Greenfield High School - Evergreen / Exponent Yearbook (Greenfield, MA)

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14 THE EXPONENT tablishment of a girls’ seminary at Waterford, in that state. This school was afterwards removed to Troy and incorporated under the name of the Troy Female Seminary. Under Mrs. Willard’s management, it gained a wide reputation and is still one of the leading schools for the higher education of women. It is now known as the Emma Willard school. Mrs. Willard also assisted in founding a school for girls in Athens, Greece. She traveled during her later life, through the Southern states, lecturing in behalf of the education of women. And now, be¬ cause of Mrs. Willard’s useful and honored life, her name will be re¬ membered in the United States as well as in Europe, as one of our famous pioneer educators. Another woman interested in the further education of women was Mary Lyon. Born in Western Mas¬ sachusetts, she was brought up by a widowed mother with many children and small means. This life was hard, but it rooted character deep down among the solid needs and es¬ sential efforts of existence. Every moment of Mary’s life was of use and was put to use. When she was still a small child, her mother found her one day playing with an hour¬ glass, but she explained to her moth¬ er that she thought she had found a way of making more time. In af¬ ter years she did make more time by using every minute advantageously. At the age of seven Mary walked two miles every day to attend a vil¬ lage school. She loved her studies and astonished visitors by her rapid progress. Finally the district school moved still farther away, and then Mary went to Ashfield to study, liv¬ ing there during school months and doing housework to pay for her board. When she was twelve years old, Mary decided to become a teach¬ er, a decision which astonished, as well as shocked the community. She pored over her books day and night and amazed the teachers by her rapidity. Miss Lyon said of her¬ self, “My mind runs like lightning.” It not only moved swiftly, but it held what it seized as it went. She was given a Latin grammar on Fri¬ day night. On Monday she recited the whole of it. Her first trial as a teacher was at Shelburne Falls where seventy-five cents a week and board made up her munificent salary. At the age of twenty she had saved enough money to attend Sanderson Academy at Ashfield. This was her great op¬ portunity and she improved it well, making a real sensation in the school by her brilliancy. They say that when Mary Lyon stood up to recite, her classmates laid aside their tasks to listen to her. After this she at¬ tended Byfield Academy at Byfield. Her friends advised her not to study further as she knew enough already, but Miss Lyon could not be diverted from her purpose. Suddenly the fact burst upon her that all things in this life were useless and unsatisfying except as they were used in helping humanity. From this time on she taught as though she were inspired. After becoming assistant at Sand¬ erson Academy, she left for a higher position at Derry. From here she went to Ipswich Academy, where she conducted the Academy with the aid of one of her former teachers. Dur¬ ing these years, Miss Lyon had been full of sympathy for the girls who could not get an education and de¬ sired one. So she tried to interest wealthy men, ministers and college presidents in her plan for forming a high-grade school or college for women. Most of these men refused. After much hard labor people began to take interest and this interest grew until at last Mount Holyoke Seminary, an institution which has grown into one of the foremost col¬ leges of the day, was opened. Do we fully appreciate the hard work done by these women who worked so hard not only to obtain an education for themselves, but also to help other girls to accomplish the same end? Then let us show our appreciation by having our lives demonstrate to the world that their work was not in vain. B. C. LOVELL.

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THE EXPONENT 13 IVY ORATION The Pioneer Women Educators Commencement week, when so many girls all over the country are finishing their high school courses, is an appropriate time to think of some of those women, who by their conscientious work, made it possible for the girls of today to receive an good an education as the boys. To the women of the nineteenth century the credit for preparing the way for the future liberal education of women belongs. Before this time it was hardly possible for a woman to obtain an education from any out¬ side resources, since both colleges and universities were closed to her. If she did succeed in raising herself from the uneducated position in which she found herself, it was through her own exertions. A lib¬ eral education formerly was not con¬ sidered necessary for a woman. She was only expected to marry and to know how to keep a comfortable home. To men, exclusively, be¬ longed the college and university training. At last, however, through the untiring efforts of several wom¬ en, the gate was opened so that wom¬ en desirous of further education, could obtain it. Chief among these were Mrs. Emma Hart Willard and Mary Lyon, names which are known far and wide because of their won¬ derful work for women. The town in which Mrs. Emma Willard was born was the quiet country parish of Worthington in Berlin, Connecticut. Her father, a man of unusual strength of intel¬ lect and will, well-read at least in the English literature of the times; her mother possessed of the quali¬ ties of a practical woman,—tact, shrewdness, efficiency and firmness, provided the background which made it possible for the girl to develop as she did. Picture for yourselves a mid-win¬ ter spent in their home. The even¬ ing over and the younger children put to bed, the rest of the family group themselves about a blazing fire. After the children have fin¬ ished their accounts of the day’s fun and work, they read selected pass¬ ages from famous authors, testing their ability in reading aloud. Then for another half-hour the father and mother read aloud. With this in¬ struction even the youngest was stirred by new, strange thoughts. This admirable home-training with two years in the village academy, then just opened, brought Emma forward to the commencement of her real life-work. She first experiment¬ ed by teaching in a village school, where, by her tact, she won the hearts of her pupils. Much of her spare time was spent in studying at the schools of Mrs. Royce and the Misses Patter. Soon after this Miss Hart went to teach in Westfield as assistant teach¬ er but after a year there she accepted a better position in Middlebury. At this time, she married Dr. John Wil¬ lard, a physician of Middlebury. For a few years her teaching was in¬ terrupted, but because of pecuniary reverses, she resumed her work again, and opened a boarding-school at Middlebury for girls. Even then she noticed how low and unworthy were the schools for women. She tried to get leaders of the day in¬ terested in the betterment of wom¬ en’s schools, but they showed no in¬ terest. After four years of the girls’ boarding-school experiment, the fame of it had gone far and wide. In an address sent to the New York Legis¬ lature, on a plan for improving fe¬ male education, she set forth the necessity of higher education for women so clearly that her plea met with the approval of the governor of New York and resulted in the es-

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THE EXPONENT 15 THE LOG OF THE GOOD SHIP G. H. S. IN THE VOYAGE FROM 1918-1921 It was June 26, 1917, when one hundred and one mariners left the Pleasant Street Wharf, said good¬ bye to “Daddy Flint” and prepared for a four years’ sail on the good ship G. H. S., planning to land on Graduation Island about June 30, 1921. As we looked at those who had been traveling somewhat longer than we, the island seemed quite a dis¬ tance ahead. Those voyagers, who had been on for four years appeared so natural, so at ease, that it seemed to us new passengers, they must have always been traveling. We were timid, a bit bashful; in fact, so much so, that we were rather looked down upon by the older, more dignified ones. But the fond hope entertained when we first came aboard that we might some day at¬ tain that state is realized here today, for what better examples of solemn and learned dignity could you ask for, than Robert James Rist or Eliza¬ beth Doris Peck? The first day of the voyage many members found quite a bit of difficulty in getting their sea-legs and ran around in much excitement, noticeably Homer Staples and Ray Houghton. We found that the other voyagers had officers, so we got together and elected Edward Zeiner, Captain; Madeline Field, Mate; Katherine Lawler, Steward; and John Regan, Purser. Early in October, the members of Class ’20 endeavored to give us a re¬ ception and their endeavors were very successful, for every one agreed that the first social event couldn’t have been better. Of course, athletics played their part and quite an important one with us, for “Bud” Griswold and “Vic” MacDonald certainly did their bit. During the entire year, we were sailing over the ripples of war and all did their share in helping Uncle Sam win the fight. We purchased War Savings Stamps and contributed toward the Victory Loan. The girls sewed for the Red Cross, while the boys joined the military squad. The one great sorrow of the year was the departure of our pilot, Mr. Jewett. Altho we had known him only for a few months, his loss was felt seriously by the whole crew. Mr. Hodges was elected to take his place and the sailing was smooth, until we fell into the depths of Finals—and then it was the Prom. I’ll admit the two didn’t furnish the same style of anticipation, altho they took place, one right after the other. Some¬ how, most of us swam through Finals, felt sorry for those who failed, and then dared look about us again. The Juniors surely gave us a good time at the Prom. For most of us, it was our first real party, and the conclusion of a pleas¬ ant sail. We landed at Sophomore Dock and set out, rather scattered in num¬ bers, to enjoy a two months’ fur¬ lough. II Our second year started under the rule of a new pilot. On the first appearance of Mr. Smith, one might judge him to be most severe but upon becoming acquainted, we found that he always had a pleasant smile and generally a word for those he met along the decks. With Victor MacDonald as Cap¬ tain; Lucille Hunt, Mate; Irma Winslow, Purser; and Elpheage Ki- rouac, Steward, we anticipated a splendid year. It was now our time to give a festival, so committees were ap¬ pointed and we tried to give as good a reception as was given to us. We had been sailing but a short time, before an epidemic of the “Flu” broke out. We were quaran¬ tined in one direction and then in another until, finally, it was neces¬ sary to dock. At the end of a five weeks’ vacation on land, we came back. The five weeks were not so bad while they lasted, but for the remainder of the voyage, we were