Longwood College - Virginian Yearbook (Farmville, VA)

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FopSiec ©f Cla®s ©f January 11905 It was the latter part of the summer of nineteen hundred seven. I was on my way to the Jamestown Exposition. This was a trip that I had long been planning, and it was with real delight that I caught the first glimpse of the historic little island from the hurri- cane deck of the Pocahontas. The steamer was soon at the wharf, and the laughing, chattering sightseers were wandering away in groups, here, there, and everywhere. As I passed along with the crowd I caught sight of a familiar face. I had been feeling somewhat lonely in all the great throng of pleasure-seekers, and with an exclamation of joy, I ran forward to greet Lucy Anderson, our class president. Our greeting over, forgetful of the bystanders and of the intervening years, we strolled away in that school-girl fashion which, in days gone by, had called forth the request from our President that we would not ' ' arm each other around the campus during school hours. As we talked of Alma Mater, graduating day and the many things in school- life .so dear to the heart, we forgot our surroundings, till we found ourselves standing in the shadow of the famous old church tower. There we sat down and began to talk of our classmates. Tell me of yourself, Lucv, I said, What have you been doing the.se years? I have been teaching physical training at Rawlings Institute, in Charlottes- ville, she replied. This summer I gave some lectures on the subject at the School of Methods in Charlottesville, and it was there that I saw some of our classmates. Maude Ives was there taking a special course in English. You know she is teaching the subject in the Norfolk High School. Maude told me that Ursula Tuck is now traveling secretary for the Y. W. C. A. Alice Ware, also, was at the University getting some new ideas to take back to Farmville. You know she has turned out to be one of our finest teachers, tho ' it seemed to us, that last year at school, that the principal thing in her work was Miss Dunn. Margery Atkinson is making a great success as primary teacher, I hear, and Maude Chernault, our meek member, as a Methodist preacher ' s wife, is doing good work among the poor. As I passed through Richmond, on my way here, I saw Maria Cocke. She told me that she had found her life-work in her kindergarten

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Ware and Lizzie James strolling down Main Hall, discoursing in French or German, and as for Bee La Boyteau — She has wrestled with the sages of the dim historic ages, She has studied declamation from Demosthenes to Burk; She has sounded Tarr and McMurry, and been under Dante ' s power, And can giggle in all languages, from English doien to Turk. Then we were Seniors— grave and reverend Seniors, as we addressed each other in Seminar. We were certainly grave ones, especially, after our first psychology test. Senior geography held no ' terrors for Sallie Davis. With a serene smile she calmly demonstrated everv problem concerning the time in Egypt when it was half past two A. M. here. The rest of us, meanwhile, ground our teeth in despair and violently scratched our heads for the inspiration that was not. When we passed Senior A we felt that there was nothing that could daunt us. We had not met the Training School. Oh, that first week! when our Supervisors with enquiring faces looked up at our wild questions, and the observing Senior A ' s, with satisfied smiles, wrote page after page of criticisms! But we fought on, and gradually the brilliant intellects asserted themselves, and we drew a deep breath of relief — the reputation of our class was saved. Every one remarked the scarcity of flowers in town last fall. Eleanor Abbitt completely won the hearts of the children of the Second Grade when she sang to them, so the children brought all their mamma ' s flowers to her. Her devoted roommates had to bring water in tooth-mugs to wash their faces in because the pitchers were filled with her flowers. If the editors of the Times-Dispatch had only asked asked Lucy Anderson, they would have found out everything the Woggle-Bug ever said, or ever dreamed of saying. The children of the Fifth Grade cannot pass a bird, worm, or bug, without longing glances, so interested have they become in Nature Study since she took charge of the class. Before the term was over, Zaidee Smith brought fame to herself and glory to her class bv the masterly way in which she beat the triangle for the children to march by. It was an inspiring sight to see May Sue Moore, swinging her little clock, come into dinner just a few minutes late each da ' . She had the look of one who has come, and seen, and conquered. It would take too long to mention all the geniuses of our class. The wisdom of the Senior B ' s is an accepted fact. For a statement to be verified, it needs only to be prefaced with the remark that a Senior B said it, and it will be added to the list of axioms. Our history as a class is finished. The book is closed. To the future belongs the record of those deeds which, though they may not startle the world with their brilUancy, will show the fruits of the lessons learned here. In the years that are coming we shall ever hold among our most cherished possessions the memories of our school days, and of our class of January, 1905. J.- NiE Crute. 19 .

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And have you heard about Janie Crate? I asked. Madame Rumour says she is to be married in the fall. I was in Bedford City last winter while she was there on a visit, and she was the reigning belle of the season. Janie told me, too, that Eleanor Abbitt is as popular as ever, but we all know that her heart is too big to be centered on iust one man, so her life will probably be one of single-blessedness. And Georgie Gravely, interrupted Lucy, is taking art and manual training at Teacher ' s College, New York. After Mary Jeffries ' faithful work in the Y. W. C. A., at school, you will not be surprised to hear that she sailed for China last year, to become a mis- sionary. Just as Lucy finished speaking, our attention was attracted by a very happy looking couple that passed near by. We both instantly recognized Lizzie James as the charming bride on her honeymoon. To us, even at school, Miss Lizzie ' s future was as clear and as bright as her solitaire. It was now growing late, and Lucy and I rose and started toward the hotel. What has become of Laura Johnson? I asked, as we walked along. I heard that Laura is in the Memorial Hospital, in Richmond, studying to be a trained nurse. replied Lucy. But do you know anything of our old friend, Bee La Boj ' teaux? Bee was a Bible teacher in some school, I answered, but she insisted on calling a certain book in the Bible ' Sams, ' so she lost her position, and is now devoting her life to the study of just one Sam. We had now reached the hotel, and we paused a moment in the beautiful reception hall, held there by the most entrancing music. The band was playing in the farther end of the hall, and as we saw it we both laughed, for there sat Avice Allen, tooting her horn, as in days of yore. Avice joined us ,and we went to Lucy ' s room in the hotel, where we talked long of da3 ' S past. We learned from Avice that May Moore was teaching in a country school near her home, and that Stella Reynolds was also making her success as a teacher. We learned, too, that Zaidee Smith, who had served worthily as one of the editors of TJic Guidon, whs now filling the editorial chair of a well-known maga- zine. When, all too soon, the time came for us to separate, Avice, as always, musically inclined, suggested that we sing one of our class songs, but since we were so few in numiber we contented ourselves with a toast to Alma Mater, and to the Class of January, 1905. S.- LLiE Guy Davis.