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HILLTOP
The Hilltop
JUST A
LITTE
SCHOOL
POSITIONS
Published by the Students of Mars Hill College
SPIRIT
VOL. X\
MARS HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, SEPTEMBER 12, 1936
NO. 1
Dr. Poteat Speaks at First Chapel
Caroline Diggers
Succeeds Pierce As
Dean Of Women
Ser'-'^d CoHprtp As
T^(rc^'"r And Dean For
Eleven Years
MISS MARTHA^S SISTER
Is Tf^nd Of Bigaers Family
To S^rve At Mars
Hill College
HAS BIRTHDAY
Miss Cai'oline Bitysrers, formerly
dean at Meredith Collesye, Raleisrh,
is the new dean of women at Mars
Hill this year.
Miss Biggei's succeeds as dean
of women, Miss Ella J. Pierce,
who this year received her Ph. D.
degree from Cornell University
and who will devote full time to
teaching in the English depart
ment.
For eleven years Miss Biggers
has been on the faculty at
Meredith College, as teacher of
primary methods, as assistant dean
and for the past six years as dean.
Before going to Meredith she
taught in several of the public
schools and teacher training
schools of North Carolina, at
Black Mountain, Thomasville, Rich
Square, Mars Hill, and Jackson
ville.
Miss Caroline Biggers makes
the third of that family to hold
positions at Mars Hill. Miss
Martha Biggers, head of the Mars
Hill Music Department is Miss
Caroline Biggers’ sister.
Miss Biggers acted as dean of
women at the Wake Forest-Mere-
dith Summer School session of
1935.
Miss Pierce Back;
Quits Dean’s Post
To Teach English
Receives Doctor's Degree
After Year's Study Of
Shakespeare
RETURNS
DEAN THREE TIMES
Sunday School, BTU
Announce Meetings
Invite Attendance
Dr. R. L. Moore, who is entering
his 40th year as president, cele
brated his birthday Tuesday, Sep
tember 8.
B. S. U. Reception
Tonight
The annual B. S. U. get ac
quainted social will be held tonight
(Saturday) at eight o’clock on
the college circle. This event will
be the first of the annual enter
tainments and is considered the
official opening of the social sea
son. The purpose of this affair is
to offer an opporunity for the new
student to become more acclimat
ed to the college and his fellow
students.
Everyone is cordially invited
and a large crowd is expected.
Scholarship Honored By
Election To Philander
Theta
William L. Lynch
Galled To Preach
Graduate Of Rochester And
Wake Forest Succeeds
L. B. Olive
Nine Classes For Boys And
Girls Announce Teachers^
Meeting Places
CHURCH OPENS DOORS
Campus Religious Organiza-
tions Get Under
Way
The various religious organiza
tions on the campus join in asking
the students to participate freely
in the religious activities of the
campus. These activities include
Sunday School, B. T. U., Church,
Y. W. A., Volunteer Band, Minis
terial Conference, and the regular
Wednesday night prayer meetings.
The Sunday School Department
is divided into nine classes, four
boys, four girls, and one for the
working students who are unable
to attend another class. The clas
ses, their presidents, teachers, and
meeting places are:
Ruth, Floy Benfield, pres., Miss
Pierce, teacher, meeting in the Eu
Hall; Volunteers for Christ, Al
bertina Hare, pres.. Miss Bowden,
teacher, meeting in room 3; Ever
Faithful, Lucile Smith, pres., S.
0. Trentham, teacher, meeting in
the Phi Hall at 8:30; Gleaners,
Frances Snelson, pres.. Miss Win-
gert, teacher, meeting in the Ex-
(Continued on page 3)
As successor to Rev. L. Bunn
Olive the pulpit committee of the
Mars Hill Baptist Church has
chosen Mr. W. L. Lynch. Mr.
Lynch will assume the preaching
duties of the college church for
the first time Sunday, when he will
w^elcome the new, and returning
students to the Mars Hill Church.
Mr. Lynch is a native of Yad-
kinville County, having been born
in the town of that name. His
residence at the time of his call
was at Mountain Park, and it was
there that he was ordained into
the ministry.
(Continued on page 2)
Miss Ella J. Pierce, former dean
of women at Mars Hill, will re
sume her teaching duties after a
years leave of absence. Miss
Pierce has been studying at Cor
nell University for the past year
in preparation for her Doctor’s
Degree in Philosophy which she
acquired last spring.
Dr. Pierce entered the English
department at Mars Hill in 1925
after teaching at Silva Intercol
legiate Institute for a number of
years. She became Dean of Wom
en in 1933, a position she held
until her leave of absence.
She graduated with an A. B.
degree from Meredith College in
1921. She studied at Columbia
University and Cornell and re
ceived her Master’s degree from
the latter institution in 1933. She
was elected to Philander Theta, a
national honor society.
Dr. Pierce majored in Shake
speare and wrote her thesis—1,000
pages—on the “Appreciation of
the Elizabethans During the New
England Renaissance”.
Miss Pierce, upon her return
announced her intentions of re
signing the post of Dean of Wom
en and devoting all of her time
to her teaching duties.
Societies Invite
All New Students
To Attend Opening
Seventy-Eighth Year Of Ser
vice Inaugurated On
Friday Night
Hilltop Staff To
Be Voted On
Nominations For All Offices
Must Be In By Sept. 16
To Be Considered
Elections for the 1936 Hilltop
Staff will be held, during chapel,
on a date to be chosen next week.
The staff was not elected last
year, as is customary, but was
approved at the chapel program.
Any C-2 is eligible for the po
sitions providing his nomination
is in the hands of Managing edi
tor John Chapman before Sept.
16, and is approved by the publi
cation committee. The positions
to be filled are: Editor, Associate
(Continued on page 4)
VISIT BOTH; JOIN ONE
Girls' Societies Meet Thurs
day Afternoon^ Get Start
On Boys
J. B. Huff, who, after a year of
illness resumes his position in the
college.
King Receives
Signal Honor
Huff Recovers From Illness
Coon Returns From
Studies
Former members of the faculty,
absent last year, have returned
this fall. Notable among them
are: Mr. J. B. Huff, Miss Zula E.
Coon and Mr. S. B. King.
Mr. Huff, familiar to the old
students, was unable to take his
classes last year because of ill
ness, and was granted a leave of
absence. Recovered, he will again
take his share of the English
teaching duties. He first became
connected with Mars Hill in 1910.
In 1922 he resigned his position
to become president of Wingate
College, which position he held
until 1930 when he again became
connected with Mars Hill.
Miss Coon, head of the Voice
Department, has been away two
years, studying at the Southwest
ern Baptist Theological Seminary
at Seminary, Texas. She returns
with her degree in Religious Edu
cation. While there she was a
member of the Choral Club, so
loist at a local church, and a mem-
(Continued on page 3)
The seventy-eighth year of men’s
societies at Mars Hill was in
augurated Friday night when the
gavels of G. G. Morgan, Eu presi
dent, and Charles Weaver, Phi
pi-esident, fell simultaneously. The
first society was organized in
1858 and named the “Literary
Society of Mars Hill College”. In
1891 this society was divided into
the Euthalian and the Phil-
omathian Literary Societies. The
names w’ere selected for these so
cieties by Dr. John E. White of
Atlanta who asisted the school in
their organization. It is interest
ing to note that the Eu-Phi mem
bers were chosen after the man
ner of the old fashioned spelling
bee.
Up until 1895 the societies met
in various classrooms for their
programs, but in that year the
Board of Trustees granted the two
(Continued on page 6)
Mars Hill Loses
Booster
Mars Hill College lost one of
its most loyal alumnae when
Mrs. C. C. Bruce passed away
May 22, at the home of Mrs.
G. B. Ellen, college secretary.
Not only was she an alumnae
herself, but her sister was the
first Nonpareil president, arid
her hubsand a trustee of the
college.
Her father was one of the
original college founders and a
loyal supporter of the institu
tion.
At one time her mother ad
vanced much needed money to
keep Mars Hill from being sold
for a debt and allowed easy re
payment terms for the strug
gling college.
Keep Your Eyes Open
Cautions Dr. Poteat
Dr. R. L. Moore Introduces
Speaker, Gives A Few
Words Of Advice
COURAGE OFTEN FAILS
Speaks Against Girls Smok
ing, Is Interrupted By
Applause
“Keep your eyes open, and
don’t be afraid.” Stressing that
thought throughout his entire talk.
Dr. E. McNeil Poteat, pastor of
Pullen Memorial Church in Ra
leigh, opened the 81st session of
Mars Hill College Thursday.
The opening chapel session was
called to order by Dr. R. L. Moore,
president of the college, who spoke
a few words of advice to the stu
dents. Professor Blackwell led in
prayer and Miss Coon, head of the
voice department sang, “I will
lift up mine eyes to the Hills.”
Following a brief introduction by
Dr. Moore, Dr. Poteat spoke . . .
“Particularly to those who come
for the first time in the pursuit
of knowledge—or as it might bet
ter be expressed, the pusuit of
character building.”
An excellent speaker, possessing
the touch of getting “to” the stu
dents, he was interrupted several
times by spontaneous applause.
He based his talk on the biblical
story of the twelve spies sent into
Canaan, only two obeyed the in
junction of Moses to “Keep your
eyes open, and don’t be afraid.”
To the one who Iqoks about, said
Dr. Poteat, life is a marvel. “To
(Continued on page 4)
John A. McLeod
Hurt In Accident
Near Dillon, S. G.
Unable To Resume Teaching
Duties For Fall
^Session
MRS. MAC SUBSTITUTES
J. B. Huff Takes Over Posi
tion Of Faculty
Advisor
An unexpected event marred the
opening of Mars Hill’s 1936-37
session when J. A. McLeod was
injured in an automobile accident.
Mr. McLeod was a member of the
English department, in which he
has been teaching since 1925.
The accident occured at 1:00 A.
t
M. Sunday, August 30, when an
other car ran into the one Mr.
McLeod was driving, turning it
over. An ambulance rushed the
occupants of the McLeod car to
Florence, S. C., where they were
entered at the McLeod Infirmary.
Mr. McLeod was completing a
trip through South Carolina in
company with his mother and his
three children. At the time of the
accident they were near Dillon, S.
C. Mrs. McLeod suffered head in
juries and the children minor
hurts. Mr. McLeod was disabled
by a broken knee.
(Continued on page 3)