The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-05-29
A MODEL ACADEMY
GO Schools Like Whltsett's
Would RevoIutiOnize State.
Success in The Home Of His Birth, Slows Prot.
Whilsett an Educator of a High
Order.
Editorial CORRESPONDENCE

W IitStIl. Y - Nay ~
the magnificent campus OF Harvard
University. every foot OF which is MS
,oric ground because trodden by men
who have become famous. But. large
as it is. it becomes narrow ana cfalnp-
ed when cO~ntraSted with the one hun
bred and sixty acre campus OF NhlI-
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
| maonificcnt oak forest: the Metho-
dists put Trinity in the country. the
HaptiSts chose Il like location or
Wake Forest. the FresbyterianS for
Davidson. and the Christians for Flo
College. In later years the tendency
is to locate colleges and universities
in cities. but it is still an open qnes-
ton whether the advantages OF cit.N
environment and The consequent dan
ger OF diverung the mind of the stu
dents outweigh the advantages OF the
quiet school life in Il college village.
where the college is everything and
there is little of nothing outside col
leee 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 Il quiet
country location for boys is undeni-
able. The advantage. too. to young
men whose necessities or tastes call
for economy are u~ndeniable.
Whitsett Institute is one Of the first
half dozen educational institutions
in 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 a representation
from twehty-three North Carolin
counties for the year. Virginia was
represented by students from four
Notwithstanding. Orange. Red
ford. and Albemarie.
These figures tell the story Of how
from small beginnings. by thorough
instruction by competent teachers
and %judiciouS management. Prof. Wm.
I. NhitSett has built up a school here
that touches the life of Il large pOr-
ton OF the State. Years Q the late
DR.. Rrantley York taught q school
here as did Prof. Chas. H.. Mebane,
State Superintendent Of schools. when
he was a young a After gradual
ing at the University with the degree
Of \. NJ. and ph. 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 a time
whether to accept it. but finally wise
~ decided to come here. adjoining
his fathers farm. in the home Of his
boyhood and build UP Il school that
should bless this community. If
every county had a man like William
Thornton Whitsett. the drawback of
illiteracy would have been driven
from the State long ago. lie began
with q 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
iii'It SlloNS WHAT O1lt lItuIl Oh ldlII1
and works can accomplish for the
betterment Of his fellows. The sue
cess attained by Prof. Whitsett would
have been II to draw highest COM
mendation if he had secured it my
where. 1t is ten old more to his
credit that ne returned from the Uni
Sersity to build up q useful institu-
ton in sight Of the fields in which he
worked and the groves in which he
played as 4 boy. "A prophet is not
without honor save in his own coun-
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
ful to him for lending his abilities
n energies to the uplifting Of his
" neighborhood. and drawing to it
aspiring youth from other counties
and even 0 other States. The
work Of such a man endures. blessing
not only today but all time through
the lives Of scores of students.
This is more than q high school,
academy and business school. 1t
combines a 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, Perouim-
ans county. Scientific.
Charles Carroll Barnhardt. Guilford
county, Scientific.
Ava Aurelia Barnhardt. Guilford
county, Scientific.
William Sabre Clapp, Alamance
county. Scientific.
Joseph Claiming Moore. Durham
county, Scientific.
Alfred Henderson Olive. Randolph
county. Scientific.
Edwin Clement Parrish, Durham
county. Scientific.
Judge Buxton Robertson. Alamapce
county, Scientific.
James Merritt Sharpe, Rockingham
county, Scientific.
Henry Brewer Smith, Guilford
county. Scientific.
Hamilton Vernon Stewart. Guilford
county. Scientific.
Total