1870 | Centre Faculty | 1875
Centre College Faculty Minutes (Vol. 1 - 1871)

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January 6, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business transacted for record.

January 13, 1871

No meeting.

January 20, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business transacted for record.

January 27, 1871

Faculty met. All present. The order of examination was arranged to commence on Friday 27 of January, and end Tuesday January 31st.

February 3, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business.

February 10, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business.

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February 17, 1871

Faculty met. All present.

The Faculty had a conversation with Mr. Ringland with regard to his graduating a year in advance of his regular time. The Faculty very kindly and frankly stated to him that if [he] could show a fair and satisfactory examination upon all the studies again, they would gladly grant his request, otherwise they could not consistent with their duties or [unclear word: conformally?] to the laws, if the Institution was [to] think for one solitary moment of giving him a Diploma, and establishing a very dangerous and awkward and ugly precedent. There being no further business, the Faculty adjourned.

February 24, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business transacted for record.

March 3, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business transacted for record.

March 10, 1871

Faculty met. All present. No business.

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March 17, 1871

Faculty met. All present.

The roll was called and the students praised of censored, according as each deserved the one or the other. Prof. Beatty noted that many complaints against the Faculty were industriously circulated throughout the town and county, to the urgency of the College he therefore very casually, but with his usual Christian mildness, urged every Prof. to be true and faithful unto the discharge of his duty. There being no further business the Faculty adjourned.

March 22, 1871

The Faculty had a special meeting on Wednesday after the third hour for the purpose of testing the great deficiency in Latin of Messrs. Henry Woodfolk, and John W. Durham, and also to examine Mr. McRoberts with regard to his impertinent conduct in the classroom. Woodfolk and Durham were duly examined in Latin and found exceedingly diffident. Whereupon

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the President warned and urged them to double application, otherwise it would be impossible for the Faculty consistent with their obligation to think [illegible word] for one moment, much less recommend their promotion to the Junior Class. The young gentlemen made the usual promise under the pressing circumstances and then dismissed. Upon Mr. McRoberts being charged with having used disrespectful and demoralizing language to the Professor in the classroom, he very ingenuously and very innocently claimed the [illegible word] intention on his part to insult the Professor. The Faculty could but accept the gentleman's explanation, and with a gentle rebuke from the President the trial ended.

March 24, 1871

The Faculty met. All present.

Cecil, Davis, and McGoodwin all members of the Freshman Class were summoned to appear before the Faculty. They were all duly

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present. President Beatty after stating to them the general complaint of every Professor with regard to their record of class delinquency and warning them of the great disgrace of failing [illegible word] [illegible word] studies, urged them to turn over a new leaf and go to work earnestly and faithfully and to attend their recitations very punctually, otherwise their being put back [illegible phrase] They all promised to make an effort and they were dismissed. Mr. Nichols, also of the Freshman Class, was summoned to appear before the Faculty to answer to the charges of high misdemeanor in Professor Randolph's, and also of using improper language to the Professor. The young man denied all intention to use insulting language, promised however to be more circumspect in the selection of his words, and to suppress his anger when addressing the Professor, and then withdrew.

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March 31, 1871

Faculty met. All present.

After a short talk over those students who are doing no good to themselves and great injury to the Institution, the President was requested to explain to Mr. Hale and Shaw the Faculty's dissatisfaction of their studies and conduct. There being no further business, the Faculty adjourned.

April 7, 1871

Faculty met. All present.

The roll was called and some remarks made upon the slow progress of lazy students. Prof. Beatty was ordered by the Faculty to talk to Hale, Hamilton, and Woodfolk about their delinquencies. There being no further business the Faculty adjourned.

April 10, 1871

A special meeting of the Faculty was held in the Old College Library Room. Mr. Landram was summoned to appear before the Faculty to answer to the charges against him of an unusually reprehensible nature, to wit, that

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the said young Landram in the company of ten very wicked and vicious young men did on the Sabbath day while riding in a buggy in state of intoxication shot, or had a share in the shooting of a cow, thereby not only unlawfully destroying the property of another, but also desecrating the Christian Sabbath. The young criminal admitted only a part of the charges. He denied his having been under the influence of liquor, and he further denied any wicked participation in killing the cow. He further requested the Faculty to suspend their judgement until the result of the Public Trial, in the which he hoped evidence proving his entire or partial innocence would be elicited. The Faculty granted his request and appointed Prof. Randolph to be present at the Trial. Whereupon the Faculty adjourned.

April 12, 1871

At a special meeting of the Faculty held for the purpose of further investigation of the above case, it was ascertained

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that the young man had been intoxicated and had a share in the killing of the cow, and that the young gentleman had committed the additional grievous offence of having willfully suppressed the truth. Prof. Chenault and Prof. DeSoto were in favor of having the young man publicly dismissed, not so much with the hope of reforming him as that such a public dismission should prove exceedingly salutary upon the creeping demoralization of the whole Institution. Prof. Randolph felt a great delicacy to vote for a public dismission, however much the young man may have deserved it, on the grounds of certain clerical and other relations with the father of the boy. Mr. Beatty was inclined to mercy, whereupon it was moved by Mr. Randolph that a notice be immediately sent to Mr. Landram, the father of the boy, requesting him to remove his son from College; upon the motion being seconded and voted in the affirmative, the Faculty adjourned.

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April 14, 1871

The Faculty met at the College Library. All present.

Mr. W. G. Proctor appeared, charged by Prof. Randolph with throwing an egg against his door during the time of recitation. Upon the young man being interrogated, gave for answer that while it was true that he did throw the egg, it was not his intention or thought to throw against the Prof's door, that by some, to him, mysterious twisting of the aim at the time of throwing, the egg did take of its own accord the wrong direction. He disclaimed any intention or purpose of insulting the Prof. or of disturbing him in his recitation. A gentle rebuke from the President to avoid any thing of the sort in the future put an end to this trial. At the instance of Prof. DeSoto the young man named Sidney S. McRoberts, Jr., also appeared, charged by the said Prof. DeSoto with using towards him unbecoming impertinent and insulting language. Upon being questioned

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with reference to the charge, he very gently said that he intended no insult whatever. His explanation being accepted, for the Faculty very unfortunately has to believe a boy, he was dismissed not without a gentle admonition from the kind President to be a little more guarded in the rise of his unruly member. There being no further business, the Faculty adjourned.

April 21, 1871

The Faculty met in the College Library. All present.

The roll was called and comments made by the Faculty respectively upon the lazy and disorderly students respectively. Mr. DeSoto the secretary of the Faculty was appointed to prepare the catalogue for the session ending June 29, 1871, whereupon the Faculty adjourned.

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April 28, 1871

The Faculty met in College Library. All present.

Mr. Henry Woodfolk was summoned to answer to the qeneral and serious charge of total neglect of duty. He said in his defense that his inability to work owing to the delicacy of his bodily constitution his constantly recurring sickness, had thrown him back so far, especially in his Greek, that he felt not only discouraged but a lack of will on his part to take advantage of those occasional moments of "mons sana in corpose scino" to study. He was therefore anxious to quit the Greek. Mr. Beatty stated he could not quit the Greek without the answer of his father and advised and urged upon the young man rather to prepare a few lines in Greek than quit it, as such a step might bring the displeasure of his father and would compel the Faculty to dismiss him from the Institution. The young man promised to follow the advice of the President, whereupon the trial came to an end and the Faculty

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adjourned.

May 5, 1871

The Faculty met in the College Library, all present.

The young gentlemen, Hamilton, Younglove, and Henry Woodfolk appeared before the Faculty to answer to the charges of neglect of duty, of great irregularity in their attendance, and other high misdemeanors. The young gentlemen were reasonably heard. As the defense they made was not satisfactory to the Faculty, it was therefore moved and recommended that they be suspended from all association with the College. Prof. Beatty was requested by his colleagues to announce the suspension of the young gentlemen in the College Chapel. The sentence of suspension pronounced against Mr. Hamilton was commuted to his private withdrawal from the College. Mr. Hale failing to appear a judgement of suspension by default was entered against him. There being no further business, the Faculty adjourned.

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May 8, 1871

At a special meeting of the Faculty, Mr. Younglove appeared to have the sentence of suspension removed. As the young gentleman not only made all proper apologies, but solemnly promised to the Faculty to attend faithfully and regularly to all his duties. The Faculty reversed its previous judgement and the young loving gentleman was restored to his membership in of the College. There being no further business the Faculty adjourned.

May 12, 1871

The Faculty met in the College Library. All present.

Mr. Henry Woodfolk appeared also to have his sentence of suspension removed, which was done upon his making such pledges of punctuality and fidelity to his College duties as were deemed satisfactory to every member of the Faculty. And then the meeting adjourned.

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May 19, 1871

The Faculty met in the College Library. The examination of Senior Class was fixed for the following week, commencing on Monday the 22d May, and to end on the 26th of May. There being no further business the Faculty adjourned.

May 26, 1871

The Faculty met in the College Chapel immediately after the final examination of the Senior Class. It was moved and seconded and unanimously voted that the following young gentlemen comprising the Senior Class be recommended to the Board of Trustees for the Degree of A. B., to wit: John Barbour, John A. Cheek, Charles C. Fox, James E. Gardner, Caleb E. Jones, John A. Quisenberry, and Alphonso F. Weedin. Upon examining and comparing the grades of scholarship of the candidates for the First Honor it appeared that Mr. John A. Cheek had on record the brightest marks, whereupon it was moved and seconded that to the said Mr. John A. Cheek the First Honor be awarded, and that Prof. Beatty announce the fact to the Class, and then the Faculty adjourned.

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June 2, 1871

The Faculty met in the College Library, all present.

The roll was called and some remarks made upon the students worthy of notice. The Faculty, after much consideration, decided to postpone the Alumni Dinner to a time when the present jarring and hostile elements shall have either partially subsided or perfectly reconciled. To give the proposed Dinner, which under existing circumstances would be partaken of by very few, would certainly expose the Institution as well as its officers to a new ridicule and to new and disagreeable indignities. Therefore the decision of the Faculty not to give the Dinner has the [unclear word: savour?] of precedence and wisdom. There being no further business the Faculty adjourned.

June 9, 1871

This being money order day the Faculty met at the President's Home. The order of Examination was read and approved and therefore adopted. After some sighs and lamenting talk over the very low state of the College finances,

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in which we all took a very deep interest, the Faculty adjourned.

June 16, 1871

Faculty met at Prof. Beatty's. Prof. Beatty gave us the main features of the Report to be laid before the Board of Trustees at the next annual meeting on Tuesday June 27, 1871, all which we approved and signified to the President to write it out with any other modifications which his great caution, providence, common sense and wisdom may deem necessary and proper. There being no further business, the Faculty adjourned.

June 23, 1871

Faculty met at Prof. Beatty's. The order of the Public Examination of the different Classes was decided, arranged and settled. There being no further business the Faculty adjourned.

June 30, 1871

The Faculty met at Prof. Beatty's. The circular of the students was made out, after which the Faculty adjourned.

[The following page in the faculty minute book is blank and the next entry is dated September 7, 1875]