Mary Washington College - Battlefield Yearbook (Fredericksburg, VA)

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{ i ( Xixm Here, on this spot so historic, this spot ever loved and remembered. Famed, in the days that are gone, for deeds, both of strength and of valor. Stands, like sentinel bold, our forest, silent and mighty. Deep amid the rocks its roots are firmly implanted, Upward its branches reared, like the hands of suppliants, pleading, Daily beseeching our Father to keep us from harm and from danger. When in its fullness of beauty, the glorious spring bursts upon us, Changed is the grove from its deadness, changed from its leafless condition Into a bower of green, the dwelling-place of the living. Here the birds are free to fly about in the branches. Filling the air with song, and the creeping things of the forest Peep from their places of hiding, and bask in the warmth of the sunshine. Then, as the days swiftly pass, and the summer is once more upon us, Gladly we enter the grove and rest in the shade of its branches, Far from the noise of the world, shut in with God and with Nature. Peaceful, silent, still, a hush of awe and of reverence Seems to pervade the air, and the drowsy hum of the insects Sounds like a far-away noise, like the noise of a far-away city. Soon it is autumn again and the grove is ablaze with bright colors. For, with an artist ' s hand, the Master Artist has painted Reds, and yellows, and browns, a perfect riot of color. Frost is in the air ; the little brown chipmunks scamper. Gathering hickory-nuts to store away for the winter. Gone are the birds farther southward, for shelter from storm and from tempest. Winter has come in the grove, and the leaves from the branches have fallen, Leaving them barren and bleak, as wildly they toss in the wind storm. Then the snow, falling gently, covers the earth like a blanket. Changing trees and bushes into forms most fantastic. Stiffly the ice-laden twigs rattle like skeleton lingers, And, when the sun shines upon them sparkle like myriads of diamonds. Thus stands the grove through the seasons, the pride and the jov of the hillside. Weathering every storm as bravely and true as the soldier Who, in days that are gone, wea thered the storm of the battle. Growing year by year stronger, greater, and nobler. Ever a place of rest, where our spirits seek inspiration And, in the quiet of the forest, a closer communion with Nature. jNIargaret Irvine White.

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[PXIH FJ € IL T EDWIN F. SHEWMAKE, JR. MARY S. YATES SARAH R. MARSHALL PARKE D. CARTER CHARLOTTE PEOPLES EULA D. ATKINSON C. LEONTINE CLARKE MRS. EDWIN F. SHEWMAKE, JR. ETHEL BLACK BUNYAN Y. TYNER MILDRED H. MERRILL MARGARET E. FRASER

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