Dr. Alma Freeland:  CHURCH EXPERIENCES DURING HIGH SCHOOL DAYS - Smith Co, TX

Contributed by Dr. Alma Moore Freeland
Submitted by East Texas Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 6967, Tyler, TX 75711

Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
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Memories of School Days in Tyler and Some Smith County Schools
1898-1951
By Alma Moore Freeland (1904-1991)

A copy of this book is in the Tyler Public Library.  Permission
has been given by Jerry Moore, nephew, to publish articles from
this book in the Smith County TXGenWeb Archives.

CHURCH EXPERIENCES DURING HIGH SCHOOL DAYS

For many years we spent our summers in Troup at our little home where 
Travis and I were born. One of the highlights of those days was 
going to Sunday School and church at the First Baptist Church. 
My favorite teacher, Mrs. Collier, tenderly and slowly led her class 
of little girls to identify with the great Bible characters and to 
appreciate their relationship and contribution to spreading the Word 
of God. I learned more about the Bible during those days than I have 
at any other period in my life. My favorite book in those days was 
Hurlburt's Story of the Bible which had been given to Travis for his 
birthday. It was a large book but I carried it each Sunday when I 
walked the mile to church. Mamma scolded me for taking it instead of 
the Bible but I understood the stories better than I comprehended 
the King James version of the Holy Book.

My own need for spiritual growth continued after we settled in Tyler, 
and it was while I was a member of Mrs. T. H. Lawrence's Sunday 
School class at the First Baptist Church in Tyler that I made the 
decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Until 
I went away to college the church and our Sunday School provided 
practically all of our recreational and spiritual life. Mae and I 
were also members of the BYPU--Baptist Young Peoples Union--which 
provided opportunities for us to grow spiritually as well as to 
develop skills needed for preparing and presenting talks before 
audiences. I shall always be grateful to the church and to one 
person specifically for his encouragement, patience, and knowledge 
of the Bible. I refer to Brother Shaw, a highly educated man from 
the mid-west who came to Tyler with his two maiden daughters. He 
served as superintendent of the Tyler Water Works for many years 
but I suspect he devoted as many hours to the BYPU activities as to 
his vocation. I believe if there were more of his kind there might 
be more young people in the churches today. The Shaws became close 
personal friends. Mamma worked with them in WMU activities; the 
sisters, Misses Ina and Mildred, often visited her during her 
illness. Miss Ina taught our Sunday School class. Never was there 
a more devoted Christian. I realized this very much one Sunday 
when she wept as she told the story of the Crucifixion. It was a 
rare and revealing experience for all of us in the class. No 
doubt many of my classmates found as I did a deeper understanding 
of the term personal savior. We need more Miss Ina's today!

Our social life and recreational activities were quite limited when 
I was in high school; mainly they were church-sponsored parties and 
get-togethers. Groups from the BYPU often visited small rural 
churches on Sunday afternoons to present programs. These occasions 
were usually very pleasant and gave us a satisfying feeling; they 
provided a chance to visit with our peers and share ideas and news. 
For me they were sufficient in meeting my need to be with my peers 
for I was often too busy to do much socializing. However, when I 
withdrew from school and could no longer read and occupy my time 
in that manner, I became eager to find more social and recreational 
activities. Mamma often urged us to invite our friends--mainly girls
--to visit us; but they were still in school and busy. One weekend, 
some did come over for homemade ice cream and cake. Sometimes after 
church on Sunday nights we gathered at the homes of BYPU members; 
on those occasions the boys were included, of course. Mamma had 
very definite ideas about the "dating business" beginning too early!

But it was the Friday night Band Concert that we looked forward to 
all week long; it provided our greatest source of fun and 
entertainment. Band members played from an octagonal gazebo located 
on the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn. There was a time in 
my memory when it seemed that everybody in Tyler had come to have a 
good time. The children played everywhere; the adults sat on benches, 
on the grass or in their cars. Only those who came early could get 
a parking place. Our high school group probably had the most fun; I 
don't think we paid much attention to the music, though it did set 
the mood. We spent the time walking around the sidewalk; the boys 
walked in one direction; the girls in the other. Mostly everyone 
was "on the prowl" as it were, though I recall that some of the 
older students came as dates. Once in a while a couple would step 
off the sidewalk and chat.

The concerts were held weekly from spring to fall; the music, 
directed by "Doc" Witt, began at eight o'clock and lasted an hour. 
The music varied--during wartime it was mainly martial and 
patriotic with a fair amount of romatic songs currently in vogue. 
Doc was a great trumpeter and we looked forward to his "specials." 
There was a lot of flag waving in those days, and no one hesitated 
to show patriotism. Even Civil War songs and flags were displayed 
without fear of protesters breaking up the program. When the concert 
was over the Moores went home; many others, especially my high 
school peers, drove around looking for ice cream "parlors" and 
other refreshment centers. But it was so much fun, and maybe that 
is why I was so upset when I returned to Tyler and found our 
magnificent courthouse had been destroyed. I'm all for progress but 
not for rape, and that is what was done to our Smith County 
Courthouse.