Wesleyan College - Veterropt Yearbook (Macon, GA)

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Wii-sox, Macon Wilson, Macon

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PROPHECY OF CLASS ' 05 A Dream of Fair Women After a long day of rummaging among old papers and souvenirs of college days, I sat at my window in the gloom of the fading day. The shadows of evening were growing too heavy for my weary eyes, and, unconsciously, I let slip from my hand a small magazine while I remained immoved, oblivious of everything present, and thinking only of my old days at Wesleyan. I had been reading the June number of the Wesleyan of the year 1905, which told in graphic language all about our Class Day. Yes, it has been a long time since then, although in youth the years slip by without a reckoning. My days at that grand old College were in the dim distance, and other duties and pleasures had almost crowded out of mind thoughts of the old days, but memory is a hard thing to expel when urged on by a reminder such as a college paper. And now my thoughts are nth my girlhood days, five happy years of which were spent at Wesleyan. I recall the presidents of the College, the teachers, my friends, and class-mates, and all those who were graduated with me. We have never met together again, not since we said “good-bye” the night of our banquet — we who fought so valiantly shoulder to shoulder through all the College struggles, and who shared with one an- other so much joy. I am at College again and am living over all the many bright hours in which the class of ’05 participated — the banquets, receptions, class days, and lastly our triumphant graduation day. It was at these times that we learned to know each other well and found out how great was our love for our class and College. The sun sank lower and lower — only the amber and lemon yellow beams from the last rays played on the horizon. The colors were deepening and intermin- gling into the grayness of the twilight. The chill of evening was rising around me. But unconscious of the beautiful change going on, I sat with my head on the window-sill remembering. It was May thirty-first, nineteen five. As I re- called this scene, a deep sadness filled my soul and a mist seemed slowly to rise up and fill my eyes until all was misty around me. I was no longer in the past but was actually speaking with the girls in the present, and the strangest part of it was Uiat I saw’ them, not all together, but they were scattered over the face of the earth, some in one place, and some in another. Can this be Ophelia A. Smith playing professional baseball ? Now all eyes are turned toward her, and loudly do the voices jeer when she “muffs” an easy “fly.” Ophie, I remember, was a ball enthusiast, and would become so wrought up when her Univer- sity was beaten that she would nearly lose her mind ; vow that if she had had such and such a play to make, she would have made no error, and enumerate all the possible scores that Mercer could and would have made. But who would have dreamed of Ophie’s throwing away her intellectual strength on baseball ? The dream of my life is realized. At last, I can hear the grand opera. How beautiful are the chorus girls 1 Why, there are my old class-mates. Pearl Peacock, Natalie Thomas, Nona Johnston and Ruth Martin. I am not shocked at seeing them there as I recall to mind that their first appearance in opera w as at Wesleyan during their Senior year when the “Silver Cloud” was presented. As the opera scene faded away, old Wesleyan rose before me. That must be the Susannah Wesley Memorial, completed since our day, and there is another dormitory, the Hardeman Building and a gymnasium, all newly built. I w’onder who has Mr. Giierry’s place. Why, Mary Joe Carmichael. The board of trustees had become convinced that it would take a woman to rule at Wesleyan, and that Mary Joe is the one woman best suited for the place. I w’ish you would look at her interviewing those two frightened girls for breaking unconsciously items M and N, of Rule 69. I can even hear her say clearly, in her same voice grown sterner under the responsi- bility of her new position: “Young ladies, you are restricted to the premises for seven weeks, except in cases of Providential cause and attendance on relig- ious service.” Ethel Walker is the teacher of physiology at Wes- leyan. There she stands explaining to her class the structure of the human skeleton without even making the slightest shudder or shedding a tear for the one departed, just as though she had always been accus- tomed to taking such things without tears. I look again and to my greatest amazement see Eloise Guyton conducting a dancing school at the old College. Well, the Wesleyan girls are certainly with their few light rules, allowed many privileges. I understand that Eloise stayed at college so many years that she felt out of place anywhere else, so had to go back and keep up her reputation “casing,” and Eloise is a fine college detective, on the “Unknown Friend.” Look at Julia Wade — a bride. There she is as pretty as ever she was as a college girl. Well, she waited a long time for the wedding march to strike up. How I wish some one would tease her, so I could see her blush. 19