Agnes Scott College - Silhouette Yearbook (Decatur, GA)

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STAYIN ' ALIVE: ' ' What! You mean there are no men at this school? .—;-•=» Sorry girls — this is a women ' s college. What? they didn ' t tell you before you signed your life away on the dotted line? Surely you jest — but — not to worry. There are escape routes. May we suggest TGlF ' s, Tech and Emory, not to men- tion the wealth of men in Atlanta? There is bound to be some- one or something out there at least moderately acceptable for your stay at Scott. It has never stopped anyone before, though I would not suggest Scott as a source for an M.R.S. degree — the resources are a bit limited in that respect. However, fall rush parties and TGIF parties offer an excellent way to meet men with little or no effort. Plus, you have the moral support of forty or fifty other Scotties who are bound to be ar ound. They may present a bit of competition, but with a little effort, even that can be overcome. f, i m

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TRADITIONS AND TRIVIA: BUT THIS ES THE WAY If Agnes Scott seems to you a stately, dignified old school where time passes tranquilly and change comes slowly, then you should study her history! Tucked among the faded yearbooks are memories of an astonishing past. One can never really know Agnes Scott as she is until one knows who she was. Here, then, are a few tidbits of our color- ful college. The Decatur Female Seminary (which later became ASC) was con- ceived by Rev. Frank H. Gaines almost immediately after he became pastor of the Decatur Presbyterian Church. The first organizational meeting for the new school was held July 17, 1889, and, through a remarkable feat of administra- tion, the school opened its doors less than three months later, on September 24. If you educate a man, you may pro- duce a good citizen; but, if you educate a woman, you may train a whole fam- ily. Such was the philosophy of Rev. Gaines that led to the Decatur Female Seminary ' s devotion to women ' s educa- tion. Six tiundred dollars was to the annu- al salary of Miss Nannette Hopkins, first principal. She originally agreed to serve one year in Decatur; at her death in 1938 she was in her fiftieth year with the college. Mr. Gaines, the Lord has greatly prospered me in my business and I don ' t want to harden my heart, were the words which prefaced Col. George Washington Scott ' s offer of $40,000 to provide a home for the Agnes Scott In- stitute. When he had finally acquired the land and had completely built and furnished Main Hall, his total gift was $112,250. At the time it was the largest individual gift to education ever made in Georgia. Agnes Irvine left Ballykeel, County Down, Ireland when she was 17 years old to come to America. In Alexandria, Pennsylvania she married John Scott and exerted her strong Christian influ- ence as wife and mother. Col. Scott, her son, was anxious to have the graduates of A.S.I, inherit her character; hence, the name of the college. For years it was customary to bring freshmen before Ag- nes Scott ' s portrait, where they knelt and swore allegiance to her spirit. Her spinning wheel still rests in the McCain Library Archieves. The Agnes Scott Ideal has become known as the Magna Carta of the school. This set of aims, formulated by Mr. Gaines, as well as a covenant which the early leaders of the Institute also signed, pledging their daily prayers for each other and the school, bears the signatures of not only the first adminis- trators, but also of all Agnes Scott ' s presidents. The ideal and prayer cov- enant remain symbols of the present college ' s close identification with her past. During the life of the Institute, Mon- day was designated the weekly holiday. By avoiding Saturday, the administra- tors hoped to encourage students not to work on Sunday. The early students of Agnes Scott Institute were actually in grammar school, but the aim of the trustees was to eventually transform the school into a college. The transition was not easy: The process of discontinuing each year the lowest grade and adding a high- er one at the top was very disheartening to some of the students . . . Some of them were seniors in the school for four consecutive years without being able to graduate. It is small wonder that of the 1663 students who attended Agnes Scott institute, only 68 ever received diplomas. In 1905, the Institute split into Agnes Scott College and Agnes Scott Acade- my. The first five degrees were con- ferred in 1906. The Academy, a prepara- tory school, was dissolved in 1913.