USA > Tennessee > History of Tennessee, its people and its institutions > Part 26
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HON. PRICE THOMAS. Superintendent Public Instruction.
Such agencies as those above men- tioned had, to some extent. attracted public attention, and had paved the way for the public enthusiasm in history, which was kindled by the
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THIRD ADMINISTRATION OF GOV. ROBERT L. TAYLOR.
Centennial.2 Under the general supervision of Hon. Price Thomas, Superintendent of Public Instruction, a fine educational exhibit was held at the Centennial Exposition, which attracted educators from the State and from abroad. A meeting of the Department of Superintend- ence of the National Educational Association, held at Chattanooga, was welcomed by Superintendent Thomas in a felicitous address.
496. The Senatorship .- The State was saddened by the death of the senior Senator, Hon. Ishan G. Harris, whose long career as a public servant had been honorable to himself and to the State. Governor Taylor appointed Hon. Thomas B. Turley, of Memphis, to fill the vacancy until the next meeting of the Legislature. Senator Turley was known as one of the ablest lawyers of the State, and had been the law partner of Senator Harris. The fitness of the appointment was recognized by the General Assembly, and Senator Turley was elected to fill the unexpired term.
497. The Spanish War .- In this war, Tennessee maintained her title to the name, "Volunteer State." She furnished her full quota of troops, and other volunteers offered their services.
Four regiments from the State were accepted and mustered into the Volunteer Army of the United States. The First Tennessee was commanded by Col. William Crawford Smith, who had been a gallant officer in the Confederate Army. This regiment was ordered to San Francisco, and subsequently to the Philippine Islands. It took an honorable part in the skirmishes and engagements of the Philippine War against Aguinaldo. Colonel Smith, overcome by the intense heat, fell from his horse and expired on the firing line, in an engagement in. front of Manila. Lieutenant Colonel Gracey Childers was promoted to Colonel, and served with distinction during the remainder of the term of service.
The other three regiments were complete in number and equip- ments, and in fine soldierly qualities. Though ardently desiring to win distinction, no opportunity was offered them to meet the enemy. The Second Regiment was commanded by Col. Kellar Anderson, who ha : served with distinction in the State campaign for suppressing the insurrection of the miners. The Third was commanded by Col. J. P. Fyffe, who had, also, served the State in the campaign against the miners, and had the reputation of being one of the best officers in the
' See Official History of Tennessee Exposition; American Historical Maga- zine, Vol. III, p. 3, et seq.
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service. The Fourth served for a short time in Cuba, but arrived there too late to meet the enemy in battle. It was commanded by Col. George Leroy Brown.
In the United States Navy were the following officers from Ten- ressee :3
In the marine corps: Col. Robert L. Meade, Capt. Albert S. McLemore, Lieutenants Fred M. Eslick and Rush R. Wallace.
In the naval service: Commander Washburn Maynard, Lieutenant Commanders Albert G. Berry, Valentine S. Nelson, Robert M. Doyle, William B. Caperton, Charles C. Rogers; Lieutenants Thomas F. Ruhm, Albert Gleaves, Albert L. Key, Edwin H. Tillman, Joseph J. Cheatham, Robert F. Lopez, William H. McGrann, David VanH. Allen, Ridley McLean; Ensigns Charles K. Mallory, Dudley W. Knox, Henry C. Mustin; Surgeon Charles T. Hibbett; and As- sistant Surgeons Will T. Arnold and James C. Pryor.
U. S. GUNBOAT NASHVILLE.
Commander Maynard, of the Gunboat Nashville, fired the first shot in the Spanish War.
Lieut. Thomas F. Ruhm was the constructor in charge of the building of the "Ore- gon" and the "Olympia."
498. The Penitentiary .- The main prison having been finally completed, the convicts from the old prison and from other prisons were moved into it, and the new penitentiary was formally occupied February 12, 1898. Nothing now prevented the completion of prison reform, and the State account system was put into full operation. This system is, at once, humane and profitable to the State.
499. The Railroad Commission .- The contest with the railroads reached the culminating point in Taylor's administration. A law was enacted, creating a railroad commission, with power to assess the prop- erty, and to exercise a limited control over the management of railroads. The governor appointed Messrs. E. L. Bullock, Newton H. White, and Frank M. Thompson, to serve until the next biennial election. Mr. De Long Rice was appointed Secretary of the Board. This Board
3 Register of the Navy: Government Printing Office, Washington.
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ADMINISTRATION OF GOV. MCMILLIN.
assessed the railroad property at a valuation which the railroads refused to accept. Suit was brought in the Federal courts to resist the assess- ment, and an injunction was granted.
At the regular elections in 1899, Messrs. N. W. Baptist, Thomas L. Williams, and J. N. Mckenzie were elected Railroad Commissioners. They appointed Mr. Frank Avent Secretary.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
ยท ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR M'MILLIN.
500. The Present Chief Magistrate .- The newly elected governor had long been engaged in the service of the State. In various capacities he had demonstrated his ability as a states- man and his faithfulness as a public servant. Having served for twenty years as a representative in Congress, he was transferred to the gubernatorial chair, with instructions from his party to insti- tute economy and reform. The end of the first year of this administration brings us to the present time.
501. Condition of the State Debt .- The bonded debt of the State amounted to $16,455,200, and the floating debt amounted to $850,000, making a total of GOV. BENTON MCMILLIN. $17.305,200. Sixteen years had elapsed since the issuance of the bonds, and no provision had been made for their payment. Governor McMillin, in his message to the Legislature, recommended that a sinking fund be created. A law to this effect was promptly enacted. Up to March, 1900, $600.000 of the floating debt has been paid, the interest and current expenses have been promptly met. More than $100,000 is in the treasury to the credit of the sinking fund; $110,000 of bonds have been called in for payment. and the work of liquidating the State debt is fairly begun.
502. Economic Reforms .- The law relating to the fees of coal oil inspectors was changed so that all fees from the inspection of illumi- nating oils should be paid into the treasury, after deducting therefrom
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a specified sum to the inspector. From this source, in the year 1899, the State derived about $25,000 income.
A tax of one-tenth of one per cent was imposed on the issuance of charters of incorporation, and on charters for the consolidation of exist- ing corporations. It is estimated that this tax brings to the treasury an annual income of $45,000.
A number of suits were pending in the State and Federal courts, involving questions connected with the taxation of railroads, telegraphs and telephones. The State officers had been enjoined from the collec- tion of a considerable amount of revenue. In this condition of affairs, a conference was held between the authorities of the State and repre- sentatives of the railroads and other corporations. An adjustment was effected which was satisfactory to the railroads and other litigants, to the Board of Railroad Commissioners, and the State Board of Equal- ization, composed of the governor, the treasurer, and the secretary of state. The suits were then compromised on equitable principles. This settlement made the taxes on these corporations immediately available, amounting to $197.712.04, and will hereafter bring to the treasury a largely increased annual revenue.
The questions connected with the management of the penitentiary, the change from the lease system, and the erection of the new peniten- tiary, have been elsewhere discussed. The Board of Prison Commis- sioners now consists of W. M. Nixon, Chairman; John H. Trice, Sec- retary; and A. J. McWhirter.
HON. MORGAN C. FITZPATRICK, Superintendent Public Instruction.
Important reforms have been intro- duced, as experience in the new system has demonstrated their value. The excellent management of its affairs during the year 1899 demonstrated the wisdom of the new system, and brought to the treasury a net profit of $83.483.90.
The reform of the judiciary system was passed over strong opposition, but was finally adopted, and saves to the State about $30,000 per annum.
A judicious law was enacted. cre- ating a Board of Pardons, consisting of the three Prison Commissioners.
503. Educational Enactments .- A number of Educational enact- ments were made. Three of these, urged by Superintendent Morgan C.
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ADMINISTRATION OF GOV. BENTON MCMILLIN.
Fitzpatrick, were especially important. Recognizing the great benefit to education, which had resulted from the holding of Teachers' Insti- tutes, the Legislature increased the appropriation for this purpose from $1,500 to $2,500 per annum. The County High School law is a wise enactment, which affords to any county the opportunity to establish a system of schools complete within the county.
Another educational enactment of great importance was "An act to create a State Text-Book Commission, and to procure for use in the free public schools in this State a uniform series of text-books."
TENNESSEE
Gert Book Commission,
1899-19045
.JLLY.
504. The Text - Book Commission .- The governor and State Superintendent of Public Instruction, together with three members of the State Board of Education named by the governor, constitute the State Text-Book Commission, assisted by a sub-commission, consisting of five members, whose duty it is to examine and report upon the merits of all text-books offered for adoption by the State.
August 25, 1899, Hon. Morgan C. Fitzpatrick. State Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, issued an official circular, setting forth a list of the books adopted, with the prices of each, the regulations for
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HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
purchase, exchange, and introduction, and requiring the newly adopted books to be used in all schools on and after September 1, 1899. The list showed a considerable reduction in prices. The law went into effect promptly, with some delay in a few localities, and resistance on the part of some of the cities.
505. The Reception of the First Tennessee .- The reception of the First Tennessee Regiment, on its return from the Philippine cam- paign, was a memorable day in the annals of Tennessee. All the four Tennessee regiments had urgently petitioned to be placed where they could meet the enemy. None of them obtained the boon which they so ardently sought in the Spanish War. The First Tennessee, alone, was under fire in the Philippine War. Their conduct was such as to
COLONELS OF FIRST TENNESSEE REGIMENTS.
William B. Campbell. Robert K. Byrd. Peter Turney. George Maney. Hume R. Field. William C. Smith. Gracey Childers.
maintain the high reputation which had always attached to the name. "First Tennessee." The last of the volunteer regiments discharged from service, the First Tennessee reached Nashville November 29. 1899, on its return home.
They were received with public demonstrations of welcome. They were entertained by the ladies at breakfast, and at an elegant banquet, were escorted through the streets by a grand parade to the Tabernacle, where an immense assembly was gathered, presided over by Hon. John Wesley Gaines. Here they were welcomed in eloquent words by Governor Benton McMillin, on the part of the State ; by Hon. J. M. Head, Mayor of Nashville, on the part of the city; and by Hon. Tully Brown, on behalf of all soldiers in this and former wars.
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EDUCATION.
CHAPTER XLIX.
EDUCATION.
506. Early Education .- The earliest history of education in Tennessee is involved in obscurity. There was no public school system, and no records were kept. The early settlers were imbued with old English ideas, and did not view education as a matter of state. Yet, they were far from ignoring its importance. Many of the pioneers were men of culture and refinement, as may be seen from the few writings which they have left behind them, and they brought with them families of refined tastes and fairly grounded in the education of the times. When the pioneers of Washington District petitioned to be annexed to North Carolina, in 1776, the petition was signed by one hundred and ten citizens. Among this number, only two signatures were made by mark. May 13, 1780, the pioneers of Cumberland signed the "Articles of Agreement." Of the two hundred and fifty-six signers, only one signed by mark. In such communities, we do not need records to prove that some provision was made for education. Yet, the lament- able absence of records renders it impossible to collect statistical infor- mation.1
507. The Home School .- In the communities from which these pioneers emigrated, nearly every home was a school. The home school transplanted to the wilderness, was more or less imperfect and irreg- ular ; yet it imparted elementary instruction, and sometimes higher instruction. It kept no record or statistics, and we know of its exist- ence only by incidental allusions, by fragmentary evidence, by legitimate inference from our knowledge of the characteristics of the people, and from the fact that their descendants gave evidence of scholastic attain- ments which must have been acquired in unrecorded schools.
508. The Preacher-Teacher .- The dominant element in the first settlement of the State was the "Presbyterian Covenanter." Wherever this element might go there was certain to be a "preacher," and wherever there was a "preacher," there was certain to be a "school." The residence of the "preacher" in a community was evidence of the
1 Putnam, pp. 48, 100-102.
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HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
existence of a "school," historically as reliable as official records. These preachers gave the early impress to education in Tennessee, and were the founders of the first schools outside of the home schools.
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509. The First Schools in the State .- Accordingly, the first , school in the State of which we have record evidence, and which is said to have been the first literary institution established in the Missis- sippi Valley,? was founded by Samuel Doak, a graduate of Princeton. and pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Salem, in Washington County. about the year 1780. It was chartered in 1783 by North Carolina. and named Martin Academy in honor of Governor Martin. It was re-char- tered by the "State of Franklin" in 1785, under the same name. In 1795 it was incorporated by the Southwest Territory as Washington College.
In 1785 another Presbyterian minister, Thomas Craighead." likewise a graduate of Princeton, came to Tennessee and settled at Haysboro, about six miles east of Nashville. Immediately there was built for him a rough stone building called the Spring Hill meeting house. In the same year Davidson Academy was chartered by the Legislature of North Carolina. At the first meeting of the trustees. in 1786, the Rev. Thos. Craighead was elected president, and Spring Hill meeting house was designated as the place where the school should be taught. Here Craighead taught for some twenty years, and on his foundation was built the University of Nashville.
Rev. Samuel Carrick. a Presbyterian minister not less orthodox nor learned, yet more liberal and tolerant, established the first Presby- terian Church at Knoxville in 1789 or 1790.4 When the Legislature of the Southwest Territory chartered Blount College in 1794, the Act named the Rev. Samuel Carrick as its president. Blount College. in its process of development. became East Tennessee College, then East Tennessee University, and is now the University of Tennessee. Not to multiply examples, such were the first schools established in Tennessee.
510. The Unrecorded Schools .- In addition to the schools that survived as permanent institutions, thus finding a place in the records. there were many schools which gained no place in history, and whose names even are unknown. An instance has been previously cited
2 Phelan's History of Tennessee, p. 233. referring to Monette.
" Thomas Craighead had no middle name.
James Park, History of the First Presbyterian Church in Knoxville. Tennessee, pp. 11 and 14.
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EDUCATION.
showing how the incidental allusions of the early writers have uncon- sciously furnished evidence of the existence of schools throughout the country, of which they failed to make any formal record. April 21, 1794,3 the Indians murdered the two Bledsoe boys near Drake's Creek in Sumner County. The historians in relating the murder state that the boys were murdered on their way home from school. Yet we have no record of the school, and its name is unknown to history. Tradition, and such incidental allusions, establish the fact that there were many such schools.
511. The Compact of 1806 .- The early schools in Tennessee were private enterprises, sustained by tuition fees and taught by the preacher-teacher. There was not so much as the suggestion of a free public school previous to the year 1806. In that year, as previously described in Chapter XXI, ante, the compact with the United States, generally known as the cession act, required Tennessee to set apart 100,000 acres of land for two colleges, and 100,000 acres for establishing one academy in each county, and made provisions for public schools which will be hereafter described.
512. The Colleges .- The impediments in the way of applying the grant of 100,000 acres to the use of the colleges, as provided by Congress, have been explained in Chapter XXI. By Act of Septem- ber 13, 1806, the General Assembly incorporated new colleges and enlarged the corporate powers of others. Two of these colleges were selected as the recipients of the college funds.
The University of Tennessee was the institution selected for East Tennessee. This institution has been known successively as Blount College, East Tennessee College, East Tennessee University. In 1879 the Legislature changed its name to "University of Tennessee." After undergoing many vicissitudes, this institution was placed on a stable foundation in 1869, when it received from the State of Tennessee a . magnificent donation. The fund thus donated was derived from the Act of Congress, July 2, 1862, distributing to each of the several States 30,000 acres of the public domain for each Senator and Representative in Congress, the proceeds to be applied to establishing one or more agricultural colleges. In 1869 Tennessee received land scrip to the amount of 300,000 acres as her ratable share. The scrip was sold. and reached the sum of $396,000. This entire sum was invested in State bonds, at par, bearing 6 per cent interest, and was donated by the State
3 See ante, paragraphs 194, 195.
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HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
to "East Tennessee University," upon certain conditions for establish- ing an agricultural college. Rev. Thomas W. Humes, at that time President, organized the University on a basis to correspond with its increased resources. In 1887 Congress inade an annual appropriation to establish agricul- tural experiment stations. Tennessee's share was $15,000 per annum. In 1890 the Morrill Act was passed by Congress. under which Tennessee's share, beginning with $15,000 per annum, increases $1.000 each year until it reaches $25,000. The State bestowed both these funds on the University of Tennessee. The University now has an endowment fund of $426.000. REV. T. W. HUMES. and owns property valued at $780,000. It has an annual income of about $70.000. In addition to its Literary and Agricultural Departments it maintains departments of Law, Medicine, and Dentistry.6
The University of Nashville and Peabody Normal College is the present name of the institution which was selected to receive one-half of the college funds derived from the compact of 1806. This institution has been known successively as Davidson Academy ( 1785-1803 ). Cumberland College ( 1803-1826), and the University of Nashville (1826). Since 1875 it has borne the name of the "University of Vash- ville and Peabody Normal College." Being eleven years older than the State, this pioneer institution has experienced many vicissitudes, and has gained strength in overcoming them. Its early history is illus- trated by the names of Thomas Craighead.7 James Priestly. William Hume, Nathaniel Cross, Gerard Troost, and Philip Lindsley. During Philip Lindsley's long administration ( 1825 to 1850) the College had expanded into a university, and became a beacon light in the education of the West. In 1851 was established the pioneer medical college. which subsequently became the great medical college of the West. During the civil war the Literary Department was closed, but the
6 Sanford's Blount College and University of Tennessee; Merriam's Higher Education in Tennessee, Article by T. C. Karns.
" His name is often given as "Thomas B. Craighead." This is an error. He had no middle name. See National Cyclopedia of American Biography - Sketch corrected by his grandson.
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EDUCATION.
Medical Department remained in operation. After the close of the war the Literary Department was opened as a military school, under Gen. E. Kirby Smith and Gen. Bushrod Johnson. In 1875 the Pea- body Normal College was estab- lished, and was especially designed for the professional training of teachers. The University Course provides for a liberal education and confers the Bachelor and Master's degrees. In 1888 the distinguished educator, Dr. William H. Payne, was elected Chancellor. The insti- tution is now supported by a liberal appropriation from the Peabody Fund, supplemented by an annual appropriation of $20,000 from the PHILIP LINDSLEY, LL. D. State. In addition to the Literary Department the University maintains a Medical Department and a College of Music, and two allied schools, the Montgomery Bell Academy and the Winthrop Model School. In all departments it has an attendance of about 1,400 students.8
In addition to the State institutions there are many other colleges and universities in Tennessee. The various religious denominations of the South have selected Tennessee as the most healthful and central location for their institutions of high grade. Among these are: The Cumberland University, founded by the Cumberland Presbyterians. and located at Lebanon; the Southwestern Presbyterian University, at Clarksville; the Southwestern Baptist University, at Jackson; the University of the South, founded by the Episcopalians, at Sewanee : Vanderbilt University, founded by the Methodists, at Nashville ; Grant University, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Athens and Chattanooga; Carson and Newman College, Baptist, at Mossy Creek; Christian Brothers' College, Catholic, at Memphis ; Washington College, Presbyterian, Salem; Greeneville and Tusculum College, Tus- culum ; Maryville College, Presbyterian, Maryville ; Hiwassee College, Methodist, Monroe County: Bethel College, Mckenzie, Cumberland
8 See Merriam's Higher Education, with Bibliography, pp. 20-62. See. also, Report of Committee on Education, prepared by Hon. James H. Bate, and made to the Legislature in 1807.
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Presbyterian; Milligan College, Christian Church, Milligan; Bible School, Disciples, Nashville: King College, Presbyterian, Bristol. There are other colleges, not under denominational control, such as the Winchester Normal College, at Win- chester, and Burritt College, at Spen- cer.
From the number of its higher institutions Tennessee has derived the name of the "University State of the South." Many of them are doing valuable work of various grades. Some of them, lacking ade- quate endowment funds, show good judgment in limiting their work to their conditions and environments. CORNELIUS VANDERBILT. One of the institutions above named has received a munificent endowment, and another had the prospect of being the wealthiest institution of the South, when its expected endow- ment was lost, in large part, by the intervention of the Civil War.
Vanderbilt University was founded by the Methodist Church. While the Church was engaged in the work of accumulating a fund to establish a college on an adequate foundation, Cornelius Vanderbilt, a wealthy citizen of New York, popularly known as Commodore Vanderbilt, contributed a magnificent donation. This contribution was made through Bishop H. N. McTveire, the first President of the Board of Trust. The Board was thus enabled to establish a real University on a foundation befitting a great institution of learning. It was opened for stu- dents in 1875. In addition to its literary de- partment it maintains departments of Theology. Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Engineering.
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