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View Article - Digital Collections - University of Oklahoma

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30THE SOONER MAGAZINEthe greatest <strong>of</strong> all entertainment devicesin tile country and is directing his ownenergies to try to keep abreast <strong>of</strong> the advancementand importance which the"talkies" promise to gain .CHARLES A. LONG, '05"READ it yourself! Read it yourself!" istile advice <strong>of</strong> Heywood Broun in recommendinga recent book .w e shall echo tile words <strong>of</strong> Mr . Brounin referring you to tile following articleby Charles A. Long, '05 sc ., who has beenpresident <strong>of</strong> Granbery college, Julz derora, state <strong>of</strong> Minas Geraes, Brazil, andis now in charge <strong>of</strong> the P etropolis district,tile fasmonable summer resort anddiplomatic residence <strong>of</strong> Brazil.Long tells <strong>of</strong> early days in Soonerland,<strong>of</strong> student pranks and collegiate diversions,and <strong>of</strong> his experiences in tile SouthAmerican republic. But we cannot tell ifas he noes- Read it yourself! Read ityourself!"' 1 entered the preparatory department<strong>of</strong> tile university in tile fall <strong>of</strong> 1899," Longwrites, -when there were more preps thancollege students and when the total matriculationwas under 400, when everybouyknew everybody else, when dignifiedcollege pr<strong>of</strong>essors were still teachingpreparatory classes and were the intimate,personal friends <strong>of</strong> all their students (theywould be yet if there were not so many<strong>of</strong> the latter), when Sooners were justbeginning to learn the looks and use <strong>of</strong>football togs and athletic suits . My classwas file last college class to complete awhole college year in the original buildingbefore it burned. After this fire wewere obliged to return to the old rockbuilding on Main Street where the universityheld its first classes . It was thetime <strong>of</strong> the original faculty, PresidentBoyd, Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Paxton, Parrington, Buchanan,Elder, Miss Grace King, DoctorsDcBarr and Van Vleet, etc . Later additionsincluded Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Sturgis, Humphreys,Cole, Doctor Upjohn, and "Kirby"f . N. Pricket, superintendent <strong>of</strong> buildingsand grounds ."Among the students were Roberts,Hertz, Hefley, Mackey, Bucklin, Hadsell,Gittinger, Ferguson, the Reeds brothers,Kirk, Larkin, Williams, Darling and theMisses Ruth House, Fantine Samuels andRena Williams ."The university then consisted <strong>of</strong> college,a school <strong>of</strong> pharmacy, school <strong>of</strong>commerce, fine arts and the preparatorydepartment . Medicine and engineeringwere added during my course ."As to my own activities, I am not awearer <strong>of</strong> the Phi Beta Kappa key andwas never accused <strong>of</strong> being in seriousdanger <strong>of</strong> such . On the other hand Pr<strong>of</strong>essorElder is the only pr<strong>of</strong>essor thatever had the privilege <strong>of</strong> handing me anF . If was in college algebra . My mottowas `Stick to the Bush' and thereby Icame to graduation with seven extra hoursCHARLES A.to my credit . I am one <strong>of</strong> the few 'renegades'who did not follow the good traininggiven in the geological department byDoctor Gould, the student's supremefriend ."I was a member <strong>of</strong> the Forum LiterarySociety, glee club, Rock club, GoodRoads club, Y .M .C .A ., etc . In athletics,I won the walking race in the locals thelast year if was included in college athletics. I also won innumerable tournamentswith pick and shovel, broom andaxe handles, buck saw blades, and <strong>of</strong>ficework, whereby I was enabled to win thefinals over lack <strong>of</strong> funds to carry on mystudies . These latter courses were worthas much or more to me than others I took,though I believe the (then) registrar, RoyHadsell, failed to give me credit for themon my credit card ."I remember the last class fight thatoccurred inside buildings . It was in theold building The juniors had hoistedtheir flag on the tower . The freshmen,usual lineup, pulled it down and hoistedtheirs . During the day following Pr<strong>of</strong>essorCole removed apparatus from underthe tower, foreseeing the battle brewing.Sufficient to say that it was not amissthefight was a draw and a number <strong>of</strong>us, including the president's secretary andregistrar, had the privilege <strong>of</strong> `walkingon the carpet' and paying the bill . Wesuspected, like the little colonel chewingup the artillerymen who fired withoutorders in Empey's Over the Top, the lecturingwe got was 'for the sake <strong>of</strong> goodorder and form' in part ."After graduating, having declinedseveral <strong>of</strong>fer, <strong>of</strong> scholarships in Vanderbiltuniversity, I attended summer normalin Norman, and taught in the Lexingtonhighschool the following winter .LONG AND WIFE"In tile fall <strong>of</strong> 1906 I entered the MethodistItinerary and was sent to grandcircuit in Day county (now Ellis), where1 spent two years in frontier conditions ."in 1908, obtaining leave, I matriculatedin the biblical department <strong>of</strong> Vanderbiltuniversity and three years later receivedmy B .D. degree . Was also acceptedby tile mission board for work in Brazil ."It happened also, that the MethodistTraining school then existed in Nashvilleand that the Student Volunteer Unionfrequently met there . The result was thata certain young lady who was being acceptedby the women's board for work inChina asked that her papers be transferredto the men's board for work as'permanent pastor's help' in Brazil . Weddingbells rang in Eldorado, <strong>Oklahoma</strong>,July 8, 1911, and Miss Lucy York, whosesister Ruth recently attended the university,started her 'Long' journey to Brazil ."We sailed from New York July 20and landed in Rio on August 6 . Our firstwork was English congregation and superintendence<strong>of</strong> an institutional church .The next year a seamen's mission wasadded and the next the English workpassed to a' successor . Of course languagestudy came at once."After those three years in Rio, we hada year and a half in pastoral work in theinterior, and then I was elected president<strong>of</strong> Granbery college, Juiz de Fora, State<strong>of</strong> Minaz Geraes . That was the hardesttask I think I ever had, for the school wasin `a pickle <strong>of</strong> a bad fix .' The governingbodies and personnel were in serious disgreement,due to lack <strong>of</strong> information andmisinformation and misinterpretation . Aformer president had <strong>of</strong>fended members<strong>of</strong> the faculty and patrons <strong>of</strong> the schoolso that an opposition school had been or-

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