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Educational Netos and Progress
A Correction.
In an item on this page of last week's issue of
The Golden Age, it was stated that the Ciceronian
Society of Mercer University was victorious in
tiie Annual Debate. The error was not discovered
until a large number of papers had come from the
press It was immediately corrected; the Phi Del
ta Society having won the decision. We beg the
indulgence of our readers for this mistake which is
another proof of the old statement that 11 Mistakes
will occur in the best of regulated matters.” We
promise to earnestly endeavor in future to ‘Gender
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” It is na
tural that he, in his day, and Societies in this,
should resent their well deserved honors being
bestowed upon their opponents.
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A new public school building to cost SIO,OOO is
to be built at Childress, Texas, during the summer.
Howard-Payne College, located at Brownwood,
Texas, is putting up a much needed three-story ad
dition to its main building.
John Tarleton College, located at Stephenville,
Texas, contemplates the erection of a new main
college building to cost $50,000.
*
Normal schools, extending through a period of
six weeks, are being held in Texas. The plan is for
several counties to be grouped together for one of
these schools. This makes it more convenient for
the teachers and, consequently, Hie attendance is al
wavs large.
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Carson and Nelvman Commencement.
This was the greatest, perhaps, in the history of
the institution. Dr. M. A. Jones, Columbus, Ga.,
gave us a most splendid sermon, while Dr. Wm.
Lunsford, of Asheville, delivered a most excellent
literary address. There were about thirty-two grad
uates from all the departments. The outlook is
very bright. S. E. Jones, Cor.
Girls 9 High School Commencement.
An unusually large class was graduated from the
Atlanta Girls’ High School during the week just
past. The standard of this school is an exceeding
ly high one, and its diplomas admit the holders
into some of the foremost colleges of the country
without further examination.
The class of 1907 consisted of seventy-two mem
bers and it ranks among the very best classes ever
graduated during the thirty-two years in which the
school has been in existence.
It is the policy of the school to make no mem
lion of those students whose scholarship entitles
them to special honor and neither from the printed
program nor the very attractive exeicises vas it
possible to determine the leaders of the class. It
has come to our knowledge, however, that the class
President, Miss Vivien Marsh, was taken seriously
ill some three or four weeks ago and was com
pelled to seek another climate, and was necessarily
absent from the graduating exercises. The position
of class president is no empty honor, for the suc
cessful candidate must capture not only the v U
of the entire school but, because of her high record
and excellent school standing, she must also have
the support of the faculty. No girl failing to
make a certain percentage in scholarship can be
class president, and this office carries with it the
distinction of scholarship, personal popularity and
representative qualifications of no small order. The
absence of Miss Marsh cast the only shadow on
an otherwise delightfully harmonious occasion, and
we have felt this mention was due to her.
While Miss Marsh was awarded her diploma for
which she worked so faithfully, her absence was
generally commented on and deplored by the stu
dents, each one of whom she claimed as a close
personal friend and admire?, _ ...
The Golden Age for June 13, 1907.
A Great Educator.
“It takes as great a man to manage over nine
hundred boys, and direct the moral, intellectual,
financial, agricultural and mechanical affairs of
this great institution, as it does to be governor of
Mississippi, or president of the United States.
This was the mental, yes, the spoken comment
of the Editor of The Golden Age as he saw Dr.
J. C. Hardy performing the duties of president of
the great Agricultural and Mechanical College of
Mississippi —“his hand upon the throttle and his
eye upon the rail.”
A graduate of Mississippi College, at Clinton,
ten years superintendent of the Public schools of
Jackson, seven years president of the A. & M. Col
lege, the husband of one queenly wife, the father
of two bright-eyed children, and the inspiring
“brother” of nearly a thousand boys, J. C. Hardy
(“Jack Hardy,” they call him in Mississippi) has
reached a throne of power and influence at the
age of forty-one, which few educators have ever
reached at three-score years.
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DR. J. C. HARDY.
President Mississippi A. & M. College.
His administration is a beautiful autocracy —
“with Love on the throne.” His is “the hand
of oak in the glove of velvet ” He is president,
when tlie situation calls for heroic action, and
when the hour calls for brotherly tenderness, he
is up at midnight mingling his tears with the sor
rowing or putting his arms of love around some
penitent boy. prayerfully pointing him to God
and Right.
The winsome, conquering reign of J. C. Hardy
proves one tiling—-that only such a man is ti l
be principal of a great school er president of a
college.
'Ready Speaker’s Contest.
The following private letter to the Editor of
The Golden Age gives the highly interesting de
tails concerning the contest for the “Ready Speak
er’s Medal,” which took place as a part of the
commencement exercises at the A. & M. College,
Starkville, Miss. While there are some of these
details that would not ordinarily be given in a pub
lished report, they reveal so much of the spirit
of the inner workings of this great man-making
institution of nine hundred boys, that the editor
has decided to let the letter of Professor Hull ap
pear in full.
I)ear Brother Upshaw: —
The first contest for the W. D. Upshaw Ready
Speaker’s Medal was held in the college chapel at
two o’clock Saturday afternoon. . There was a
good audience from the student body, members of
the faculty, and the visitors on the campus; and
pinch enthusiasm was manifested.
The following students competed for the medal,
appearing in the order in which their names are
given:
J. AV. Sargent, Sophomore; J. O. Mullins, Sopho- •
more; C. P. Barrett, Working Boys’ Course; J. B.
Rouse, Sophomore; J. O. Morris, Sophomore; E. 11.
Walker, Junior; G. AV. Coombs, Senior; J. W. Bar
nett, Senior; F. V. Buruss, Senior; L. AV. Stamp
ley, Sophomore; SV. W. Boone, Senior; AV. E.
Brougher, Freshman; AV. G. Roberts, Senior.
Professors AV. IT. Magruder, J. C. Herbert and
D. C. Hall were appointed by the president to
make arrangements for the contest, and to award
the medal. The contestants were assembled in
Prof. Magruder’s class room, and allowed then to
pass one at a time into his office adjoining the
class-room, where they chose one..of the following
questions for discussion:
1. Should Military Duties be Compulsory After
the Sophomore Year?
2. Should the Ninety Rules be Re-enacted?
3. Is the Serious AVork of This Institution Mar
red by the Spirit of College Athletics?
4. Should the State Legislature, through the
Board of Trustees, Establish a Gymnasium at the
(’allege ?
Each contestant was allowed ten minutes in
which to think about his subject; and he then ap
peared on. the rostrum. Mr. W. G. Roberts was
awarded the medal. His position that the Ninety
Rules should not be re-enacted was clearly defined
and strongly defended. The medal was gracefully
delivered to him on commencement day by Prof.
J. ('. Herbert. Mr. W. AV. Boone, who took the
’position that the serious work of the college is
not marred by (he spirit of college athletics, was
a close second to Mr. Roberts.
There were other speeches of real merit, but the
committee desires to make special mention of the
effort of Mr. C. P. Barrett, who is a member of
the Working Boys’ Course. These working boys
conn* to the college without means, work during
the day, and study at night, throughout the first
year. They are then, as a rule, financially able to
enter as regular students in some one of the college
classes or in the P.eparatory Department. Two
members of the graduating class this year are
men who began in the Working Boys’ Course.
Mr. Barrett has been at the college since last
August, but will not enter regularly until next Sep
tember. His only opportunity for improvement has
been found in the special instructions provided at
night, and in such hours of private reading and
study as have been possible in connection with his
duties as a working boy. AVith a laudable ambition
for self-improvement, he connected himself early
in the year with one of the literary societies, and
has taken an active part in tiie work throughout
the session. He was one of four men chosen to com
pete for the declaimer’s medal offered by his so
ciety, ami won special mention from the committee.
In this Ready Speaker's Contest, he discussed the
necessity for a college gymnasium in away to
show that his eyes are open to his surroundings,
and that he can think correctly upon practical col
lege problems. He convinced the committee and
the audience as well that he will be a factor in the
student life of the college during the next four
years.
This contest has aroused so much interest that
the Professor of English says he will make extem
poraneous speaking a feature of his class-room
work next year.
The committee desires to thank you in behalf
of the president, the faculty and the student body
for the kindly interest you have manifested in
endowing this medal. I beg to assure you, also,
that your most helpful ministrations in our midst
last February, toning and uplifting the spiritual
and religious life of our institution, are very grater
fully remembered by every one here.
With sincere regards, I beg to remain,
Very truly yours,
D. C. Hull,
Secretary for the Committee,
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