It was like good old times come back again when the 66th annual opening of Davenport College took place yesterday morning, under the management of Dr. C.L. Hornaday, the energetic new president. The brightness of the glorious September sunshine; the warmth of interest and friendship on the part of a large gathering of the citizens of Lenoir, which filled one-half of the large auditorium, was an inspiring scene, and was an enthusiastic appreciation and testimony of the most gracious kindness manifested for the new president, faculty, both old and new, and the large student body, composed of both old and new students. Lenoireans, men and women, old and young, were present with beaming countenances and good cheer. No such gathering, and no such enthusiasm has been seen at this aged and honored institution in many years. It was an hour of hearty rejoicing in a rejuvenated Davenport College, and a season of educational enthusiasm that thrilled the great audience through and through with joy, and kindled the fires of love, veneration and affection for the beloved institution. It was the most auspicious, the most encouraging and the most satisfactory opening of the most promising session in the history of Davenport. The warmth of welcome to the new president, faculty and student body, and in turn their appreciation and welcome to the citizens present was electrifying. Every speech and every act was unique, and the curtain of school activities was raised upon a beautiful setting, in a scene of lovely cordiality, and one that has filled Lenoir with pleasure unspeakable.
The Exercises
The opening exercises were conducted by Rev. D.H. Tuttle of the Eastern North Carolina conference, who is now located at Smithfield. He read the 13th chapter of I Cor., and said that this chapter was the heart of the Bible.
Mr. Tuttle said that he felt it was providential to be here at the opening of Davenport College, and he esteemed it a great privilege t take part in the opening exercises. Mr. Tuttle was born and reared about eight miles west of here near Hartland, and he is now visiting relatives at the old home place.
“To you young ladies who come for the first time, and to you members of the faculty who come fir the first time, we give you a hearty welcome,” said President C.L. Hornaday. “We hope you will find a great deal of happiness and a great deal of joy here, and you will be known by the friendships you make. You cannot start out your course in life, or in school, or anywhere with a better purpose than to make a friend of this Jesus about whom we have heard thie morning in the morning’s lesson, and I think it would be eminently proper as you start your work here this morning to meet the men in Lenoir who represent this Jesus, who are his viceregents here.” Rev. A.A. McLean was then introduced and said “Lenoir considers Davenport College one of its most substantial assets. I think it has been evidenced in the past time. No wonder a howl of protest arose, I am an outsider and so I can speak, no wonder a protest arose when something was said about taking it away from here. I have been here four years, and I believe I can understand a little of the sentiment of the people who are attached to this institution. And I want to say that we are rather proud of our town, and if you begin to feel a little of homesickness coming over you, just hold it off for a little while. You may like it so well here that you will like to make it your home for all time. I have known that to occur.”
“Today there is so much being taught in certain institutions that is derogatory to the Christian faith so that they do not know the Jesus about whom you heard read this morning. The teaching is expressed in the terms of the modern world. I want you to remember that you have here the opportunity of enlarging your regular course with teachings concerning Jesus Christ, and I charge you before God to be faithful in that opportunity. I am confident that the time will come in your life when you can look back upon your days spent in this institution with great thankfulness, and there will be great joy in our heart because of Davenport College you learned of Jesus Christ.” Mr. McLean then cordially welcomed the student body and faculty to our midst, and promised hearty co-operation in any way possible.
Rev. M.H. Tuttle then expressed his great pleasure at being at the opening exercises and having the privilege of speaking a word. Speaking to the pupils, he said: “You are to be congratulated that you are to be students in this old well-established college. The good influences of this college have been felt throughout several of the states, and you ought to congratulate yourselves upon being students of this institution. It is perhaps better equipped today than it has ever been before, and now you have a president who has been tried and tested in school work. You may congratulate yourselves because of that and because of the able faculty to teach you during this school year. If Hornaday is anything like his father, and I believe he is, he looks like him, you may congratulate yourselves upon having Hornaday as president of this institution.”
Dr. W.C. Tyree, pastor of the First Baptist church, was then called on for a talk. “It is the first opportunity I have had as one of the pastors of Lenoir of being present at the beginning of any session in this noble institution. I hope it will be my privilege often to have this pleasure. I feel like congratulating these girls because we have such a beautiful day. I remember how necessary bright weather and sunshine was to me when I first went to college, and I believe this weather will help to keep away that grim monster—homesickness.
“I wish to express my hearty congratulations for this auspicious beginning. I have not been in Lenoir long, but I have been here long enough to learn something of the history of this institution and how it was a scheme of the people of this community. I have also had an opportunity to learn from the alumna their great affection for this their alma mater. Its influence has been felt and impressed upon the splendid social life of the town, its citizenship and home life of the people. I am so glad to be here as a citizen of Lenoir. I taught for a good many years, and know something of the ambitions and apprehensions of the teachers during the year, and so I am glad to be here this morning to greet the teachers as fellow workers, and the young ladies as fellow students.
The vocation of a teacher is noble. No hand is so potent in forming the character of a student as the teacher. You know a college is a wonderful place. College experiences are wonderful experiences, the most wonderful in our life. What a gymnasium is to the physical body a college is to the mentality. It strengthens, develops, trains and molds and promotes every part of the being, because it calls forth to exercise every faculty we have, so when we enter upon this college we just enter upon another exercise in this wonderful gymnasium. College life is just a little training for the future. In this institution you are going to be trained for service, and greatness comes from service. Jesus, the great world teacher, came and brought this great message, and showed that the world had been on the wrong track all the time.”
Rev. P.W. Tucker, pastor of the First Methodist church, was the next speaker. “I have learned of the great work of Davenport college, and I have become very much interested in the college work here. Little did I think one year ago that I would be standing here at the opening of the college this morning as college pastor. Of all our institutions I feel that this one was doing the greatest service to the young ladies that came into her walls. I can say without feeling that I am ashamed to draw in any way when I was looking over the institutions of our State, I was drawn to this institution in so much that I gave to this institution to handle, train and to help me to do or the all that I had the thing that I wanted done, and so it is a peculiar pleasure this morning when I stand before this student body and these friends of this institution, and this faculty, some of whom I know and few who are strangers, and say to you that we have been looking forward to this occasion for several months, and you who come for the first time, cannot know how much interest we feel in you, as well as the old students, and the old members of the faculty, but you new students cannot know how much interest we already feel in you. We have already been looking forward to your coming, and have made a little more room in our hearts until this morning we want you to feel that you have not gone away from those who are interested in you, but you have come into a community life and a college life where everybody is interested in you.”
Mr. Tucker then gold of his experiences going away to college, and how kindly he was greeted, and made to feel that he was among friends, “and the best way we know how, we are saying to you as a town, we are welcoming you, and it has thrown open our doors to this student body and faculty of this institution. We love everyone of them and want to be your servants in any way we can, not only to make school life more pleasant, but to be of real service. This is our heart’s desire, and we are so glad this morning to look into the faces of this fine body of students and say to you that as you labor here with us we shall be interested in the things that are for your good and we shall ever strive to be of real service to you.”
Rev. D.H. Tuttle was again called on for a talk, which he made very briefly, telling of his interest in the college and of how this institution was to be congratulated on having as its president Mr. Hornaday He said that some one had mentioned that President Hornaday had a fine father. Mr. Tuttle said that Mr. Hornaday Sr. had trained Hornaday Jr., but also another thing entered into the life, and that was “There was a fine Mrs. Hornaday.” He said that he had been her pastor for three years, and that “Bess Jones,” for that was the way every one knew her, and she was of a temperament and disposition that would help to make Mr. Hornaday a good strong man, and to enable him to be the best that he could be. Many other complimentary things were said about Mr. and Mrs. Hornaday.
From the front page of the Lenoir News-Topic, Thursday, Sept. 14, 1922. Like many private colleges in North Carolina, Davenport College would close its doors permanently in The Depression.
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