As a favorable opportunity of writing by Mr. Morehead, (who will
pass by the neighborhood)
2
offers unexpectedly, I cannot let it pass without giving you a few lines
(though I have but a few minutes to write in) We have lately had a considerable
commotion in college which has terminated in the suspension of 27 of the
students. It origined from a speech
3
delivered by one of
the Senior Class
4
which had been corrected by the president and the
Student
neglected the alterations made & persisted to
speak it as he had composed it, after he was several times ordered to stop upon
the publick stage. The students generally supposed the corrections on the
speach were wrong & many of them at the close of it showed their
approbation of the young man's conduct by clapping & making open plaudits
in the publick Hall in the presence of the assembly in which were several
stangers On the next morning they met at the Chapel for the purpose of
consulting on some measure to shew their further contempt of the President
in ordering the for the corrections on
the speech
5 &
his conduct towards the Speaker
Page 2
In short many of
them manifested
a spirit of open rebellion if
the Speaker should be
sus punished for
his disobeying the President The Faculty proceeded to ascertain those who
were more particularly engaged in the tumult
& suspended them for six months as they obstinately refused to make any
concession; They then suspended the speaker
Wm B. Sheppard
& all who were concerned in the
offence except those who made necessary concessions.
6 The
most of
the Students are greatly irreconciled
to
Mr. Chapman
& it is universally thought & no doubt is true
that he put an erroneous construction on the meaning which
Sheppard
designed to convey in his speach & therefore
made an improper correction Yet it was the student's duty to act the part of
obedience—It will probably stir up much noise among the people & it
is cordially hoped by the Students
that it will
cause the
Trustees to put
Mr
Chapman
out of his office.–
7
The Session will end about the first of December at which time I
shall want to go home. I am at present thro' mercy enjoying very good health
and my studies are becoming some more easy tho' yet difficult. I hope hower
to maintain a respectable standing with the
class tho' I may not obtain any particular [dis]tinction. I feel more anxious
daily to prosecute my studies, could I be fortunately favored the necessary
funds. this place is very expensive; but with regard to dress the Students are
plain. I should be glad if my mother could conveniently have [me a] suit of
neat home spun yarn & coutton cloth double wove prepar[ed] for winter (of a
blue or green colour) against I shall come home in December My expen[s]es for
necessary things for a beginning here have been greater than I had expected in
consequence of which the money brough[t] with me will be scarcely sufficient
for me to make out with. If you could with [unrecovered] send me
5$ or 6$ by some person who may pass this way from the
neighborhood you would much oblige me. I have
nothing more at present please write to me as soon as possible Present my
sincere respects to my
mother & Brothers & all enquiring friends &
accept the same yourself from yours &c.