Friday night a house warming was held at the new Lenoir school building when the keys of the building were officially turned over to the school by the board of trustees.
The program opened with music by the American Legion band, which is being directed by James Harper, and was followed by prayer by Rev. R.L. Isbell.
Mrs. J.L. Nelson was then introduced by Supt. W.S. Hough as being the “Lady of the White House.” Mrs. Nelson is one of the most loyal and faithful friends of the graded school. Several years ago she presented a standard reference work containing 29 volumes to the school. Since that time the world war has been fought and won, and numerous other things of interest and importance have taken place. This being the case, Mrs. Nelson said that she did not want these important things to be missing in the reference books, and she presented three additional volumes containing the happenings since 1910. The original set was donated by Mrs. Nelson in memory of her father, Dr. Scroggs, and she wanted to continue furnishing this extension service in honor of his memory.
In closing Mrs. Nelson stated that since the school had moved into its new quarters and left North Main street a pall of loneliness hung over the place. The old school building is located just across the street from the home of Mrs. Nelson, and it is safe to say that she misses the school children in no small degree.
Supt. Hough accepted the three additional volumes of the reference work for the school with a great deal of appreciation. In doing this he stated that the school needed many more friends like Mrs. Nelson. He also stated that in order to be a No. A high school 500 books would have to be in the library. At the present time there are needed 299 books. He made a strong appeal to the friends of the school to furnish the necessary number of books to the school library so as to place them in the A class.
After another selection by the band W.J. Lenoir, recently elected chairman of the county board of education, was called on for a talk. This building with all of its equipment and conveniences would be a credit to any town in the State of North Carolina,” Mr. Lenoir said. “The fact that it is here is evidence that the town will keep the important place it has on the educational map. Not many of you can remember back as far as 50 years ago, but this town has always been considered an educational town. If you will look up the records of the history of the town you will find that event hen there were three splendid educational institutions of more than State-wide reputation in the town of Lenoir. These institutions were the Finley High School, which was run by Capt. E.W. faucet and Mr. Dickson as assistant. It had boys here from States as far west as Texas.” He then told of an old negress passing by the school one day when several of the students were studying their Greek and reading it aloud. She hurried on and told the boss that “two of them strange boys up there was a-cussin’ me and a-threatening to kill me.”
“What did they say?” she was asked.
“Alpha Beta,” etc.
“Then there was the Kirkwood school 50 years ago,” Mr. Lenoir continued, “with Miss Emma Rankin as principal, and a girl in that day considered her fortunate to have her guidance.
“Davenport college was here 50 years ago, and it alone remains. It is progressing and growing better and better, and it is a pleasant thought for us to liken it to Tennyson’s brook and hope it will ‘go on and on forever.’
“Then there was a lapse and we come to a period about 20 years ago when the graded school building was erected. It was one of the greatest interests in our town, and recognized as one of the best institutions in the State, but the town has outgrown the old school and we now have this magnificent building, on this six acres of ground, and so built that unit after unit can be added as room may be needed. We have a splendid superintendent and board of trustees, and they are determined that this school shall be second to none in North Carolina.”
Mayor V.D. Guire was then introduced by Supt. Hough, who stated that his subject would be the burdened taxpayer, who paid for the chairs, erected the house and was responsible for its being there. Mr. Guire stated in the beginning that he thought the meeting together in the building for a house warming was a very fine thing. The people would come there and see each other, and would go home with a better feeling for having been there, and he was sure that when taxpaying time came they would not mind so much the paying of taxes. Of course there will be some pessimistic taxpayers who have not seen the vision and will let go of their money grudgingly, but they will be in the minority. Mr. Guire said that he hoped none of the children would have to go three miles in the mud to school as he had done. The speaker then mentioned the citizenship of Lenoir. He said there was no better citizenship to be found anywhere than in Lenoir. “As has been suggested by Mr. Lenoir, this town has been known since its beginning as an educational town and a town of Christianity,” Mr. Guire continued. “Two things that are absolutely inseparable for the making of good citizenship. We want you to see that the town of Lenoir is growing, progressing and going forward at a greater rate perhaps today than in all of her history. We taxpayers ae going to pay for it. We cannot get anything in this world that is worthwhile unless it costs us money. The times demand that we spend more money than we did 50 years ago. Our citizenship demands better things, better schools, better roads, better churches, better preachers, better teachers than they did 50 years ago. All our taxpayers want these days is value received for their money.”
Mrs. E.F. Reid was then introduced as representing the Woman’s Club. “This organization has been speaking for itself in good deeds for the last 18 years,” Mrs. Reid said. “At first it was known as the little Town Improvement Society, and then for many years as the Woman’s Betterment Association, but we have grown dignified of late and we are now known as the Woman’s Club. The policy of this club has always been conservative, and has thereby regained the respect of the men of the town. We have received the most courteous treatment and co-operation from men of the town, and the school authorities, and it is our opinion that there are no finer men anywhere than we have right here in Lenoir I am sure that I voice the sentiment of the 120 members of the Woman’s Club when I say that every day and in every way we are striving to make our town and school better and better.”
Mrs. Reid then told a story she had heard the preceding day of a certain pastor of a certain church not in Lenoir, who was often called on for a talk. He always got up and said he was not prepared. One Sunday morning when the exercises had been particularly long for one little boy he was called on for a speech. He got up, rubbed his hands, saying he hardly knew what to say. The little boy in the back called out and said, “Well, say ‘Amen’ and sit down.”
Lee Foy Tuttle was then introduced as representing the youth of the school. He said: “This school means more to us in our present school life than it will to others, for we have been looking forward for a number of years to the time when we would have a new school building. We have been crowded up in the old school building for so long that we have not yet become accustomed to the new building. It seems just like a dream to us, and we want to express our thanks to the school and to those who made this building possible, and we do thank them.
V.H. Beach, the treasurer of the board of trustees, was next introduced. In beginning Mr. Beach said he represented one of the most peaceful bodies the sun ever shown on. Since 1913 he had been a member of the board of trustees, and on every question that has come up, he said, the board had always been unanimous in their decisions about it. “There have been many important questions during these 10 years,” he said. “You have been called on twice to vote for school bonds and you have responded wonderfully. This building has been in the minds of every man on the school board for 10 years. It was the dream of the board. They all planned for this when they were members of the board. Rev. C.T. Squires dreamed of it, and his dream was so loud that he told us about it. I want to thank the citizenship of the town of Lenoir for their hearty co-operation in every request made, and it is because you were interested that this building is here tonight.”
Mr. Beach then delivered the keys of the building to Supt. Hough. He showed him the smallest key, and said that it was the most important one of all. It was the key that unlocked the hearts of the citizenship of every man, woman and child in this school district. Mr. Hough accepted the keys with some very fitting remarks.
G.F. Harper was called on for a few remarks, after which the audience was dismissed, the band playing while the assemblage marched out. An invitation was extended for all to visit the different classroom.
From the front page of the Lenoir News-Topic, March 27, 1923
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