The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-24
WAKE FOREST COLLEGE.
It's Origin.

WAKE FORkS1 COLLEGE.
It's Origin.
Two centuriess ago there were Bap-
lists and Baptist churches in North
Carolina, but they were weak and
without organization. This want of
organization was recognized, and at
tempts were made to remedy the evil,
but with onl y partial success, till in
1880 a few heroic men met in the town
of Greenville and organized the Bap
tist State Convention. Among these
men were Samuel Wait, a young New
Englander, who had for a few years
been pastor of the Baptist church in
Newberne. He was appointed agent
of the Convention to visit the churches
These travels deepened the impression
on his mind that the Baptist greatly
needed an institution of learning
Others were considering the same mat
ter, and in 1882 the Convention re-
solved to establish a Manual Labor
School. A location was selected, a
farm was bought, and the Trustees be-
gan to look for Principal. All eyes
turned to Dr. Wait and he was elected,
and in 1884 he opened Wake Forest
Manual Labor Institute. The farm of
900 acres, including the present prop
erty of the College and adjoining lands,
was to be the gymnasium, where each
student was to work SO many hours
each day for purposes of health. He
this to limited extent diminished his
expenses.
IT'S STRUGGLES.
Thus, without endowment, without
suitable buildings, without equipment,
without a prepared constituency, with
out assistance, this good man laid the
foundation of this College.
The Trustees applied to the Legisla-
ture for a charter, and charter was
proposed, allowing the institution to
live 20 years, to hold only $50, 600
worth of property and endowment,
and requiring taxes on all it's real es-
tate. This cha ter with such meagre
privileges passed the House of Com
mons, but in the Senate such opposition
was developed that the vote was tie
and the charter was given only by the
casting vote of the President, VIM. D.
Mosely.
The manual labor feature did not
work well, and four years later it was
abandoned and the charter was amend
ed so as to remove these restrictions,
and the institution became Wake For
est College. With varying success the
College went on it's way for 25 years,
making itself felt among the Baptists
and in the State. A large brick build
ing was erected, then sufficient for the
demands of the patronage, which is
now the centre building, used for dor
mitOries and gymnasium. Efforts
were made to raise an endowment, and
about $4,000 was secured, and the
number of students reached nearly
! one hundred. Then came the war,
and the students went to the battle
| field, and the endowment went in the
wreck of all our Southern prosperity.
Scarcely had the smoke of battle
cleared away, when with wonderful
faith and heroism, the doors of the
College were again opened. Many
came who had spent in the army what
ought to have been their school life,
and with limited preparation and still
more limited means they struggled
through College. The few Professors
then needed toiled on with small sal
aries promised, whose payment was
long deferred, sacrificing for the cause
of Christian education.
| IT'S ENDOWMENT
Before reconstruction was over, the
friends of Wake Forest began to take
steps to raise an endowment in place
of that which was lost by the war
The one building remained and few
shares of railroad stock, which sold for
81, 900 or $S, 1000. With this as a nu-
cleus various efforts were made to
give the College something like the
| support it needed and deserved.
Through the financial straits of those
years progress was made, and each
year saw the invested fund a little lar
ger than the proceeding. Rev. James
S. Purefoy, so long the devoted friend
of the College, went north at his own
expense, and after weeks of toll he
brought back $40, 900 for this purpose.
With varying success alternating with