College Boys of 1900 (picture above)

This picture of the Franklin Literary Society was made in 1900 on the front steps of McFerrin College, once the pride of Martin--the east side, that is; while the West Side boasted Hall-Moody College.  This picture will suggest many stories of events along the way since 1900 by those of their generation.

Franklin Literary Club, 1900, Pride of McFerrin
     (Some of these young men may be your neighbor.  Before you start reading to find out who they are, try naming them to see how good your memory is and how well you are able to associate features peculiar to an individual.  Ed.)

     Perhaps first something should be said about the photographer, P. W. HENDIX, who seemed to have considerable ability in the arrangement of the people in a picture.  He was without any of the modern gadgets in photography, and after arranging the pose and taking the picture, had to develop the picture, and the work was good enough to endure to date.  This artist was also a farmer and partially crippled, yet somehow he and his wife had high standards for their children and managed to give them all an education.

     The rear row, reading from left to right, are:  (1) B. F. HIGGS, who lived on Main and McComb, Martin.  (2) Rev. J. A. McCORMACK became a Methodist preacher.  Several years ago, the papers stated he was the minister who administered spiritual counsel to the first woman condemned to capital punishment in Louisiana.  He is deceased.   (3) Rev. A. I. TOWNSLEY  became a Methodist minister and spent his time in the California area.  Two of his daughters and one son are missionaries.   (4) Pliny THROGMORTON.  At the time of this picture he was a resident of Martin, the son of the pastor Rev. P. G. Throgmorton of the Martin Methodist Church.  He is now an able preacher in Missouri.  (5) C. M. MARTIN, who resides at corner of Main and College.  In the insurance business.  (6) B. D. EDWARDS, born near Martin and was a farmer in this section until his death several years ago.   (7) Rev. James R. BULLINGTON became a preacher and now serves New Madrid Methodist Church in one of the Missouri conferences.  He is a brother of Thomas Bullington, and has many other relatives in the county.

     Middle row:   (1) Mr. PENN.  This promising young man was the brother of Mrs. J. T. PRITCHETT  (wife of the principal of McFerrin School when the picture was made).  We have no further history.   (2) John W. HENDRIX , for forty years a Methodist minister in the Southwest.  -- Now retired and living in Sharon.   (3) Rev. A. N. WALKER became a Methodist minister and now lives at McKenzie.

     Front row:  (1) J. W. RANKIN, lawyer, who now resides corner McComb and Poplar.  (2) Robert TAYLOR, deceased.  He became a traveling salesman in which vocation he was engaged at the time of his death.  The late T. J. Taylor, who lived at the south corner of McComb and Polpar was his brother.  (3) A. L. EDWARDS, deceased.  He was at one time principal of Howard Female College at Gallatin, Tenn.  He later studied law, in which profession he was engaged at Nashville at the time of his death.  (4) O. J. HOFFMAN, who entered the mercantile business in which he is now engaged.  His home is at 216 South McComb.  (5) O. F. CAYCE, who became junior member of the firm of Cayce and Turner, publishers of the Martin Mail and Primitive Baptist.  When this enterprise passed into the hand of others, he moved away and we have no history on his since that time.
 
 

A follow-up article from the Weakley Co. Press August 4, 1950

Students, 1900 Model
by Rev. John W. HENDRIX
     The picture appearing some weeks ago in the Press brought forth a bit of comment.  In the group were fifteen students --1900 model varsity--and the best known facts are that ten, if not eleven, of these are still in the land of the living.  That is, two thirds of them are enjoying length of days, not settling who are the two thirds!  That is a pretty good record.

     Another element of comment is these boys were really dressed up.  They live in a day when all people wore clothing aplenty!  The school and street dress for girls was not eleven inches but two inches from the floor, and upon any occasion that had the slightest hint of formal their skirts had an intimation of a trail.   That makes me think.  Some girl had a guest and they threw a party.  It was in the Tom Wood home.  I was to bring the guest down.  I felt awfully flattered, to say nothing of  being excited.  For this Kentucky girl was exquisitely beautiful, so dainty, dressed so tastily in a sheer, flowered lawn.  Either we were a bit early or the others were a mite late, but we arrived ahead of time.  So we went out for a little stroll.  We met the bunch and I thought to be gallant, for I was pouring it all in on this occaion.  I would swing around her sort of "swing around Rosie" as we turned to go back, and as I did so I trampled my big awkward foot on her "trailer" and tore the skirt loose at the waist.  All I had ever done to be nice, my sense of gallantry, my estimate of myself suddenly hit zero!

     These boys were straight from the study hall or classroom and appear exactly as they always did in school, even to the choker collars securely staid by a tie, coats and vests.  These students were never in study hall or class, most likely in all their school days, in their shirt sleeves.  Even in hottest weather, if ladies were present, courtesy demanded that permission must be reqested to remove the coat.

     Again, there may have been light weight summer suits but these young men knew nothing of such.  They wore heavy sixteen-ounce cheviot, or finished worsted, equally as heavy.  True, some men wore alpacker or "searsucker"; however, the latter wasn't very safe on account of its drawing up qualities.  So far as I now recall, young men rarely, if ever, wore either of these two classes of fabric.

     Going a little further, getting a mite more intimate! the "undies" were full length in leg and sleeve; socks came up over the bottom of the undies and shoes were high topped.  Of course, we've always had the sockless group, and with them the above description suffered slight exceptions!

     Later McFerrin had dorms.  The dining room was in the girls' dorm.  Any boy who ventured in without the proper garb was thrust out like the man in the parable who didn't have on a wedding garment.  Now, if there be any formal dress for students, observation doesn't reveal it; rather it reveals the contrary.  Sometimes a beautiful girl, and they are every bit and grain as beautiful as their mothers were, dressed in the most dainty atire may be accompanied by a boy in undershirt and Livis!  Or the girl might herself be in an ill-fitting blouse and Livis at which the Mexican might say, "No quen sabe," by which he means, "who can tell?"

     The other day I was enjoying the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. A big trade day was in progress.  Among the guests were a number of boys in sport shirts, slacks, all "kinda" hung on 'em.  Circulating around here some girls, some in shorts, some in fine attire.  I got so interested I sidled a boy off, got friendly and asked what was "cookin."  What do you suppose?  A joint meeting of a frat and a sorority of a college or university bracket.

     There might be some hidden, subtle, wish that some happy medium in dress might be arrived at between 1900 and 1950!  There isn't any use to say anything about it.  In the more dressy period of 1900 on extremely formal occasions students wore tails, now tails are much more prevalent -- shirt tails!