University of Virginia Library

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University of
Virginia.
August 15th 1895.

At a called meeting of the Board of Visitors of the University
Virginia held in pursuance of a call by the Rector, on
the 15th day of August 1895.

Present. The Rector, Dr Randolph and Visitors, McCabe,
Patteson, Watts, McCormick, Dr Martin, T. S. Martin and R. T.
Irvine, vice, Basil B. Gordon, resigned.

The Rector informed the Board that he had information that
Visitor A. C. Gordon was unavoidably prevented from attending.

Mr Irvine, the new member, filed with the Secretary of the
Board, his commission from the Governor, designating him to
fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of B. B. Gordon,
and a certificate of his qualification as Visitor before Geo.
W. Ward, Jr., Judge of the County Court of Washington County,
Virginia, on the 14th of August 1895.

The Rector after calling the Board to order, stated that
the meeting had been called for the purpose of making provison
for filling the vacancy in the Law Department occasioned by
the death of Professor John B. Minor, which occurred on the
29th ult.

The following was enacted by the Board=

The Superintendent of Grounds & Buildings having reported
that to complete the improvements, already begun and nearly
completed in paving East and West Ranges, and the approaches
to them and the change of the East Range Road as directed by
a resolution of July 2d 1895, it will require a further appropriation

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of $2750.00, it is resolved that said sum be and
is hereby appropriated to complete said work, but its to be
paid out of the Fayerweather fund. In this sum is included
$600.00 to open for the use of West Range an ally similar to
that just opened for the use of East Range.

It also contemplates the closing of the present Roadway
in front of West Range and the Supt of Grounds and Buildings
is directed to close said West Range Road.

Resolved, that the matter of necessary attention and repairs
to the present water supply be referred to the Executive
Committee with authority to use for the repair or putting in
such new pipes as may be necessary the money due the University
by the City of Charlottesville which money is now appropriated
for that purpose and placed at the disposal of the
Executive Committee, provided however if the money due from
the City of Charlottesville can not be collected as soon as
necessary to make the repairs contemplated by this resolution
the sum of $2000.00 is hereby appropriated out of the
Fayerweather fund and placed at the disposal of the Executive
Committee to make the repairs herein provided for, but such
sum as may be collected from the said city shall be used to
reimburse the Fayerweather fund to the extent that that fund
is used for said repairs.

A communication was received from Professor Ormond Stone
and one from Professor W. H. Echols also proposing to turn
over to the University the proprietorship of the "Annals of
Mathematics". The same were read and considered and on motion
the following was adopted.

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Professor Stone's offer to turn over to the University
the proprietorship of the Annals of Mathematics be and is
hereby accepted and Professors Ormond Stone, Wm H. Echols and
Wm M. Thornton are appointed to take charge of edit and continue
the publication of the said Annals, and the sum of
$350.00 is hereby appropriated annually to cover the expenses
of the continuance of the publication until it becomes self-supporting.

The Chairman of the Faculty this day presented to the
Visitors for their consideration and action a letter of date
August 10th, 1895 from the Rev. J. M. P. Otts, D. D., to Profr
F. H. Smith, which is in the following words and figures:
Prof. F. H. Smith, University of Virginia. Dear Sir: I have
set aside the sum of $5000.00 to endow a Lectureship, for the
perpetual defence of the truth of Christianity, and desire to
have two institutions of high learning associated in the management
of the said lectureship, one of them being a college
and the other a University. For this purpose I have given in
trust to Davidson College, N. C. (my Alma Mater) the sum of
twenty five hundred dollars, and I now desire to give the legal
authorities of the University of Virginia the sum of twenty five
hundred dollars in trust for the same purpose, provided that the
said University of Va. and the said Davidson College can be, and
shall be associated in the management and benefit of said lectureship
in a way agreeable to both of said institutions.

In this donation it is to be understood and agreed to, that,
1st, only the income of the endowment fund shall be used in the
expenses of the said lectureship; 2. A course of lectures, consisting

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of not less than four or more than six lectures, within
the range of the following points, the eternal personality of
God, the immortal personality of man, the divine inspiration
of the Bible, and the truth of Christianity as revealed in the
Bible, shall be, determined at both institutions as often as
the income of the endowment fund shall justify; 3. The lectures
of each course shall be, as soon after their delivery as practicable,
published in book-form, and all the net proceeds of
the sale thereof shall be added to the endowment fund of the
lectureship, 4. The lecturer in every case shall be chosen by
the joint agreement of the Faculties of the two institutions
associated in the lectureship, and the lecturer thus chosen
shall always be a man of acknowledged scholarship in the department
of his lectures, and a member of some branch of the
Christian Church holding the evangelical system of historical
Christianity. And now I do hereby through you and Prof. N. K.
Davis, offer to the Visitors of the University of Virginia the
sum of $2500.00 in trust for this purpose, provided that a
suitable and satisfactory agreement and arrangement shall be
entered into by the legal authorities of the before mentioned
institutions for carrying into effect this proposed joint lectureship;
and I request you to present this offer to the Visitors
of the University of Va at the earliest opportunity, and
to request them, if the offer is accepted, to empower and authorize
their executive committee to enter into conference with
the Executive Committee of the Trustees of Davidson College, and
with them to arrange all details pertaining to__ matter, with
as little delay as possible. I am, Dear Sir, Yours very sincerely,

J. M. P. Otts,
Greensboro, Ala.

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And also a resolution of the Faculty commending the proposal
in said letter, to the favorable consideration of the Visitors,
which resolution reads as follows: The Faculty respectfully
recommend to the Board of Visitors that the communication of
the Rev. J. M. P. Otts, D. D. herewith forwarded, be favorably
considered, and that the Executive Committee be authorized to
accept the offer he makes. Minutes of the Faculty, 14 Aug. 95.

The Visitors having considered the proposal contained in
the letter, do Resolve that the offer of Dr Otts made in said
letter be accepted. The Executive Committee is requested to
make Dr Otts a suitable acknowledgment of his letter and offer
and it is directed to enter into and make such agreement in
writing with Dr Otts as may be necessary to carry into execution
the contemplated purpose of Dr Otts offer and also to
open correspondence with the Authorities of Davidson College
and cooperate with them in formulating some plan to carry into
practical operation the purposes of Dr Otts as set forth in
his letter and to do anything necessary to that end.

Resolved, that the resolution of June 10th 1895 apply to
Hotel Keepers and any dormitories now used by the Hotel Keepers
shall be vacated by them and made subject to the use of the students.

A communication was received from Mr R. L. Park, who is
engaged in the work of assisting to catalogue the library, proposing
to visit Boston to study the systems used in the Boston
Libraries, for cataloguing, for application here in finishing
the work, provided his railread fare amounting to $15.65 is allowed

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Resolved, that $15.65 be appropriated to pay the railway
fare of Mr Park as requested, the same to be charged
against the Library fund.

The petition of Edward F. Brown, to be allowed to attend
lectures as a student for two years without the payment of
fees was presented, endorsed by the Chairman as approved by
the Faculty, was considered and on motion it was Resolved
that the application be granted and Mr Brown be exempted from
payment of any matriculation fee.

Provision for the payment of the salary of the secretary of the Faculty
having been inadvertently omitted in the appropriations made
for salaries of Officers Professors etc. at the July meeting,
it is now

Resolved that $800 00 be appropriated for the salary of
the said Secretary.

Resolved, that beginning with the session of 1895-6 the
matriculation fee shall be $40.00 for all students liable to
the Infirmary fee, and $35.00 for all other students, and that
hereafter there shall be no charge for Infirmary or for diplomas.

Resolved, that it is inexpedient to consider at this time
the request of the members of the Law faculty for an appropriation
of $1000. for the purchase of new books for the Law Library.

The communication from Profr Peters proposing that the
schools of Latin and Greek should each have an assistant and

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Mr McCormick offered the following resolution which was
adopted without a dissenting vote:

Resolved, that the Visitors now proceed to the election
of a successor to the chair made vacant by the death of Professor
John B. Minor.

After some interchange of views among the members as to
the expediency of proceeding with the election at this time,
Mr McCormick moved a reconsideration of his resolution and a
vote was taken on the motion to reconsider and the Board refused
to reconsider by a vote of 5 against to 3 in favor on a
call of the roll, as follows:

In favor of reconsideration, Messrs McCormick, Watts and Irvine.

Against, The Rector, R. W. Martin, McCabe, Patteson and T. S.
Martin.

The pending question, the election of the law Profr was
then called for and ordered.

The Rector then announced that nominations to fill the
vacant chair in the Law Department was in order.

Mr McCormick stated that whilst he would not nominate Mr
R. T. Barton of Winchester Va, yet he would cast his vote for
him, and addressed the Board forcibly in favor of Mr Barton's
qualifications and fitness. Mr T. S. Martin nominated Mr Walter
D. Dabney of Albemarle County Va, and urged his election

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No other nominations were made and a call of the roll
was ordered and proceeded with and resulted as follows:

Mr Watts was present but did not vote.

Mr Dabney was declared elected Profr of Common and Statute
law for one year.

Mr Patteson offered the following resolution which was
adopted by a unanimous vote:

Resolved, that Raleigh C. Minor be and he is hereby
elected an Adjunct Professor of Common and Statute law for
the period of one year at a salary of Fifteen hundred dollars.

Resolved, that a Committee of five from among the members
of the Board of Visitors, who are lawyers by profession,
be appointed to consider the advisability of reorganizing the
Law Department of this University, and that if they deem that
this Department should be reorganized, they shall present to
the Board at its next meeting, to be called by the Rector, a
scheme of re-organization of said Department.

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The Rector appointed the following Visitors all of whom
are lawyers by profession, to constitute the Committee under
the foregoing resolution, viz, T. S. Martin,

Camm Patteson,

M. McCormick,

A. C. Gordon,

Legh R. Watts.

On motion the Board adjourned sine die.

Teste,
Jas D. Jones,
Secretary.

W. C. N. Randolph
Rector

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June 1888

Ex. Committee - Randolph, chairman

Gordon,

Marye,

Bolling,

McCabe.

Standing Comees

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1891

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1886 May 26