The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-09
GREENSBORO FEMALE COLLEGE
WILL NOT BE CLOSED.

boro will be held tonight in the interest
of Greensboro Female College. Governor
Aycock has accepted an invitation to adj
dress the gathering, and leading citizens
in Greensboro viii also urge the people
of that progressive city not to advertise
that it is going backward in education
by closing its oldest educational institu-
ton
Twenty years ago, when by reason OF
fires and other disasters, Greensboro
Female College was put under the ham
mer and sold it was purchased by five lib
eral Methodists. They were Julian S.
Carr, g. j. Lilly. R. T. Gray, ]. A. odell.
and Mr.. Winstead, of Person, if we mis-
take not. Since that time all the stock,
except few shares, has been purchased
by Mr. J. A. OdelI, the principal owner,
and other Greensboro Methodists. They
were actuated by no motive except to save
the college to the church. During all these
years they have conducted it as a church
aahooI and it has most of the time been
self sustaining and paid the interest on
the $4,000 bond issue made to enlarge
and ncdernize the college. The loss IN
running expenses has in some years been
about one thousand dollars. which the
generous owners paid. They have given
to educate young women, made large do
nations, and otherwise won the gratitude
of their church. During the past
year, which, under the presidency OF Mrs.
Lucy H. Robertson, has been one of the
best years in the history of the college,
the owners feeling that the Methodist
church as a whole did not cooperate with
them as they had right to expect, came
to the conclusion that the wisest thing
to do was to turn the property over to
the trustees of Trinity College and let
10th institutions be conducted under one
management To that end they offered
(nearly all of them) to give their stock to
Trinity College. thus giving Greensboro
Female College to that institution II 1T
would assume the payment OF the bonded
indebtedness of $40. 900, with $4,000 addi-
tional necessary to buy certain stock.
The Trinity trustees. unwilling to conduct
institutions at different places, declined
the offer Thereupon the owners of the
college announced that it would be closed,
its library given as a memorial was re-
turned to its donors who sent it to Trinity
college at Durham, and it was printed
that the owners would accept an offer of
Then, when it looked like there wasn't the
ghost OF a chance to save the college to
the church, Rev. G. F. Smith, pastor of
Edenton Street Methodist church, Raleigh
offered a resolution in the Raleigh Dis
trict Conference requesting the owners to
sell it to the church at the price at which
it was offered to Trinity College. Anoth-
er action-and the most potential and en-
thusiastic-was the action of the alumnae
association Of the college, of which Mrs.
Lucy A. Cunninggim is president, and
Miss Mamie Lee Smith is secretary They
began an agitation to save the college
This agitation will eliminate tonight in
great meeting at Greensboro. The
faith OF these women, which is great, should
save the college. We have no doubt that
enough money viii be raised at the meet
| ing in Greensboro tonight which. supple
mented by the contributions which will
come from other places, will keep the col
lege open. The pa4 value of all the stock
of the college is between $4,000 and $685.
600. The alumnae propose to buy this
stock if they can raise the money. Then
they propose to keep the college open and
appeal to the Conference to raise next
year $4,000 to pay off the bonds. The
annual interest on the bonds. which Ii
$1,000. has been paid every year. Relieved
Of that annual charge, the college couad
pay its own way and steadily increase il
patronage and Usefulness, every yeal
adding to its glorious history as the sec.