The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1915-05-07
CORNER STONE LAID
ATNEW HIGH SCHOOL
IN IMPRESSIVE WAY
MORE THAN 1900 PRESENT TO
WITNESS THE CEREMONIES
AND EXERCISES.
PROF. 81. HARRIS PREsIDEs
Addresses Made by Hen. w. C. Sal.
mon, Clarence Harmon, Prof. J. p.
Graham and Hon. Jas. A. Sloan, Of
the Board of Trade.

With impressive ceremonies and
under the most suspicious circum,
stances, the corner stone of the new
$4,000 Central High School was laid
this morning in the presence of an
assemblage of 1880 high school chill.
dren, fathers and mothers of the
students, and prominent city and
county officials.
The exercises Of the morning were
presided over by Prof. R. L. Harris,
superintendent Of the city schools,
and the man to whose efforts is to be
attributed in the main the building
of the school, while the stone was
laid with Masonic honors and cere.
monies by the local lodge, which had
secured a special dispensation to of.
ficiate.
After the immense crowd was call.
ed to order by Prof Harris, who stat.
ed in his Introductory remarks that
it was one of the happiest moments
OF his life, inasmuch as it marked che
fruition of his dreams of several
years, the 900 children of the An.
drews School of the Athenaeum
sang America" An eloquent invoca.
ton. was delivered by DR.. w. B.
Kicks, after which the boys and girls
of the high school sang their two
school songs, Boosting the Old High
School" and Alma Mater"
Hon. w. C. Salmon, president OF
the city board Of education, was the
first speaker. He delivered an elo.
quent address, in the course of which
he said that the day marked the
dawn of new era in Maury county
inasmuch as after a slumber of many
years, the spirit Of civic improvement
had become awakened and had built
this beautiful and practical memorial
to the future generations of this city
and county He congratulated the
menf of Columbia upon voting the
bond issue to construct the building
and said that they would never re.
greet it.
Clarence Harmon, speaking for the
graduates Of the high school, made a
splendid grafton, in which he thank
ed the citizens for their civic pride
and their progressiveness in erecting
this lasting memorial to the school
interests Of the city and county. He
declared that it was not only an or.
nament, but necessity and a bless
ing, something Of which every stu.
dent and every graduate of the school
cherished with pride.
One of the most thoughtful and i'm
pressive speeches of the morning
was made by Prof. John P. Graham,
county superintendent of schools. He
declared the erection of this splendid
structure was concrete expression
of the school sentiment of the coun-
ty, of the saying of the Great Teach
er that "whosoever saveth his life
shall lose it, but whatsoever loseth
his life shall save it, He said that
the erection of the building marked
the passing of the idea that there
shall be an aristocracy of education,
hat public education is a charity,
and the coming of the idea that boys
and girls are not only the children of
their parents, but also of the state.
He declared his belief that the school
would pay handsome dividends in the
characters of the boys and girls edu-
Gated at it and turned into the world
from 1t.
Mon. James A. Sloan, as the repre-
sentative of the Board of Trade, ac-
cepted the building upon behalf of
the city in witty and yet thoughtful
address. He said that the Board of
Trade, as long as he was its chief ex-
ecutive, would get behind and push
every public movement that had for
its aim and object the public well
fare and public good. He portrayed
in eloquent terms the growth of pub
lie school sentiment since the time
twenty-five years ago, when the first
public school meeting had to be held
behind closed doors.
The Masonic ceremonies were con-
Quoted by Past Grand Master John T.
Williamson. A full account of them
and the articles which were placed in
the corner stone will be given in the
PAPER of tomorrow.