Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Feb. 23, 1967, edition 1 / Page 3
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February 23, 1967 THE TW 1 G Page Three Founders Focused on Academic and Religious Infegrify Meredith Grows From Dream to Reality “The purpose of Meredith Col lege is to develop in its students the Christian attitude toward the whole of life, and to prepare them for in telligent citizenship, home-making, graduate study, and for professional and other fields of service. Its in tention is to provide not only thor ough instruction, but also culture made perfect through the religion of Jesus Christ. These ideals of aca demic integrity and religious in fluence have always been chcrished at 'Meredith.” Starting Placc As one professor oncc said, “The best starting placc for anything is to state its purpose,” and, to some extent, Meredith had its starting place in just such purpose. In 1835, at the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, held at 'Union Camp Ground in 'Rowan County, someone moved the appointment of a com mittee “lo consider the establish ment of a female seminary of high order.” This committee consisted of John Armstrong, Thomas Meredith, and W. 'H. Merritt. In 1838, aher three successive committees, Thomas Meredith, still an appointed mem ber of the committee, was deter mined that the denomination should provide a real education for all young women. He was very vigorous and precise in the resolution that he offered to the Convention on No vember 6, 1838; "Resolved, that in the estimation of this convention, it is expedient to institute a Female Seminary, adapted to the existing wants of the denomination and to be located in the city of Raleigh, or at some eligible point in the adjoining coun ty.” “Resolved, that the aforesaid school be modeled and conducted on strictly religious principles; but that it should be, as far as possible, free from sectarian influence." Charter Granted This was the beginning — the starting place — 1838. However, there was little decisive action to follow up this resolution. Not until 1888, when Leonidas LaFayette Polk introduced to the Baptist State Convention the motion to establish a female university, was any signifi cant action taken. Even then, it was three years before the institu tion was granted a charter by the State of North Carolina. It is that date, February 27, 1891, that is being commemorated in the pres Meredith of the past, called Baplisi University for Women, was housed ia this building in downtown Raleigh. ent seventy-sixth anniversary cere monies. After this, however, activity be The present site of Meredith College reflects its seventy-^ix years of growth. gan. Many problems had to be solved — matters of finances, a site for the school, professors to be hired, courses of study to be planned. The solution to the last problem was a course of study com posed of three departments — “Lit erature and Science, Fine Arts, and Technical Training.” The school was first located in Raleigh, but not on its present site. Opening oE School Contract for the first building was let in 1895, and four years later after several delays because of in sufficient funds, Main Building was almost ready for occupancy when the school was First opened to stu dents. “The students of 1899-1900 have vivid memories of those first days,” wrote Dr. Mary Lynch John son in her History of Meredith Col lege. Overwhelmed by the numbers seeking admission that first day, the trustees had to purchase and reno vate an adjoining residence to house the overflow. Surely the headlines of the News and Observer summed up the significant opening of the Baptist Female University: “From the Hearts of Its People It Sprang Full Grown in a Single Day!” The next major event in the his tory of the institution was the change in name. In 1904, the Baptist Fe male University was changed to the Baptist University for Women. Then, in 1909, it was changed to Meredith College, in honor of Thomas Meredith, founder of the Biblical Recorder and the member of the Convention who first pre sented the resolution adopted by the Convention. Twelve years later, according to Dr. Johnson, “the most momen tous decision in the history of Mere dith since its founding was made on May 23, 1921, when the Board of Trustees approved M. L. Kes- ler’s motion, that the site of the College 'be moved to larger grounds in, at, or near Raleigh.” The down town location was too small — a pockct-hankerchief of a lawn, she describes it, with cramped space for tennis and basketball, inadequate dormitory space, and most impor tant, no room for growth. New Location Impressed by this great need of a new location for Meredith, the Board of Trustees met the demands. After careful consideration, they purchased the Tucker farm, Mere dith's present site, located about three miles west of Raleigh on Hills boro Road. Meredith’s Name Honors Educator Who Was Great Influence on Baptist History in N. C. When, in 1909, the name of the Baptist University for Women was changed to Meredith College, the denomination was pleased with the Thomas Meredith tribute to Thomas Meredith, a man who, in the words of Josephus Daniels, “gave to his commonwealth the most priceless gift that any man can bestow, the gift of himself.” A native of Pennsylvania, Thom as Meredith (1795-1850) was edu cated at the University of Penn sylvania. As valedictorian in com mencement exercises of 1816, he delivered an oration on “Christian ity.” After a year in the study of the ology with the pastor of a Phila delphia Baptist Church, he set out in 1817 as a missionary to the east ern section of North Carolina. The following year he was ordained “to the full work of the gospel minis try” and in 1819 accepted a pas torate in New Bern. Succeeding years found him an increasingly prominent figure in the affairs of North Carolina Baptists, a brief pastorate in Georgia in the I820’s marking his only later resi dence outside the state. In 1830 he drew up the con stitution adopted by the newly formed Baptist State Convention, including as one of its three pur poses “the education of young men called of God to the ministry.” This interest in education, an abiding concern of the man throughout his years of service, is evidenced also in his appointment in 1835 to the committee of the Convention “to consider the establishment of a fe male seminary of high order.” It was Meredith, of course, who of fered to the Convention in 1838, the “vigorous and definite” proposal, which at a later time was to give rise to the institution that bears his name. When two years after the Con vention itself came into being it voiced its need for a well-con ducted religious journal “to impart information to the churches and congregations at large,” it was Thomas Meredith who met the need with his monthly North Carolina Interpreter. This journal was soon succeeded by his weekly Biblical Recorder, which began regular is- (Coniinued on page 4) Oil Pounders’ Day last year, the Meredith coinniuuity lioaored tiic memory of the man fur whom Meredith was named. Anita Hauser, president of the Student Government Association, is pictured placing u wrcalh at Ihe grave (k Thomas Meredith in the old city ccmctery in Raleigh.
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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Feb. 23, 1967, edition 1
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