The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1902-09-23
INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE
AND COLLEGE BEGAN
EIGHTEENTH SESSION
YESTERDAY.
Appropriate Exercises S
Were Held in the College
Chapel.

1 eSJeTudy WAS Il ulDSt duSDlC-
ious date for Columbus and for
Mississippi, as it marked the
opening Of the eighteenth annual
session Of the Industrial Insti
tute and College, an institution
which is not only the pride of
Columbus, but a credit TO the
state, and which will live rs an
eternal monument to the noble
men and women who were instru-
mental in its establishment. The
college has always been recOg-
nized as a grand institution, but
under the able management of
its present executive head, Pres
ident A. A. Kincannon, it has
entered a broader field and in
vaded a wider scope than ever
before. When Mr.. Kincannon
took charge of the school in 1893
there were only four buildings,
and the capacity of the school
was only about two hundred and
fifty students. Now, including
the industrial hall and laundry,
which are at present in course of
construction, it has eight mag
nificent buildings and accommo-
dations for over five hundred
students, the total enrolment last
session having been five hundred
and thirteen.
Although the session did not
formally open until yesterday
morning, the students began to
arrive on Monday, and nearly
every train that has entered the
city during the past three days
has brought scores of pretty
maidens, whose bright faces
plainly evince that they are glad
vacation is over, and are anxious
to resume their scholastic duties.
Among the first arrivals were a
number of young ladies who
were here last session, and the
cordial way in which they greet
ed the teachers is ample proof
that, although the school is an
unusually large one, home-like
atmosphere is maintained, and
that teachers and pupils love
each other and sympathize with
each other in their work.
The opening exercises occurred
in the chapel at II o'clock yester-
day morning, The building pre-
sents quite a different appearance
from what it did last year, the
partitions forming the two recita-
ton rooms in the rear and on the |
east side of the chapel have been |
torn away, and the whole thrown |
into one spacious auditorium.
The walls have been freshly kali
somined and the woodwork re-
painted, SO that the building pre-
sents an exceedingly neat and at
traetive appearance.
The exercises were opened by
the singing of sit is Well With
my Soul" succeeding which
there was reading Of the scrip
lures by Rev. A. J. Miller, who
also made the opening invocation.
Following the religious exercises
Miss Matte Lou Brown, the ac-
complished mistress of vocal
music, sang in her usual delight
full manner Chrai' 81 Dreampt."
At the conclusion of Miss Browns
solo President Kincannon made a
few remarks in which he gave a
brief resume of the great work
which has been accomplished by
the institution, after which he in
I
troduced Hon. Geo. t, Richards,
Of Pontotoc, who delivered a
splendid address on "The Open
ing Century" He spoke at
length of the progress which
America has made during the
past century in literature, music,
art and industrial pursuits, and
paid glowing tribute to American
craftsmanship and American pa
triotism, taking occasion to eulo-
gize womanhood in general, and
women in particular,
in the most extravagant terms,
reminding his hearers of the fact