University of Virginia Library

Conflict Of Old And New

University At Opposite Poles

(Editor's note: This article, "Mr.
Jefferson's University," is excerpted
from Holiday Magazine, copyright
1961, courtesy of the Curtis
Publishing Company.)

By Chester Goolrick

A mile or two of distance, a few
minutes' walk for an energetic
man - and a gulf of nearly a
century lie between the University
of Virginia's new experimental
atomic reactor and Thomas Jefferson's
Rotunda, symbol of the
University's cultural heritage. From
the steps of the domed Rotunda, a
long, shaded lawn flanked by classic
colonnades sweeps toward a vista of
the unchanging Blue Ridge Mountains
circling Charlottesville. The
reactor, going about its work
secretly, is housed in a utilitarian
structure tucked in a corner the
casual visitor is not likely to come
across. The Rotunda and the
reactor stand at opposite poles one
a reminder of the 18th century
enlightenment, the other a 20th
century reality undreamed of even
by Jefferson. Yet both, perhaps,
equally characterize the University
which Jefferson founded in 1819,
the crowning achievement of his
long career.

At the University they speak of
its founder as "Mr. Jefferson,"
pretentiously if you like, but still
honestly, as if he were sitting on
the porch of Monticello overlooking
Charlottesville and could
drop down any moment for an
inspection tour of the "academical
village" he conceived, designed and
built in the closing days of his life...
And though the place has come a
long way, it still bears Mr. Jefferson's
personal stamp everywhere.

Serenity And Elegance

The outward signs of the Jeffersonian
tradition can be deceptive.
The serenity and elegance of the
buildings and grounds produce an
atmosphere easily mistaken for
Southern indolence; an impression
that the University is a languid
holdover from the days before
Appomattox, a pleasant but hardly
stimulating haven where scions of
the First Families of Virginia pass
four agreeable years to acquire the
one diploma that certifies them as
gentlemen.

Capstone of Education

The unhurried outlook seems to
be one thing; the University itself is
another, as charged with energy
beneath as its reactor. At last it is
becoming what Mr. Jefferson wanted
it to be-the capstone of the
state's system of education, a
well-spring of diversified learning
and the source of stimulating
intellectual inquiry...

But behind all the latter-day
vitality, pervading it as mint does a
julep, is the Jeffersonian tradition,
and definitions of what that is
depend on to whom you are
talking, and when. On the one
hand, it is the student honor
system; on the other, as someone
has put it, "the God-given right to
go to hell in your own way." It is
abstract and material-the faculty's
jealous guardianship of its academic
and intellectual freedom, and the
buildings which constitute Mr.
Jefferson's physical legacy...

Honor System

The honor system is one of the
glories of the University. Reaching
back at least as far as the Civil War,
it is based on the development of
an unwritten gentleman's agreement
that life is a good deal easier
for everybody when lying, stealing
and cheating are simply not countenanced.
The system works to
near-perfection...

The subtle accent of the Virginia
version of what simply isn't done
and what is, is likely a part of the
Jeffersonian tradition. It has a great
deal to do with setting the general
tone of the University. Virginia
students wear coats and ties to
classes and about the grounds; they
always have and always will...

Tradition

But what about this tradition, as
the University shifts into high gear
to meet the demands of the new
age? What about the coats and ties,
the quiet restraint, and the honor
system...?

Sheer growth alone will bring
about some changes, just as will
changing social patterns. Those who
love the old place hope they will
not be cataclysmic.