University of the South Papers Series A, No1

50 Henrys, our Jays, our Rutledges, our Pickerings, our Haynes, and a host of others, to attest the truth of this assertion.

And, if occasion shall ever demand, religion will once more demonstrate, that it can animate the heart to resolve, and nerve the arm of the patriot to strike for freedom, for our altars, and our firesides, with an energy and a power that nought else can supply.

Upon this influence of religion pervading the nation and upholding the law, the framers of our Constitution confidently relied. Had they anticipated a time when Infidelity would supplant the Gospel, they were men of far reaching sagacity enough to see that a different constititution would be needed from what they gave us.

Infidelity can be controlled only by standing armies, and the giant arm of despotism. And if that day--if that dark day ever comes--God in mercy, forfend it!--when Infidelity shall be enthroned in our land, and sway its cruel sceptre over our people, will summon forth hosts of armed men: will sound the alarm of war in our now peaceful and happy vales: will strew this fair land of ours with the bodies of the slain.

To obviate these fearful dangers, ~to preserve our liberties unimpaired, and our ancient glories undefiled, what means so certain and effectual as the pre-occupation of the youthful mind with fixed religious principles? What instruments so conducive to this end as seminaries of learning, established under the formal sacntion of religion, and conducted in the fear of God?

We dare not. be negligent of of interests so vast. We will, so far as in us lies, nurture as Christian men, and future rulers of a land, with whose prosperity are identified the hope sthroughout the world.

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Alabama--Rev. Henry C. Lay, D.D., Mr. C.T. Pollard, Mr. L. H. Anderson. Texas--Rev. J.W. Dunn. Tennessee--Rev. David Pise, D.D., Mr. F.B. Fogg. Certificates of election were presented by the delegates from the Diocese of Florida. Their names being called, they were found to be present, as follows: Florida--Rev. J.J. Scott, D.D., Mr. George R. Fairbanks, Mr. George Whitfilied. On motion of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Elliott, Resolved, That the Rules of Order of the last Convention of the Diocese of Alabama, from the fourth rule onward, be adopted as the Rules of Order of this Convention. On motion, the convention adjourned until to-morrow at 10 A.M.

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SECOND DAY.

This Convention met pursuant to adjournment, and prayers were offered by the Rt. Rev. President. The Roll being called, the Delegates were found to be prewsent as on yesterday, with the addition of the Rev. W. T. Leacock, D.D., of the Diocese of Louisiana. Mr. Fogg, from the Committee on a Charter, presented a draught of a proposed act of Incorporation ; and on motion of Bishop El. liott, it was Resolved, That a committee be appointed to consider, and report upon the draught presented ; and that said committee consist of two of each orer, with the adition of Mr. F. B. Fogg. The following were appointed on said committee : Rt. Rev. Bishop Elliott, Rt. Rev. Bishop Atkinson, Rev. Dr. Curtis, Rev. Dr. Leacock, Mr. Fairbanks, Mr. Pollard, and Mr. Fogg. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Polk presented the Report of the Committee on Location. On motion of Bishop Atkinson, the report was received and the committee discharged. On motion of Bishop Atkinson, said report was ordered to be printed for the use of the members. The Rev. Dr. Pise offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the Bishops of Louisiana and Georgia be appointed to a committee to obtain subscriptions to the University. On motion of the Rev. Mr. Gregg, the foregoing resolution, to-

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gether with the general subject therein contemplated, was referred to a committee of five laymen. The following were appointed on said committee: Mr. F. D. Warren, Mr. L.H. Anderson, Mr. G. R. Fairbanks, Mr. Geo. Whitfield, Mr. C. T. Pollard. Bishop Cobbs submitted to the Convention a proposal and obligation from Col. Isaac Croom, of Greensboro, Ala., to endow a Professorship of Scientific and Practical Agriculture. On motion of Bishop Atkinson, Bishop Cobbs was requested to convey to Col. Croom the unanimous thanks of the Convention for this liberal donation. Bishop Rutledge moved to postpone the consideration of the report of the Committee on Location, until to-morrow ; which motion did not prevail. The Rev. Henry C. Lay, D.D., offered the following resolution : Resolved, That Huntsville, Alabama, be selected as the site for the proposed University. Bishop Otey moved to amend, by striking out the word " Huntsville," and inserting the words "the vicinity of McMinnville, Tenn." Presently said amendment was withdrawn. The Rev. Dr. Curtis moved to amend, by striking out as before, and inserting "the vicinity of Chattanooga." On motion, the Convention took a recess until 4 P.M. On re-assembling, the amendent of the Rev. Dr. Curtis was withdrawn. Mr. Anderson moved to amend, by striking out as before, and inserting "the vicinity of Cleveland." On motion, the Convention adjourned, to meet to-morrow, at 9 A.M.

_____ THIRD DAY.

The Convention met pursuant to adjournment, and prayers were offiered by the Rt. Rev. President. The Roll being called, the members were found to be preseent, as on yesterday. The minutes were read and adopted. The question of location recurring, Mr. Anderson withdrew his amendment to the resolution under discussion. Bishop Polk oved to amend, by striking out as before, and inserting "Atlanta." Presently this amendment was withdrawn. Bishop Polk moved to amend, by striking out as before, and inserting "Sewanee."

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Presently this amendment, as the others preceding, being offered for the sake of eliciting information, was withdrawn by the mover.

Pending the discussion of these amendments, sundry persons were questioned as to the peculiarities of the several sites proposed.

In behalf of Huntsville, representations were made by the Rev. Henry C. Lay, D. D., and Gen. L. P. Walker.

McMinnville, Bishop Otey, Bishop Polk, and H. H. Harrison, Esq.

For the Mountains near Chattanooga, Bishop Elliott and Rev. J. W. Dunn.

Cleveland, Rev. Mr. Gay, Mr. Anderson, T. H. Callaway and A. Fitzgerald.

Atlanta, Bishop Elliott and Rev. R. Johnson.

Sewanee, Bishop Polk, Col. W. Britton, and President Carnes, of Burritt College.

On motion, the Convention took a recess until 4 P. M.

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On re-assembling, the resolution offered by the Rev. Dr. Lay on yesterday being under consideration, Mr. C. T. Pollard offered the following supstitute, which was accepted by the mover, with the consent of the house:

Resolved, That all the locations proposed may be put in nomination, and the vote shall be taken by ballot: the place receiving two-thirds of the votes of each order shall stand as the choice of this house; which resolution was adopted.

Before a ballot was had, on motion, The Convention adjourned until to-morrow at 9 A. M.

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FOURTH DAY.

The Convention met pursuant to adjournment, and prayers were offered by the Rt. Rev. President.

The minutes were read, and, after amendment, were adopted.

The subject under consideration on yesterday was resumed.

On motion of Mr. C. T. Pollard, the following resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That the Convention do now proceed to ballot for a location; and that in accordance with the declaration of principles adopted for our government, the orders now divide, and that the President appoint a teller for each order to receive the ballot and report the result.

Bishop Atkinson and the Rev. Dr. Lay were appointed tellers.

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On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Dunn, it was

Resolved, That the vote be taken by Dioceses.

At the suggestion of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Green, it was anounced from the chair, that before taking a vote, silence would be kept for a space, in order that the delegates might secretly in their prayers make their humble supplications to Almighty God for His gracious guidance and assistance in the matters to be determined.

A ballot was then taken, and the tellers reported the following result:

OF THE BISHOPS, (five votes being necessary to a choice:) Atlanta, 2. Huntsville, 1. McMinnville, 1. Lookout, 2. Sewanee, 1.

OF THE CLERGY AND LAITY, (voting by dioceses, five votes necessary to a choice.) Atlanta, 2. Lookout. 2. Huntsville, 1. Sewanee, 2.

There being no selection, the balloting was proceeded with: seven ballots, in all, having been taken without a choice. On motion, the Convention took a recess until 4 P. M.

On re-assembling the balloting was resumed; Bishop Atkinson and the Rev. Dr. Pise acting as tellers.

Four additional ballots were then taken without a choice, when Bishop Elliott moved,

"That the election be postponed to a meeting to be held at on the day of "

After some conversation this motion was withdrawn, and the balloting resumed.

The seventeenth ballot resulted as follows:

OF THE BISHOPS: Sewanee, 5; Atlanta, 2.

OF THE CLERICAL AND LAY TRUSTEES: Sewanee, 4; Huntsville, 2; Atlanta, 1.

At this point the Rev. Dr. Curtis offered a resolution, which, as subsequently modified, reads as follows.

Resolved, That "Sewanee" be selected as the site of the proposed University: provided, that satisfactory arrangements can be made by a committee, composed of Bishop Polk, Bishop Elliott and F. B. Fogg, Esq., with the proprietors of the property: and provided also, that an act of incorporation, acceptable to this board, can be obtained from the legislature of Tennessee.

This resolution was adopted, nem. con.

Bishop Elliott, from the Committee on a Charter, presented the following Report:

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The Committee, to whom was referred the Charter for the projected University prepared by the Committee appointed at the meeting of the Board held at Lookout Mountain, in July last, begs leave to report.

That they have carefully examined the charter submitted to them, have amended it in some immaterial particulars, and now recommend its adoption by the Board.

The Committee would bring to the notice of the Board, that there is a blank in the Charter which cannot be filled until the Board shall have determined the name of the proposed University. So soon as this blank shall have been filled, the Charter will be complete and ready to be submitted to the proper Legislative body. STEPHEN ELLIOTT.

The Charter thus proposed being under consideration, Mr. Fairbanks moved to fill the blank referred to by the committee, with the words, "The University of the South," being the name heretofore proposed by Bishop Green.

Rev. Mr. Dunn moved to amend this motion, by inserting instead of the name proposed, the words, "The Church University."

Bishop Atkinson moved to amend the amendment, by inserting instead, the words "The University of Sewanee."

This amendment did not prevail. The amendment of the Rev. Mr. Dunn was also lost: the original resolution was then adopted, and the blank reserved for the name of the University was filled with the words "The University of the South."

Pending the discussion of this motion, by unanimous consent Mr. Pollard offered the following resolution, which was agreed to without opposition.

Resolved, That the Declaration of Principles heretofore adopted, be amended by inserting in the fourth line of the second article the words "a vote by orders may be demanded and then," so that the second article shall read as follows: The Board of Trustees shall be composed of the Bishops of the Dioceses, above named, ex-officio, and one Clergyman and two Laymen from each of said Dioceses, to be elected by the Convention of the same. A vote by orders may be demanded, and then the joint consent of the Bishops as an order, and of the Clerical and Lay Trustees as another order, shall be necessary to the adoption of any measure proposed. The Senior Bishop by consecration shall always be President of the Board."

The proposed Charter was then ready by sections, and adopted without material alteration.

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Resolved, That the thanks of the Board be tendered to Messrs. Callaway and Fitzgerald, of Cleveland, and to the citizens of McMinnville, Huntsville and Chattanooga, for their liberal propositions in aid of the University.

On motion of Mr. Fairbanks, it was

Resolved, That the thanks of this Convention be tendered to the citizens of Montgomery, for their hospitality and kind attention to the members of the Board.

On motion of Mr. Whitfield, it was

Resolved, That when this Convention shall finish its present session, it shall stand adjourned, subject to the call of the President, at such time and place as he may elect.

On motion of Bishop Elliott, it was

Resolved, That the Secretary be directed to publish, for the use of the Board, two thousand copies of the proceedings, or an *abstract from them, together with the reports of the Committee on Location and of the Engineers.

A motion to adjourn then prevailed: and after prayers and the benediction pronounced, by the Rt. Rev. President, the Convention adjourned, subject to his call.

JAS. H. OTEY, President.

HENRY C. LAY, Secretary. Montgomery, Ala., Nov. 28, 1857.

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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON LOCATION.

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The Committee appointed to collect information on the subject of the location "of the proposed University," report: That after the adjournment of the Board of Trustees on Lookout Mountain, on the 6th of July last, several of the Committee, with a number of the Board, went to the western side of the Cumberland Mountain, with the view of examining Ben Lomond, one of the sites offered for the University. At Beersheba Springs, near this locality, was

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*In the exercise of the discretion here given him, the Secretary has transcribed the journal exactly, omitting only the details of the ballots.

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assembled a large number of individuals from the Southern States --strong friends of our enterprise--upon consultation with whom, and the members of the Board and Committee present, it was deemed expedient, as a measure of relief to the Committee and satisfaction to the public, to organize a scientific Commission, to examine such sites as had been, or should be, presented, and had, by consent, the strongest claims to consideration.

With a view to the accomplishment of this object, our Chairman opened a correspondence with Col. Walter Gwynn, a gentleman of high character and eminent scientific attainments, tendering to him the office of Commissioner for this service, which office he accepted.

In order to place before the Board the precise objects sought to be attained by this Commission, the correspondence with the Commissioner is herewith submitted, and is as follows, to-wit:

BEERSHEEA SPRINGS, July 22, 1857. COL. WALTER GWYNN, Civil Engineer--Dear Sir: You may have seen some notice of a movement of the authorities of the Dioceses of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the ten most Southern States, for founding and establishing a University on the most approved model and the most extended scale, at some place within their common territory, and that this movement has met the approbation and obtained the promised support, not only of the Episcopal portion of our population, but of a very large part of all others before whom it has been brought.

You may also have seen, that these Dioceses, by their representatives, met in Convention on the 4th of July, current, at Lookout Mountain, in East Tennessee, near Chattanooga, for organizing a Board of Trustees to carry this purpose into execution.

The Delegates to this meeting were some of the most eminent citizens of the Southern States; and the influence and resources represented and pledged for carrying the design into execution, were such as to place its success beyond a doubt.

Our purpose is, to erect within the Southern States an institution which shall place the South in a position of absolute independence of all others, at home or abroad, on the score of Educational advantages in the higher walks of learning. We have all the elements, intellectual, social, and pecuniary, to do this; and now that we have succeeded in combining the mind and will of those interested, we regard our way as open before us.

A point of the greatest consequence now is, to fix on the site