^ i6i w| 776 1911 SOUVENIR BULLETIN HAMPDEN-SIDNEY COLLEGE w^t^tBmmmmBmmmmammmmmm^mmmmBmmmmmmmmummammtammaaf HAMPDEN-SIDNEY, VA. Volume IV Number 4 1776 1911 SOUVENIR BULLETIN OF Hampden-Sidney College (Midwinter Number) Hampden-Sidney, Va. Published by the College Entered'at the Postoffice at JANUARY— APRIL— JULY— OCTOBER Hampden-Sidney. Va., as 2d class matter Cushing Hall — Remodeled HAMPDEN-SIDNEY COLLEGE A SKETCH AMPDEN-SIDNEY COLLEGE opened its doors on January 1, 1776. It has, therefore. just passed the threshold of its 136th year of unbroken life, with a record of service rendered to God and country that is astonishingly rich and fruitful. In point of age Hampden-Sidney stands second among the colleges of the Southland, and eighth among all the institutions of learning in the Western Hemisphere. It is older by six months than the Declaration of Independence, and older by thirteen years than the Constitution of the United States. During this century and a third, covering the lifetime of four generations of men, it has never closed its doors except in vacation. Memorial Hall ITS ESTABLISHMENT Tust 136 years ago, in February, 1775, the Presbytery of Hanover resolved to establish an insti- tution which would meet the educational needs of the southern section of the rapidly growing Colony of Virginia. The site selected was "at the head of Hudson's Branch, in Prince Edward Count)', on an hundred acres of land, given for the use by Mr. Peter Johnston," the grandfather of General Joseph E. Johnston, of Confederate fame, whose birthplace, "Long-wood," is only a few miles from the College campus. The Institution which came into being at the beginning of the tremendous struggle that gave to the colonies their independence appropriately received its name from two illustrious champions of English liberty, John Hampden and Algernon Sidney. The first faculty was composed of four men- all of them graduates of Princeton, and all bearing honored names in the annals of church and country. Although the College was established, and through its early vears controlled, by the Presbytery of Hanover, yet from the first its founders were insistent that it should be free from sectarianism, and at the same time distinctly Christian. By its charter, which was issued in May, 1783, and which has never been amended in any wise, the control of the College was transferred to a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. Among the charter members of this Board we find the names of Patrick Henry and lames Madison. Cushi \c I ! \i.i. Memorial Hall .NORTH VIEW OF CAM PI S ITS THREE-FOLD AIM In establishing Hampden-Sidney College its founders had in view three distinct, and yet closely related, objects, viz. : I. That Sound Learning be promoted. II. That the Principles of Liberty and Patriotism be impressed upon the youth of the land. III. That True Religion be conserved, and the Kingdom of Christ advanced. With these principles as its magna charta Hampden-Sidney College came into being January 1, 1 776. and throughout its long and memorable career has abundantly fulfilled the high purpose of its founders. A. In Education The College has always stood for the things that are best in culture and character. Never a large institution, (the largest student body ever enrolled numbering only 155,) she has placed the emphasis upon quality rather than quantity. A well-known man of letters, not himself an alumnus of the Col- lege, has recently said that "Hampden-Sidney is one of the few institutions that still stand squarely for the things that are really worth while in education." As a college of liberal arts she has striven to give Venable Hall (The Old Seminary) south view ok campus Middle Court to her sons that broad and thorough training that will best equip them for the work of life. That her efforts have been singularly successful is attested 1); the very large number of her sons who have risen to prominence and influence in their chosen calling, and who have justified the familiar comment, as gratifying as it is true, that "graduates of Hampden-Sidney always make good." The extent of her literary impress is shown by the fact that nearly one-half of all her matriculates have entered the learned professions — Teaching, Preaching, Law, and Medicine. More than 400 of her sons have devoted themselves to the various departments of educational work. Besides the immense number who have engaged in what is now termed "Secondary Education," she has trained 28 presidents of colleges and universities, and 100 professors in like institu- tions. Of the four Superintendents of Public Instruction who have served in Virginia, Hampden- Sidney has furnished the last two. More significant still is the fact that from her faculty, or from her student body, men have gone forth to found other great institutions. North and South, viz. : Washing- ton College. Tennessee; Union College, New York; Transylvania University, Kentucky; Tusculum Col- lege. Tennessee: Franklin College, out of which grew the University of Georgia; Austin College, Texas; Central University of Kentucky; Richmond College, Virginia; The Medical College of Virginia; Stewart College, the original title of S. \Y. P. University; Princeton Theological Seminary; Union Theological Seminary, Virginia; Austin Theological Seminary, Texas; Kentucky Seminary for D9 Alumni Building — Looking North Young Ladies; Shepherd College, West Virginia. These and other institutions were founded, or resus- citated, by the energy and talent of men who had studied or taught in the stimulating atmosphere of Hampden-Sidney. B. In Patriotic Service Hampden- Sidney's contribution to the history of state and nation has been extraordinarily large, and is out of all proportion to her numerical strength. Five times since the College was founded the tocsin of war has sounded, and in each of these wars her sons have rallied to their country's standard — viz. : the War of the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. Three times have the students of the College enlisted as a body and marched to the battle's front. In 1777, at the call of Governor Patrick Henry, the Hampden-Sidney Boys, under the command of (then Professor and later President) John Blair Smith, took the held and marched to the defence of Williamsburg. Again, in the War of 1812, the students of the College organized themselves into a company, chose one of their own number, John R. Kirkpatrick, as captain, and engaged in daily drill in prepa- ration for active service in the field. This company of youthful patriots was deeply stirred by the eloquence of John Randolph of Roanoke (whose home was a few miles distant from the College), 11 "Penshurst," Restdence oi mi' Presided and of President Hoge — both of whom addressed the men in ranks. These student patriots saw ac- tive service in the section about Hampton Roads. Again, in 1861, at the call of the Commonwealth, to which the Southerner had always been taught his first allegiance was due, the Hampden-Sidney Boys, under the command of President John M. P. Atkinson, promptly volunteered and were mustered into service. Both in the Revolution and in the Civil War. when these student companies were disbanded, their members passed into other com- mands in those immortal armies commanded by Washington and Lee, and served until the end of the war. Altogether the College sent into the armies of the Confederacy 637 men — being more than the total number of her matriculates during the 14 years immediately preceding the Civil War. Two-fifths of these were commissioned officers, ranking from Chaplain through all the grades to that of Major-General, and beneath the sod of the old Commonwealth they loved so well lie buried 83 ot her gallant sons who "died on the tield of honor." In view of the fact that the average annual en- rollment has been less than 75,~itls probable that no other college in America can match Hampden- Sidney's splendid record of patriotic service. Furthermore, the service the College has rendered in times of peace is scarcely less remarkable. Hampden-Sidney has furnished one President of the United States. Her sons have sat in the cabinet, and have gone as ambassadors of their country to the courts of Europe. Thirty-three of her 13 View of Campus — Looking West. Chalgrove Lake alumni have been members of the Congress of the United States (Senate and House). In the brief four years of its existence nine Hampden-Sidney men sat in the Confederate Congress, including its brilliant Speaker. She has trained eight Governors, who have served in six states — from Maryland to Missouri. In addition to those who have adorned the Bench in other states from New York to Florida and California, and in the Philippine Islands, 66 of her alumni have sat upon the Bench in Virginia alone, and 120 have served in the Legislature and in Constitutional Conventions in this State. Besides these, a great company of her sons have held prominent and influential place in the various depart- ments of professional and business life. C. In Religion Founded by men who counted "the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom," the College has stood squarely for the great fundamental facts — an inspired Bible and a Divine Christ. Its atmosphere is distinctly Christian. Four-fifths of the students are members of some church. Besides maintaining their own Y. M. C. A., the students conduct a number of Sabbath Schools within a radius of Ave miles of the College, carrying on with vigor the work once done by the students of the Theological Sem- inary. One of the most noted educators of the South, long familiar with the men trained here, though not himself of their number, has recently declared tbat "the glorious work of Hampden-Sidney lies in the type of character she has uniformly produced." While rigidly non-sectarian, enrolling stu- dents from every denomination, Hampden-Sidney has always been preeminently Christian, and from it have gone forth streams that have made glad the City of God. Not a few chapters in the history of the church at home and abroad could never have been written but for the fruitful work done here. 15 'i hing Hall — North View This College has furnished to the ministry of the Gospel a number equal to 50 per cent, of all its graduates. Twenty-six and a half per cent, of all the matriculates at Union Seminary in Virginia have been Hampden-Sidney men. The general catalogue of that institution, recently issued, covered 96 years of active work. Fifty-three colleges and universities have contributed to the student body of Union, and a ci msiderable number of its matriculates have had no college training at all ; yet more than one-fourth of all its students have been furnished by Hampden-Sidnev. just double the number furnished by any oilier Institution. This record is the more remarkable when we remember that scores of Hampden-Sidney men have pursued their theological studies elsewhere, and that the College has furnished to other divinity schools a number equal to 30 per cent, of the splendid company of young men whom she has sent into the ranks of the ministry through Union Seminary. Quite naturally the large majority of these have been Presbyterians, but the ministry of five great denominations has been enriched by this College, and among the number are three Bishops of the Episcopal Church. According to Mr. John R. Mott, there are only two other colleges in the land that have equalled' the record of Hampden-Sidney in this regard — one in Missouri, and the other in Michigan. But as both of these are comparatively young, and hence have not been tested half so long, and as both are co-educational, and no doubt have included the young women who have devoted themselves to home or foreign mission work, Hampden-Sidney may safely claim to have sent a larger proportion of her graduates into the ministry than any other college in America. 17 Venable Athletic Field ITS PRESENT STATUS This glorious record of achievement gives to Hampden-Sidney a large place among the forces that have moulded the American Republic. Her past is secure. What of her present? A comparison will show that the College is fully maintaining both the standards and the spirit of the past and is stronger to-day than ever before. Of the men whom she has trained for advanced educational work, throughout her long career, 40 per cent, arc nine in active service. Of the great company of strong men whom she has sent into the ministry, more than half arc in harness to-day, at the forefront of every great enterprise of the church, from the shores of the Chesapeake to the heart of far Cathay. In professional and public life her sons still hold conspicuous place. Witness the fact that of the ten most prominent state officials in Virginia to-day, exactly one-half arc alumni of I fampden-Sidney. In resources and equipment, also, there has been distinct advance. Her endowment, though still very inadequate, and, as is true of practically all her sister colleges in the South, compelling the most rigid economy, has received material additions in the past two decades, and is now larger than at any previous time in her history. The erection of the Memorial Hall has given the College a thoroughly modern and attractive chapel, together with lecture rooms and society halls. New departments have been 19 The Library added, the laboratories have been greatly improved, and a well-equipped gymnasium has been provided in the space formerly occupied by the old chapel. The acquisition of the Seminary property has added to the College holdings four substantial brick dwellings, a large dormitory, and a handsome library building. The fences have been removed, and the grounds of the Seminary and College thrown into one. making a noble campus of grove and greensward, which in natural beauty and extent prob- ably has no equal in the South. The entire property of the College forms a compact tract of some 200 acres. An athletic held, comprising about eight acres, and conveniently located, affords ample space for all out-of-door sports. These grounds form a natural amphitheatre of great beauty, and are ad- mirably adapted to the needs of the various field and track teams, and to the convenience of spectators. Recently the sum of $25,000.00 has been expended in improvements upon buildings and grounds. Cushing Hall has been so completely remodeled that it is now practically a new building, thoroughly modern, comfortable, convenient and attractive throughout. It is heated with steam, lighted with gas. and has an ample supply of baths, hot and cold, shower and plunge, together with the other conveniences of modern life. Half a mile of granolithic walk has also been laid, and steam heat and gas have been supplied to the Memorial Hall. Thus, while its needs are many and most urgent, the College is better equipped for its work and is doing that work more thoroughly than at any time in its long and fruitful life. 21 The College Church Cushing Hall — Looking East LOCATION Hampden-Sidney College is located where the far-sighted wisdom of its founders first placed at Hampden-Sidney, Prince Edward County, Virginia. It is the only college in the section known^ "South-side Virginia," lying between the James River and the Carolina line, and reaching from tt mountains to the sea, — a territory measuring about 100 by 250 miles. Its railroad and express office Farmville, on the Norfolk and Western Railway, which can be reached from the College in 45 minJ utes over an excellent macadam road. It lies on the crest of a water shed, about 700 feet above the sea.^ The climate is exceptionally fine, being delightfully dry and bracing, and free from the extremes of both heat and cold. The extraordinary healthfulness of "The Hill' is frequently commented upon. The breadth and beauty of the College campus, the atmosphere of culture and dignity that sur- rounds it, its remarkable healthfulness, its- thorough work, the high character of its faculty and student body, and its wonderful record of achievement — all combine to make Hampden-Sidney an exceptionally desirable place at which to secure a thorough education under most attractive and congenial conditions. A catalogue, or any further information relating to the College, will gladly be furnished on request. Address : President Henry Tucker Graham, D. D., Hampden-Sidney, Va. k