BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS, DELIVERED DECEMBER 17, 1836. AT THE FIFTH ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA.
Woods, Alva:
Sold by William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since 13 July 2006
Sold by William Reese Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since 13 July 2006
An early baccalaureate address from the University of Alabama, delivered by Alva Woods, the first president of the university, which had been founded just five years early. Woods delivered this address in 1836, the year before he resigned in the face of a violent student rebellion. Woods was a minister, professor, and university president. Born in Vermont in 1794, he studied at Harvard, graduating in 1817 before attending Andover Theological Seminary. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1821 and shortly thereafter was appointed professor of mathematics, natural philosophy, and ecclesiastical history at Columbian College (now George Washington University). Woods served briefly as interim president at Brown University and as president at Transylvania University before accepting an offer to become the first president of the University of Alabama, where his tenure was nothing if not turbulent. Eager to replicate the moral and educational culture that he had known in New England, Woods instituted a strict system of discipline, but however appropriate such a system may have seemed to the descendants of Puritans, it was ill-suited to the frontier culture and Southern code of honor then prevailing at Alabama. There such attempts at imposing discipline were met with open hostility and even violence, with Woods himself becoming the target of attacks by knife-, whip-, and pistol-wielding students. No doubt fed up with the abuse, Woods resigned his presidency in 1837, citing his health and a desire to educate his son in the North. On its surface, the present text appears to read like any other baccalaureate address, with Woods calling on graduates to pledge their "talents and attainments to the cause of knowledge, of freedom, and of christian morality." But, reading between the lines, one quickly gets a sense of the volatile context in which the address was given. That year, in an effort to crack down on student misbehavior, Woods had implemented a stricter code of regulations, and though "the certainty of punishment, in case of a known violation of the laws, is now more fully established than at any former period," Woods was compelled to admit in his address that - between "the lawless violence of the mob," the "national vice" of "Intemperance," and the "seductive snares" of "Gambling" - there was "much vice and much moral degeneracy still to deplore" both at the university and throughout the nation. A fascinating document offering insights into the tensions that brewed - and occasionally boiled over - between faculty and students on antebellum college campuses. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 42564. SABIN 105121 (note). ELLISON III:271. AII (ALABAMA) 231. DAB XX, pp.500-1. A. James Fuller, Chaplain to the Confederacy: Basil Manly and Baptist Life in the Old South (Baton Rouge. 2000), pp.154-6. Robert F. Pace, Halls of Honor: College Men in the Old South (Baton Rouge. 2004). Original rear wrapper present (but the top third detached, and present) front wrapper lacking, stitched as issued. Foxing throughout. About very good.
Seller Inventory # 58775
Terms of Trade
All initial queries concerning items listed on ABEBooks.com by William Reese Company must be made via e-mail.
All material offered herein is offered subject to prior sale and is shipped subject to approval, but notification of return must be made within thirty days and returns made in a prompt and conscientious fashion. New customers are asked to prepay, or supply ABAA/ILAB references. Payment may be made by check, wire transfer or bank draft, and we also accept Visa and MasterCar...
If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION
Statutory Right to cancel
You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days for any reason.
The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us, William Reese Company, 14 East 60th Street, Suite 800, 10022, New York, New York, U.S.A., of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model cancellation form, but it is not obligatory. You can also electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.
Effects of cancellation
If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel with contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or William Reese Company, New York, New York, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your cancellation from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of cancellation
The right of cancellation does not apply to:
Model withdrawal form
(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)
To: (William Reese Company, 14 East 60th Street, Suite 800, 10022, New York, New York, U.S.A.)
I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*),
Ordered on (*)/received on (*)
Name of consumer(s)
Address of consumer(s)
Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)
Date
* Delete as appropriate.
Orders usually ship within 3 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
| Order quantity | 7 to 21 business days | 3 to 10 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 10.42 | £ 15.63 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.