The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-28
WONDERFUL WORK OF
THE STATE NORMAL
Continued from First Page.)

ing of the brain and the hands of the
young women of the State, and then
when I drew the comparison 1 wondered
if McIver and Alderman ever. even
in their most sanguine moments dream
ed that the word picture they drew
would even in half a century be traced
upon a landscape such as l behold here
today. Perhaps they did because they
were ever determined sincere enthusiastic
but [ question whether many of their
hearers even those who were convinced
of the importance of the institution ever
dreamed that within less than a dozen
years the great, and at that time SEEM
ingly improbable scheme, would be
rich, a grand, a glorious reality. I re-
member the obstacles, the opposition on
the part of many. Some of them good,
well-meaning people. who mistook the
scope and the purpose of the movement.
remembered the struggles, the hard
work, the untiring efforts of the gentle
mer named and those who early in the
struggle enlisted in the noble cause.
recalled the limited means of our peo-
pie, the opposition to new appropriations
or additional taxation, and then I took
another look at the splendid buildings,
all practically new, the beautiful
grounds, the complete school equip
ment, the able, active and popular pres
ident, the talented faculty, true talented
and untiring men and women. i looked
at the one hundred or more visiting
alumnae all agloW with love, loyalty and
almost reverent veneration for their
Alma Mater and then again upon the
student body of 400 beautiful young wo-
men all arrayed in snowy white and I
thought of the sacrifices that had been
made that they might be here. I
thought of the tired mothers made wear
Ter still in order that the daughters might
come here and be blessed with a new
light. l could almost discern the threads
Of maternal devotion that had been
stretched from many humble homes to
these classic halls, and then 1 thought
of the new light that would shine in the
same house when the daughters return
with brighter intellect, clearer minds,
ioftier ideas, holier creations, stronger
and more laudable ambitions, thoroughly
equipped for making home and country
brighter and better, and when / looked
again and again on these beautiful
scenes [ said to myself with due rever-
ence and trust: "Surely these are they
who have come up through great strug-
giles trials and sacrifices Blessed be
the lives and the memory of every mar
and every woman who has encouraged
the establishment of this great Mecca of
learning and thereby aided in bringing
about these opportunities for the devel-
IF r;c
ure-the young women of the State"
May we not term the State Normal and
Industrial College the reigning queen OF
our educational work With right royal
strain of educational achievement,
stretching into every section of our COM
monwealth? May we not speak of DR.
McIver as the present premier in the
scholarly cabinet of this reigning queen,
and may not all the people of the State
rejoice at the wonderful achievements
connected with the work here?
One of the speakers on Mondays pro-
gramme declared that through the eff
forts and influences that had gone forth
from this institution, more than one
thousand new names had been added to
the school rolls of the State. The hun
dreds of members of the alumnae of the
college compose the already gathered
fruit from this tree of intellectual de-
velopment. The thirty-four beautiful
young women before NE comprising the
graduating class make up this years
rich harvest. The three hundred and
more of charming young ladies sitting
behind the senior class are the bright
and beautiful blossoms that at present
remain one on the tree. The one hun
dred children alluded to above are the
buds of promise, and as the years go by
these buds of promise will bloom and
ripen into fruit in and around this grow
ing young queen of our education forest.
F. B. ARENDELL.