8>ttynnl 
 
 Established 1921 
 
 RALEIGH, N. C 
 
 Opinions of 
 Patrons 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi 
 
 http://archive.org/details/opinionsofpatronOOsain 
 

 ^atnt Ntrljolaa l^rijonl 
 
 RALEIGH, N. C. 
 
 OPINIONS OF PATRONS 
 
 The Trustees of Saint Nicholas School de- 
 sire to make it an institution of permanent 
 and far-reaching service; they have faith in its 
 possibilities ; they believe it now affords to pa- 
 rents unusual opportunity to secure for their 
 children the advantages of conscientious per- 
 sonal care, good discipline, and thorough in- 
 struction. 
 
 This belief is strongly confirmed by the judg- 
 ments of those who have been patrons of the 
 School. 
 
 Mrs. G. W. Alston, who is now a patron of 
 the School and has been from the time it began, 
 writes : 
 
 My son has attended Saint Nicholas School 
 since it was first begun, and, indeed, Saint 
 Nicholas School is the reason that my home 
 is in Raleigh. Dr. Hughes is a true teacher, 
 and the gentlemen associated with him are well 
 qualified for their work. They, as well as the 
 Headmaster, are highly esteemed by the boys, 
 greatly to the advantage of the boys. 
 
 Laura June Alston. 
 
 December 3, 1923. 
 
 Z 2. 
 
Mrs. R. B. Raney, who was a patron of the 
 School almost from the first and for nearly 
 four years in all, in a letter addressed to the 
 Headmaster says: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C. 
 
 I wish to express my appreciation for the 
 excellent training of my children at Saint 
 Nicholas School. The surroundings have all 
 the essential influences that any mother could 
 desire her children to have. 
 
 The thorough foundation they gained under 
 your guidance has fitted them well for more 
 advanced work. 
 
 Please accept my thanks for your interest in 
 their behalf. 
 
 With best wishes for Saint Nicholas School, 
 I am 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Mrs. R. B. Raney. 
 
 And here, from Mrs. Kate Burr Johnson, 
 another of the early patrons of the School, is a 
 letter addressed to the Board of Trustees: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 To the Board of Trustees of Saint Nicholas 
 School : 
 
 Both of my boys were students at Saint 
 Nicholas School, and it gives me pleasure to 
 recommend it as a result of their experience in 
 the School. 
 
 Mr. Hughes, the Principal, seems to have the 
 unusual ability of being able to convince boys 
 of the necessity for serious and conscientious 
 home study. The contrast between the time 
 
and effort they spent on their books while at- 
 tending the graded school and Saint Nicholas 
 was striking, and entirely in favor of Saint 
 Nicholas. Consequently they made satisfactory 
 progress. In addition to this, they held the 
 Principal in sincere respect as a disciplinarian 
 and real affection as a friend. 
 Very sincerely, 
 
 Kate Burr Johnson. 
 
 Others who sent children to Saint Nicholas 
 School in its earliest days and kept them there 
 for a term of years write letters of apprecia- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. R. M. Albright, a past and present patron, 
 writes to the Headmaster: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 1, 1923. 
 It gives me pleasure to add my name to the 
 list of satisfied patrons of Saint Nicholas 
 School. My 13-year-old boy has been attend- 
 ing the School for the past three years and 
 with very satisfactory results. 
 
 In my opinion, Saint Nicholas School is a 
 big asset to our city. 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 R. M. Albright. 
 
 This next letter gives the estimate of Mr. 
 Alexander Webb, who has had in all three chil- 
 dren in the School and has a son there now: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 7, 1923. 
 Trustees of Saint Nicholas School: 
 
 Since the beginning of Saint Nicholas School 
 it has been my privilege to patronize it. I have 
 
had three children enrolled there and am 
 patronizing it now. If I had not been well 
 pleased with the results, this patronage would 
 have been discontinued. I can unhesitatingly 
 recommend the work in every respect. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Alexander Webb. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Hicks Johnson has this to say : 
 
 December 3, 1923. 
 I was a patron of Saint Nicholas School for 
 three years, and I was greatly pleased with 
 the progress of my child and consider Saint 
 Nicholas a most thorough preparatory school. 
 Mrs. E. H. Johnson. 
 
 304 W. Edenton Street. 
 
 Mr. Graham Andrews of the Citizens National 
 Bank says this : 
 
 Raeeigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 I have been a patron of Saint Nicholas 
 School and feel that the work of my child 
 while there was highly gratifying. The 
 thorough instruction given at Saint Nicholas 
 School under the direction of Rev. N. Collin 
 Hughes, Headmaster, makes it a pleasure to 
 recommend it to parents who desire to send 
 their children to a private school of thorough 
 teaching. It has been my pleasure to be as- 
 sociated with a number of men who had their 
 early boyhood training under Mr. Hughes' 
 direction, and he justly deserves the reputation 
 which he has as a fine teacher. 
 
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There is a distinct place in North Carolina 
 for schools of the type of Saint Nicholas, and 
 I bespeak for it continued support. 
 Yours truly, 
 
 G. H. Andeews. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Dortch were patrons for 
 three years and sent two sons. They say : 
 
 Wake Fokest Road, 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 It is with great pleasure that we write this 
 letter of recommendation of Saint Nicholas 
 School. 
 
 Our two sons showed much improvement in 
 their studies while with you, and we feel that 
 they will carry throughout their lives the high 
 principles which you instilled in them. 
 
 Wishing Saint Nicholas much success in its 
 laudable undertaking. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gavin H. Dortch. 
 
 Mrs. Palmer Jerman and Mr. and Mrs. Up- 
 shaw sent their sons to Dr. Hughes's School 
 before it was merged into Saint Nicholas School, 
 but, as the management is the same now as 
 then, their testimony is pertinent. 
 
 Mrs. Jerman says : 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 8, 1923. 
 My dear Mr. Hughes: 
 
 As a patron of your school I am very glad 
 of an opportunity to express my appreciation 
 of its excellence. The training and environ- 
 ment are everything one could wish for in the 
 
preparatory work of boys, and there is kept 
 always before them the high standards of char- 
 acter that are essential to the best type of 
 manhood. A great element in the success of 
 your school is the amount of individual atten- 
 tion each student receives. The boys who are 
 passing through your hands are a living testi- 
 mony to the thoroughness of your school's 
 methods. 
 
 With best wishes for its continued success, 
 I am 
 
 Most sincerely, 
 
 Cornelia P. Jeeman. 
 
 Mr. Upshaw: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 My son James attended Dr. Hughes's School 
 during the session 1920-1921. The previous year 
 he attended High School and seemed to make 
 only moderate advancement in his work. After 
 one year with Dr. Hughes, James entered 
 Woodberry Forest School where he easily took 
 high rank in his studies, graduating third in 
 his class and winning the Latin medal. Much 
 of his success is attributed to the very thorough 
 and careful training he received in the school 
 of Dr. Hughes. 
 
 W. F. Upshaw. 
 
 Mrs. Upshaw: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 My son attended Dr. Hughes's School three 
 years ago. While he was a student there I 
 visited the school on several occasions. Not 
 only was the instruction given most thorough, 
 but there was every sign of the finest school 
 
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spirit. The boys were business-like and manly. 
 I was impressed with the wonderful moral in- 
 fluence as well as the thoroughness of instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 (Mrs. W. F.) Myrtle Miller Upshaw. 
 
 Not less gratifying than the foregoing com- 
 mendatory estimates are those of somewhat 
 more recent patrons. 
 
 Dr. and Mrs. Z. M. Caveness write to the 
 Trustees in words of high praise: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C., December 3, 1923. 
 
 To the Board of Trustees of Saint Nicholas 
 School : 
 
 It has been our privilege to have our son 
 William in Saint Nicholas School for the past 
 two and a half years. The work done by him 
 in this school under Dr. Hughes and his asso- 
 ciates has been very gratifying. In fact, we 
 do not believe the training given him could 
 have been surpassed in any school. William 
 has not only been drilled thoroughly in the 
 fundamentals, but he has been taught true 
 Christian principles, which are very essential 
 in character building. 
 
 It is with deep gratification that it has been 
 our privilege to have William directly under 
 the training of Dr. Hughes, the Headmaster 
 of Saint Nicholas School, whose Christian 
 character is instilled in the minds of the boys 
 by their daily contact; and we feel that those 
 who patronize this school will be highly pleased 
 with the attention given their boys. 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 Dr. and Mrs. Z. M. Caveness. 
 9 
 
Mr. Alfred Williams of Alfred Williams & 
 Co., speaks of the satisfactory progress of his 
 own son and of his nephews, the sons of the 
 late Secretary of State, Col. J. Bryan Grimes : 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 3, 1923. 
 
 It affords Mrs. Williams and myself much 
 pleasure to heartily endorse Saint Nicholas as 
 an excellent school. We were highly pleased 
 with the progress of our son while attending the 
 School, in his studies, deportment and physical 
 development. Also the work and progress of 
 Bryan and Charles Grimes, sons of the late 
 Col. J. Bryan Grimes, were very gratifying. 
 
 With continued success to you, I am 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Alfred Williams. 
 
 Mr. Virgil St. Cloud, in a letter to the Head- 
 master, gives the School warm commendation: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 3, 1923. 
 
 I welcome this opportunity of expressing my 
 satisfaction with the progress that Virgil, Jr., 
 made during the two terms he attended Saint 
 Nicholas School. He received more real knowl- 
 edge and information during this time than in 
 all his previous school life. 
 
 It will always be a pleasure for me to recom- 
 mend Saint Nicholas School, as I can do so 
 unhesitatingly and most conscientiously. 
 
 With deep respect, I am 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 V. St. Cloud. 
 
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Mr. J. E. O'Doimell has also written to the 
 Headmaster as follows: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 1, 1923. 
 
 I would like to take this opportunity of ex- 
 pressing my entire satisfaction with the result 
 of Hubert's work at Saint Nicholas School. 
 
 He has made good progress, is interested in 
 his studies, and is fond of his instructors. 
 
 It is a pleasure for me to recommend Saint 
 Nicholas School. 
 
 We hope to see it grow. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 J. E. O'DONNELL. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. S. Brown Shepherd are other 
 well-satisfied patrons. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 3, 1923. 
 To the Trustees of Saint Nicholas School : 
 
 It gives me pleasure to express, for myself 
 and Mrs. Shepherd, our interest and entire 
 satisfaction in the work of Saint Nicholas 
 School. The thorough training and personal 
 supervision given to our son, now a pupil of 
 this institution, has won our sincere endorse- 
 ment. 
 
 We feel the influence and instruction of Dr. 
 Hughes and his assistants to be a very real 
 opportunity for a boy's best mental and moral 
 development. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 S. Brown Shepherd. 
 
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And Associate Justice Adams expresses his 
 approval. 
 
 During the last three terms I have been a 
 patron of the Saint Nicholas School. The 
 Headmaster, Rev. N. Collin Hughes, is assisted 
 by an efficient corps of instructors. I regard 
 the discipline, the instruction, the moral tone, 
 and the opportunity for physical culture such 
 as to meet the demands of an excellent prepara- 
 tory school. 
 
 W. J. Adams. 
 
 This endorsement, given by Mrs. Thos. Ham- 
 lin Briggs, is in strong terms: 
 
 "Wildek's Grove," Raleigh, N. C. 
 To the Trustees of Saint Nicholas School : 
 
 Our boy has shown such marked development 
 mentally and spiritually that I feel words are 
 inadequate to express our appreciation of Saint 
 Nicholas. Character-building is impossible in 
 the crowded high schools, and is so important 
 in the lives of the young boys of the present 
 day. That, with the sound, sensible instruc- 
 tion they receive at Saint Nicholas, puts the 
 School in a class by itself, and many parents 
 out of the city would be so happy to know of 
 its existence, for it would solve many a 
 mother's problem concerning her boy. 
 
 My hearty prayers and cooperation always for 
 Saint Nicholas. 
 
 Cordially yours, 
 
 Bessie W. S. Briggs. 
 
 Friday, December 7, 1923. 
 
 Prominent gentlemen, who have just entered 
 their sons during the current term, seem al- 
 ready highly pleased with the work and influ- 
 ence of the School. 
 
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Mr. Wm. B. Snow writes to the Board of 
 Trustees this effective letter: 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 6, 1923. 
 
 To the Trustees of Saint Nicholas School: 
 
 I want you to know how greatly my son has 
 been benefited by Saint Nicholas School and, 
 at the same time, how gratified his parents are 
 at his progress and the interest which he takes 
 in his studies and in all the courses prescribed 
 in the curriculum of the School. 
 
 My boy had attended the public schools of 
 Raleigh and had reached the grade of Sopho- 
 more in the High School when he entered Saint 
 Nicholas. Although endowed with a fine mind 
 and possessed of ambition to succeed in his 
 classes, and in spite of his conscientious efforts 
 to acquire the "summum bonnm" of his educa- 
 tional opportunities, he and his parents were 
 aware of the fact that his efforts were being 
 wasted. The necessity for a change in the sys- 
 tem or method of instruction being apparent, it 
 was decided that the remedy lay in the private 
 school. Upon investigation we found that the 
 methods and system in use at Saint Nicholas 
 were well adapted to the needs which we had 
 found to exist in the public schools. 
 
 The results have amply justified our action, 
 and our son is happy in his work because he 
 finds his efforts worth while. He has learned, 
 for the first time, the true rewards of con- 
 scientious study and mental application. The 
 opportunities for athletic training and develop- 
 ment in football and the other athletic games 
 and sports under a competent coach are espe- 
 cially attractive to him, and he has already 
 shown marked advancement and improvement 
 in his studies. Saint Nicholas will occupy a 
 commanding position among the schools of the 
 
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State when the high standards of its work are 
 understood and appreciated by parents who are 
 interested in the mental and moral training of 
 their sons. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Wm. B. Snow. 
 
 Mr. Paul A. Tillery, vice-president of the 
 Carolina Power and Light Company, in writing 
 to the Headmaster, expresses regret that he 
 did not send his son to the School earlier. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 3, 1923. 
 
 I wish you to know that I have been much 
 pleased by the progress of my son Paul during 
 the short time he has attended Saint Nicholas. 
 I have been particularly gratified that you have 
 been able to greatly increase his interest in his 
 school work and his ambition to do well, both in 
 his studies and physical training. 
 
 Paul is showing a greater liking for school 
 work than at any time heretofore and I feel 
 that the atmosphere of the School must be re- 
 sponsible for this. 
 
 I am sorry I did not send him to you a year 
 earlier. 
 
 With best wishes. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 P. A. Tillery. 
 
 General Albert L. Cox is so well pleased that 
 he would like to enter another son. He says : 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 I wish to take occasion to tell you of the 
 great satisfaction I have had with the progress 
 that my son William is making at Saint 
 
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Nicholas School. As respects scholarship, moral 
 environment and well-directed physical instruc- 
 tion, I think the city is to be congratulated upon 
 having in its midst such a school as Saint 
 Nicholas' is. I only wish that my younger 
 son were old enough and high enough advanced 
 to obtain the benefits of this School. 
 Wishing you the greatest of success, I am 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 Albert L. Cox. 
 
 In the following letter to the Trustees, Mr. 
 H. M. London expresses his appreciation. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, December 4, 1923. 
 To the Trustees of Saint Nicholas School : 
 
 I wish to express to you my personal appre- 
 ciation of the splendid instruction which my 
 son has received at Saint Nicholas School dur- 
 ing the term just ending. Aside from the in- 
 dividual attention which was given, I feel that 
 the wholesome moral atmosphere surrounding 
 the School has been most invaluable. The 
 Headmaster and his associates have been un- 
 tiring in their efforts to lay the foundations 
 of a broad and thorough education of the boys 
 intrusted to them. I am well pleased with the 
 School. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 Henry M. London. 
 
 Supported by such cordial endorsements of 
 men and women so well known, so responsible, 
 and so competent to judge, the Board of Trus- 
 tees feel that they can, with full confidence, 
 commend to parents, concerned for the educa- 
 tion of their children, the high quality of train- 
 ing at Saint Nicholas School. 
 
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