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BLUE RIDGE SCHOOL
ORATORICAL CONTEST,
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES AND EXHIBITION.
LARGE CROWD OF INTELLIGENT
PATRONS IN ATTENDANCE. INTERESTING EXERCISE.
A PROGRESSIVE VILLAGE.
May 1895
As a live progressive community
truly appreciative of superior educational advantages, Blue Ridge modestly steps
forward and takes a position second to none other in Collin county, the larger
towns not excepted. The county-seat, Farmersville, Plano and some other larger
places may have better facilities in the way of buildings and capacity for
receiving pupils, but when it come to a real "show down" of genuine earnestness
and eagerness of patrons to trample underfoot penurious selfishness and improve
their schooling facilities by themselves assuming the additional cost thereof,
this little village easily outclasses all competitors great or small and takes
rank away in the van. The term just closed under the principalship of Prof. C.
F. Trotter so ably assisted by his sister, Miss Hattie, met the unanimous
approval of every parent and pupil and as a result of its repute as a school of
thorough, rapid advancement, young men and young ladies from the surrounding
community and distant parts of the county came here until there was an
enrollment of 170 pupils who recited to only two teachers.
Now the citizens wish to
incorporate and have petitioned the commissioners for the present school
building and grounds; and a chartered company will improve their present
facilities and retain Prof. Trotter at the head of the first class school if
they meet with success before the commissioners' court. This they will probably
succeed in doing.
The school has been having a
series of monthly Demorest contests but on Thursday night May 9, Prof. Trotter
offered a special prize, a beautiful silver medal to be competed for.
Contestants were, Misses Nellie and Fannie Norwood and Margaret Webb and Messrs.
Geo. Sims and Levi Dorn. Supt Shepherd and Walter B. Wilson of McKinney and
Prof. J. H. Hill of Chambersville were the Judges.
The program was opened with a
song by the audience, the great crowd singing, with vim and inspiration followed
by invocation by Rev. Norwood. After another song, the dramatic piece "Guilty or
not Guilty" was pathetically rendered by Miss Nellie Norwood. George Sims, a
young man of good delivery then aroused the patriotism of his auditors with an
oration on "Independence Day." "Little Jim" a touching piece was rendered by
Miss Margaret Webb in a way that feelingly touched the stoniest heart.
Levi Dorn, a young man of
undoubted oratorial promise, followed with Webster's famous "Address at Bunker's
Hill."
A miscellaneous aggregation of
wit, humor and philosophy, entitled "Man's Soliloquy" was appropriately rendered
by Miss Fannie Norwood and was greeted with vociferous applause at its
conclusion. This concluded the contest exercises and while the judges were
preparing their decision Miss Mattie Webb kept the audience in a convulsion of
applause with the recitation "Nobody's Child." Prof. Hill in a neat speech
announced the decision of the judges and presented the medal with fitting words
of advice to the victor, Miss Fannie Norwood and at the same time commending the
unsuccessful competitors for their efforts and conjuring them to be not
discouraged, that it is nobler to fail in trying than to let the opportunity go
by without an effort. Prof. Hill (who in addition to establishing his reputation
as a speaker won other honors on this trip to Blue Ridge by carrying off the
checker players' championship with him.) was enthusiastically applauded.
The exercises, which were
conducted at the Methodist church, were then concluded with the song,
"Goodnight."
The commencement exercises were
conducted next day, Friday May 10, in the Baptist church before a crowded
audience, which gathered notwithstanding the busy season, with the farmers.
Three young men and completed a very creditable course and were to graduate on
this occasion. Their names are W. L. Glenn, W. A. Hart and J. T. Forbes. Mr.
Forbes who had gone to his home in the southern part of the county, for some
unknown reason was not present. The exercises were opened with a song by the
school followed by invocation by Rev. Hunter. A declamation by Miss Ora Tilton
was well received; as also a lullaby sung by a number of little girls with their
dolls under the direction of Miss Trotter, an essay was gracefully read by Miss
Hattie Trotter, who charmed her hearers with her elocutionary powers and the apt
language employed in elucidating her subject. A duet, "Ashamed of Jesus," by T.
S. Hamm and C. F. Trotter, was next listened to with much admiration.
W. L. Green followed with his
graduating oration entitled, "Science," dealing with his subject in a way
calculated to cause even the learned to start at the marvelous facts depicted.
"History of Education" was the
subject of W. A. Hart's graduating oration. He began with the earliest knowledge
of education among the Egyptians, beginning with the very dawn of the historic
morning and held the spell-bound attention of his hearers as he traced each
successive advance, step by step, down to our present time.
At this point in the program
Prof. Brooks of McKinney was to have delivered an address but he not being able
to be present, Supt. W. W. Shepherd took the rostrum and for about 40 minutes
enthused his hearers with new zeal in the cause of education in a plain,
practical and entertaining speech.
A double quartette rendition of
"Rock of Ages" closed the commencement exercises of the Blue Ridge school term
of 1894-95 which by far excelled any preceding in the history of the school.
The exhibition to have been given
at night would have eclipsed anything ever before witnessed in that portion of
the county had not a violent wind and threatened rain dispersed the mighty
multitude that gathered on the school campus to witness the program. Seats from
the two churches had been moved out to assist in seating the people, and the
Blue Ridge Silver Cornet Band was on hand to discourse sweet music. But the
elements were to unfavorable; the lights were fanned out and the people saught
shelter from the threatened rain in their houses and to the regret of both the
participants and auditors the program was cut short.
Unfortunately the pages of Blue
Ridge's past history have been too liberally besmeared with the stain of many
crimes and atrocious tragedies that found their inspiration in deadly feuds
springing up during the relaxation of law in the late civil strife. Several
years since the actors in these deplorable scenes had either died or moved away
and their places have been filled by an entirely different population, morally
speaking. In 1890 the death blow to recklessness was delivered, so responsible
citizens state, when saloons were voted out of Blue Ridge. When whiskey was
voted out the saloon continued open, in spite of public sentiment against, it as
a pool resort. Finally this pool room became so obnoxious, the boys collected
and actually chunked the proprietor out of his house and business. Two years ago
the drug stores closed out their stock of intoxicants and now you cannot even
buy a dram of "snake medicine," in Blue Ridge with an M. D.'s prescription. But
his mitigating act of lawlessness on the part of the Blue Ridge boys has had the
effect, in a measure, of disassociating the name Blue Ridge from the term
"tough" instead of confirming them as synonyms, and now her citizens rank among
the most moral, sober, and cultured to by found anywhere in this county.
Blue Ridge is a little village of
about 200 souls nestled in the heart of a high, rich farming belt, of county, 17
miles northeast of McKinney. Originally there was little prairie to be found
here, but now most of the timber or brush land as it is called had given
way to fertile fields of grain and cotton. Not a stump is even visible in many
of these fields, and well regulated farms, well stocked and with substantial
buildings succeed each other with almost unbroken continuity.
The nearest railroad point is
Leonard, 10 miles to the east. There are six stores, viz: G. F. Warden, general
merchandize, W. A. Moyers, gen'l. J. W. St. Clair, Grocery and hardware, Mount
Riley, grocery, Bob Jones, grocery; R. L. Hayter, druggist, Post office, Barber
shop, School house and Masonic hall, two churches, Methodist and Baptist. The
other churches have classes organized and also has an Epworth League. The little
village also has three black smith shops, a corn mill, and one of the best
cotton gins in the county; J. A. Barnett, proprietor and W. A. Smith, secretary.
This gin, which is lighted up with electricity, put out over 500 bales last
season, more than any other one gin in the county.
Five physicians make this their
headquarters and practice over a wide scope of surrounding territory. These well
known physicians are Dr. A. L. Webb, W. M. Thomas, F. C. Grounds, W. A. Houser
and Dr. Funk. Like McKinney, Blue Ridge is not blessed with an abundance of
water, but unlike McKinney she sports an excellent silver cornet band of 16
pieces.
The enterprise of Blue Ridge
citizens is attested by the fact every business house in the place, except two,
and a number of the residences have been built during the past eleven months.
Socially the people are of the most intelligent and sturdy character whose
hospitality is of the genuine southern "cordial" which takes treat pride in
making welcome the stranger whose pathway happens to fall through their little
village.
Blue Ridge
School Index
- Recommended citation:
- "Blue Ridge School - Collin County Schools,"
Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of
Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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