The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-27
A MODEL ACADEMY
sc Schools Like Whitsett's
Would RevoIutionize State.
Success in the Home Of His Birth, Shows Prof.
Whitsett an Educator Of High
Order.
Editorial Correspondenee.)

the magnificent campus of Harvard
University, every foot of which is his
toric ground because trodden by men
who have become famous. But. large
as it is, it becomes narrow and cramp-
ed when contrasted with the one hun
dred and sixty acre campus OF Whit
sett Institute. There is ample room
for growth. away from those things
that tend to distract the mind of the
young men from their books. The
old fashioned North Carolinians all
held to the idea that boys studied best
who were sent to school in the coun
try or away from big centres. The
State located the University in a
magnificent oak forest; the Metho-
dists put Trinity in the country, the
Baptists chose like location for
Wake Forest. the Presbyterians for
Davidson, and the Christians for Zion
College. In later years the tendency
is to locate colleges and universities
in cities, but it is still an open ques-
ton whether the advantages of city
environment and The consequent dam
ger of diverting the mind of the stu
dents outweigh the advantages OF the
quiet school life in a college village.
where the college is everything and
there is little of nothing outside col
lege life to take the thought or divert
the attention of the students. How
ever that may be as to work of men
at college, the advantages of a quiet
country location for boys is undeni-
able. The advantage. too. to young
men whose necessities or tastes call
Whitsett Institute is one of the first
half dozen educational institutions
i'm the State, and its growth and sue
cess have been phenomenal. During
the year just closed it enrolled 234
students.
The following North Carolina coun-
ties were represented: Guilford.
Alamance. Orange, Wake, Franklin,
Perquimans, Pitt, Rowan. Durham,
Warren, Nash. Davidson. Randolph,
Rockingham. Halifax. Union, Vance,
Stokes. Dare, Forsyth. Jones. CASTOR,
Northampton. being Il representation
from twenty-three North Carolin
counties for the year. Virginia was
represented by students from four
counties Mecklenburg. Orange, Red
ford, and Albemarle.
These figures tell the story of how
from small beginnings, by thorough
instruction by competent teachers
and judicious management, Prof, VIM.
r. Whitsett has built up a school here
that touches the life of Il large por-
ton of the State. Years ago the late
DIR. Brantley York taught Il school
here as. did Prof. Chas. III. Mebane,
State Superintendent of schools. when
he was young man. After gradual
ing at the University with the degree
of A. NJ. and Phi. d., Mr.. Whitsett de-
cided to devote his life to teaching.
He was offered an attractive position
in one of the first Graded Schools
in the State. He debated for time
whether to accept it, but finally wise
ly decided to come here. adjoining
his fathers farm. in the home of his
boyhoOd and build up a school that
should bless this community. If
every county had man like William
Thornton Whitsett, the drawback Of
illiteracy would have been driven
from the State long ago. He began
with school chiefly drawn from
this section, but he put his life and
thought fully into the work and soon
found that his school house would
not hold his students, and he had to
erect a larger building. The enroll
ment shows what one man of faith
and works can accomplish for the
betterment of his fellows. The sue
cess attained by Prof. Whitsett would
have been one to draw highest COM
mendation if he had secured it any
where. 1t is ten fold more to his
credit that he returned from the Uni
versity to build up a useful institu-
ton in sight of the fields in which he
worked and the groves in which he
played as boy. "A prophet is not
without honor save in his own corn-
try" is not always true. In the case
of Prof. Whitsett, the exception is
marked. The people here not only
respect and honor him, but feel CRATE
full to him for lending his abilities
and energies TO the uplifting of his
own neighborhood, and drawing to it
aspiring youth from other counties
and even from other States. The
work of such man endures. blessing
not only today but all time through
the lives of scores of students.
This is more than a high school,
academy and business school, 1t
combines normal feature and grad
yates its students in pedagogy At
the commencement exercises today,
diplomas Of graduation in the three
departments were presented as fol-
lows:
LITERAR YDEPARTMENT.
Benjamin Franklin BRAY, Perquim-
ans county, Scientific.
Charles Carroll Barnhardt, Guilford
county, Scientific.
Ava Aurelia Barnhardt, Guilford
county, Scientific.
William Sabre Clapp. Alamance
county, Scientific.
Joseph Charming Moore, Durham
county, Scientific.
Alfred Henderson Olive, Randolph |
county, Scientific.
Edwin Clement Parrish, Durham
county, Scientific.
Judge Buxton Robertson, Alamance
county, Scientific.
James Merritt Sharpe, Rockingham
|county, Scientific.
Henry Brewer Smith, Guilford |
Punty, Scientific.
Hamilton Vernon Stewart, Guilford
C~s