Lipscomb University - Backlog Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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during the second session. Brother Harding, an ardent lover of womanhood, pronounced this his worst session. On the first day of the new session seventeen students were present for registration, but during the year the number grew to 42, 32 of whom were planning to preach. Although the surroundings were not inspiring, the school made steady progress under the instruction of David Lipscomb, Harding, and J. W. Grant, who re- placed William Lipscomb. Grant was a scholarly man, having been educated at the Kentucky University. He remained with the school until he and Logan S. Gillentine, a product of Burritt College and the Nashville Bible Schoc!, estabiished Ala- tennga College at Bridgeport, Alabama. This school was located near the junction of the states, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, whose abbreviations form the word ‘‘Alatennga.’’ While this particular school was short-lived, it was evident that men connected with the Bible School movement desired a multiplicity of such schools rather than one large school. Some of the students | well remember during this session were G. W. McQuiddy, O. P. Barry, C. E. W. Dorris, Bob Allen, Sim Jones, Ewell Neil, Larry Hill and Dan Cooke, the timid young preacher from West Tennessee, L. L. Yeagley, the little man from Ohio, and R. C. White, fresh from the country, whose good mother warned her son to beware of those dangerous street cars in the big city. To me, the second session of the Nashville Bible School is a never-to-be-forgotten session. Not long be- fore Christmas, at the age of 16, | preached my first sermon, under the “inspection’’ of Dan Gunn and Rob- ert Pruett, at Burnett’s Chapel near LaVergne. | think a number of the boys found Burnett’s a congenial place to make their maiden efforts. It was in this year that was begun what we called the ‘“Monday Night Meeting.’’ Brother Harding referred to it as ‘’my class’’ and he was justly proud of it, for many a young man during the years that followed gained experience in debating and extemporaneous speaking in these very Monday night meetings. Cur- rent topics and questions of vital importance to the Church were freely discussed by teachers and pupils. | really regret that these meetings were ever discon- tinued. The closing exercises of the school were again held at College Street Church. | remember participating in the program, my part being to repeat Paul’s speech be- fore Agrippa. THE NEW CAMPUS So far, the school had been housed in rented build- ings, but it was now thought wise to establish it in permanent quarters. It was predicted that if such quart- ers could be secured there would be an enrollment of 100 for the third session. On July 1, 1893, David Lipscomb, W. H. Dodd, and J. R. Ward bought a brick residence and two and one-fourth acres of land on South Spruce Street, now Eighth Avenue South, close to the city reservoir and lying about half way between Fort Negley and Fort Morton. This was really historic ground for here was fought part of the battle of Nash- Just 47 years old is the biscuit which R. S. King, above, exhibits. It came out of the first pan of bread in the kitchen on the new campus on Eighth Avenue in October, 1893. His father-in-law, finishing the interior of the kitchen, dropped the biscuit in his pocket as it came piping hot from the oven. A favorite loafing place of the students of the first decade was the city reservoir. Above is shown John Mc- Quigg and three other Bible School boys in 1901. Below was the entrance to the campus on Eighth Avenue. The sign above the young couple’s heads reads, “Nashville Bible School.’’

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A partial view of the third campus first occupied in 1893. The Hamilton home, the main building, the Grant residence, and the suspender factory, beyond which is the stone wall of Garrett Military Academy. The girls’ dormitory is out of view at the right. Craig, Eugene Houston, the popular student from Texas, and steady Paul Hays from California. His roommate was tall, lank John Hayes of Alabama. We called him the ‘Fishing Pole.’’ Although John never reached the goal of his ambition—it was to speak in the Ryman Auditorium—he has devoted his life to the preaching of the gospel in rural districts. | remember well Dan Gunn and Robert Pruett. They were not only pals in school, but courted together and married sisters. I t was agreed that Dan cared for nothing else but his Bible and his girl. And then there was William Taylor from a well known family in White County, and George B. Hoover of Bellbuckle, who had to leave school about the time | came on account of trouble with his eyes. He afterwards became influential in the establishment of the church in Tampa, Florida. Yes, | remember two other young preachers, William Sisco of Perry County and L. L. Holloway of Kentucky, and also the brilliant student, Charlie Nichol (and his pipe) of Texas, who has made an enviable record as an evangelist and author. There were others that | do not recall just now but | must not fail to mention Brother Harding’s oldest son, Leon, who afterwards taught in the Bible School, gradu- ated in medicine, did service for many years as a Sing- ing evangelist, and is now a beloved preacher of the gospel. | cannot forget the only two girls who were enrolled as regular students in the first session. One was Ennis (Mamie) Griffin and the other Lizzie Elam, who mar- ried Frank Moody, the son of R. N. Moody, the author of ‘Eunice Lloyd.” For the most part, the pupils worked diligently and made satisfactory progress. There were appropriate ex- ercises held at the College Street Church which marked Garrett Military Academy, rented by the Bible School. the close of the first session. A movement had been jiaunched which was destined to become a tremendous power for good. THE SECOND SESSION In announcing the second session through the ‘’Gos- pel Advocate,’’ David Lipscomb promised that a full collegiate course would be taught, giving special promi- nence to the Bible. He invited people interested in the work to contribute, but got few responses. Those who stood with the school in the first year continued their support. Among these were J. R. Ward, W. H. Dodd, and W. H. Timmons. Timmons made the first sub- stantial gift. Harding ranked him as one of the founders. The expenses for the second year were: matriculation — fee, $3.00, tuition, $5.00 per month, board, $2.25 per week, and washing, 25 cents per week. However, im- pecunious young men were reassured by the statement: “in no case has a young man properly recommended to us been turned away because he lacked means.... . anyone, male or female, wishing to study the Bible, will be received in the school.”’ The second session opened in the following fall, Oct- ober 4, 1892. The school was moved from Fillmore to South Cherry Street, now Fourth Avenue. A new two- story brick house was rented for the school. It was a combination of a store building and rooming apartments. The store room served as a chapel and recitation room. The boys roomed in the rear and upstairs, under the supervision first, of Brother Smith, and, then, of Brother Payne. During this session Brother Harding lived on the corner of Carrol and University Streets. | lived a few blocks from the school on Fourth Avenue. On Third Avenue, immediately to our rear, lived Dr. S. B. Neil, grandfather of Robert G. Neil. Although the new quarters were diagonally across the street from the Central Baptist Church edifice, where a few years before Harding and Moody had staged a spectacular religious debate, the location was not a de- sirable one, being in the edge of ‘Black Bottom,’’ only six blocks from Lower Broadway. Perhaps the undesir- able location was the reason why no girls were enrolled

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A Tally Ho party at Belle-Meade in 1898. The en- tire school went on such an outing once each year, rent- ing their rigs at the livery stable. Note S. P. Pittman about to lose his derby as he looks down. In the rear seat is John Jones with his foot on the wheel. Standing next is Daisy McQuigg. C. E. W. Dorris, sixth from left, wears a derby hat and stands in the second seat. Others are Annie Gill, Mrs. Harding, Clara Benedick, Porter Ward, and Will Sewell. The school was very definitely co-educational by 1898, as this picture of the young ladies in the prevailing styles and poses demonstrates. The main building is in the background. ville. Many old bullets, relics of the Civil War, were picked up by the students. The proximity of the reser- voir was enough to make students lie awake at night and wonder ‘what if the walls of the reservoir should break!’’ One night the break came and the streetcar tracks were covered with six feet of debris. This did not occur, however, until the school had moved to its present site. The three purchasers of the property were named as trustees. For this property they paid $9,000.00, Dodd giving $2,500.00, Ward $500.00, and Lipscomb $1,100.00. out of contributions he had raised. They signed notes for the balance. The deed stated that the property was to be used for ‘’maintaining a school in which, in addition to other branches of learning, the Bible as the recorded will of God and the only standard of faith and practice in religion. ...shall be taught as a regular daily study to all who shall attend said school.’” It further states that the Board wag a self-perpetuating body which could increase its number to seven, and that all had! to be members of the church of Christ. To the old residence, which faced Spruce Street, was added a three-story extension, its north side paralleling what is now Reid Avenue. The building contained a kitchen, dining room, bed rooms for boys, a chapel, and classrooms. Closer to Spruce Street a large two-story frame structure was built for Harding. This also served as a girls dormitory, and what little courting was done (save that which was passingly and surreptitiously done) took place in this building under the strict surveillance of Harding and his wife, ‘“Aunt Pattie.’’ The latter js still living in Atlanta with her daughter, Mrs. Sue Paine. Brother Dodd and his wife had charge of the boys’ dorm- itory. Southeast of this building was another frame structure occupied by the Grants. Between the Harding home and the Grant home was a small frame building used for recitation rooms. Later on this building was used as a suspender factory. Here some of the boys worked at spare time under Dodd’s supervision. Among these boys was J. E. Acuff, now vice-president of Life and Casualty Insurance Company. At the turn of the century the factory was moved to Newton (West Nashville) as the Dodd-Comer Suspend- er Factory. The Washington Manufacturing Company was an outgrowth of this little enterprise. Adjoining the campus on the South was the old Gar- rett Military Academy. As the Bible School grew and there was a demand for more space, rooms of the Mili- tary Academy building were rented for classwork. The students enjoyed the sport of climbing the rock fence which separated the two pieces of property. | was not present when the third session opened in October, 1893. | understand that the college now owns a biscuit from the first pan of bread cooked in the kitchen on that significant day. The enrollment was far smaller than Lipscomb had predicted. Only 52, in- cluding some girls, attended during the session. Of these, 42 were preparing for the ministry. Dr. J. S. Ward, a teacher in the medical department of the Uni- versity of Tennessee, had been added to the faculty. For many years he continued with the school, laboring