rev. w. w. staley, a.b., a.m., d.d., ll.d., ex-president of elon college
i have been asked to tell why and how i worked my way through college. because there was no other way to get through college, but to work through, gives the reason why.
my father, john tilmon staley, was a school teacher. he died of typhoid fever at twenty-eight, when i was five.
my mother married archibald m. cook three years after my father’s death, and was the mother of eight children: three staleys and five cooks.
at the close of the civil war, emancipation left us nothing but land.
in 1866 my uncle, lieutenant j. n. h. clendenin, proposed that if i would work with him on his farm he would send me to dr. w. s. long’s school in graham the next winter. my stepfather said he was not able to send me to school, but he would give me my time. i worked on the farm that summer and entered school january 17, 1867, and walked three miles to school that term.
at the end of that term, dr. w. s. long proposed 135 to furnish me board, clothes and tuition, if i would live with him and provide wood, keep rooms in order, build fires, cultivate the garden, milk cows, feed horses, and cultivate a small crop in summer vacation. i accepted and entered his service in september, 1867. i hauled wood two miles, cut and placed same in place for fourteen fires, swept schoolrooms and built fires; attended to horses, cows, and garden; went to the country for feed, flour, meat, and live beef and butchered it; cultivated vegetables, potatoes, and corn in summer; did sundry errands for dr. long; and recited lessons when other duties did not prevent, and kept up with my classes.
in 1869 i taught the graham public school and in the spring i entered the store of col. a. c. mcalister in company shops (now burlington) as clerk. in addition to my store duties, and with the consent of my employer, i attended to the morning express train and sale of tickets at four o’clock. my pay as clerk was board, laundry, and $10.00 per month; and i received $10.00 per month for attending to the early morning express train. at the end of the year col. mcalister paid me $5.00 per month more than he had promised.
in the spring of 1871, i spent four months more in the graham school, and entered the sophomore class in trinity college, n. c., in september, 1871. i graduated from trinity in june, 1874, in a class of thirteen.
the first half year in trinity i boarded myself 136 by renting a room from a minister whose wife prepared meals for me and another young man, who is a distinguished judge. the son of the good woman who prepared our meals worked his way through college by sweeping rooms and building fires. he became a fine judge.
two years and a half i boarded on credit with w. s. bradshaw and his good wife. at the end of the spring term of 1872, mr. bradshaw asked me if i was coming back in the fall. i told him i would have to stop and make some money and would come again. he replied: “i will board you till you get through, and wait with you for the money.” i said, “i have no security to give you.” he replied, “i will trust you and take the risk.”
after i finished i paid for my board with interest, paid my tuition in full (though the college did not charge ministerial students), and made a donation of $100 to the college. in addition to this, i secured a $100 subscription from each of the other twelve members of our class to be paid in four equal annual instalments after graduation.
friends and churches aided me in the sum of two hundred and forty-nine dollars. since then i have paid to the church in cash more than twice as many thousands as i received hundreds.
after leaving college seven hundred dollars in debt, i taught with rev. d. a. long and judge b. f. long in graham, and preached as assistant pastor of new providence church till 1877, when i 137 entered the university of virginia. that was the only institution where i accepted free tuition; but i paid all other fees.
about the easiest task of my life was to work through college; and, if i may make one remark, it would be that the danger of schools is to make education too easy. the armor used by roman soldiers in camp exercises was twice the weight of that which they used in battle. this made battle easy as compared with drill. it seems to me that college life ought to develop human powers by double strain so as to prepare for life’s big task. hot-house methods cannot make men of greatest endurance and usefulness. that is why so many men drop out suddenly in the prime of life. they cannot stand the strain of great public service.
suffolk, va.