessorinfheScfioolof P]iiloso2)Tty. Hev. J. B. Sheaker, D. D. , Professor in the SchooC of Biblical InstruC' tion. S. J. CoFFMAN, A. M., Professor in the School of Modern Languages. E. B. Massie, a. M., Professor in the School of Mathematics. G. F. NicoLAssEN, A. M., Ph. D., Professor in the School of Ancient Languages. Bev. Robert Price, D. D., McComhProfessorin tlie School of History ^ English Literature, History and Rhetoric. J. A. Lyon, A. M., Ph. D^ Steioart Professor in the School of Natural Sciences. N. Smylie, a. B. , Assistant Professor in severed Schools. FACULTY OF THE DIVINITY SCHOOL. Bev. J. N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D., Chancellor, Professor of Church Polity. -Rev. Joseph E. Wilson, D, D. , Professor of Theology and Homiletics. Eev. J. B. Shearer, D. D. , LL. D. , Professor of Hebrew and New Testament Greek. Rev. Robert Price, D. D. , Professor of Ecclesiasticcd History. Rev. J. W. LuPTON, D. D., Professor of Practical Theology. In all, there were twenty-one candidates for the ministiy pui'suing the ]3reparatory studies, and there were sixteen who constituted the first class of the Divinity School. This 542 Death of Kev. Dr. Welch. 543 was the beginning of this department, and was the only professional course as vet established. It closed this first session with most satisfactory results. The scheme adopted contemplates the simple principle that its various schools are in reality but one, and the government and depart- ments bear the same relation to the University as do those of the academic schools. The two Faculties and the discipline are one. The chancellor is the chief execu- tive and the presiding officer of the whole. During the progress of this session the institution was caUed, in the providence of God, to a great affliction in the loss 'of Rev. Dr. ^Yelch, a prominent and most efficient member of the Board of Directors from the beginning of the institution, and who, at the time of his death, was vice-president of the Board. Some notice of such a man, it would seem, would very naturaUy accompany the history of the Uuiversity to which, while living, he was so devoted, and whose inteiists he served so long and so efficiently. The writer of this sketch had known Dr. Welch during the preceding thirty years of his Hf e, and for a great part of that time had enjoyed most intimate associations with him. At the period of his untimely and unexpected death he had attained his three-score years. He was an alumnus of Cen- tre College, of forty years' standing, in its day of prosperity, received his theological training at New Albany, Indiana,' and had been an ordained minister of the gospel during thii^v-fom' years. After a brief term of service with the church in Helena, Ark., he was called to the pastorate of the Fu'st church, in Little Rock. Here, for nearly a quarter century, he labored with untiring devotion, and the result was that the strong attachment which he felt for the people was met, on their part, by a responsive devotion and love for him. In all theii- spiritual interests he was their trusted guide and counseUor. To him they resorted for advice in perplexing questions of duty, and always found him pre- 544 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. pared to direct them, careful- to impress upon them always that in all their troubles and afflictions, while he was a sym- pathizing fi'iend, they must trace all their deliverances to the God of all comfort. Sound and orthodox in his creed, he was instructive and faithful in his pulpit ministrations. Thoroughly skilled as a presbyter, he was an acknowledged leader in all cjuestions of church polity, and was remarkable for his executive ability. Hence it was not a matter of sur- prise that his reputation for the possession of these valuable qualities led to his election as Moderator of the Southern General Assembly in 1872. He stood in the front rank of the ministerial corps of his Synod and Presbytery, and was recognized as a man of such practical wisdom as won for him universal confidence in regard to the public interests of the State and nation. In this connection the writer recalls an interesting state- ment made b}' one who had spent some time in Little Rock, and was familiar with the condition of affairs in the State during the troublous times of reconstruction, strikingly illus- trative of the modest, wise, and unobtrusive influence of Dr. Welch upon jDublic affairs. A congressional committee had been appointed to visit the State, w^ith a view of investigat- ing the condition of feeling of the people toward the Gov- ernment of the United States, and to report the result to Congress as a basis of legislation. The chairman of that committee visited Dr. Welch's church as a worshipper. Ob- serving him as a stranger. Dr. Welch accosted him cour- teouslv, as was his custom, assuring' him of a cordial wel- come, and inviting him to attend divine service, with the certainty that he should always be shown to a comfortable seat whenever he might attend. Disarmed by such unex- pected attention, evidently disinterested, the stranger laid aside all prejudice, and during his stay in Little Rock sought opportunity to obtain from Dr. Welch the needed informa- tion upon the subject of his mission. This was furnished Eev. Dr. Welch. 545 by Dr. Welch in a manner that carried conviction of its truthfulness along Tv^ith it, and, in connection with other in- fluences, led to the preparation and presentation of such a report by that committee as to defeat entire!}' the object of the bitter partisans who had organized the movement, and ultimately resulted in a peaceful settlement of all j)ubhc trou- ble. This fact is given as an illustration of the wise and judicious influence exerted by Dr. Welch, not only as a Christian minister, but as a Christian patriot. His term of active service in Little Eock was brought to a close by alarming symptoms of dechning health, which imperatively demanded a cessation of ministerial labor and a residence in a more genial climate. His capacity for ac- curate business matters suggested to influential friends in, government circles the idea of a temporary appointment to some office, the duties of which would not be onerous, and the location healthful. Accordingly, the appointment of United States Consul at the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Can- ada, tendered to him and accepted, seemed to j)romise all that was desired ; and for nearly a year there was the most grati- fying j)i'ospect of a complete restoration of health. Not- withstanding the almost constant service rendered by him to the Presbyterian people of that city in preaching to their large congregations, he continued to improve, and his friends were cheered by confident hopes that he would ultimate!/ regain his health, and liv^ to perform many years^ service to the church and to the world. The insidious disease of the heart still lurked in the system, and only awaited occasion to complete its fatal work. At a most unexpected and sud- den moment, at eleven o'clock of the night of Thursday, March 25th, *'the silver cord was loosed, the golden bowl was broken, the pitcher was broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern," and the mysteriously-wroughfc machinery was brought to a full stop. The "work of life was done; the burden was laid down;. 35 546 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. the sen-ant of God was called from labor to rest, haYing- been faithful in every station assigned him in the providence of God : having filled every relation binding him to others ; liaving met every obligation grov^^ing out of those relations, lie had won the universal confidence of all with whom he had been associated. A devoted husband ; a generous and affectionate kinsman ; an upright, wise, and loyal citizen ; an instructive and scriptural minister of the gospel ; a man of most liberal spirit in all matters of Christian benevolence ; in a word, a man of God. He will long be missed and re- gTetted in all these positions and relations. The church mourns the departure of one of her most efficient and trusted servants. The College at Bates ville, Ark., and the L^niver- sity at Clarksville, Tenn., of whose boards of trust he had been a prominent and valued member from their origin, liave sustained an almost irreparable loss. It would seem that all over the Southwest, which was the scene of his Hfe- work, the cry will spontaneously go up, "Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of God." CHAPTEK LVII. Fli.riNG Vacancies on- the Boabd.-Wiihmawai, fkom the Boabd bt Synod of Texas. -Sketches. -Paiuno Health and Resignation THE Synod of Arkansas proceeded to fill the vacancy in the Board, which was caused bv the death of Dr Welch, by the election of Eev. ^V. A. Sample, D. D., and the vacancy caused by the removal to Texas of Eev Dr Eav mond, of Alabama, was fiUed by the appointment of Eev J. M. P. Otts, as the representative of that Sj-nod on the Board. It was during the session of 1886-'87, at the faU meetmg of the Synod of Texas, that this body resolved to sever its connection with the Southwestern Presbyterian University. Accordingly, on the roll of the Board, as pub- lished in the catalogue of that session, the number of co operating Synods is reduced from sis to five. The names of two most beloved and highly-esteemed directors, and two whose ardent devotion and zealous, active work for its pros perity had never been excelled, appear no more recorded upon our annual catalogue. Their absence from the annual meetings of the Board was a conspicuous event in our his- tor,-^ as ,t was known to aU our friends that, on no occasion of the assembly of the directors had either of them ever been absent, save when unable to attend bv reason of sick- ness, and this had occurred on only a singk occasion, in the case of Eev Dr. King; while, in the experience of the ven- erable Dr. W. K. Marshall, dating his membership from the very origin of the institution, his attendance at Clarks- viUe was never known to fail. These gentlemen were sur- S47 548 John N. AYaddel, D. D., LL. D. rendered by us with the deepest regret, for the additional reason that their ■s\isdom and experience contributed greatly to the estabhshment of those grand fundamental principles which lie at the basis of true Christian education, to which, indeed, this institution is so largely indebted for its solid prosperity. A singular fact may be noted in this connec- tion, that neither of the directors fi'om Alabama last elected "was ever present at any meeting of the Board, occasioned by providential events and circumstances beyond their con- trol. The University attained its highest number of attendant students during the session of 1886-'87, the catalogue for this session exhibiting a total of one hundred and fifty. Of these, there were twenty-one divinity students, being an in- crease of five on the class of the preceding session. The Faculty of Arts was only so far changed as to have elected Mr. F. W. Morton, of Virginia, to fill the chair of adjunct in. the departments vacated by the resignation of Professor Smylie. My health continued to grow more and more feeble during all the years that had passed from 1882, at which time the first symptoms of decline began to manifest themselves. I had visited during the vacations "Waukesha Springs, and placed myself under the special medical treatment of distin- guished physicians in various parts of the country, and had used many remedies which were recommended, but all to no purpose ; and this course of suffering continued for five ses- sions without the suspension of my official duties or my ab- sence from the University dui'ing the term. Often, how- ever, I found myself suffering much j)ain while in the dis- charge of the needed work of my department. This condi- tion of things continued until the opening of the session of 1887-'88, when, after a struggle of about five weeks with the disease which I had fought for five years, I was forced to succumb. Resignation of Chancellorship. 549 Ou the 30tli of September, 1887, awaking from a troubled sleep, I fouiid myself so prostrate with fever and utter phy- sical inability, I abandoned all effort to work. Calling in oui' friend and family physician. Dr. McCauley, I was, from that day to the 25th of October, imder his treatment for catarrh in a most aggravated form. On consultation with Dr. ^Yright, Dr. McCauley decided that I should at once withdraw from all work and responsibility in connection with the University, and that I should pass the winter in some Southern climate. To this decision I submitted, with the approval of the friends and colleagues most interested in the matter. As I learned subsequently', however, that my disease was incurable, in the opinion of the attending physicians, and that while they admitted the j)ossibility of an improvement in my case from change of climate, at the same time they asserted, with some positiveness, that should I be sufficiently improved to resume work, the consequence of such a step on my part would be inevitable relapse and fatal termination. Confiding imphcitly in their views, as to their wisdom and skill, on consultation with my devoted wife, I determined to tender to the Board of Directors my resignation of the office of chancellor, to take effect on Jan- uary 1st, or at the close of the current session, as might seem best for the interests of the University. The following is a copy of the resignation, one of the copies having been prepared and forwarded to each di- rector : " Claeksville, October 11, 1887. " Dear Brother : It is well known to the directors that my mind for several years has been much occupied with the severance of my connection with this institution. My present failure of health makes it imperative that I should present to the Board individually the facts in the case, and I desire them to make known to me their views on this sub- 550 John N. AVaddel, D. D., LL. D. ject as speedily as possible. After making an honest effort during the month of September to fulfill the duties and ob- ligations of my office, I find myself prostrated and unable to perform any duty. The Faculty, at the suggestion of my physicians, have divided my duties among them so that my teaching and clerical duties are being carried on by them. " Two physicians, in whose judgment I have confidence, decide that it is important in my condition that I should si^end the winter in a climate less rigorous than this ; and it is also then* opinion that should I recover sufficientl}^ to resume my duties, I would again succumb. It is clearly my duty, under such circumstances, to tender my resigna- tion, to take effect in January, or at the end of the sessional year, according to your wish. I leave the choice of these alternatives to you, as it was the expressed wish of several members of the Board, that, even in case of failure of health, I should continue my connection with the institu- tion during the sessional year. " And nov/, in the Providence of God, I feel it my duty to tender my resignation, to take effect at such time as you may indicate. Respectfully and truly, " Jno. N. Waddel." To this I received answers from the du'ectors, accepting my resignation, which took effect at the close of the current session in June, 1888. On the 28th of October we arrived in Pensacola, Fla., and there, in the house and with the family of C. V. Thompson, who had married my youngest daughter, and had resided there for several years, we spent the winter, and left there on April 23, 1888. During these five or six months, I had been for the greater part of the time utterly prostrate in health. Under the blessing of God, upon the faithful and skilful nursing of my devoted •wife, and the genial influence of the climate, my health be- gan to exhibit evidence of gradual improvement. On the Closing Incidents. 551 23d of April, 1888, we turned oui' faces northward, and leaving Pensacola, reached Clarksville, after slight delay in visiting friends on the way, on May 1st. In the interval, at a special meeting of the Board of Directors held on March 21st, my resignation, which had. • been assented to individually, was formally accepted by the assembled Board, to take effect in June. At this meetings the Eev. C C Hersman, D. D., was unanimously chosert chancellor, which he accepted. The period from May Isfc to July 1st, we spent in Clarksville. The only event worthy of historical record occurring during these two months was the annual Commencement, which occupied the- five days from June 2d to 6th inclusive. The Board met and transacted the usual routine business on Saturday, 2d, On Sabbath evening, after an address of great eloquence by^ Dr. Palmer, listened to with profound attention by an im- mense audience in the Presbyterian church, on the *' Cen- tennial Memoiial of the Origin of our Church in the United States ; " a collection, or rather a subscription, was taken, which resulted in the sum of $6,000, as reported, for the ad- ditional endowment and general benefit of the Southwesterrt Presbyterian University. On the evening of Wednesday, 6th, after the usual exercises on Monday*, Tuesday and. Wednesday mornings had been performed by speakers and others, the regular inauguration of the chancellor-elect, Dr. C. C. Hersman, was publicly attended to, and the keys of office, emblematic of his authority, w^ere delivered to him, accompanied by a brief address from myself, to which Dr. H. responded in an elaborate discourse on " DenomiaationaL Education." I may be excused, I trust, for alluding to the following* occurrence which closed the exercises of the evening, and with them, at the same time, brought the Commencement occasion to an end. As I sat on the rostrum after the inau- gural address of Dr. H. had been delivered, to my great 552 John N. "Waddel, D. D., LL. D. surprise, I -^as iDersonally addressed by Dr. Palmer in a speech of few but striking "thoughts that breathed, and ^ords that burned," which was accompanied by the un- Teiling of a portrait of myself. This whole occurrence had heen successfully concealed from me, and from the first con- ception of it to the actual execution of the plan, I was kept , profoundly in the dark. The portrait w^as executed and presented to the University, wholly at the expense of the artist, Mr. W. J. McCormick, of Clarksville. Thus ended my public connection with the Southwestern Presb}i:erian XTniversity, and since that occasion I have occupied the posi- tion of one among its warmest friends, and this humble place I shall continue to fill so long as my life may endure. CHAPTEE LTIII. •XJeneral Beview.-What is a Cheistian Institutiox ?-Closing Ee- FLECTIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. TTPON a re^-iew of the history of the Southwestern Pres- U bjterian University there will be found one peculiarity belonging to it as an institution of learning, which cannot be claimed to the same extent by any other school of its class withm my knowledge. Its character and designation as a Christian school, and under the control and direction of the church, does not distinguish it from others in the South, which are entitled to the same description. But ^^'hile aU of them are understood to give to their general scope and design a genuine stamp of Christian instruction that pervades the course of study, the method of discipHne, and the end in view, and while it is true that to a certain de' gree the Bible in some of these institutions is a text-book, I am not aware that in any of them the study of the Bible constitutes a regularly organized course of compulsory study, just as extensively as any other study prescribed in the various departments. While the institution is organ- ized upon the plan of coordinate schools and elective courses, the Biblical Department is as prominent a school as any one of the eight into which the University is dis- tributed. Moreover, while students are allowed to elect the course that they prefer, it is a fundamental rule that every student must enter the School of "Biblical Instruction;" and while in the courses pursued by candidates for the various degrees, provision is made whereby other studies may be omitted, it is a rigid exaction that the regular com- pletion of the entire Bible course shall be made by a candi- 553 554 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. date for any degree whatever conferred by the University^ In further statement of details on this point, it is to be noted that the Bible course embraces three classes, each re- quiring a full session for its completion, and each class is required to meet the professor three hours weekly. It will appear then, from thit:. review, that the Universitv,- whose history I have been striving to present, may indeecl claim, without arrogating anything extravagant in its pre- tensions, to be a genuine Christian school of learning, and that the Bible constitutes a regular text-book required to be provided by every student who enters and matriculates. It would seem a very natui'al decision reached by every Christian parent in this day, when there is such widespread agitation going on in oui' country of the question of the ex- clusion of the Bible from our public schools, that this insti- tution would be the chosen and safe place to which to en- trust their children, where they can, withoiit any danger, receive a Christian training. I repeat that no reflection is intended upon the many excellent sister institutions of our church by these statements. But it seems only justice that the extent to which the Bible is taught in this University should be brought fully before the Christian public. In my retirement from personal connection with the edu- cational interests of the country, I trust I may not be con- sidered as presumptuously obtruding my views, somewhat more in exte?iso, upon this great subject, to which I have devoted so large a portion of my life, now somewhat pro- tracted. To those Avho can look back with the writer for more than half a century, there is nothing that is more remarkable in this review than the progress made in the system of public education in all parts of the country. This statement covers the ground in every respect, and embraces every particular which enters into this progress as an element. In the ex- tent of the system, in the advanced state especially of the C0LLEGL\TE StUDIES. 555 instruction in science in all departments consequent upon the immense discoveries in all spheres of hnowledge during the half centm-y, now not far from its close, there is enough to excite the astonishment of every intelligent observer and of every reader of the past. This enlargement of the field of scientific education has grown to such an extent as to force upon some of our oldest and most prominent educators the discussion of the question of the elective system, and to re- sort to some expedient whereby only those studies intro- ducing men to the more practical pursuits of life shall be assigned the chief place in the undergraduate course, and the classical languages either excluded or substituted by the modern languages. This has been done to considerable ex- tent in the Southwestern Presbyterian University ; and yet the ancient classical languages hold a large and important jDlace in the course prescribed, and quite a goodly prop)or- tion of the students elect those old languages among those in their chosen schedule of study. It is, however, a great stimulus to this, that the full course in classical literature is required of all candidates for the degree of M. A. and B. A.,. and in B. Ph. the Latin language is required to some ex- tent. Altogether, the course of study in the colleges and universities has been wonderfully enlarged and extended, and doubtless much improved and elevated. The number of students who are now receiving a finished education, fit- ting them for the varied callings of life, is vastly increased. But we are by no means at the point of advancement to which we ought to aspire. Many of our best men are op- posed to the. multipKcation of colleges and seminaries of learning, upon the ground that they are multiphed beyond the actual necessity of the countiy, and that it Avould be in- finitely better that we should combine the various smaller institutions into one large "University for the whole country. This view, it will be remembered, was put foi-ward in 1861 by some of our educators, but, as we have seen, was effec- 556 J. N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. tually opposed by others. In the case of the Southwestern Presbyterian University, the field was narrowed down to the limits of six Southwestern Synods ; and the history of its progress and patronage demonstrates clearly that these limits are in an apparent- process of curtailment, and that the extent of its territory of patronage is yet to be con- tracted, and the source of strength and support is to be found nearer home. Texas has withdrawn from the direc- toiy, and it had a perfect right so to do, having its own in- stitutions. Ai'kansas may be induced to do the same; and so may Alabama, not because of any want of kindly, fi-ater- nal spirit, so much as a feeling, which is natural, and well- nigh universal, that each S3Tiod should foster and promote its own institutions that are nearer to them. The fact is, that a mere cursory glance at the catalogue of the South- v\'estern Presbyterian University will convince any reader that the patronage comes mainly, even now, from the States of Tennessee and Mississippi, included in the Synods of Nashville, Memphis, and ]\Iississippi. The motive that prompts and sustains such a tendenc}^ may be called by some selfish, but there are two facts that are closely con- nected wdth it which give it plausibility at least. One is, that by increasing the number of educational institutions you increase the number of educated citizens, inasmuch as these institutions are brought within reach of a greater number of persons who hve near their location, thus curtail- ing the expenses of travel and of board. The other is, that it is the true interest of every good citizen to advance the education of his own immediate community or State. Under such circumstances, the immediate region over w^hich the Clarksville institution exerts an influence should rally to its suj)X)ort, and enable its working friends to carry into effect the great system of Christian education, of which it is one of the genuine representatives and zealous advo- cates. Thankful for patronage and friendly interest mani- Influence of the University. 557 fested from other and distant States and communities, this "University must look mainly to its ov^-n immediate region for co-operation and . patronage. Nor is it too much to say, in behalf of the institution, that it has done in the past a great work for the church and the State, and is still engaged in its mission of diffusing the blessed influence of Christian education wherever its alumni have found their homes. Its roll of ministerial representatives in the gospel presents over fifty promising workers ; and if those who were sent forth from Stewart College, the nucleus of the Southwestern Pres- byterian University, be added, the number will be found to reach more than sixty. They fill many churches of nine or ten of our Southern States. Six others have taken their lives in their hands, and have gone to the foreign field ; and two of them have laid down their lives in the work of preach- ing the gospel to the heathen. The patronage has been found, on the best attainable estimate, to have averaged, in twenty years, one hundred and sixteen in attendance an- nually; the smallest number in any session reaching sev- enty-one, and the largest attaining one hundred and fifty. At the close of my term of service the institution was un- der promising prospects of constant advance in usefulness, both in the school of di\inity, and of literature, science, and art ; and were its material and financial status that which its high claims merit, its value would be equal to that of the foremost of the land. And now, in my retirement from the long and laborious work to which my Hfe has been devoted, I would fain take kind leave of that public with which I have been asso- ciated for more than half a century. Looking back over these busy years, while I readily recall many occurrences that were sad, and many errors of judgment, and many of those weaknesses inseparable from human nature, I should be recreant to every sentiment of gratitude to God, and to the many noble and excellent friends w^ho, under his guid- 558 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL, D. ance, and as His instruments of loving-kindness and tender mercy, have given me their sympathy, did I not ackowledge their "^ise counsel, and their valued, effective and influential aid during my entire career. My brethren in the ministry, and laity of the church ; my j)upils, of whom so many have succeeded in filling the highest positions of honor and use- fulness in chui'ch and State ; constituted the varied circles crowded with those who always held high place in my heart's warm affections and exalted esteem. To them have I turned in days of darkness, confident of that aid I needed in conso- lation and counsel ; and in those times of brightness when my humble efforts were crowned with success, equally confi- dent of their partial congratulations and approval — a confi- dence never too sanguine and never disax3pointed. Even in the instances of j)rivate, domestic affliction, which my heavenly Father has sent in his loving j^roviden- tial dealings with me — dark and inscrutable as they seemed at the time of their occurrence — I was not forgotten by my devoted friends. Let me subjoin a voluntary tribute to my soldier boy, whose untimely end is recorded in the body of this memoir, on page 425. It is from the pen of my friend and former colleague, Professor J. R. Blake, of South Carolina : fit OT^^morl^m* Killed by a fragment of shell from the enemy, at Jonesboro', Ga., on the Ist day of September, 1864, JOHN GEAY WADDEL, youngest son of Eev. J. K Waddel, D. D. The deceased was born in Jasper county, Miss., on the 21st of January, 1847, and enlisted as a volunteer in the Army of Tennessee, on the 23d of January, 1864, being then just seventeen years old. In the ardor of his youthful enthusiasm, stimulated by a generous love for his suflFering country, he cheerfully forsook the endearments of his loved family circle for the hardships and trials of the camp, resolved to sacrifice, if need be, life itself in defence of the truth and the right; and manfully did he Further Bereavements. 559 execute this youthful resolution. Amid all the trials of this perilous position he illustrated the model soldier. Quick and sprightly in his intellect, amiable and gentle in his disposition, generous and noble in his impulses, he was beloved by all who knew him ; and to his be- reaved family and friends, a recollection, dearer than all else, is that he was a child of the covenant, dedicated to God in his infancy, and though he had not joined the church, he left satisfactory evidence that he had made his peace with God. To his honored parent we offer our tenderest Christian sympathies. Bereft as he is of wife, and home, and property, he is now called to mourn the loss of his youngest born — his Benjamin. Out of the depths of this desolation may be seen the goodness and mercy of God in appointing unto his darhng boy thus to die — to die young, that his life might be comparatively spotless and pure ; to die a sacrifice to his country, that his name might be loved and honored ; to die a Chris- tian, that he might secure the crown of endless felicity. J. E. B. A like grief I was called to endure long after the close of the civil war, in the loss of my only surviving son, George, "who, after having passed through that fearful war scoui*ge "which occasioned the desolation, physical and moral, and, to a certain extent, spiritual, of our country, at the age of twenty-one entered the Sophomore Class of the University, in 1865, at the beginning of my administration as chancellor, and was graduated in the class of 1868. He had made a profession of reUgion during the war, in camp, and had con- nected himself with the Presbyterian church. After gradua- tion, he first turned his attention to teaching, in which occu- pation he did not long continue to take much interest, as he preferred a more active life ; and, being fond of engineering, he entered upon that sort of business, under my friend and former colleague, Colonel J. L. Meigs, chief engineer of tha Memphis and Little Kock raih'oad, in Arkansas. Losing his health, he left the line of the railroad, and took position in the ofiice under Col. Meigs, in Memphis, and subsequently superintended bridge-building on the Paducah and Memphis railroad. "Work on all these roads being suspended, he joined a small company of young men who went to Texas to 560 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. get into some employment. AYhile lie resided there, and undergoing much privation of various kinds, I was much surprised to receive from him a most remarkable letter, de- tailing the exercises of his mind under what he "was con- vinced was a call to the gos23el ministry. Our correspond- ence on this subject consisted of an earnest injunction, on my part, to him, to study this solemn question j)rayerfully and deliberately, and pointing out to him the various topics upon which he should conduct this self-examination to make his decision in view of the responsibility he owed to the all- seeing Master. The result was that he was soon after re- ceived as a candidate for the ministry, under care of the Presbytery of "West Texas, spent two sessions as a theologi- cal student in Union Seminary; and having been licensed to preach by his Presbytery, while at the Seminary he spent many Sabbaths preaching at vacant points. He left the Seminary in March, 1878, and passed through Memphis on his way to Texas to meet his Presbytery. He spent a Sab- bath and preached in the Lauder dale-street church, to which I was then ministering. He was ordained at that spring meeting of West Texas Presbytery; married Miss Fannie Brownson, of Victoria, and at once removed to San Saba, as his first place of residence, as an evangelist. He remained in Texas some years, and removed, by invitation, to some feeble churches in Arkansas, where he led a most laborious life as an evangelist for two years. Thence he was indted and accepted the call to Batesville, Ark., and took part in the instruction of the Arkansas College, under the presidency of Dr. Long, and, at the same time, was stated suj)i3ly of the church in that place. AVhile he was residing there, in the month of November he was attacked with the disease that ended his life. In a visit which I was permitted to pay him in January, I advised him to spend the winter in Florida, which he did. On his way he spent a short time in New Orleans, and my brethren, Drs. Palmer and Markham, paid Death of George. 561 him every attention. The eminent surgeon, Dr. Richardson, calhng by the request of his pastor, Dr. Palmer, and exam- ining the case, pronounced it to be mahgnant tumor of the intestines, from which he could not recover; that death might occur at any time, but that he might Hve, at most, a year longer. A relative of his wife, who wrote me an ac- count of his case, reported that on the announcement of this> opinion of the physician, he simply remarked, calmly, " AYell, I am in the hands of my Saviour ; let Him do with me what seemeth to Him good." He reached Pensacola safely, and, after spending six weeks or more with his sister, Mrs. Thompson, the wife of Charles V. Thompson, his war asso- ciate and friend, with varied symptoms of alternate ease and suffering, he sank so rapidly that I received a dispatch from "Mr. Thompson to the effect that I must come at once if I desired to see him alive. I was then living at Clarks^'ille, and, leaving by the earliest train, I reached his bedside in time to spend five days with him, as he had ralHed from the sinking spell. He had no idea of recovery whatever, but was in constant expectation of the final summons. We had precious seasons of communion, by conversation and reading the blessed Word. I found in him no appearance of reluc- tance to depart, no alarm at the prospect of death ; but while there was no appearance of rapture or exultation, all was calm and -peaceiul acquiescence in God's vnll. So it continued until Sabbath morning at one o'clock, when he- breathed his life sweetly and quietly away, to enter into his eternal rest. Many and precious were the testimonials of affectionate regard and high esteem which I received from his friends and associates who knew and loved him while living, and lamented him, now departed. I select from them two, one from his beloved and admired theological teacher, Dr. R. L. Dabney ; the other from his classmate in the University of Mississippi, the eminent Bishop C. B. Galloway : 36 562 John N. Waddel, D. D., LL. D. Dr. Dabney's Letter. University of Texas, April 26, 1885. Jiev. John JV. Waddel, D. I). : . De.ar Brother : It was with mingled grief aiid surprise that I read of the occasion of 3-our sad visit to Pensacola. I liad not heard of your son's sickness, and I had been think- ing of him only as j^rospering in that onward career of liealth, influence, and increasing strength which I had learned to associate with him in Texas. He was a cherished and \alued pupil. I have before me, with j)erfect distinct- ness, his gentle, manl}', modest, and Christian deportment, and his solid attainments. The teacher ought to die before the pupil. He was young and strong ; I am becoming old and shattered. Did we not have the assurance of our hea- Tenly Teacher's wisdom and love, the cutting off of such lives would be mysteries too painful to endure. But He has said, by our Christ, " "\Miat I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." I need hardly say that you liave my most profound sympathies in your trial Faithfully yom^s, etc., [Signed] B. L. Dabney. Bishop Galloway's Letter. New Orleans, La., April 23, 1885. T\Iy Dear Friend and Brother : In looking over my ex- ^changes this evening, my eye falls upon a sad announcement in the columns of the Southioestern Presbyterian from your pen. Alas ! how inscrutable the Providence, that one so vig- orous and useful should thus early fall on sleep. George, as jou know, was my classmate, and one of my most intimate iriends. His unswerving friendship, genial spirit, kindness of disposition, sparkling humor, and manly honor are among the prized memories of my University days. AVe all recog- nized in him superior ability, though infirm health prevented constant attention to study. It gave me great pleasure to Closing Reflections 563 hear of his entering the ministry, and to learn of his grow- ing usefulness and success. But the grave has disappointed fondest expectations. That he passed so peacefully into " the valley of the shadow " is the divinest comfort. We can suffer bereavement when attempered with such sweet conso- lation. I sympathize tenderly in your sorrow ; but for you the separation will not be long. And in tendering some feeble words of condolence, I want to thank my dear old chancellor for a thousand blessings vouchsafed to me through his words and examjile Your friend and former student, [Signed] Charles B. Galloway. But it is time for me to close these reminiscences, and to leave on record my best wishes for the temporal, spiritual, and eternal welfare of all those who have said, thought, and done so many kind things to me, about me, and for me and mine during my sojourn in this world, in the multiplied and varied fields of labor and scenes of association which, in God's gracious providence, have been assigned to me as my lot in life. No longer engaged in presiding over institutions of learning and directing their operations for the advance- ment of the education of the young men of the land, I am still enabled to dwell in quiet enjoyment of much that may render life desirable and valuable, even to advanced age. I thank the gracious Giver of every good and perfect gift that there is yet vouchsafed to me the ability to preach, in an humble way, the blessed gospel of the Son of God, and to pray, with earnest heart and devout spirit, for the conver- sion of sinners, and for the growth in grace and the edifica- tion of the church. Surely should I bless God that I have been permitted to behold the wondi'ous advance of the world in every department of Christian civilization ; in sci- ence, statesmanship, invention, discovery, and, above all, the openmg of " the dark places of the earth, which are full of 564 John N. AYaddel, D. D., LL. D. tlie habitations of cruelty,'' and the shedding into them of the light of divine truth, borne by the hands of the thousands of devoted missionaries of the cross. Never -was there such a day of good things witnessed on this earth before ! While, therefore, the j)owers of darkness are awake, and massing theu' forces for a fearful warfare against the truth, and wick- edness " is abroad in terrible arra_y," jet it is the trust un- shaken of the soldier of the cross, that when the conflict is joined the issue is not doubtful, but the victory shall be de- clared in the destruction of the enemy and in the establish- ment of "the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness ! '* APPENDIX. Xo. 1. Correspondence on the Subject of the Professorship of Pas- toral Theology and Church Polity in the TnEOLOGiCAii Seminary at Danville, Ky. Buffalo, May 30, 1854. Hev. John JSF. Waddel^ D. D. : Rev. and Dear Sir: The undersigned have gratification to inform you that, as a committee appointed by the General Assembly, we have been selected to certify you that, on the 29th inst., you were unanimously elected (one vote only to the contrary) by that venerable body to fill the chair of Church Government and Pastoral Theology in the Theo- logical Seminary at Danville, Ky. We take great pleasure in transmitting to you the above intelligence, and cannot but indulge the fondly cherished hope that you will gratify your brethren of the Assembly, and those of the Southwest generally, in accepting the exalted station to which you have been so unanimously called. Youi' brethren in the Lord, [Signed] John T. Edgar, R. B. McMuLLiN, C. S. Palmore. B. The undersigned members of the General Assembly met at Buffalo from the Presbyteries of the Southwest, feel gTeat gratification at, and contributed to the election of Eev. Dr. J. N. Waddel to the professorship of Pastoral Theology and Church Polity in the Theological Seminaiw at Danville, Ky. We feel great personal interest in his acceptance of the 565 566 Appendix. • office tendered him with so much unanimity, and trust that he will take the call of the church as the call of Divine Providence, and consent to accept, with other dear brethren already in the institution, a part of the responsibility and gratification of building up a great seminary in the South- west. And in order that he may feel an assurance of all necessary support, w-e exj^ress the conviction that the neces- sary endowment for the support of this professorship may soon be collected in those departments of the chui'ch which w^e represent, and we further add that we will contribute to this object by all the influence we can exert. [Signed] W^L W^L^MS,} Pre%