Lipscomb University - Backlog Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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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

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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 “choral class’ taught by L. K. Harding, third from left in the second line, in the session of 1897-98. Note the method of lighting used. A group of co-eds pose in front of the main building about 1897. Time, tide, and style wait for no man. They are Frankie Brittain, Fannie Bell Gill, and Mary Fanning. A close-up of the uniform worn by the girls at the turn of the century. This picture of Roxie McQuigg was made in 1899. industriously for its betterment. Dr. Ward was held in the highest esteem by his students in the medical school as well as in the Bible school. During this and the fourth session | worked in Florida. Then for two years | attended Martyn College of Ora- tory in Washington, D. C. | had the offer of a position in this school and another tendered by Harding to teach in Nashville Bible School. | am glad to say that | chose the latter. While the Centennial Exposition of 1897 was in progress in Nashville, | returned to the Bible School as a student-teacher, teaching expression and continu- ing classwork with Harding, Grant, J. N. Armstrong, and Lipscomb. When Leon K. Harding gave up sight singing to devote his entire time to the study of medi- cine in the fall of 1898, this work was added to my teaching load. As time went on it fell to my lot to teach other subjects, such as spelling and Bible, so gradually my services as teacher increased until | became a full-time instructor. During my four years absence, the school had been making steady progress. The first catalogue was issued during the summer of 1894, announcing the fourth ses- sion. Expenses for men were $134.00 per year for those able to pay tuition, and $91.50 for those who were not. This publication explained that the school did not give degrees, ‘‘empty titles.’’ The fourth session had an encouraging opening day on October 2, 1894 with about 50 matriculants. 88 students attended during the session, 18 of whom were girls and 48 of whom were ‘’ministerial’’ students. This session brought to the faculty the addition of Worcester A. Bryan, a graduate of Cumberland Uni- versity, who taught foreign languages. He remained five years. During the last two years, in addition to his teaching and supervision of the boys’ dormitory, he attended the medical department of Vanderbilt Uni- versity, graduating with second honors. Only a man with a strong constitution and mentality and an indom- inatable will could have succeeded with such a load. After taking his medical degree he left to practice his profession and became one of the leading surgeons of the South. The fifth session, 1895-96, saw 110 students enrolled during the year, 26 of these were girls and about 50 were preacher students. Leon K. Harding, son of the Superintendent, was added to the faculty to teach voice and sight singing. This year marks the first graduating class in the history of the school. Five young men received diplomas. The next session was faced with enthusiasm and hope for 150 students. J. N. Armstrong, one of the five graduates (he was also an alumnus of Union Uni- versity), was added to the faculty to teach Greek. Harding, in publicizing the school, emphasized the fact that it was not for preachers only, but was design- ed to give musical, classical, and scientific courses, as well as Bible. It was not their design, he said, ‘‘to make professional preachers, but to train males and females, old and young,. ...for the greatest usefulness in life.’’ This session offered eight years of Greek and six of Latin. The curriculum also included Hebrew, philosophy,