University of Virginia Library

XXXI. Athletics—The Gymnasium

Immediately after the close of the war, D'Alfonce,
who had served as an officer of cavalry in Sheridan's command,
and as such had passed with the Federal troops
through Charlottesville on the occasion already described,
returned to the University, and asked to be restored to his
former position. In doing this, he exhibited the spirit
of a soldier of fortune, who does not allow himself to

be influenced in his acts by any sentiment of bitterness
about the past; but while he seems to have obtained the
appointment again, he must have become aware, after a
few weeks, that the atmosphere of his old quarters had
grown frigid; and that his teachings were not followed
with the kindly attention and hearty respect of former
years. Indeed, it is quite probable that he was really
boycotted, not the less effectively because the attitude towards
him was free from any overt discourtesy. Only a
foreigner could have expected that his reception, after
the terrible events of the war,—especially after the
devastating campaign in the Valley, in which he had taken
part,—would be sufficiently cordial to permit of his giving
lessons to his classes with his former success, and
with undiminished personal popularity. As he walked
about the University grounds, passing at every step men
who had been recently fighting in the Southern armies,
many of whom had been maimed for life, he must have
gradually perceived that his presence was not in harmony
with his environment; and that there was small likelihood
that, at an early day, he could so far overcome the
prejudice which he aroused as to be able to regain a
profitable pupilage. He very naturally declined to accept
a reappointment for the second year.[25] His final
disappearance occurred before the opening of the session
of 1866–7, for, during that session, Frederick Hildebrand
was the incumbent of the position which he had occupied.

Hildebrand was appointed for a term of only five
months. His first act seems to have been to ask the
Faculty's permission to use the basement of the Washington

Hall as an apartment for gymnastic exercises during
foul weather. He remained within the precincts throughout
the session of 1867–8, and appears to have gone to
some expense in fitting up professionally the room in
which he gave the practical lessons in his art. His claim
for reimbursement on this account was rejected by the
Board of Visitors in June, 1868, at which time he probably
terminated his official connection with the University,
for his post was vacant during the ensuing session.

The students with a taste for gymnastic performances
were now constrained to turn to the bars and rings which
had been erected, during previous years, in the shadow
of each group of dormitories. "We are happy to notice,"
said the editors of the magazine in the number for
January, 1871, "that, in several parts of college, the
students have, in a small way, solved the problem of a
gymnasium. Monroe Hill and West Range have the
same little conveniences they had last year. East Lawn
and East Range have combined and built for their mutual
profit a substantial little gymnasium. Dawson's Row
and Carr's Hill have had their old ones renewed."
These primitive gymnasiums were simply clusters of horizontal
and parallel bars, swings, and poles. They were
located on the open ground under the trees, where they
were exposed to all the vicissitudes of the weather, both
hot and cold, wet and dry. During the session of 1874–
75, the young men who roomed on Monroe Hill, and in
the houses of Dawson's Row, were conspicuously active
in the use of these outdoor rings and bars,—in the autumn
and spring, they gathered here daily in the interval
between dinner and half-past three o'clock, and also in the
interval between five o'clock and supper, and engaged,
with great earnestness, in "skinning the cat" and making
the great swing.

In June, 1875, James V. Carr applied for permission
to instruct the students in the science of the new gymnastics;
and the question of his appointment seems to have
turned on his ability to obtain a suitable apartment.
There was now such a palpable need for a gymnasium under
roof that a student who had matriculated during the
session of 1875–76,—Edward H. Squibb, of Brooklyn,
—offered very generously to purchase the requisite appliances,
if the University authorities would furnish the
rooms in which to erect them. A meeting was held in
March, 1876; an organization was effected under the
name of the Squibb Gymnasium Association; and the customary
officers selected. By April, the enrolment embraced
as many as eighty students; and by June, one hundred
and ten. The hotel situated at the south end of
East Range, which had been long locked up, was assigned
to the association. Here parallel bars, rings, trapeze,
rowing machines, striking bags, Indian clubs, and dumbbells
were soon available. The new gymnasium became
at once popular.

In March, 1885, after several years of successful operation,
—in the course of which there had been many
contests, and numerous prizes awarded,—the editors of
the magazine suggested that the gymnasium should be
placed under the control of the Faculty; and that no fee
should be charged for the use of its apparatus. They
also proposed that a physical director should be appointed
to stimulate its further development. There was now
heard much criticism of the defects of the apartment in
the hotel building,—the ceiling was low; the ventilation,
imperfect; the appliances worn in quality, and insufficient
in quantity. These comments, however, failed to impress
the Board of Visitors, for, in the following July,
when they held their annual meeting, they simply instructed

the Faculty to permit the students to organize a
gymnasium club,—the members of which were to pay a
considerable fee,—while they refused to assign more
suitable quarters for the apparatus. The same hotel
was to continue to house the various contrivances and instruments
in spite of its inconveniences. One concession,
however, they were willing to make, which tended to increase
the importance and dignity of athletics in the University,
—two days in November were to be exempted
from recitations, during which interval, the competitive
exercises were to take place under the public eye.

In October (1885), the Squibb Gymnasium Association
transferred to the Faculty's possession the entire set of
appliances which belonged to its members. The Faculty,
in their turn, announced that thereafter all the fees paid
by the students under the original ordinance of the Board
were to be used in repairing the old apartment, in furnishing
new apparatus, and in defraying the expense of
the necessary fires and servants. The hall was to be kept
wide open every day, except the Sabbath, from six in the
morning to eight in the evening. The gymnasium from
this time forward was accepted as an essential part of the
University system, to be supported, like every other part,
as indispensable to the prosperity of the institution.[26]

The first instructor of physical culture appointed was
E. C. Huntington, who had been selected in accord with a
resolution of the Board of Visitors passed in 1888.
After serving one year, he was called to Vanderbilt University.
Z. W. Coombs succeeded him, in 1889, and in
turn was succeeded by John S. Hitchcock; and Hitchcock
by Dr. William A. Lambeth, who had given special attention
to the study of the subject of anatomy, a knowedge

of which was imperative in his new post. During
the superintendency of Huntington, who received a salary
of one thousand dollars, the following course of instruction
was pursued: (1) class exercises with light dumbbells;
(2) a class drill with chest weight; (3) class exercises
with the Indian club. Each student admitted to
the gymnasium was physically examined and measured
once a year. Guided by this physical test, a handbook
of developing exercises was given to him, with those emphasized
which had been found to be exactly adapted to
his particular bodily deficiencies. This system was continued
under Dr. Lambeth, who was soon successful, not
only in broadening it to a conspicuous extent, but also in
making it more attractive to the students. When he
took charge of the gymnasium, its appliances in use embraced
twelve chest machines, one horizontal bar, one
pair of parallel bars, fifty pairs of Indian clubs, fifty pairs
of dumbbells, thirty pairs of fencing sticks, two pairs of
boxing gloves, besides swinging rings, trapezes, inclined
and horizontal ladders, one rowing machine, and a punching
bag. Not only was this equipment inadequate but the
apartment in which it was housed was too contracted for
its purpose.

The need of a new gymnasium steadily grew as the
number of matriculates increased. On the 5th of October,
1891, Professor Peters suggested, at a meeting of
the Faculty, that a part of the Fayerweather bequest
should be set aside for the erection of such a building
after the most convenient model. The motion was tabled
on that occasion, but on the 26th of the same month,
it was taken up and referred to a committee of five members,
who, a few days later, reported in its favor. An
estimate obtained of the proctor put the cost of the proposed
structure,—which was to be large enough to take

in five hundred students comfortably,—at twenty thousand
dollars. This was to include the expense of the
necessary apparatus and also the outlay for hot and cold
water baths. It was recommended that each matriculate
should be required to pay a gymnasium fee of five
dollars annually, which was to be employed in preserving
the building and its contents. The Board of Visitors,
having carefully examined the report, decided that it
would be the safest course to wait until the necessary
funds had fallen in before they should make a definite appropriation;
but, in the meanwhile, they instructed Professor
Echols, now superintendent of buildings and grounds,
to advertise for plans and specifications for a structure
capable of accommodating five hundred young men, and
adapted to the use of the most modern gymnastic appliances
that could be purchased. The style of architecture
was to harmonize with the scheme of Jefferson, and
the edifice itself was not to cost in excess of fifteen thousand
dollars. The Faculty, however, were of the opinion
that an appropriation of twenty-five thousand would be
required; and in the end, the Board of Visitors were compelled
to reserve the sum of twenty-eight thousand for the
purpose. A site on the eastern slope of Carr's Hill was
chosen for the projected building.

The Fayerweather gymnasium was thrown open in September,
1893. Its total cost had leapt up to thirty thousand
dollars. It was the largest and most thoroughly
equipped establishment of its kind in the South. The
building was strictly classic in its proportions, with a Corinthian
portico, fluted columns, and carved capitals of
solid stone. So great was the appreciation of Dr. Lambeth's
services in his office of director that, in order to
retain them, a house was erected for his occupation not
far from the new gymnasium. The Fayerweather Gymnastic

Association was organized in the following year
with a view to a still higher training of the gymnastic
powers of the students,—by which means only could a
team be fitted to participate with success in the annual
tournament of the colleges. The daily attendance had
increased by this time to one hundred and ninety individuals;
and there were from forty to seventy-five entries in
the regular classes. Valuable prizes were now awarded
to stimulate excellence in performance. Professor James
A. Harrison contributed the sum of twenty-five dollars
annually, during five years, for this purpose. Professor
Peters gave fifteen dollars and the Anderson Brothers,
of the University, fifty, to the champion gymnast of the
year. The association distributed an additional one hundred
dollars among the competitors.

There had been, during several years, an expanding
need of a campus which would be level and spacious
enough to embrace a track, tennis courts, and a football
playground. The only area near the University which
appeared to offer the width and breadth required was
a swampy sink that lay just north of the present Madison
Hall. A survey was made of it in 1888; but in spite of
the indefatigable efforts of Professor Noah K. Davis to
interest the students in its purchase, no progress was made
towards collecting among them the sum that was wanted.
Refusing to be discouraged, he interviewed the International
Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association,
and through their influence, Cyrus McCormick was
led to give seventeen hundred dollars for the acquisition
of the land, the title to which was thereafter, for a time,
vested in trust in the local Young Men's Christian Association,
for the benefit of the students. An additional
acre,—making five in all,—which was needed for the full
realization of the plan for the campus had already been

bought through the liberality of the alumni residing in
New York City. By the continued exertions of Professor
Davis, further subscriptions were obtained; and with
the generous assistance of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway,
which gave sixteen carloads of Basic City brick, the
campus was completed by June, 1892, and the title finally
transferred to the Board of Visitors.

During several years anterior to the acquisition of this
campus, there had been numerous trials in track athletics
held on Ficklin's race-course near Charlottesville, under
the auspices of the gymnasium association. The inauguration
of these games was principally attributable to the
energy of DeCourcy W. Thom, a student from Baltimore.
The 18th and 19th of April, 1879, were always
remembered at the University of Virginia for the events
which took place on those two days. The field then used
was in the shape of a rude oval, with a circumference one-quarter
of a mile in extent. The programme embraced a
short dash, a half mile run, a one mile run, a one hour run,
throwing the baseball, throwing the hammer and a hurdle
race. The conspicuous performers on this occasion were
Thomas N. Carter, C. B. Walker, D. W. Thom, J. P.
Crawford, S. H. Smith, and Samuel Porcher. Subsequently,
this programme was enlarged so as to include putting
the shot, the running hand jump, the running high
jump, one quarter of a mile run, three mile run, two hundred
and twenty yards dash, potato race, sack race, three-legged
race and pole-vaulting. It was said, at the time,
that these games were played with a skill equal to that
to be observed in the colleges of the North, which were
able to select their performers from amongst a far larger
number of young men.

In the Spring of 1881, there was to be descried in the
open area of ground under the shadow of Professor Mallet's

house a sight, which, we are told by Professor W.
H. Echols, stirred up an emotion of lively astonishment
in all who witnessed it,—at least, as mere lookers-on.
"It was the spectacle," he said, "of a group of real men
seriously occupied with batting a ball with snow shoes at
a fishing seine." There were many Englishmen domiciled
in the county of Albemarle at this time, who characteristically
persisted in playing the games to which they
had been accustomed at home before they went out to
Virginia. In a remarkable test of eye and hand, which
occurred in November 29, 1885, the laurel of victory
was won by two young men of this nationality, who were
competing with the perfectly raw novices of the University.
So great was the interest now felt in lawn tennis,
in consequence of these games, that clubs were formed
in the several groups of dormitories, and the students,
for the time being, threw themselves, with all the ardor of
their English rivals, into this imported pastime. During
the session of 1888–89, there were as many as five clubs in
existence within the precincts. At least two of the fraternities
had organized tennis clubs in the circles of their
respective memberships,—these were the Delta Kappa
Epsilon, and Phi Kappa Psi. During these years of active
interest in the game, tournaments of singles were
played in the autumn; and in the spring, tournaments of
singles and doubles. The University club, during 1893–
94, could claim an enrolment of nineteen members; and
this number, by 1895, had increased to forty. There
was a general tennis association in existence at this time.