his task a thorough training for his work. He had more than training, however, for he had the energy, the enthusiasm, the alertness of mind, and the executive ability, without which the new school might never have survived. Mr. Gammon was quietly waiting to see whether the new enterprise would really "make good" before investing largely in it. A less capable and a less aggressive leader than Dr. Thirkield would never have won his confidence. For nearly seventeen years as Dean and President Dr. Thirkield and his talented and cultured wife gave of their best in the building of this seminary. At first he was the only teacher; he laid out the course of study; he labored diligently in the classroom; he conducted with his own hand the correspondence with prospective students; he presented the work unceasingly from the platform; he set out the trees which mark the beautiful magnolia drive leading to the buildings; he borrowed money to buy a portion of the present campus; he secured the best speakers to address the school; he conducted a history-making congress on Africa; and, perhaps most difficult of all, he won the confidence of the Southern white man. Sensing the need, he courageously borrowed money from relatives for the erection of the first cottages for married students on the campus, a feature of the Gammon plan which is unique. This feature alone has made it possible for many ministers to receive training who otherwise would have been denied the opportunity. It is of incidental interest to note that one of the

recent graduates of Boston University is a young colored man who was born on the Gammon campus while his father was attending school at the seminary. Thus in a multitude of ways the courage, the ability, and the unselfish devotion of President and Mrs. Thirkield were wrought into the fiber of the school and determined its character and the trend of its development.

THE FACULTY

Perhaps the most important thing about a theological seminary is the faculty. At Gammon there are seven faculty members, three of whom are Negroes. The Rev. Philip M. Watters is the able and scholarly President and Professor of Apologetics and Christian Ethics; the Rev. J. W. E. Bowen is Vice-President and Professor of Church History and Religious Education; the Rev. George H. Trever is Professor of New Testament and Christian Doctrine; the Rev. Charles H. Haines is Librarian and Professor of Public Speaking and Sacred Rhetoric; the Rev. Dempster D. Martin is Professor of Christian Missions; the Rev. Willis J. King is Professor of Old Testament and Christian Sociology; and the Rev. M. T. J. Howard has recently been added to the faculty through the cooperation of the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension to present courses dealing with rural problems and rural church work. Thus a variety of courses is given by men who represent not only the finest Christian spirit and character,

but also high scholastic attainments in their respective fields.

Since 1915 the school has been under the competent supervision of the Rev. Philip Melancthon Watters, D.D., a native of New York State and a graduate of Amherst College and of Union Theological Seminary with the degree of D.D. from Wesleyan University. Dr. Watters has demonstrated his ability as pastor, district superintendent, author, and educator.

STUDENTS

Gammon Theological Seminary opened with two students enrolled. Since that time the enrollment has totaled 1,335. Of these 541 have completed the prescribed course and have received either the degree or the diploma from the school. A little more than one hundred of the men matriculated have been college graduates. Gammon has always endeavored to secure college men, but, like other schools in the South, it has suffered from the woeful lack of opportunities for primary and secondary education in connection with the public school systems. Promising students with limited training have, therefore, been admitted even though they have not had a fully satisfactory preliminary foundation, and special effort has been made to supplement this part of the student's preparation while he has remained in the seminary. Degrees have, however, been given only to college graduates; other students who complete the course receive