Miller Manual Labor School.
The Miller Manual Labor School of
Albemarle was founded by Samuel
Miller, who was born June 1, 1792
near the present site of the school.
[ILLUSTRATION]
"Pine Knot," Albemarle County Retreat of President Roosevelt.
Until he was grown Mr. Miller had to
contend with dire poverty and great
adversity; the great obstacles in the
way of his education and advancement
were however overcome by his
uncommon energy and indomitable
will, but he never forgot the hardships
of his early days and determined to
accumulate a fortune and establish a
school for the children of his native
county who might be too poor to get a
good education. Mr. Miller's will laid
a broad and deep foundation for the
school. He specified that it should be
"a school upon the manual labor
principle." The importance and value
of manual training in education is
now highly appreciated and generally
popular, but in making a proper estimate
of Mr. Miller's foresight and
good judgment it should be remembered
that his will was made in 1859—
long before manual training was an
element in education—showing that
he was far in advance of his time concerning
this useful educational factor.
But lest it be thought that his views
were narrow or one-sided or that he
leaned unduly toward the training of
the hand, it is well to quote further
from the will, wherein he states that
the pupils shall be "instructed in all
the branches of a good, plain, sound
English education, the various languages,
both ancient and modern, agriculture,
and the useful arts." Few
men of his, or any other time have had
a broader view of education, and none
in the south have ever given so liberally
to the cause. Great as was Mr.
Miller's gift to Albemarle county in
money and in rare forethought and
wise plans his work might have proven
well-nigh useless if the execution
of his trust had not fallen into wise
and upright hands. There are many
persons who have faithfully and ably
done their part in the work of developing
the great institution which offers
such rare advantages to the youth of
the county, but the names which
stand out with special prominence in
this respect are Nicholas M. Page,
John L. Cochran, Chas. S. Venable,
Francis H. Smith, Hezekiah Taylor,
John T. Randolph, John M. White
and Thomas S. Martin, each of whom
in his capacity of Executor of the
Estate, Judge of the County, or Member
of the Board of Visitors has shown
rare tact, wisdom and faithfulness in
the discharge of his special duty
There is one name however which;
[ILLUSTRATION]
The Kitchen—Pine Knot.
next to Samuel Miller, takes highest
rank among those who have labored
for the upbuilding of the Miller SchoolCapt.
Charles E. Vawter, for twenty-eight
years the Superintendent of the
school, is the man who has done most
to guide, shape and control the destinies
of the institution and to inspire
its pupils to noble efforts and point
them to lofty aims. Mr. Miller died
in 1869, but owing to protracted litigation,
and other delays incident to reconstruction
days in the south, the
School was not opened until the fall of
1878, and it then started with only 21
pupils, one teacher and the superintendent.
The institution developed
rapidly and in less than five years it
had 250 pupils and a long list of applicants
that could not be admitted
[ILLUSTRATION]
Miller Manual Labor School—Main Building.
There are now 25 teachers and 250
pupils. Mr. Miller's comprehensive
plans have been carriad out with care
and faithfulness; the material equipment
of the school, in its special lines,
is perhaps not equalled in the south
nor surpassed in the north. The
courses of instruction are thorough
and broad, and the fundamental idea
is to give an all-round training not
only to the hand, the body and mind,
but also to the heart, the morals and
the conscience, and to fit the pupils in
the highest way for useful, happy
lives. Over 1,000 pupils have gone
out from the school, and a very large
number of these occupy positions of
great usefulness and responsibility
throughout the Union, from New
England to California and from Wisconsin
to Texas, while a few are found
in foreign lands. If the good done by
the Miller School be judged only by
the financial advantage to Mr. Miller's
beneficiaries (an admittedly low
standard for comparison,) it will be
found that they now earn an amount
greatly in excess of that which they
would probably have been able to earn
had they not enjoyed the advantages
of the Miller School. This excess in
earnings is already equal to a very
large income upon the money left by
Mr. Miller, and is steadily increasing.
But greater and better than all this
are the uplifting and ennobling influences
which extend not only to the
hundreds trained in the school, but to
yet larger numbers who are being
helped by the leavening influences
which eminate in ever widening circles
from those who have received the
direct benefit of Mr. Miller's noble
benefaction.
