SPECIAL EDITION
theSignal O U A C H I T A
B A P T I S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
#ThrowbackThursday Provides Look into Signal, Ripples Past By TANNER WARD Editor-in-Chief
@TannerWard The newspaper you are reading is the oldest student publication in the state of Arkansas. It has seen every one of Ouachita’s presidents and the construction of every building on campus. The first edition was published 123 years ago in March 1890. In honor of the rich history behind this publication, the Signal staff has produced a special issue this week featuring articles from past editions, all the way back to Volume I, Issue I in 1890. These articles present a unique history of Ouachita — from the students’ perspective. They show what has been important to students at various times throughout Ouachita’s history. And they show that no matter the date, Ouachitonians have shared some of the same experiences since the beginning — chapel, Battle of the Ravine, dorm visiting times, etc. In its beginnings, this newspaper was called the Ouachita Ripples. It was a monthly literary magazine. The name “Signal” debuted on September 22, 1917, as the Ouachita Baptist College Signal-Ripples. The name “Ripples” was later dropped and the publication became known just as the Ouachita Signal. The name Signal was chosen during the world war period because signals are what keep us together and fighting for the same cause. The first issue of the Signal said, “The signal of Napoleon’s drummer boy snatched victory out of defeat. The signal toward which every loyal American today looks is the flag of the United States. “...Just as the signal on the streams, bays, gulfs and seas are lights which bear those in ships away from the shoals, the rocks and the icebergs and lead them along safe paths of the deep to the sure harbor at the shore, so the Ouachita Signal is a light to those gliding along in the midst of societies toward the harbor of intelligence and cultural perfection.” The Signal is the oldest part of Ouachita Baptist University other than the university itself. It has documented history throughout Ouachita’s journey. I split the dates into ten time periods, and the staff peeled through the old paper copies in our archives to find several articles and photographs from each time period. Each page represents one time period. We have done our best to recreate a design similar to what would appear in the newspaper during each time period, from layouts to fonts to styles. You may notice some words spelled differently and some grammar used in a way we are not familiar with today; we chose to leave it this way to best reflect the transition from journalism in 1890 to journalism today. We have also included mastheads from period Signals and Ripples. Each masthead notes the date of the see EDITOR z 10
editorial. P r o f . J o s i a h H. S h i n n ’ s card is before us, announcing that he is a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. That Prof. Shinn in eminently qualified to fill the office to which he aspires is well known by all our citizens, having had much experience in the management of educational affairs. Besides he has the promotion of education thoroughly at heart. You may count of the Ouachita boys, Prof. W e are opposed to anything that savors “boycotting,” but we wish to urge very strongly that the students notice our advertisements, and purchase from the firms that advertise in our columns. Young ladies and gentlemen, these are the men who are in sympathy with us, they are the ones that ever stand with willing souls and open purses to aid us. It is not so much for profit that they patronize us as it is because they desire to see us succeed. Now let us make it profitable to them by giving them every dollar of our trade—this is our common duty. A g a i n we call attention of school directors to the fact that there is a large number of young ladies and gentlemen in college who desire to teach during the Summer. They are eminently qualified to teach your schools. Now, don’t employ Tom,
Dick, and Harry, because the are your neighbors, but write to President J. W. Conger, and he will give you the address of some one, young lady or gentleman, who would do you good service. C o u n t y E x a m i n e r N i c k e l l has called a meeting of the directors of Franklin County at Ozark, April 19, to adopt a uniform series of books for the public schools. We wish every examiner in the State would follow Prof. Nickell’s example. Next to incompetent teachers, the lack of a uniformity of text books impedes the success of our common free schools.
Subscriptions.
E v e r y issue we send out quite a number of sample copies of the Ripples to the friends of the students. If you receive a copy, notice the subscription blank enclosed, and please fill it out at once and send us fifty cents for the paper. The students originated the enterprise solely for the advancement of the interests of our beloved college, and the subscription price barely covers the cost of printing; the editors do their work gratis. Now try to help us, will you? M i s s B e r t h a , the little sister of our Local Editors, “takes the cake.” She has sent in, up to date, about thirty subscriptions. How many other little ladies will follow Miss Bertha’s example? ACCOMODATIONS FOR
Four Hundred Pupils.
Needed Legislation. The men who persist in violating the prohibition laws wall up their great red eyes and jeeringly tell you that prohibition don’t prohibit, because a few of their sort ignore their country’s laws. Just as well say that the laws against stealing and murder do not prohibit men from committing these crimes, for, notwithstanding the laws, some men will steal and murder. In some towns where the people have risen in their might and forced the abominable “blind tiger” out of their midst, the “jug trade” has been substituted. We heard the express agent, of a certain town, say that one train put off sixty-five jugs that day. Now we want, and must have, a law to prohibit this obnoxious jug business. Let the people with a united voice demand that this law be passed.
Ouachita Ripples. Entered at Postoffice, at Arkadelphia, Arkansas, as second-class mail matter.
EDITORIAL STAFF.
GILES C. TAYLOR, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Editor-in-Chief. MISS PAULINE PATTON, . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Editor. MISS MAUD SLAUGHTER, . . . . . . . . . . . . Local Editor. B. L. ELLIS, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exchange Editor. JOSIAH HARDAGE, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business Manager.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR, IN ADVANCE.
Advertising Rates. For one inch per year,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.00 “ two “ “ “ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.00 “ one-half column per year, . . . . . . . . . . . 12.00 “ one column per year, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18.00 “ one page per year,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.00 Local advertising five cents per line. Rates for shorter time mey be had on application to Business Manager. No deviation from these rates will be made. Address OUACHITA RIPPLES, Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
JOSIAH HARDAGE, Business Manager.