History of Randolph-Macon College, Virginia Part 23

The Board resolved to adjourn to meet again on the 18th of August following to elect a president and three professors. The salaries of these were fixed--Guaranteed, to the President, $1,000; to the professors, $750 each, and, in addition, the tuition fees of the students in attendance.

At the adjourned meeting, August 15, 1866, the following elections were made:

RICHARD W. JONES, A. M., _Professor of Mathematics_.

O. H. P. CORPREW, A. M., _Professor of Ancient Languages_.

Rev. JOHN C. BLACKWELL, A. M., D. D., _Professor of Chemistry_.

ERNEST LA GARDE, _Professor of Modern Languages_.

The election of a President was postponed to an adjourned meeting, and Dr. John C. Blackwell was appointed to act as President until a president should be elected.

At an adjourned meeting held October 16, 1866, on the nomination of William Townes, Sr., Col. Thomas Carter Johnson, A. M. (Cla.s.s 1842), was elected President and Professor of Moral Philosophy.

The Board then adjourned to meet at the session of the Virginia Annual Conference, November 22, 1866. Colonel Johnson was then a citizen of Montgomery, Ala., practicing law. He accepted the office tendered, but did not take the position until near the close of the year.

At the adjourned meeting held at Norfolk, November 22, 1866, the Board, on motion of Dr. William A. Smith, resolved to establish "The School of Commercial Science" in the College. This was never done.

At this meeting a representative from Ashland, Hanover county, Va., presented a communication from owners of property in that town offering to sell certain property in case the Board should determine to move the College. A committee, consisting of D'Arcy Paul, R. M. Smith and D. S.

Doggett, were appointed to investigate and report in regard to the matter.

At the adjourned meeting in December, held at the College, President-elect Johnson appeared before the Board and was formally inducted into office. He was requested to visit the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which had recently adhered to the Southern Church, and endeavor to secure the patronage and co-operation of that Conference; also, to visit Baltimore and other cities with a view to securing financial help for the College.

An overture was also made to the North Carolina Conference with a view to the restoration of former relations and the securing of its patronage.

President Johnson subsequently reported the result of his visit to the Baltimore Conference, and submitted the action of that body, which was as follows:

"BALTIMORE CONFERENCE, M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH.

"REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON COLLEGES.

"The Committee on Colleges submit the following report:

"_Resolved_, 1. That the Conference accepts the proposition of the Board of Trustees of Randolph-Macon College to give its patronage to said inst.i.tution and to partic.i.p.ate equally with the other patronizing Conferences in its government and privileges, and we hereby nominate four suitable persons to be elected Trustees from this Conference to represent our interests on said Board.

"_Resolved_, 2. That when a Trustee shall locate, it shall be his duty to resign.

"_Resolved_, 3. That we will give the full weight of our influence in extending the patronage of Randolph-Macon College."

"(Signed) S. S. ROSZEL, _Chairman_."

These resolutions were adopted by the Conference March, 1867.

On the recommendation of the Baltimore Conference the following gentlemen were elected Trustees of Randolph-Macon College, viz.: Rev. S.

S. Roszel, Rev. John Poisal, Rev. S. S. Register, and Rev. John Landstreet.

At the first annual meeting of the Trustees held at the College, June 25, 1867, after President Johnson had a.s.sumed control, eleven Trustees were in attendance.

Ex-President W. A. Smith had gone to Central College, Fayette, Missouri, of which he had been elected President.

The President's report stated that the attendance for the session of 1866-'67 had been in all forty-five students; a large proportion of them were on scholars.h.i.+ps. The net receipts from fees were necessarily very small.

The degree of D. D. was conferred on the following: Rev. Nelson Head, Rev. John E. Edwards, and Rev. W. W. Bennett, of the Virginia Conference; Rev. Samuel S. Register, Rev. S. S. Roszel, Rev. John Poisal, and Rev. John S. Martin, of the Baltimore Conference; Bishop Enoch M. Marvin, of the M. E. Church, South, and Rev. Smith W. Moore, of the Tennessee Conference.

The degree of LL. D. was conferred on Bishop George F. Pierce, M. E.

Church, South, and Hon. James F. Dowdell and William F. Samford, of Alabama.

The degree of A. M. was conferred on Thomas J. Jarvis, of North Carolina (cla.s.s of 1860).

REMOVAL OF THE COLLEGE.

The College year, 1867-68, was not a prosperous one. The financial condition of the country was anything but favorable to a successful year. The dissatisfaction with the location of the College had been increasing since 1863. At the annual meeting in 1868 it was to culminate. The President had become convinced that something must be done or the College would have to close its doors. Some who had opposed removal heretofore now favored it.

In the notice for the meeting a special request was made for a full meeting, and the object was generally understood. The meeting commenced its session June 24, 1868. There were present the following: Revs. James Jamieson, H. B. Cowles, Robert O. Burton, W. B. Rowzie, L. M. Lee, T. S.

Campbell, Geo. W. Nolley, L. Rosser, J. P. Moore, Wm. Carter, John E.

Edwards, J. C. Blackwell, Nelson Head, J. C. Granbery, John Landstreet, and Messrs. N. Alexander, D. Paul, E. R. Chambers, Wm. Townes, Sr., Thos. Branch, R. B. Baptist, J. J. Daly, R. Irby, R. M. Smith, T. P.

Jerman, T. M. Jones, T. C. Johnson, C. S. Hutcheson, W. Townes, Jr., and O. H. P. Corprew--thirty in all.

President T. C. Johnson presided, and Professor Corprew was secretary.

The feeling prevailed generally that this meeting would decide the question of removal. There was early skirmis.h.i.+ng by the opposing sides, and it was some time before the decisive vote was reached and taken.

Finally, the motion of Dr. J. E. Edwards, which was as follows:

"Resolved, That in the judgment of the Board of Trustees for the greater prosperity of the inst.i.tution, Randolph-Macon College should be removed from its present to a more accessible and eligible location"--was adopted by the following vote:

_Ayes_.--Paul, Cowles, Burton, Rowzie, Branch, Lee. T. S. Campbell, Irby, Nolley, Rosser, Edwards, R. M. Smith, Jerman, Blackwell, Head, Granbery, Jones, Johnson, and Landstreet--19.

_Noes_.--Alexander, Chambers, Townes, Sr., Baptist, Daly, Moore, Carter, Townes, Jr., and Corprew--9.

[Ill.u.s.tration: REV. JOHN ELLIS EDWARDS, A. M., D. D., _Virginia Conference, M.E. Church, South._]

On motion of D'Arcy Paul, the Board took steps to secure the authority of the const.i.tuted authorities for the necessary change of the charter, so as to allow the change of location.

On motion of Dr. J. E. Edwards it was--

"_Resolved_, That so soon as the gentlemen (Messrs. Branch, Irby, Snyder and Watts) who have purchased the property and premises at Ashland are prepared to make a tender of the same to the Trustees for the use of Randolph-Macon College, free from any enc.u.mbrance as to t.i.tle, and so soon as the legal authority is secured for the transfer of the inst.i.tution, the Trustees bind and pledge themselves to make the transfer and removal to Ashland; and also pledge themselves further to open the next session of the College exercises at that place; provided the above-named conditions are complied with in time to enable the Trustees to carry out this pledge."

A committee, consisting of D. Paul, R. M. Smith, Drs. L. M. Lee, J. E.

Edwards and N. Head, were appointed to secure the legal authority to remove the College to Ashland, and to secure proper t.i.tle to the property to be used for the location of the College.

The President was authorized to employ an Agent to have the furniture, libraries, apparatus, etc., removed to Ashland.

Thus ended the struggle in regard to moving the College. The majority, while taking this step, which they deemed absolutely necessary in order to carry out the object sought in the establishment of the College, took it with the greatest reluctance. They could not grieve so generous a people as those living in the vicinity of the College without feelings of the utmost regret and pain.

The minority could not see what had been the pride of the community and section taken away, without feelings of sorrow. Many of them had for many years been the strongest and warmest friends of the College, and had often manifested their friends.h.i.+p by generous acts and steadfast devotion to it in adversity and prosperity.

After transacting a few items of business, one of which was the conferring the degree of D. D. on Rev. Robert S. Moran, of the North Carolina Conference, the Board adjourned to meet again in Centenary Church, Richmond, Va., July 29, 1868.

After the adjournment of the Board the opponents to the removal of the College sued out an injunction restraining the Board from taking the step contemplated.