Florida Southern College - Interlachen Yearbook (Lakeland, FL)

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THE EARLY YEARS r KE MOST INSTITUTIONS of higher learning, Southern College was born of the church. Like many church colleges, it has had a stormy struggle for existence. These adversities seem- ingly have strengthened its sinews and gradually enlarged its scope of service. There have been many dark moments, but there have always been friends with sufficient fortitude and faith to carry on against those heavy odds, preserving a small school for a big task. Whoever reads these pages undoubtedly will be amazed to observe the numerous financial difficul- ties through which Southern has passed. Many times loyal but discouraged souls have thought they had reached the end, that the closing of the school was inescapable, but something has alwavs happened to avert such a disaster. It is an inspiring thing to think of the courageous and faithful men and women who have made it possible to continue through these years. They have worked hard, sacrificed much and reaped a generous reward, the reward of seeing many worthy young people educated in a proper environment. Members of the board of trustees, holding one of their manv meetings back in the early years of the institution ' s history, sat in session throughout one afternoon without finishing their business, and voted to hold a night session. Thev grappled with their problems throughout the night. When dawn came, they were weary in body, but they doubtless felt new in spirit, because they had not forsaken the college which needed their help. The trustees seldom have had to go back to their -•homes and admit defeat. Even when passing prob- lems have gone without solution for the moment, trustees, members of the Florida Methodist Con- ference and friends of Southern everywhere have evinced a splendid optimism. They have always proceeded with a determination to keep the school open and progressing, despite all odds. Therefore, as the celebration of Southern ' s golden anniversary approaches, the people of Florida have cause to be eternally grateful that the past has given the institution so many good friends. Their unswerving support has brought light to many young lives. Their devotion has made possible the sending of balanced young men and women to many communities. The good work these trained personalities have done, and are doing, is of course incalculable. Although Southern has always been under the control of the Florida Methodist Conference, the scope of work done never has been limited by de- nominationalism. Through most of the years the school has been free of doctrinal furor and theo- logical quibbling. Certainly it is free of such now, and has been for many years. People realize more and more that churches have too much evil to oppose to spend their energies fighting one another over matters of secondary importance. The chief aim at Southern has been to train young people for effective living, right living. Baptist students are welcomed to Southern ' s campus. So are the Roman Catholic students, the Presbyterian students and all the others. Southern ' s campus is a democratic campus, a community surprisingly free of class distinction. In brief, Southern is a hearty small college where students are engaged in the common task of seeking the truth, learning how best to live. Such an institution as Southern now is apparently was in the minds of the men and women who made possible its founding half a century ago. There is no evidence that Southern was selfishly established by Methodists for Methodists. There is abundant evidence that it was established by Methodists for everybody. The faculty members represent several denominations, and this has been the case through- out the historv of the school. Before establishing at Leesburg, Florida, the institution now known as Southern College, Meth- odists of Florida made several other noteworthy attempts to found their own educational institu- tion, one of the chief purposes of which would be to provide adequate training for voung men who wished to enter actively into the ministry. TWO EARLY SCHOOLS FOUNDED The Florida Methodist Conference was organized at Tallahassee, February 6, 1845, and the movement for a conference educational institution began almost immediately. In 1853, the conference members had succeeded in establishing two insti- tutions. One of these, known as Fletcher Institute, was located near Thomasville, Georgia, which was then part of the Florida Conference. The other, known as the East Florida Seminary, was located at Micanopv. Fletcher Institute was operated with fair success until it was transferred to the South Georgia Con- ference. This transaction took place at the Live Oak session of the Florida Conference held in December, 1874. The school at Micanopy was watched with in- tense enthusiasm by those pioneers who felt that thev had begun an institution which would be properly supported. They hoped that friends of means would come to the rescue of this small insti- tution and expand it to greater usefulness. Great interest was manifested by members of the confer- ence, but they had no money and could do little more than serve as messengers with a worthy appeal. ■ ■ ■•■

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HISTORY OF boutkzin (-oLLscje BY HARRIS G. SIMS

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i.A-.Jii-; waiaadu rmrwitf The Story of Southern College Page Six The building was constructed across the road from a well which was part of the Indian village, and the curbstones of this well still may be seen by those who find interest in visiting the landmarks of Florida ' s history. Rev. John C. Ley, a member of the Florida Con- ference, served as principal of the Micanopy project until he was sent to the front as chaplain of the Second Florida Regiment in the Civil War. George Arnau, then a member of the editorial staff of Cotton States, also served as principal. These men tried heroically to build up the small institution that had been entrusted to them, but those were perilous and uncertain days of conflict, and the task of obtaining money for the operation of the school was extremely difficult. The people were having to look after their personal safety and try to keep their crops planted and harvested. Under such precarious conditions, the school finally was forced to close its doors. This left the Methodist youth of Florida dependent upon Emory College, at Oxford, Georgia, and Wesleyan Female College, at Macon, Georgia, for their higher education. The courses then regarded as studies in higher edu- cation were but comparatively short journeys into the field of learning, of course, but they provided a great impetus to interest in the South ' s uncharted educational program. Soon after the close of the Civil War, Dr.Josephus Anderson, then one of the most magnanimous mem- bers of the Florida Conference, turned his efforts toward the raising of funds for training young ministers. A man of brilliance and influence, he soon had enough money in hand to send three promising young men on their way toward better preparation. But the raising of this money was no easy matter. The conference was small, minis- ters were receiving but a mere pittance, and the distractions of the Reconstruction Period were at hand. THREE YOUNG MINISTERS HELPED The three young men given assistance by Dr. Anderson were Henry E. Partridge, William H. LaPrade and Thomas W. Smith. All three fol- lowed ministerial careers, serving with sincere devotion and distinction. Mr. Partridge served a year as president of Southern College when the institution was at Leesburg. His administration will be discussed later. Mr. Partridge entered the freshman class at Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the fall of 1867, and Mr. Smith entered later. Mr.r LaPrade attended Emory College. Each received the degree of bachelor of arts. Mr. Partridge, one of the most beloved and respected of Florida ' s min- isters, spent his entire career in Florida, except for five years in Mississippi. He now lives at Orlando and visits Southern at every opportunity. Mr. LaPrade served in the North Georgia Conference, and Mr. Smith in the North Carolina Conference. In order to provide for the education of its young people on a larger scale, however, the Florida Con- ference eventually began to take more definite steps toward establishing a permanent fund. At the session held in Quincy in January, 1876, the members adopted a resolution offered by Henry E. Partridge and James P. DePass which provided for a fund to aid in the education of the sons of deceased ministers. The board appointed to handle this fund included Henry E. Partridge, T. W. Moore, James P. DePass, R. Turnbull, C. E. Dowman, B. B. Blackwell, J. Wofford Tucker, J. M. Hendry and C. A. Fulwood. The first beneficiary of this fund was George B. Glover, who attended Emory Col- lege and later began the practice of medicine. The fund eventually was made available only to young men planning to f ollow the calling of the ministry. William M. Mcintosh, the first bene- ficiary under this arrangement, became an evangel- ist in the Florida Conference. To perpetuate the fund, the board finally adopted the policy of ex- tending the aid as a loan. A committee composed of T. W. Moore, J. M. Hendry and T. A. Carruth, submitted a report to the Florida Conference held in Quincy, January, 1876, which read in part as follows: Notwith- standing we have no church schools within the bounds of our conference, we have not lost our interest in the cause of education. Nor have we forgotten that the school room was, from the be- ginning of Methodism, regarded as an efficient means of furnishing to the world an intelligent Christianity. . . . While we feel deeply concerned in the success of Emory College as an institution meeting our immediate wants as a male college, we are ready to extend our sympathy, and when we have the ability, our assistance, to those efforts so successfully made in other quarters to furnish to our youth the means of a higher university edu- cation. TWO HIGH SCHOOLS ESTABLISHED E. L. T. Blake, in his educational report to the conference held in Tallahassee, December, 1879, lamented the fact that too few private schools were being sponsored by the church, at the same time announcing the establishing of two high schools in which religious influence, training and prin- ciples should hold prominent place. One of these was located at Apopka City, under the prin- cipalship of Rev. O. W. Ransom, who had two assistants. Colonel E. C. Morgan was chairman of the board of trustees. The other school was located at Ocala, under the principalship of Rev. M. W. Sands. Rev. Henry E. Partridge was chair- man of the board. When the report was made the Apopka City Seminary had one hundred and five students, and the Ocala Seminary had sixty-one. A school known as the South Florida Institute, 1 later known as the Wesleyan Seminary and as the Wesleyan Institute, was established in Orlando by Florida Methodists in 1883- This new venture was made possible largelv through the initiative of Rev. C. A. Fulwood, presiding elder of the Jack- sonville district, Rev. C. E. Pelot and Rev. Thurlow • •••••