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Page 19 text:
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The B. F. U. Fff HOUGH the B. F. U. is young in years, the idea out of which it grew ante- i J V dates the Civil War. The Baptists of North Carolina had gone so far as ■ to purchase the lot on which the Agricultural Building now stands as a site for the school. During the season of paralysis which maimed the whole South after the war, this property slipped from their grasp, and for a long time no active steps were taken to renew the enterprise. But the plan was never wholly abandoned, and many prayers were offered that God would give the girls of the State the same advantages which grand old Wake Forest was giving the boys. In 1890 a subscription was begun, to which people of all denominations re- sponded. Sufficient money was contributed to buy the present site, but there every thing stopped again. Without a brick on the ground, without a dollar in the treasury, the building of a house adequate to the end in view seemed an impossi- bility. The business men of the city, as well as the contributors from other sections, began to ask : Where is our money ? Something had to be done, and done immediately. In 1891 a charter for the school was granted by the Legislature. In 1895 the foundation was laid, and then began a long struggle. For four years the Board of Trustees put forth every effort to raise money to carry on the building. Often there were long intervals of inaction for want of funds, and the wiseacres began to shake their heads and call the incomplete pile of brick and mortar the folly of North Carolina Baptists. For several years, Rev. O. L. Stringfield was financial agent, and the final success of the work is largely due to the enthusiasm he inspired throughout the State. At Greenville, in 1897, the fiftieth anniversary of the State Convention, the Woman ' s Building Association was organized. Any woman contributing five dollars, payable one dollar a year, was entitled to membership ; and any one contributing twenty-five dollars, was given the privilege of inscribing a name — her own, or that of any woman she wished to honor — on a tablet on the chapel wall. The money raised by these faithful women aided materially in completing the work. In 1899 the school was opened. The demand for rooms was so great that the Trustees bought, in August before the opening, the Adams ' property, east of the
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Page 20 text:
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University, on the same square. This added largely to the already heavy debt hanging over the institution. Most schools have to grow from small beginnings, but this one came into ex- istence overgrown. In 1900 the Board found it necessary to buy a third building; and yet another was added the following year. These three houses are now known as the East Building, the North Cottage, and the South Cottage. In 1900, Dr. R. T. Vann, a man having the love and confidence of the entire State, was called to the presidency. Since then he has devoted his whole time and energy to the liquidation of the debt. Several times the end has seemed in sight, only to be followed by disappointment. But God had not forgotten us, and at last the faithful efforts of Dr. Vann have been crowned with success. The last obligation has been met, and in February the joyful news was announced to the Faculty and students assembled in the chapel. To-day B. F. U. lifts her head free from debt and strong for work. Three legacies have been left to the institution: The first by Chief Justice Faircloth, amounting to $21,000 or $22,000; the second, about $10,000, was left in trust for the school by Mrs. Virginia Swepson; the third, in round numbers, $20,000, by Mr. Dennis Simmons. The accommodations are still insufficient to meet the demands, more than fifty girls having been turned away during the present school year. To satisfy this want, the Trustees have decided to use the Faircloth bequest to build a new dormi- tory, work on which began in March. The chapel and dining-room, in the Main Building, are to be enlarged, and it is to be hoped that all will be ready by next September. The design in establishing this school was to give the girls of North Carolina the facilities for acquiring at home a higher education than is furnished in the average school for girls. Most of our girls have been content with a very meager college course. This school aims to create a demand for higher culture, and to furnish opportunity for its acquisition. Furthermore, it is the earnest desire of the management that a deep and broad foundation may be laid here for the development of Christian character. It is hoped that the girls trained here may, on returning to their homes, become leaders in social reform and church life. The great industrial awakening in North Carolina seriously complicates the social and religious problem. The solution of this problem depends in large measure on the schoolgirls of to-day, who will be the women of to-morrow. B. F. U. has no higher ambition for her daughters than that they may be prepared to meet worthily the obligations imposed on them. Already the influence of her alumnae is felt, and by the time she is as venerable
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