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A NEW SCHOOL
The Work of Sixty Years Accomplished in Sixty-Seb en Days
Sy W. C. Foster
It is generally conceded that we arr living in a
rapid age, in an age of progress,
“In an age on ages telling,
When to be living is sublime;”
but the world’s record for progress in educational
matters was broken by the Baptists of? Florida on
October 2, 1907, in the almost miraculous opening
of the new Columbia College, at Lake City—just
sixty-seven days after its conception, with a plant
equal to anything of its kind in the South, and far
surpassing many that have been over sixty years in
building.
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DR. G. A. NUNNALLY,
President Columbia College.
It came about in this way: For some years the
Baptists of Florida have been blessed with growth
and development far beyond the expectations of the
most enthusiastic mind; and this caused them to
realize the necessity.of larger provisions being made
for the education of our youth, and of a closer un
ion of our schools with our denomination. Stetson
University is a great school, doing a great work.
But while this school is under the control of Bap
tist people, it has been decided that it has no official
connection with our State convention, and therefore
the denomination has no voice in its management.
The Baptists of Florida, while not surrendering any
claim they may have upon this great institution of
learning, but seeing that with our rapid growth a
second school would soon be demanded anyhow; and
realizing the need of a school directly undei the
control of our state convention, set about to see
what could be done to bring these things to pass.
While this was going on other plans were work
ing, other changes were being made which have made
it possible for Columbia College to spring up as if
by magic in a day. Some years ago when the State
of Florida was seeking a location for its Agricultu
ral College, valuable grounds and fifteen thousand
dollars in cash were offered by certain citizens of
Lake City and Columbia county, on condition that
should the State ever cease to maintain a school on
these grounds the whole pioperty, together with the
fifteen thousand dollars in cash, should revert to
those who gave it. The Stale of Florida expended
some four hundred thousand dollars in buildings and
improvements on these grounds, and maintained a
school there until two years ago, when it was de
cided by the legislature that all the Stae schools of
Florida be consolidated into one: one for the edu
cation of young men and one for the education of
young women. The woman’s college was located at
Tallahassee, and the State University for the educa
tion of young men was located at Gainesville. So in
the general mix up and change, Lake City lost out,
and the property, according to the conditions of the
The Golden Age for October 24, 1907.
deed and gifts, reverted to the citizens who gave
it. These citizens, being deeply grieved on account'
of the removal of this school in which they were
so deeply interested, offered to give the property
to any denomination that would found and maintain
a college of high grade upon it.
Seizing the Opportunity.
The Baptists saw their opportuniy and seized it.
As soon as the proposition was presented in definite
shape a meeting of the Florida Baptist State Con
vention was called to be held in Lake City on July
24, 1907, for the purpose of considering and dis
posing of this unusual proposition. In response to
this call the Baptists of the State came five hundred
strong from Pensacola to Key West, from the ocean
to the gulf, from every association and every sec
tion of the State; and they were there practically
of one mind, and one purpose. This was by far the
most representative and most enthusiastic meeting
of Baptists ever held in the State. After a full dis
cussion it was unanimously decided that we accept
the generous offer made by the people of Lake City.
A Great Collection.
A collection was taken at once to start an endow
ment fund. This collection amounted to some sixty
thousand dollars, which has since been largely in
creased. An education commission was appointed
with instructions to put an agent in the field at the
earliest possible day to raise this fund to the amount
of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I un
derstand that the commission has succeeded in find
ing the man, and that he will begin this work at
once.
A board of trustees was also elected with instruc
tions to proceed with all haste to clean up the
grounds, repair and furnish the buildings, provide a
faculty, solicit students, etc., and that the school
be opened on October 1, 1907. Many a set of men
would have staggered under such a task, and some
thought that the work could not be done in so short
a time; but this board thought otherwise. They
held their first meeting a few hours after their elec
tion, in which they planned their work, and proceed
ed at once to carry out the instructions of the con
vention.
A Veteran, But Vigorous, President.
Dr. G. A. Nunnally, the veteran college president
of Georgia, was chosen president of the new insti-
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Science Hall, Columbia College, Lake City, Fla.
tution. His success in the ministry and in college
work is a sufficient guarantee that Columbia College
under bis management will be equal to the best in
the land; and the five hundred young men trained
by him in Mercer University, and the one thousand
girls in LaGrange, testify to his worth and fitness
for the responsible position so suddenly thrust upon
him. A noble corps of teachers has been secured
as his assistants, and they all enter upon the work
with great enthusiasm, and with bright hopes of emi
nent success.
Carpenters, brick masons, plasterers, painters,
glaziers, scrubbers, furnishers, electricians, plumbers,
mowers and gardeners, were put to work as soon as
possible after the organization of the board of trus
tees. They went through these buildings room by
room, wall by wall, window by window, doing all
necessary repairs, cleaning and furnishing, until on
the opening day we could hardly believe our own
eyes when we beheld the wonderful transformation
that had taken place in the grounds and buildings*
since we were there just sixty-seven days ago.
A Red-Letter Day.
Wednesday, October 2, 1907, will go down into
history as a daj long to be remembered by the Bap
tists of Florida. It is their red-letter day. Nothing
like it has ever been heard of in the history of the
world before. What has required denominations in
other States years and almost centuries to provide in
the matter of grounds and buildings, has come to us
in a day. We have in Lake City today grounds,
buildings and equipments unsurpassed by Mercer,
Wake Forrest or Richmond. We have been spared
the toil and sacrifice of half a century; and it is all
ours by voluntary gift of the citizens of Lake City
and Columbia county. Is not this a glorious herit
age!
While a number of speeches, glowing with hope
and enthusiasm, were made at the opening exercises,
of course the ehiefest interest centered about the
first address of the first president of Columbia Col
lege. Dr. Nunnally was evidently at his best, and
his speech electrified the expectant audience of stu
dents and visitors.
In speaking of Columbia’s unique history, Dr.
Nunnally said: “It is without precedent, prestige,
pedigree or posterity, but it is possessed of won
perful possibilities and has the promise of great
power and is sure of an endless perpetuity.”
“When the politicians of Florida got confused and
went off and left the University of Florida, it be
came a lost college—a ‘babe in the woods’ crying
for a mother —and Lake City took it up and iaid it
as a foundling at lhe door of lhe Florida Baptist
Convention. And that convention, like a good fos
ter-mother, took in the child and is now nursing it
that it may grow to womanhood and be an alma
mater to thousands.” Columbia is phenomenal in
its beginning—like Mercer, springing full-grown
from the brains of Jupiter, in the space of two
months —just sixty days from the time of in-
ception to the day of practical utility. An enlarged
and expanding spirit is throbbing with tremendous
pulsations as it swells to fill its garments—the build
ings, so many and so large, costing about three hun
dred thousand dollars. It is beautiful to behold, and
inspiring to touch, and elevating and ennobling in
.the aspirations which it enkindles.
Dr. Nunnally says it is the prettiest place for a
college he ever saw, with a campus of twenty-five
acres in front of the buildings, set with live oaks,
palm trees, camphor clusters and poplar, with more
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