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Show WHAT'S THE USE OF EDUCATION? EDU-CATION? The two contributions for which Commodore Vanderbilt was best known and will be remembered were the eudowmsnt of a university in Tennessee and the presentation to Dr. Deems of the church he now occupies oc-cupies in Mercer street. The first came about in this way: Four years ago Bishop McTyeire, who had married a cousin of Mrs. Vanderbilt'a came to New 1'ork on a visit from the south, aud was a guest ot the commodore's ior several weekd. The bishop made a most favorable impression, and the commodore one day told him in ttie presence of Dr. Deems that he proposed pro-posed to let the world know that he appreciated the importauce of education, educa-tion, lest people might say, "What's the use ol education? Look at Commodore Com-modore Vanderbilt; be made all his meney without any," and thereupon ottered the bishop, who was a trustee of a fund collected to start a central university in the south, $500,000 for j the institution. It was immediately given his name and located at Nashville, Nash-ville, Tenn. Tbe cost of tho building provod to be $392,831.46, and the commodore afterwards added an endowment en-dowment of $300,000, making his gift $952,831.46. Through his wife, the commodore had beeome acquainted with Dr. Deems, she being a member of the Church of the Strangers, then holding its services in the university chapel, and from the outset formed a warm attachment for him. In 1374 the Mercer street Presbyterian church wag &fTered for sale, and, unasked, without a word, the commodore purchased pur-chased it, paying $50,000 tor i!, nnu presented it to Dr. Deems, t bio death to go to the Church of the Strangers; This gitt, it baa been recently re-cently reported, has been increased by a legacy of a large sum staled as $300,GU0 to Dr. Deems in trust for uses of the church. |