Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

Text from Pages 1 - 66 of the 1891 volume:

LIBRARY OF MARY BALDWlfl COllEd bounov .UstPRUflC AstauntonA LIBRARY OF MARY BALDWIN COLL£G£ THE aUGUST t Seminary Annual, EDITED BY The English LiteFatuFS Classes. Staunton, Va. MAY, 1891. Table of Contents. Page. EDITORIAL, ------ 1 I. LITERARY DEPARTMENT. 1. The Literature Work of 1890-91, - 3-5 2. Chaucer ' s Stud} of Women, - - 8 3. Shakespeare — The Fool in King Lear, 12 4. Burns — His love of Nature, - 15 5. Scott — Natural Scenery, - - - 18 II. LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT ) oi OF THE CLASS PROPHET, | III. NEWS FROM THE OLD GIRLS— 1. From Helen Mar Bridges, - - 24 2. From Jacqueline Segar Epes, - - 29 IV. MARRIAGES, ----- 33 V. CHANGES IN THE SEMINARY ) WITHIN FOUR YEARS, | ,36 VI. LINES ON UNCLE CHESS. - - 40 VII. IN MEMORIAM, - - - - 41 VIII. SOIREE NOTES, - - - 42 IX. SEMINARY NOTES, - . - 44 X. WHY ? - - - - - 52 Our friends who may want papers after the school ses- sion can procure them by addressing Miss Mar} Guy, Staun- ton, Va. THK AUGUSTA Seminary Annual. VOL. I. STAUNTON, VA., MAY, 1891. NO. 1. Editor in Chief :—Miss S. E. Wright. Associate Editors : S. B. Striblixg, E. E. Baer, L. D. Hanger, M. L. Richmond. Business Managers : Mary Guy, Bettie Coffey. Editorial. n HE SEMINARY ANNUAL makes its debut with - this number. We send it out into the world with some misgiving, for this is our first attempt and we lack the self-confidence necessary to make a successful paper. The want of a paper has been felt for some time in the Seminary, but as it is an undertaking requiring much time and trouble, it has always been postponed until a more convenient season . Last 3 ' ear we got up a paper and had it read before the school. The girls encouraged us so much by their interest, that we resolved our next effort should, if possible, be printed, for if other Seminaries can publish papers, why shouldn ' t we ? A short time ago we called a meeting and talked the subject over. After some hesitation it was de- cided to make the effort, and to make it now. We can but hope that if our paper is a success those who follow us will each year publish one, and with this hope we name it The Augusta Seminary Annual. It may be well to state that this is the work of the Literature classes and not of the entire school. This accounts for the character of the subjects of several of the essays. We claim for our under- taking the kind consideration of our fi-iends, and wish to say that most of the articles within the pages were written for the Literature class before any plans for the paper had been matured. 2 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. The essays on Chaucer, Shakespeare, Burns, and Scott belong to the class work, and are fair samples of what is done in the Literature Department. The review of the Lit- erature work of the year gives some idea of what we have been doing in this department and testifies that all of school life is not play. We wish to thank the following members of the class for their interest and assistance, as they have all made con- tributions, though their names are not signed : Misses Ir- win, Simpson, Anderson, Butt, Haygood, Jones, McCreery, and Morton. As we hope that our paper will find its way into the homes of the old girls who have not forgotten the Seminary, we have taken particular pains to find out as much as we can about those who have been here within the past six or eight years. Many of the names have been changed, as the Marri- age lyist will show, yet we think the old girls must have a warm feeling for everything connected with their school life, and trust they will be interested in the Changes which have taken place here within a few years. It is not, however, only the old girls whom we desire to please, but all who are interested in our work. In conclusion, we will say, in the words of him whom we have studied : Goe, little Booke, thyself present, A child whose parent is unkent. And if that En vie baike at thee, As sure it will, for succour flee, And when thou art past jeopardee, Come tell me what was sayd of mee, And I will send more after thee. Edna Baer. THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 3 Literature Course, 1891. (RIRSX YEAR.) T HE WORK OF OUR CLASS, though comprehen- -■- sive and at times requiring close study, has been so interesting that we cannot connect with the study of our daily lessons the dull school hours, which school girls some times speak of when the} ' have disagreeable tasks. The first three months of school were occupied with Welsh ' s Coiuplcte Rhetoric, an outline of each chapter being considered a part of the daily lesson; frequent short compo- sitions were written to illustrate the various principles learned from our text book, while at the same time themes were assigned, the preparation for which required much reading and thoughtful consideration. Various subjects from Te7iny son ' s Idyls of the King aroused our interest in the early Keltic stories. Then we gave all our thoughts to the Anglo-Saxons, reading in connection with the class work Harold and Hcreivard from which materials were gathered for the essaj s on various phases of life among the Anglo- Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon language, the language of our forefathers, came next in the regular course. We read from SweeV s Primer xzxxoViS selections firom Alfric ' s Lives of the Saints, translations of the Bible, and the Old Chronicle. Dr. Morris ' Eleineyitary Lesso7is in Historical English Gram- mar, in connection with the Anglo-Saxon, gave us a new knowledge of our mother-tongue, while OliphanVs Old a?id Middle English and SkeaCs Etymological Dictionary excited the deepest interest in investigating the origin of many of our common English words; we now made our own happy discoveries and noted the derivations and rela- tions of many words. A general review of our study was confined to a thesis (for so we liked to call our little books) upon the Anglo-Saxon language, in these theses all points of interest and importance being dwelt upon. Their length was somewhat inordinate, but I am sure no one can look back with anything but pleasure upon the hours spent in compiling our history of the language. 4 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Stopford Brooke ' s Literature Primer next engaged our at- tention, the progress of the language and of English prose and poetry until the time of Chaucer being carefully studied and S3 stematically reduced to tables. Several weeks were then spent in the company of Chaucer ' s pilgrims in ihe Can- terbury Tales, the Prologue being recited, while the various Tales were read as outside work. The elements of Chau- cer ' s poetry, his love of nature, his portraj al of the manners of the da3 and his representations of men and women were made points of particular notice during our reading, and afterwards were brought out in compositions on the various topics. An essaj on the Canterbiuy Tales completed our study. After a brief sketch of the interven- ing literature, Spe7iser ' s Faerie Queeiie was closely survei ' ed, the spiritual and historical allegories being carefully out- lined, while all references to his own times and to chivalry were dwelt upon, and his use of Biblical and mythological allusions, superstitions, and his peculiar versification held our attention. An essay, the theme of which was one of the subjects noted above, finished our study. The study of Shakspeare ' s play oi Richard III. was our next class work, the story being carefully recited. The three parts of Henry VI. and Bukver ' s Last of the Barons were read for the further development of the characters, while the historj of the Queens involved in the play was read from Miss Strickland ' s Queens of England, the chief points being given in class by the various girls. Other authorities were read, all increasing the interest in the different characters. A comprehensive review includes points upon Shakspeare ' s creations and his dramatic power, the development of his various characters, together with essays on the Two Little Princes and the Poet ' s Use of Foreshadowing and Irony. At the time our paper is sent to the press, w e are beginning Paradise Lost, which with a brief outline of the literature as far as the Restoration , brings us to the beginning of the second year ' s course. Lizzie D. Hanger. THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 6 LiterattJire Course, 1891. (Second Vear.) A COURSE OE LITERATURE in some Schools may mean a slight course of reading, the knowledge of a list of names of writers and their works, and a small ac- quaintance with Shakespeare, Milton, and a few other celeb- rities. The first week ' s experience at the A. F. S. proves that such is not the case here; and I think all who read of what we have done, or have tried to do, since last Septem- ber, will believe that our work is serious. Bacon first, was placed before us, and tried the mettle of every girl. Some found the contest was unequal and went back into the Junior class. Whoever has tried to understand ' ' The Advancemeyit of Leanmig , ' ' W sympathize with us in the terrors of our wrestle; by the help of various well known school girl devices for sharpening the wits, after several weeks of hard fighting, we triumphed, and felt ourselves conquering heroes. We turned wath lighter hearts to our next work, and began to feel a little confidence in our tested powers. We now studied Burke ' s Speech to the Electors of Bristol. Burke divides his subject into lour parts, taking up in turn the tour charges made against him: 1st. Neglect of his con- stituents. 2nd. His conduct in the affairs of the First Irish Trade Laws. 3rd. His opinion and mode of proceeding on Lord Beauchamp ' s Debtor ' s Bills. 4th. His votes on the late affairs with the Roman Catholics. This speech excitedin us a deep interest in the affairs of Ireland, in the laws against debtors, and the laws against the Roman Catholics. This awakened interest was further stimulated by the prepara- tion of essays on the following subjects, assigned to the different members of the class. Irish Legends and Superstitions ; St. Patrick and the Early Church ; Poetry Illustrating Irish Patriotism; The Irish Orators, Curran and Gratton; Home Rule in Ireland; 6 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Irish Character as Illustrated in Fiction ; The Gordon Riots ; The Laws Against Roman Catholics; The Punish- ment of Debtors, in Fact and in Fiction. Our review of Burke consisted in an out-line of the Speech, and illustrations of his style from the Speech — ar- ranged according to Minto ' s plan. In the first summing up, we found that a few of the advantages of studying Burke were the culture of high and pure literary taste with the at- tainment of useful and liberal knowledge. When Burke wa laid aside, his life and his position as an orator having been duly discussed, we took up Anthony and Clcopab a. Last year some of us had studied and loved The Merchant of Venice. The Roman, noble, cour- ageous, high, unmatchable, as he was, and his Ser- pent of old Nile, did not fascinate us as did Portia and her lovers; but the play afforded ample food for thought. After tw o or three weeks of careful study of the text, came the review — (we feel that our reviews are not pro- perly emphasized in the catalogue,) in this we studied the external and internal evidences fixing the date of the play ; endeavored to find how closely the poet followed his author- ity, North ' s Plutarch, and to see how he shed over the whole the light of his genius and poetry. Then we drew up an out-line of the play, and wrote short essays showing the poet ' s use of Narrative, and Historical Perspective, studied particularly some of the characters, and after show- ing how skilfully Shakespeare discriminates in the uses of thou and you, we regretfully put our Shakespeares away. Thus we have first studied the greatest philosopher, the greatest master of prose, and the greatest dramatist, a noble trio, whose works in themselves furnish an education. After this we took up the History of Literature at the period we left off last year, — the Age ushered in by Drj ' -den. Of Dry den ' s Works we studied Afac F ecknoe and some of The Hind and the Panther, and memorized St. Cecelia ' s Day and Alexa7ider ' s Feast. Then we studied Pope ' s Meruni s in Pape of the Lock, and thanks to Thacker- ay ' s charming English Hzmiorists our hearts softened to the little Wasp of Twickenham. Now we gave a good deal of time to reading Addison, learned to love Sir Roger, and to THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 7 enjoy the wit and wisdom of the Spectator. The essay sub- jects at this time were to test our individual work. The Lovable Traits of Sir Roger de Coverley; The Moral Influ- ence of Addison; Addison ' s Wit; Addison ' s Successes; Ad- dison ' s Times as Shown in His Works, and Addison ' s Cato. Then we read Macaulay and Thackeray with ever increas- ing delight; Macaulay ' s great third chapter giving us a pic- ture of the State of Kngland at this time, and his Essays we read, when there might be any on the subjects we were study- ing. Some of us were able to read Hairy Esmojid and The Virghiians — as supplementary to the English Humorists in pictures o f the Age. It would require more space than I am allowed in this article to mention all the writers we studied carefully, and the essays we read; the w ork was varied by studying the lives, reviews, and works themselves of our authors, and an occasional essay showed how we had been working. We loved Scott dearly, and grew vexed with Carlyle, in true school girl fashion, because he said Scott was not a great man. But we forgave Carlyle a great deal when we read his sympathetic essay on Burns. But this is not our course, it is a mere suggestion of what we have done. The Victorian Age we have studied in McCarthy ' s History of Our Ozvn Times, enlarging on the writers of special note. The course of collateral reading we have been pursuing is very full, comprising some of the writings of all the authors we have studied; our favorite books of reference have been Carlyle, Lowell, Macaulay, Mrs. Oliphant, Shaw, Welsh, Ward and Taine; w hile the others we have used would swell the list to a formidable array. Each student at the end of the session has a pile of neat note books, numbered and indexed awaiting the review of Miss Wright ' s critical eye. While studying Shakespeare, we read a play a week, out of class — and then each one wrote impromptu compositions on a subject given from the play read. While studying the English Drama we read Addison s Cato, Marloioe ' s Dr. Faustus and Edward H . ; also the plays of Sheridan and Goldsmith. A unique feature in our course is the memorizing daily 8 THE AUGUSTA SEMIXARY ANNUAL. of a few lines of poetry, we have this year learned about nineteen hundred lines. The favorite poets are Milton, Dry- den, Gray, Burns, Wordsworth and Shelley; Wordsworth perhaps should head the list. Those who receive the certifi- cates of the English Literature department at the end of the tw o years work feel that they have earned the honor. That we all may succeed is the hope of the class of ' 91. Emma Baldwin. Cliau.cer ' s Study of Women. IV Tore satire, more sarcasm, irony and fun have - - been lavished in all ages upon the one theme. Wo- man, than upon any other. Probably no one of our poets has made a more careful and more accurate study of this subject than Dan. Chaucer. Are not his eyes twinkling as he is describing the two women pilgrims ? When, along with the courtesy, dainti- ness and tenderness of heart of Madame Eglantine, he tells of her singing Entuned in her nose full seemly, of her French, After the school of Stratford Alte Bowe, For French of Paris was to her unknowe, and of the floods of tears at sight of a bleeding or dead mouse, or an ill-treated lap dog; and then when he tells of the hosen, hat, spurs, the travels and the husbands of the good wif of byside Bath. Not in the Prologue onl} does Chaucer ridicule wo- men, but pilgrim after pilgrim has his joke at the expense of the sex. Even the verraj perfight gentil knight can- not refrain from observing that, Womnien as to speken in commune, Thay folwen all the favour ot fortune; THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANKUAL. 9 the Nonnes Priest makes his hit at them when he makes Chaunticleer say : For also, sikcr as ' In principio Mulier est honiinis confusio, ' Madame the sentence of this Latyn is Woumian is mannes joy and al his blis; the Man of Law makes his in apostrophizing Satan : • ' Thyn instrument so (weylawey the while !) Makestovv of wommen whan thou woltbegile; the Clerk laments that there are no patient Griseldas now, for, says he, If that they were put to such assayes. The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes With bras, that thogh the coyne be faire at eye It wold rather braste atwo than plye; the Squire tells of Canace ' s going early to rest, for she was fill mesurable as wommen be, and Hire liste not appalled for to be, Nor on the mor ve un fest liche for to see; and the Franklyn says, Women of kjnde desiren libertee, And not to be contreyned as a thral. The Merchant and Harry Bailey both stand as witnesses that we wedded men live in sorwe and care, and seem to take a ' sorrowful pleasure in comparing notes. But no one lays open to view the weaknesses of the sex more than does the Wife of Bath herself. There is scarcely one weak point left untouched in her story of the knight ' s search for what women loven moste. Some, he finds, love riches, some honour, some jolynessee, some riche array, some to be widows, some to be wed, some to be angry and do just as they please, some to be flattered and praised, but when be- fore the court he announced that, ' Wommen desiren to have sovereynetie. As wel over hir housband as hir love, In all the court ne was ther wif ne maj ' de, Ne wydow that contraried that he sayde. The good wife herself acknowledges that, A man shal wynne us best with flaterye. And v-itli attendance and with besynessee, Ben we y limed (caught) both moore and lesse ; 10 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. and also that if any might arouse our angry passions — Trewely thern ' is noon of us all, That we nill kike for that he seth us soth Assay, and he shal fynde it that so doth. Frequently Chaucer tries to impress upon his readers that these are not his personal feelings on the subject, as when he sa5 ' S : Thise been the cokkes wordes and not myne. I kan noon harm of no womman divyne. And yet in spite of all this harmless sarcasm, Chaucer really has, we feel, a great respect for women and a bright ideal of what a woman ought to be. Chaucer, like Shakes- peare, has made his women his most interesting characters. Nor could we have better examples of Chaucer ' s descriptive powers than when portrajdng his women, though he is ever declaring that his English eke is insufficient. It is not, however, in many words and highly wrought figures that he gives us a picture of them, but in some telling epithet or short phrase — faire, yonge and fresche, high beaute withouten pride, as rody and bright as the yonge sonne, faire as is the rose in May are some of his favorite expressions. Emelye ' s beauty calls forth more than this, he speaks of her as one That fayrer was to seen. Than is the lilie upon his stalke grene. And fressher than the May with floures newe, For with the rose colour stroof hire hewe, I noot which was the fyner of hem two. ' ' The character of this beautiful girl, whose stor} the knight tells, is brought out in her prayer to Diana before the contest between Palamon and Arcite, in which she prays that love and peace be sent between them, that their love for her be quenched or turned to another place, for she de- sires to be a maiden all her life, and, like Diana herself, to live a life of liberty, hunting and wandering in the woodes wylde. But, adds she, If my destynee be shapen so, That I shall needes have oon of hem two, As sende me him that moost desirethme. To judge how Canace would have acted when put to the test, we should have to — THK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 11 Call up him who left half told, The story of Caiiibuscaii bold, Of Cainbull atul of Algarsife, And who had Canace to wife. That owned the virtuous ring and glass. Still we see in her a bright, happy girl, delighted with the present of the wonderful ring and glass, full of pity and sorrow for the heart-broken falcon, carrying her home and, day and night, watching and caring for her till healed. What patterns of submission, patien ce, and loyalty are Uorigene, Griselda and Constance ! In them are portrayed some of woman ' s noblest traits. When Dorigene, sorrow- fully but submissively at the bidding of her super-chivalrotis husband, goes forth to keep her troth, for truthe is the hyest thing that man may kepe, her lover Aurelius gives his opinion of her character — As of the treweste and the beste wyf. That evere jet I knew in al my lyf. Griselda ' s patience is proverbial; but though the story of her many trials is interestingly and sweetly told, there is not enough of the earth, earthy, to make weak mortals realh ' admire her character. Constance, driven from her home by one mother-in-law, ' a scorpion, a wicked goost, a serpent under femy- mynytee, is kept by her faith in the cross of Christ fro the feend and fro his clawes, and when on reaching a strange land she is again plotted against, accused of murder, and brought before the King, help comes to her from heaven, proclaiming her innocence. No sooner has she married Alia, the King, than the second mother-in-law, Donegal , intercepts her letters and causes her to be sent away from the home where she had found new love and happiness. But at last, after all her wanderings and misfortunes, by means of the litel son, Maurice, and his resemblance to his mother, Constance and Alia came together again. ' •In joy and bliss at mete I let hem dw elle, A thousand foold wel moore than I kan telle ' Sue Browne Stribling. 12 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. The Fool : a Stud) from King Lear. TN ancient times, amid the purple hangings and - - gold fringed draperies of the royal court, where king and courtiers shone in their jeweled robes, often was seen the merry face of the court jester. Arrayed in motley robe, with shaven crown, and a long cowl surrounded by a cox- comb, right gaily did the fool jingle his bells and crack his jokes. A pleasant life was his. The only dut} of his office was to be witty, and hard a task as this would be to some of us, not so to him. We cannot help feeling a certain respect for this strange, quaint fellow. The difference is so great between one who intentionally and for sufficient rea- sons makes a fool of himself, and one who by nature is spared the task. Perhaps the kind hand of fortune has been more lavish than of yore; at an} rate the ancient fool has now no more employment. Yet he was a vast improvement on the ordinary modern affair. He openly confessed his vocation and gloried in his profession, and all his foolishness did not deprive him of constancy to those whom he served, and of kind and faithful affection. Keen to discern men ' s character, sharp to reveal their faults, his wit was of no ordinary kind, and even now it excites the envy of his many rivals. And if men must be fools of some kind, give me your good old fool with bells and hollow cap, rather than your modem one, with a hollow head and no cap. Of sterling quality was the jester who whiled away the hours for Lear, King of Ancient Britain ; a man of mature age and bright and winning parts, and of nervous, sensitive temperament was he who for many years was an atten- dant on the King. Perchance in other days he had played with a little Goneril and Regan, and had carried in his arms a bright-haired, blue-eyed Cordelia. And when this lovely babe grew tall and winsome, he still had tended her; with growing joy had watched her rounding form, her ripening lips and cheeks, the sweet unfolding of her womanhood. How well he knew her older sisters too: their dark, fierce TIIK AUGUSTA SICMINARY ANNUAL. l ' eyes, the last vestige of far off southern blood, their flattery, deceit and jealousy. , King Lear was growing old, and as the years advanced his strength began to fail. Deceived by the promises of his wily daughters, and angered by Cordelia ' s seeming want of love, he divided his realm ; Cordelia ' s share was a curse, and her dog-hearted sisters received the whole do- main. Thus in the mind of Lear we see the first flash of madness, which flamed up twice or thrice, ere, like the fire of the prairie, it swept in awful fury over his whole being. Cordelia, under her father ' s frenzied curse, had left her na- tive shores to share the throne of the noble King of France. Time wore on : Goneril and Regan began to treat their kind old father with harshness and neglect. It is here that Shakespeare first mentions the Fool ; the King re- turned from the hunt, inquires for him. A knight replies : Since my young lady ' s going into France the fool hath much pined away. ' ' What a story is this of heartache and longing; ol secret tears and sad repining for her whose happy laughter and whose winsome ways had long lit up the royal palace. That graceful form, that sunny face had flitted through the winding corridors for the last time: the young, free-hearted girl was to return no more to her old home, and even her native land should never see her as she had been of yore. Now the Fool has a new and arduous task before him. Lear may still be persuaded to undo the folly which will else prove fatal . In a thousand ways he strives to show the King what has been his mistake and to warn him of his danger. But throughout the brilliant sallies of wit and ridi- cule, there sounds a strain of tenderness, which is echoed in the fond words of King Lear as he calls the Fool m} boy, lad and bears his cutting speeches without reproach. In his turn the Fool addresses his master in the most familiar terms, calling him Nuncle and even boy, and faithfully he follows him, striving to defend him from his cruel daughters. When the poor old King, enraged by her treatment, is leaving Goneril, the Fool cries out: Nuncle Lear, Nuncle Lear, tarry and take the fool with thee! Nor does he shrink from the rough journey, nor the fierce 14 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. warfare of animate and inanimate nature, in company with his master. Well is his devotion tested in the sad, eventful days that follow. Speaking to Kent, he says : That, sir, which serves and seeks for gain, And follows but for form. Will pack when it begins to rain And leave thee in the storm. But I will tarry : the fool will stay, And let the wise man fly ; The knave turns fool that runs away, The fool no knave, perdy. Now the King ' s troubles begin in all their frightful force, and henceforth his servant ' s only aim is to soothe and direct the mind weighed down by sorrow, constantly labor- ing to outjest his heartstruck injuries. How touching is the King ' s dependence on his Fool. When he leaves Goneril ' s castle, his last word is to him: so again at Gloucester ' s, in the bitterness of his grief, it is O fool, I shall go mad ! And in that weird and terrible scene where the old gray -haired L,ear braves the wild storm, and meets the half-clad madman, his love for the Fool is touching and pitiful. As they near a hovel, Lear says : In boy, go first, and as he seems to wait — Why get thee in. I ' ll pray and then I ' ll sleep. But the Fool rushes out terrified and trembling, and cries: Come not in here, Nuncle, here ' s a spirit. Help me, help me ! Then Kent says to the highstrung, delicate, sensitive creature: Give me thy hand. They enter and find Edgar, whose feigned madness adds to the wild effect of storm and tempest in na- ture and in the mind of the King. For now at last the dread insanity has come upon L,ear ; tenderly, lovingly, his Fool cares for him and humors his mad fancies. But we must leave the faithful friend of Cordelia, Kent and Lear. The King is borne to Dover, and as he departs, Kent says to the Fool : Come, help to bear thy master: thou must not stay behind. . Thus is recorded his last act of devotion. Perchance he perished on the long, weary trip ; we are not told. His presence in the final scenes might mar the beauty of Cordelia ' s grief and devotion, might detract from the terrible tragedy of the end. It is comforting to feel that he THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 16 did not witness the despair and broken-hearted death of his loved master. But we are sad at parting with him, and can say with King Lear, of this tender, witty, faithful winning Fool: ' ' I have one part in my heart that ' s sorry yet tor thee. ' ' Virginia Lucas. Burns ' s Love of Nature as Shown in his Poetry. AT HEN WE THINK of the rough troubled life that Burns led, it is hard to realize that he was espe- cially the poet of Love and of Nature, and yet he was strong- ly influenced by the wild, touching beauty of the Scottish scener} ' . Do what We may, it is impossible to erase the im- pression that whenever the poet sang, his song came directly from the heart. There is something particularly beautiful in seeing this peasant poet ' s acquaintance with every sigh or smile of Na- ture ; there is not a glen or stream anywhere near his home that has not been immortalized by his song — the banks of Ayr, Doon, Afton, are as familiar to us as is the nearest brook. We see the sweet Afton, gliding from its source in the high hills, winding down, and passing by the house of his Ma 3 We know even better the banks of Ayr, for they seem to be so closely connected with all the poet ' s deepest sorrows. When we wander by these streams, we feel as if treading upon holy ground. Burns has described every phase of beauty or grandeur in Nature : the thunder-storm , when the wrath of heaven seemed turned upon the earth, or the summer loveliness, when the heavens laugh for joy, and the fields sing songs of peace. He has given us one particularly beautiful picture in gray, — 1 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. The glowing night is gathering fast, Loud roars the wild inconstant blast, Yon murky cloud is foul with rain, I see it driving o ' er the plain; The hunter now has left the moor. The scatter ' d coveys meet secure. While here I wander pressed with care, Alang the lovely banks of Ayr. ' ' We see it all, the lonely man seeking for comfort in the storm, while the dull gray sky shows not one star to cheer. Again we have only gold and glory, as in the description of evening at Ballochmyle, when all earth and air is sinking into quiet rest. There are no long drawn comparisons or studied similies, but where a figure is used it is a gem fresh from the lap of Nature. The fables of Greece or Rome have no place in Burns ' s Works; his Love is not a Venus or a Diana, for he sings, — ' O myLuve ' s like a red, red rose That ' s newly sprung in June: O my Luve ' s like the melodie That ' s sweetly play ' d in tune. As fair thou, art my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I: And, I will luve thee still, my lassie, Till a ' the seas gang dry. In this tender love he almost seems to take Wordsworth ' s fancy and believe Nature alive. It is to her that this strong man goes when he would turn from his sin-stained life; un- der her influence he seems to have conquered, but as soon as he moves from her guiding hold, he is caught again in the snare of the world. We see him troubled; he stands thought- fully and sadly leaning over the little bridge at the glen, a young girl appears in sight — an apparition it seems to him, and he breaks into song describing the scene, — ' Twas even, — the dewy fields were green, On every blade the pearls did hang ! The Zephyrs wantoned round the bean. And bore its fragrant sweets alang; In every glen the mavis sang. All nature listening seemed the while, ' Except where greenwood echoes rang, Among the braes o ' Ballochm3 ' le. THK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 17 If the poet had not had an eye trained by love to know every phase of the outer world we could not have such pic- tures. Even in Burns ' s most passionate poem, Mary iyi Heaven, — he cannot think of the heart-rending parting, without see- ing the Ayr, — O ' er hung with wild woods, thick ' ning green. The flowers that grew by the river bank, and the fra- grance of the hawthorn, are as indelibly impressed upon us as the parting words of his love. It was not in one, but in every poem that Burns showed his love for Nature ; Chaunce loved the Spring, the growing leaves, the flowers and birds; Burns loved all these too, but no more than he did the thunder-storm and the hurricane. The streams that fretted their channels were loved by him; the Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower, was his pet. His tender heart was moved with compassion for the wounded hare; and at the sight of a field mouse with its nest in ruins, he stops his plow to pity the poor harmless creature exposed to the Winter ' s blast, and grieves that he is unable to help it. The little mouse was no better ofif for his grief, but no doubt that little song protected many another mouse from the same fate, and more than that, it has helped mankind to be better and wiser. There is some- thing very simple and unaffected in the closing verse of this poem where the poet cannot help moralizing, as the mouse ' s fate brings to mind his own, — he says truly and sadly, — Still thou art blessed, compared wi ' me ! The present only toucheth thee; But och ! I backward cast my e ' e, On prospects drear ! And forward though I canna see, I guess and fear. Fannie G. Ogier. 18 the; AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Natural Scenery in Scott ' s Poetry. A AMONG AI.I. OUR PICTURES of Scott ' s youth- ful life, there is none more delightful to contem- plate than that of the boy as he lay on the grass-cush- ioned crags of Sandy-Knowe, and, lifting his young eyes with all the light of genius in them, looked abroad over that wonderful landscape, and saw below the windings of the silver Tweed, the gray ruins of Dry burgh, over which the soft light lingered, and nestled among the dark yew trees, and in front the purple summits of Eildon ' s triple height. It is a scene in which all influences of soul and sense mingle, for here is the charm of natural beauty and gran- deur combined with the delicious dreams of a youthful fancy , a heart and brain beating time with the great pulse of Na- ture. Even one of less genius than Scott, thus nutured, might have had Poetic impulse given. By the green hill and clear blue heaven. And these fair first recollections of his dreamy child- hood were, through his life, the most fondly loved of all, and many a time would rise Those crags, that mountain tower Which charmed his fancy ' s wakening hour, And feelings roused in life ' s first day, Glow in the line, and prompt the lay. It is pleasant to think that it was in this loved spot his spirit took its flight, and that the gentle ripple of the Tweed over the pebbles, was almost the last earthly sound that fell upon his dying ear. Keen appreciation of light, colour, and beauty in Na- ture was with Scott always, and many of his descriptions are examples of pure landscape painting. He sees every- thing wih a painter ' s eye, and under his master hand pic- tures, full of grace and of glowing brightness, flash into light and life — pictures so vivid, so wondrous, The whole might seem The scenery of a fairy dream. Invested by the magic of his touch, the exquisite scenery of Lock Katrine has become the Mecca of every traveler ' s pil- THK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 19 grimage. Who docs not desire to stand, as did the Knight of Snowdoun and feast his eyes on the loveliness below, Where j, ' l cam ing with the scltinj sun, One burnished sheet of livinj( } uld, Lock Katrine lay Ixjueath him rolled, In all her lenj h far winding lay With promontory, creek, and bay And islands that, empurpled l)right Floated amid the livelier light, And mountains, that like giants stand To sentinel enchanted land. Or who might not even more love to linger at break of day on the edge of this most picturesque of lakes, and see and feel what Scott has expressed with tender and easy grace : The summer dawns reflected hue, To purple changed Lock Katrine blue. Mildly and soft the western breeze Just kissed the lake, just stirred the trees. And the pleased lake, like maiden coy. Trembled but dimpled not for joy ; The mountain shadows on her breast Were neither broken nor at rest In bright uncertainty they lie. Like future joys to Fancy ' s eye, — The gray mist left the mountain side. The torrent show ' d its glistening pride, — Invisible in flecked sky The lark sent down her revelry. We pause enraptured by the Trossach ' s deepest dell, wrap- ped in the glory of the setting sun, The western waves of ebbing day Rolled o ' er the glen their level way — Each purple peak, each flinty spire Was bathed in flood of living fire, — And creeping shrubs of thousand dyes, Waved in the west- winds summer sighs. ' ' And now ' ' The shades of eve come slowly down , The woods are wrapt in deeper brown. The owl awakens from her dell. The fox is heard upon the fell, and as darkness shrouds the fading scene, we turn silently away, awed by the sight and sounds of the magnificently pictured night. 20 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Scott had the power in an unusual degree of producing broad and general effects with almost one sweep of his magic pencil. What more perfect description of lovely Loch Achray could we have than the one line : So lone a lake, so sweet a strand ! for even now, it is said, though haunted by tourists, if once you leave their beat you may get into complete quiet and solitude, sweet, not dreary. Again, in Marmion, with spell -bound steps we fol- low until we stand, with the holy hush of Nature creep- ing o ' er us, By lone St. Mary ' s silent lake. Nor pen nor sedge Pollute the pure lakes crystal edge. Abrupt and sheer, the mountains sink At once upon the level brink, And just a trace of silver sand Marks where the water meets the land, Nor thicket, dell nor copse you spy. Where living thing concealed might lie, There ' s nothing left to fancy ' s guess, You see that all is loneliness. ' ' The poem opens with an exquisite description of the set of day on Norham ' s castled steep. ' ' We see the battled towers and flanking walls shining in yellow lustre, while from the warriors ' armor flashes back again The western blaze In lines of dazzling light. But we have left the crimson sunset glow, and now was ever scene so sad and fair? We gaze on Melrose ' s ruins gray, over which the pale moonlight streams in un- certain showers, lighting up the ruined pile with its silver edges. Ah ! long would we linger here, listening to the beating of the distant Tweed and wrapped in the solemn mystery of night, but time rolls his ceaseless course, and though, in this never ending art-gallerj magical pictures never cease to charm our eyes and hearts, must we turn away our steps, and with the night fade into silence. Mamie Richmond. THK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANXUAL. 21 Last Will and Testament of the Class-Prophet. O heavenly muse, I thence Invoke thy aid to my adventurous sonj While it pursues Things unattenipted yet in prose or rhinie. To write successfully the history of this class, the writer should have a readier pen than mine ; therefore, let it be said that this is but a brief sketch, intended to give an admiring public some idea of the Literature class of ' 91. What class more progressive, — for who before us has issued a Seminary Annual ? What one broader in its views ? — or able to boast of nobler representatives of the muse of the quill ? What brighter stars destined to shine in the literary firmament? To state the case briefly, and with the becom- ing modesty of ye little school-girls; — We are the people ! For our fame on brightest pages. Penned by poets and by sages, Shall go sounding down the ages. For us, the softer Adams of our Academe, Knowledge is no longer a fountain sealed. From the first days ot school, through the long winter months, and up to the delightfully lazy days preceding the Finals, the literature girl nobly shoulders the responsibility resting on her, and lives fi-om da} to day, drinking deep from Wisdom ' s Well. Indifferent alike to the world, the frivol ties of society, and the alluring wiles of creation ' s lords, she turns from Terpsichore to worship at the shrine of Minerva. Now she amuses herself by digging deep into English soil, and unearthing Anglo-Saxon roots; then she soars to the sublime heights of poesy, and lives in a world of her own. Her leisure hours are w hiled away in reading Burke and Bacon; Shakespeare is her wildest dissipation, and awful odes she writes, treating of Home Rule, Irish Emigration, Social and Religious Liberty, c. c. Yet, in spite of the hard work, there is no class more delightful, or instructive than this. As I write, a thousand memories come to me, bringing to mind the pleasant hours spent on Literature work, and in Literature class. In our circle, there is a gracious mingling of the at- 22 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. tributes of both the Muses and the Graces, for take us all in all, you ne ' er shall look upon our like again. Let me now call forth individually, the members of this band, and leave with them the last will and testament of the class-prophet. First, to our song-bird, the fair representative of St. Cecelia ' s art, Duncan Williams, we bequeath a new and rare song, which, we are sure, will show to the best advantage her notes of linked sweetness long drawn out, Treat it quietly — it is sacred: Little Annie Rooney. To the book-worm, Edna Baer, that unto Logik hadde longi-go, we present for summer reading, three dime- novels from the Sea-side Library : The Advancement of Learning, Hobbes ' Leviathan, and Sartor Resartus. To our wit, Margaret Epes, with deepest gratitude we dedicate our most precious possession — the almighty Semi- nary joke: Caution ; Too frequent use may dull the point. To our Army-girl, Emma Baldwin, our sole represen- tative of the Wild West, we give an Arabian steed, and a tin sword. May she never quail (?) before the Bomb-shells of life ! A palette and brush is our legacy to the artist of the class. Sue Stribling. However, let us give a parting injunction not to paint things red. To the two who remain of this ' ' Dream of Fair Women , ' ' Mary Guy, Whose due feet never fail, To walk the studi- ous cloister ' s pale, and Lizzie Hanger, a scholar, and a ripe and good one, as a fitting gift we leave a bust of Pallas with the bird of wisdom. Besides the eight members of the class -proper, that is the applicants for Literature certificates, there are other members of our circle who all deserve more than a passing mention. Therefore, we overstep the bounds of a con- ventional class-legacy, and read what is recorded in the tes- tament for them. To the beauties, Mamie Richmond and Eva Bowe, we present two mirrors, (triple-plated,) — Look, and looking, look again, For thou mayst see what none e ' er saw before TIIK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 23 — nothing. We warn one of them that there is never a rose without a Thorn. To Laura Hagood and Mary Irwin, our painters, — as it is only a question of time before they reach the ultima thule of artistic aspirations, and make Claude and Turner, and all such lesser lights, wild with envy, we leave the canvas and the brush. May their clouds all other clouds dispel ! For Pearl McCreery and Mary Jones, we predict a bright literar} ' career. We give them the blue ribbon, but beg that they do not affect the blue stocking. To Evelyn Morton we give a small time-piece, — that runs a little fast. Time waits for no man. •• For Nora Simpson, There ' s pansies, that ' s for thoughts. Betty Coffee will be a journalist, Eliza Anderson and Eloise Butt fashion-reporters; the former also a stenographer, and our zealous and untiring business-manager, Mary Guy, proprietor of The Staunton Boomer. To these we offer the scroll and pen. In less than three weeks the class of ' 91 will be but a thing of the past. Before the curtain falls, however, we hope to make a last appearance before the public to receive and bear off in triumph the long coveted sheep-skins. As we retire under cover of the d eafening applause of the assembled thousands, the mantle of our wit and learn- ing will descend upon the shoulders of the Intermediates. May the} wear it gracefully and well ! Ring down the drop, — The Act is o ' er ! A. Lucille Foster. Since our Class -Prophet, Lucille Foster, who has so generously showered upon us, kind wishes, and valuable legacies, has stolen from Apollo, the gift of prophecy; from Mercury, the god of eloquence, her glorious talent; has thieved away Cupid ' s own eyes, while the little god, in con- sequence must ever more be blind, there is nothing left, which, we, poor mortals, can bequeath to her, except our very heartiest wishes for her success and happiness in life. 24 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. News from ttie Old Girls. NO. I. T HAVE BEEN ASKED to write something about the - - old girls, at least that rather disrespectful term is the only one that occurs to me as the title for my items of gossip. Perhaps the oldest would be better pleased, if fol- lowing the example of a recent writer to the Central Presby- terian, who wittily described Staunton as a town full of lunatics and school-girls, I were to dub the old girls es- caped lunatics. ■• The new girls, who are now reveling in the exquisite humor of time worn jokes directed against the Seminary, would call that escaped a peculiarly appropriate adjective, but honestly, though you all won ' t believe me I know, after one leaves the dear old Sem., that oft sneered at dear comes straight from the heart. It is not that By the river of Babylon we sit down and weep when we remember Zion; this world has not yet become to us the Babylon, the wisdom of the oldest would represen t it. Some of our shadowy dreams have shapened into pleasant realities; still as one and two years have rolled away, the wounds that Conic Sections and Gildersleeve inflicted have healed, leaving, instead of .scars, the most soothing conviction that we wei ' e the stars in the school firmament, a conviction greatly confirmed by the flattering statement of our home papers that each one of us had been graduated with the highest honors in everything. And then I wonder whether, after a while, the memory of the light hearts and unsullied beliefs of those sheltered school girl days may not come to us in wistful thoughts that have, The lingering charm of a dream that has fled, Ivike the rose ' s breath when the rose is dead, Like the sunset glories that follow the snn. Like the echo that comes when the tune is done, Everything tender and ever3fthing fair That was, and is not and yet is there. I think I would better tell all I know about the girls, and a little of all I have heard ; to tell one-half of what I have heard would be a colossal undertaking, possible only Tin-; AUGUSTA SKMINARY ANNUAL. LT) to a girl ' s tongue. Two summer ' s ago, Ella Lewis, Lucy Hughes and I were together way up in the Tennessee moun- tains. We sat one day before a big log fire and cleared the room of those unsympathizing beings, sometimes found, who could not see the point of a school joke. But for the valuable information gained then, my present task would be a hopeless one. I heard that Melinda Headley had married a young Doctor, after making her debut, robed in a gown that had a train three miles long, and carrying six dozen roses. (Ella Lewis is responsible for that.) Florida still had a rather sleepy effect upon Thrasher, and May Easton had spent the previous summer in Tennessee, resting after the labors of a society bud in New York. Rebie Metcalf was the wife of a wealthy young lawj ' er in Chicago. Ade- laine Adair, Camille Mercier, Anne Raine, Nett Rotan, and Ellie McClung had come out, and a half dozen of them were belles. Blanche Sebrill was married and did not use slang any more. Bess Hardesty was Mrs. Richardson, of Belair. We wondered a little whether Bess was any more grown-up, and if she said yes ' m-ah in her old fascinating style. We decided that it was easier to think of Mrs. James Garnet, of King aud Queen county, nee Laura Levering, as a settled matron, and that Angie Perry was just in the right place as somebody ' s sweet wife. I had just recovered my appetite for school news, after two month ' s fast, when in October I went to Parks ' wedding in Wheeling. Jen Baird, Lydia McMechen and Jess herself told me all over again what I knew before and volume more. What knowledge I had grasped before taking is so confused with what I knew after taking that I am afraid I shall confound one old girl with some other old girl, and marry her off a year before she left school, if such a calamity befall me, just go to Parks and Ella Lewis — they told me. I think, however, I am correct in stating as a real fact that Anne and Jen Baker are living in St. Paul, and are so delighted with their abode that they have not been induced to leave it by any pleader, charm he ever so wisely. ' ' Jule Hubbard spent last winter at Andover. The love of Jule and Mame is still a beacon light to all darlings. Bessie Eauntleroy has grown into the graceful, 26 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. womanly woman, her school life promised, and Lucy Tabb blushes as sweetlj ' as ever. I opened a ver} pretty wed- ding present Sarah Walton sent Parks, which being the only fact I can present concerning her, simply proves she was then in existence and still had good taste. If I could only reach one of 3 ' ou several hundred girls, and make you swear you wouldn ' t tell, I could a tale unfold , and feel sure, of course, that m} ' secret would be safe. I know of about twent} of the escaped, each one of whom is en- gaged to the dearest fellow in the world. It will be a valuable piece of information to the public that there are now twenty wonders of the world instead of seven. These little affairs, however, are some times as variable as the tints of the chameleon, so it would not be well, even if the names of these wonders could be secured, to place them on record. Just here some more facts of national interest must find expression. It is only fair that I should interrupt myself long enough to relieve the minds of the old girls concerning such interesting subjects. Shall I whose lamp of knowl- edge is lighted neglect to cast its rays on those far off Southern and California girls, who have not been privileged to allay their fears in person ? Beauty and Midget are not dead. It is the parrot that has departed this life and no longer yells, Who ' s that ! Who ' s that ! to the abject ter- ror of the approaching V. M. I. cadet. Uncle Ches, still vigilantly guards the mail, and remains unshaken in his firm conviction that Miss Mary July runs the United States and has Europe for a foot-stool ! I feel, now that I have relieved mj mind, that I can continue a conscientious effort I have been making to hunt up a few lawyers or ph5 sicians among our number. I can find some hobbjasts, May Faulkner, Nat Venable and Lill Bridges have the house-keeping hobby ; the} have it badl5 I can personallj testify that it is a mania with the third member of this band of workers ; shei made some bis- cuit recently — the doctor says, with extreme care, the con- sumers thereof may recover. Since this article was written. Midget has died. — Eds. THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 27 Mary Pres, Nannie Graham and Nat Venable have a fine opportunity for shedding lustre upon our ranks by medical or law studies; but I have heard that, in these University towns, the young disciple of higher culture begins her labours by scientific research as to the characteristics of the individual law or medical student, and that this preparatory course, lasting from two to three years, has a fatal tendency to remove her from the classic haunts of learning. — I wish some old girl would let us know whether she is pursuing an object of any kind. It is not the style to be without one now-a-days. You must be scientific, literary, or aggressively rampart concerning some theory. — That girls as devotedly fond of enterprising labour as Daisy Holiday, Min Scovell, Lil Briggs, Garnette McKay, Rosalie White, Mallie Otey, Letitia Scott, I ou Goffigon, Kid Grant, Carrie Riecke, and Virginia Butter- more should be giving afternoon teas, instead of lectures on women ' s rights, deals a blow at the root of our school pride. — We had always cherished hopes of Amelia Daven- port, but they were built on sand. I was recently walking down the corridor of a Maryland hotel when I heard a school yell behind me, as musical to my ear as the war whoop to a Sioux chief. It was Amelia, in the glory of a Parisian gown and bonnet. She had recently come from abroad after a three months ' tour as Mrs. Woodruff, of Kentucky. She lives a mile from Sara Hanson, who is as clever as ever. I would like to add that Sara and Liz Bonn are taking the Chataqua course, but that commenda- ble fact can be recorded of Lucj Hughes alone, who spent last winter over Grecian history and could give all the dates without winking. — Tish Scott does deser ' e special men- tion. She has not gotten literary, she has gotten dig- nity. ' ' At times this is obscured from the public eye, but it is only a momentary eclipse. A former school-mate was re- cently driving down Massachusetts Avenue, when a sort of human skyrocket rushed from the sidewalk. Of course it was Tish. Before the wave of greetings had subsided. Since receiving this article we have heard that Virginia Butter- more is studying medicine. — Eds. 28 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. there stood before her a being before whom the words aw- fulh ' jolly froze on the awe-struck lips. It was as if some tall cliff had reared its awful form. — Emma Russell and Neal Roberts were in Europe traveling and studying last summer, the adjective literar % I have reser ' ed for them, for if the} did not add literarj ' and every other kind of knowledge to their stock, the} ' did not desen ' e the compan- ion they had. — Minafred and Perle Habicht are still singing their way into the hearts ot the public. — Our distinguished graduate, Katherine Paxton, has been visiting Hope Somer- ille and teaching in North Carolina. — Laura Taylor can manage a wild horse with as much grace as ever. — Gus Pat- terson, Libbie Alby, Marj Irwin and Maria Pratt have all been teaching, and teaching Avell. Maria was down in Mex- ico, helping her father teach the Mexican students English. I am sure the} ' never tread a more flowery path to knowl- edge.— While few of us, as you see, are doing work that is worth mentioning, we owe to our Alma Mater the training that has helped us to meet the temptations of life ; and to her too we owe help towards living the noble, pure, and wise, though quiet lives, that tell powerfully on the world ' s histor} ' , even if their deeds have no record. I cannot close without a tribute to the memor} ' of those who have passed away. So has it been, so will it be for- ever; the chain is broken that no hand can mend. Though Mary Anderson ' s gentle brown eyes have been closed for years, and laughing Annie Kinnier has long since gone home, their death ' s sad stor} ' is immortal in the school where they lived their sweet Christian lives. Only last sum- mer was there another link broken from the chain, when Janet Meetze ended her young life. In the hearts of the most careless of us girls may there rise a prayer that when our days shall be as a tale that is told, we may join them, in that higher school where Christ himself doth rule. Helen Mar Bridges. ■Full graduate in ' 88. — Eds. THK AUGUSTA SKMINARY ANNUAL. 29 News from the Old Girls. NO. II. It is rather a sad feature of our Seminary life that the names of the students of one session die away as soon as they are erased from the roll-call, and give place to those who come to fill anew the dining-room and class-rooms. There is a striking contrast between the indifference with which the new girls of one session regard the absent ones of the session before, and the eager interest which the former feel in the Seminarj and all it contains, including even the girls newer than themselves. Within two years, at most, the name of a girl and everj- tradition concerning her life at the Seminary will be forgotten, or live only in the inscription in some cast-off book, or on some hidden corner of the back-galler} ' , or covered- way, which Hugh and his bucket of white- wash have accidentally passed by. While the name is invariabh ' lost, there are a few ex- ceptional cases in which the memory of a girl has been hand- ed down for j-ears, the deed by which she was immortalized receiving some embellishment, and some added interest from each successiv e generation through whose lips it passes. One yonng lady whose fame will be thus perpetuated, secur- ed this result by taking a quiet walk down town with a young man from her home, and incidentall} ' dropping in at a minister ' s, got married on her way back. After which exciting performance, she came back to school, re- sumed her regular routine of work, and kept her secret so well that not even her best friend suspected it, until told of it almost at the end of the session. There is in this little romance something peculiarly fascinating to a school girl ' s mind. A mysterious interest attaches to a girl, who having such a secret to guard, could guard it so well ; and this latter fact is perhaps to those of this decade a greater marvel than the former. This romantic narrative will be listened to with ever increasing interest until the bronze dogs that guard our This happened in vacation. We are sorry tospoil a good story. — Eds. 30 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. portals exist no longer, but the name of the actor no school girl knows, nor deems at all essential to the interest of the story. Another tradition, handed down with constant amplifi- cation and variation from one generation to the next, gives the sad and instructive historj ' of a young lady of romantic ideas, who, with the assistance of her friends, had made every arrangement to elope with the man of her choice Tone of the youths of Staunton, most probably.) She had tied a rope from the window and let down her satchel on it, and, as the clock struck the hour of midnight, she was herself to descend. It was almost twelve. Success seemed about to crown her efforts, when the stern footstep of a teacher was heard, and a moment later the teacher herself appeared, took charge of the rope and satchel, and sent the disconsolate girl to bed with the comforting information, I have known from the first all that was going on, and have only allowed the preparations to be completed in order to make the lesson more lasting. The exploits of these two, not even the boldest of their successors have dared to imitate. But a third brave deed is mentioned in the category of fame — that of the girl who, sometime in the remote past, first had the hardihood to organize and lead a procession into Miss Baldwin ' s sanctum with a petition for a holiday. This petition having been most unwisely granted, a host of imitators have arisen, who in hardihood and enthusiasm resemble the great originator, but not alas ! in success ! Since all can not be remembered by deeds of such gene- ral and striking interest, it will be well to glance over a few names, which, to those who recognize them, will recall many of the pleasantest memories connected with their lives at the Seminary. To several of the old girls, one of the pleasantest inci- dents of the past year was a re-union of three of their school friends in Augusta, Ga., at the home of Minnie and Maisie Chafee, these girls being Annie Wallace, Gay Jacobs and the writer. After several years of intimate association at the Seminary, and some months of absence from it and from each other, there is nothing pleasanter than to meet with a THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 31 party of old girls and talk over the old days. Altogether happy they now seem, when softened by the distance that lends enchantment. All unpleasantnesses are forgotten, while only amusing and agreeable incidents come to the mind. In such a gathering there is a constant flow of conversation, old associations are revived, and events long forgotten, or unthought of, are recalled. Frequent mention was made of the girls of ' 87-8, ' 88-9, and ' 89-90, and the hope was expressed that there would be some news of many of them in the promised paper. To the girls of these se.ssions, it will be of interest to know that Minnie Chafee is still cultivating her fine voice, and that Maisie grows each year more lovely as her hand grows in artistic skill. Annie Wallace retains her old sympathetic touch and graceful manners as a pianist, and is still as in ye olden time a favorite with every one. Gay Jacobs has lost none of her old gentleness, nor has she given up her mel- ancholy views o f life, though there is a decided improve- ment in that respect since ten o ' clock bells and roll calls have become things of the past. Without three other names, the mention of the Augusta girls would be incom- plete. It was my good fortune to see Camille Mercier, whose various gifts will not be forgotten in the Seminary so long as the Cherub remains there to perpetuate the mem- ory of her sister ' s talents by her own. Addie Barnes ( ' 89-90) wears glasses, is studying hard, and will graduate at the Tubman High School this year. She expects to return to the Seminary next session. Ella Evans still culti- vates her old-time love for the ideal ; indulges less in blank verse but more in romance, and recently published in the Augusta CJiro?iide a story that has been much praised. There are many others among our old girls in Georgia, whose names will at once occur to all who read this with surprise and regret that something is not told of them. The explanation to be made is that the accounts given here are only those of our girls whom it has been the writer ' s good fortune to see within the past few months. In Louisville, Ky., another very delightful re-union took place, this time including Neal Roberts ( ' 86-7), Lottie Witherspoon ( ' 88-9), Violet Henry ( ' 89-90), and the wri- 32 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. ter. Miss Roberts was last summer one of a party who made a successful tour in Europe under Miss Wright ' s su- pervision, accompanied by Miss Baldwin and Miss Nan- nie Tate. Lottie Witherspoon retains her indefatigable en- ergy, as well as her regularity and system in reading and studying, and in this way accomplishes more than most of our girls after they leave school. As leader of a band of King ' s Daughters, teacher in a Sunday School, and member of three literary societies, her home life is as full of usefulness and enjoyment as those who knew and appreciated her in Staunton could wish it to be. Cora Spence has all her old vitality, and has developed a most ardent attachment, to the Sem., which makes her wish to return to it next session. Madge Greenlees visited her this winter, and Cora and Madge together are said to have been just like they used to be. To those who knew her, of Violet nothing further need be said than that she is thoroughly in earnest in all she undertakes, whether music lessons, horse-back riding, or social enjoyment, from all of which she extracts the fullest possible benefit. Agnes Penick, Patty Myers, and Evelyn Nelson, the well -remembered trio from the upper back-room at Hill-Top, are enjoying life in Lexington, just as three bright girls should enjoy it in a College town. Alice Annspaugh ( ' 85-88), now Mrs. J. R. Kyle, in her pretty home in Lynchburg, finds an opportunity to exercise the artistic skill and taste which won her the first-honor medal in the studio three years ago. Last, but by no means least, among the Seminary girls whom it has been my pleasure to see recently, are two of our full graduates, representing two decades in the life of the A. F. S. The first. Miss Josephine Moore, graduated in ' 70, and a few years afterwards married Col. Wm. H. Poague, of Lexington, Va.; the other. Miss Etta Donnan, of Petersburg, Va., graduated in ' 80, and married Judge W. H. Mann, of Nottaway, Va. All pleasant things must come to an end, and so must these reminiscences abotit our girls, recalling, as they do, so many delightful memories of the girls and their homes, recalling, perhaps, to the reader some forgotten incident or THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. H ' -i some pleasant recollection with which their names are asso- ciated. Very imperfectly have these notes been given, but we hope the object in writing them has been attained as we have brought to the mind of the reader some of the old familiar faces. JacqueIvIne Segar Epes. IVIarriages.t Thus it is our daughters leave us, Those we love and those who love us. Just when they have learned to love us, When we are old and lean upon them, Conies a youth with flaunting colors, And she follows where he leads her. Leaving all things for the stranger. Alice Annspaugh — Mrs. Jas. R. Kyle, Lynchburg, Va. Effie Arey — Mrs. K. W. Burleson, Bridgew ater, Va. Ina Ast — Mrs. Payne, Richmond. Va. Berdie Amis — Austin, Tex. Laura Brow n — Mrs. John S. Zook, Miles City, Montana. Zadie Brown — Mrs. Edward Amerine, Montgomery, Ala. Minnie Burdette, Mrs. Charles M. Gallaher, Charleston, W. Va. Elodia Board man — Mrs. Wm. Chandler Smith, Macon, Ga. Sadie Bright — Mrs. Addison M. King, Danville, Ky. Bessie Craig — Mrs. Rich. Newman Brackett, Little Rock, Ark, Arkie Clay — Mrs. Frank James, Tyler, Tex. Callie Chenault — Mrs. D. Bates Shackelford, Richmond, Ky. Stella Cowan — Mrs. Rob. C. Colhoun. Alva Craig— Mrs. Rob. D. Blakey, Selma, Ala. Carrie Cawthome — Mrs. Peter Brown, Selma, Ala. ♦Full graduate ' 90.— Eds. fWe regret that the list is not complete. It has been arranged from Miss Baldwn ' s card basket. — Eds. 34 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Annie Childress — Mrs. Rob. L,. Browning, Terrel, Tex. Amelia Davenport — Mrs. Catesby Woodford, Paris, Ky. Etta Donnan — Mrs. W. H. Mann, Nottaway, Va. Mamie Emmons — Mrs. Fred. Cook Caldwell, Huntington, W. Va. Cora Finley — Mrs. Edwin M. Gilkerson, Romney, W. Va. Annie Earns worth — Mrs. George B. Edmiston, Buckhannon, W. Va. Mai B. Faulkner — Mrs. Hogan Douglas Fuller, Winchester, Va. Genevieve Gray — Mrs. Wm. F. Taylor, Shreveport, La. Mattie Glover — Mrs. W. J. Booth, Austin. Tex. Evie Gooch — Mrs. D. B. Myers, Staunton, Va. Jesssie Handy — Mrs. Herbert Palfrey, New Orleans, La. Ella Huffman — Mrs. S. A. Brown, Locust Hill, Augusta county, Va. Melinda Headley — Mrs. Orville H. Menees, Nashville, Tenn. Mary Hammer— Mrs. T. S. Walker, High Point, N. C. Mattie Heck — Mrs. . Mittie Howell — Mrs. Mark Lewis, Birmingham, Ala. Joe Howard — Mrs. Charles Stuart, Wilkesbarre, Pa. Bessie Hardesty — Mrs. John Richardson, Bellaire, Md. Pearl Johnson — Mrs. J. W. Welles, Norfolk, Va. Myrtle Jacobs — Mrs. Wm. E. Hamilton, Shreveport, La. Orleans Lowry — Mrs. W. D. Taylor, Bessemer, Ala. Mary McCue — Mrs. James Ker, Staunton, Va. Rebecca Metcalf Mrs. Wm. Arthur McNeill, Memphis, Tenn. Passie McCabe — Mrs. John K. Ottley. Lilla Mundy — Mrs. Fred. E. Butler, Detroit, Mich. Minnie Phillips — Mrs. Benjamin R. Edmonds, Lebanon, Ky. Hattie Park— Mrs. Wm. J. Thomas, Oberlin, O. Jessie Parks — Mrs. Albert C. Whitaker, Wheeling, W. Va. Angle Perry — Mrs. Josie Reynolds, Waynesboro, Ga. Nettie Pitts — Mrs. Lev. Andrews, Pine Bluff, Ark. Bessie Reeves — Mrs. Albert Howard, Savannah, Ga. Carrie Ricke — Paducah, Ky. Annie Sloan — Mrs. Jas. Bradshaw Beverley, Columbia S. C. Jessie Sweeney — Mrs. Edward Clay, Ervin, Ky. Rowena Sturgis — Mrs. Albert Cowan, Waco, Tex. TIIK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 35 Mary Simpkins — Mrs. Thomas P. Bleiiham, Monticello, Fla. Lizzie C. Smith — Mrs. Kenneth McAlpine, U. S. N., Portsmouth, Va. Lyda Saams — Mr. James Erwin, Irvin, Pa. Minnie Strider — Mrs. Wm. Marshall, Christiansburg, Va. Margaret Spence — Mrs. F. M. Hicks, San Antonia, Tex. Ermine Scott — Mrs. Dud. Guthrie, Shelbyville, Ky. Jennie Stoddard— Mrs. Fred. Maul, Little Falls, N. Y. Mable Tinsley — Mrs. James T. Lightner, Staunton, Va. Loulu Timberlake — Mrs. Charles M. Zirkle, Richmond, Va. Minnie Van Meter — Mrs. Charles F. Mansfield, Mansfield, 111. Allie Walker, Mrs. J. Brice Cochran. Lizzie Willis — Mrs. Nelson P. Van Meter. Annie Walker — . Duncan Williams, Eva Bo we. 36 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Changes in the A. F. S. During the last Four Years. There are changes and changes, to say nothing of change, — even in the hum-drum, monotonous boarding school-life, nothing lasts forever. Our Principal, always anxious to please, remembers the trite old adage Variety is the spice of life, and so in her rules, changes are made, to prevent our suffering from ennui. And be it said, we are rarely saddened by the loss of old restrictions, — oftener gladdened by new ones. It may be clearly seen, that during the four years of the writer ' s experience, at the Seminar ' , there have been additions and modifications in the rules, else why should there be a new edition of the slips on the doors ? — Can there be any connection between these and the absence of the habitual promenadors on the back gal- lery, from two o ' clock on ? — and the lack of interesting groups, here and there, on porches and in music-rooms ? Can it be that the girls now love only to walk in the pro- cession ? That they have not that curiosit} that proneness to garrulity which characterized them once ? Is the song or the Nocturne less appreciated than in those years gone by? Have Little Annie Rooney and McGinty been far behind Little Tycoon, and My Queen as to their universal popularity? — Does human nature and girl nature change ? — Another interesting phenomenon is the evident growth in interest, the girls these past two 3 ' ears, have shown in the library. — Enter whatever Saturday you ma5 and you will see, bending over dictionaries, and the poems of Milton, Chaucer, or Browning, girls with care-worn ex- pressions, and trembling hands ! Pleasures, like sorrows, come not in single spies, but in batallions. This pleas- ant morning pastime in the library goes hand -in -hand with a moment of rest after the sound of the breakfast-bell , or a social chat in music-rooms or church. If the new slips on the doors can account for these . changes, to Dame Fashion must be charged some others. No longer is seen the red, pink, and blue silk neckerchief, and the long, wide surah sash, the necessary requisites of a Saturday-Night Dike. Not only have these passed away, but likewise the old custom itself, — THK AUGUr3: ' A S: ikV ANNUAL. 37 11 is not now as it luis Ijccn of yore: — Turn wlicresovecr I may, By nijjiht or day. Tlic thinj s which I have seen, 1 now can sec no more. It is often difficult to distinguish between cause and effect,— ' . : -i c !.._ ..iiiiihiiHtiou of Saturday-Night Dikes is the outcome ol ' he extinct of dai lings, or vice versa s a question of weight. Be it as it may, the age for darl- ings, that is Girl -sweethearts belongs to the past. It is lonely to pass by dark corners and stair steps, and through music-rooms at night, now deserted, where we look before and after, and pine for what is not. We miss the accus- tomed sights, and think it strange that we hear no more the 9:80 o ' clock kisses, resounding through the halls as echossto the 0:. ' 0 bell. Kvery loss has its recompense. No darlings, — no heart aches and jealousy; no cases, — no misunderstand- ing, and the consequent sending brck, of numerous notes — ' ' what ' s in a name ? , — notes of thirty pages. There is one vast im- provement as to doing things up swell. Dur- ing the last three years, we have had a night watcliman — a typical gtiard, wanting only a dog, (for Midget and Beauty are put to bed at seven.) However, with his red blanket and swinging lantern, Mr. Thompson is a man of daring. Once he actual- ly addressed these fear- less words to a thief : If 3 ' ou don ' t go away from here, I will blow your brains out, like I did last year. This is but his fourth year, yet he is now an essential part of the Semi- See Note Page 26.— Eds.] 38 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. nar} and has made for himself a name second only to Uncle Chess ' s. Mr. Thompson has, sad to sa3 ' ,an unfortunate way of frightening us to death, as he treads lightly under our windows, or along Back Gallery. He means well, doubt- less, and the motive is everj thing. Kind-hearted and anx- ious, he solicitously inquires of the teachers, Well, Miss, are you coming back to us next year ? Now, that we have had his protection, we know a good thing when we see it, and cannot imagine how we lived without him. Our escort to the theatre, our chaperoneat the station, while waiting for the home-bound train; our bell-man, at six and at ten; in a word, all we could wish, as a true knight. Monday afternoons he is put to his wit ' s end, in devising stratagems to keep off a certain band, famous for mili- tary prowess. This is the afternoon of the week, as regards excitement. But to give honor where honor is due, the Kableites possess in a remarkable degree that quality known as ingenuity. They can even get ahead of our guard. There is one batallion of lovers, another, of fun-lovers. The latter inveigle Mr. Thomp- son to Hill Top, and pleasingly chat with him, while the former named band are making hay while the sun shines, with mute voices, and talking eyes. From the frequency of their requests for the time, we would infer that time-pieces they had none, or else they were too fast. These handsome Gray Coats from the hill have now the ap- probation of our protector, who declares that they certain- ly is noble young gentlemen; they comes by jest as polite, and says, ' Good-evening, Mr. Thompson, — what time is it? ' They certainly is noble. The strict dicipline has had its good influence. Our Principal has realized the true significance of Order is Heaven ' s first law. Consequently, there is no more con- fusion worse confounded in coming out of Church. B} sections, the girls leave their pews, and with measured tread and slow, wend their homeward way, through the narrow pass left them by the crowd on the church steps. Readers, that gathering looks as it did in years gone by. Two or three have married, but their places have been filled by the growing youths of the town. THE AUGUSTA SEMIXARY ANNUAL. 3ft Ever ' one to her own tastes, of course. People will not agree. And our Principal acts in direct opposition to the poet when he says, A sweet disorder in the dress, Kindles in clothes a wantonness. and prohibits Mother- Hubbards. Now the dress is Fault- ily faultless, icily regular. But wc agree with the poets, especially with him, who thought, The man tliat hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved by concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils, This sentiment is echoed by the celebrated Glee Club of ' 91, composed often Pattis and two instrumental geniuses. Banjos, guitars, tambourines, in accord with human voices, ale led by one, whose voice is like a thread of gold, through all the web of sound. Modesty was always the writer ' s chief charm, and as a member of the A. F. S. Glee Club, she must leave to others the praise which becomes it. Best change of all, is the Swimming Pool and Gym- nasium, which are to add charms to the old Sem. New House is to be made twice as large. The Art Hall is to be doubled in size, and made a beautiful Studio. How I wish it w ere completed that I might have the pleasure of unfolding its beauties to that world so interested in all con- nected with the Seminary. Do you not see that there have been changes and im- provements ? The only things which will ever be change- less, are the purses of the average school-girl, and the sound of the six and the ten o ' clock bell. , Eva Vernon Bowe. 40 THE AUGUSTA SEMIXARY ANNUAL. Uncle Chess. Under a quivering aspen tree, The school mail-carrier stands; Uncle Chess, a mighty man is he, With his mail-box in his hands, And the muscles of his bony arms Are old as seashore sands. His hair is grizzh ' , scant and gray. His face is like the soot, His brow is wet with honest sweat. He carries the mail on foot. And walks with a proud and lofty air, For he sweeps the leaves to boot. Week in, week out, from morn till night, You can hear him sweep the leaves, You can hear him stump his broom about, And see his tattered sleeves. And when the leaves arc budding out, And none fall to the ground. He sits all day most patiently, And keeps a sharp watch ' round, For fear that one stray leaf may fall And not by him be found. M Tin-: Ai ' c.rsTA si:minakv annual. 41 Swccpinj — l)rushin}4 — j(athcriiig, On across the yard he j oes. Morninj the s£inie task begins, Evening sees it close, A few leaves gatliered, a few leaves swept, Has earneil a night ' s repose. Thanks, thanks to thee, our postman friend, For the letters thou has brought, And by thy patient toiling For tlie lesson thou hast taught. Anox. In jVIeiTioriam. IDGET, dog of Miss M.J. Baldwin, departed this life at 9 P. M. Monday, April Oth. 1S91. For some years before he moved to the Seminary, he resided with Miss Alice Reed. He studied music under her, and whenever she sat down to the piano, he sang her accompa- niment. Since his residence here, however, he has surren- dered the palm in secular music to the girls ; but up to the time of his last sickness, sang a voluntary every Sunday morning to the accompaniment of the church bell. During his stay in the Seminary, he was very prompt and regular in fulfilling his duties. He and Beaut} ' took a walk with Miss Douglass every day, just after breakfast, and with Miss Baldwin in the evening. Midget and Beauty were the best of friends and never quarreled, though they occasionally spoke dogmatically to each other. The writer was away during his last illness, but Aunt Matilda says every body acted mighty pleasant to- wards him while he was sick, and acted mighty sorry when he died. He was too sick Sunday morning to bark at the Church hill, so Beauty acted as his substitute. His last words were not intelligible. His burial took place from under Miss Baldwin ' s window at 10, A. M., on Tuesday. His remains were laid in a little black coffin with a silver M on the top. Major was chief mourner. Beauty, though rather quiet, was deeply affected. Margaret Epes. 42 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Soiree Notes. npHE CONCERT EN COSTUME, given by Miss - - Douglass, February 20th, was the musical treat of the year. The programme was composed of vocal solos, duets and choruses, with a few well -rendered instrumental selec- tions, the enjoyment of which was enhanced by the attrac- tiveness of the tasteful cosiumes, designed by Miss Doug- lass. Exquisite, beautiful, graceful, tender, are the words one would choose with which to characterize Tennj son ' s fanciful poem, The Princess, and all of these qualities are embodied in its clever adaptation to the stage by Miss L. May Houghwout. That our epithets are not extravagant, all who witnessed the performance in the Semi- nory Chapel, March 20th, will gladly testify. Here might we allude to the appropriateness of its pre- sentation on the Chapel stage, for is not this the classic hall of learning of a University for maidens, on whose walls the inscription, Let no man enter in (without a ticket) on pain of death, is as clearly writ as if in letters of gold ? Even our Princess had but to imitate the example ever before her, in her scorn for the bold intrusion of barbarians into their midst. But to our subject. As we write, the scenes in all their varied beauty return, and before our mind ' s ej e we see again the cold and haughty grace of the Princess in her trailing robes of white and gold ; the tender and passionate Prince, with his devoted friends, Florian and Cyril ; the University, presided over by Eadies Blanche and Psyche ; and the grace and beauty of the maidens of the Violet and April Daf- fodilly classes in three classic drills of Tableaux vivants. The following is the Cast of Characters : tup: AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 4 ' .) The Trinccss ; Lucille Foster. Lady Hlanchc Ivli ahcth Withers. Lady Psyche Mamie Richmond. Melissa Laura Gilmer. Violet Saidie Caswell. The Prince Minnie Bohun. Florian EUie Barr. Cyril ; Maude Wilson Gama Margaret Metzf er. Ipse Maude Childress. Courtiers Nellie Crow and Clara Cohn. Mr. Walden, a descendant of the Waldenses, gave a recital in Chapel last fall to show tts how it is done. If his object was to illustrate how much noise one man can possibly make within a certain length of time, the evening was certainly a howling success, fdr surely none of his ancestors ever made more noise in the world than did that noble scion of his family on this occasion. His masterpiece, Poe ' s Bells, was rendered with realis- tic and deafening effect. So much so that Midget, on the porch below, deceived by the thunderous vibrations, thought it the iron-throated church-bell over the way, and, as was his wont, howled dismally. However this was followed by an apology from the speaker for the weak state of his voice, caused by the warmth of the room. We are happy to add that none of the tympanums pres- ent were permanently injured. 44 . THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Seminary iMotes. With great regret we shall be called upon to bid fare- well to one of the Seminary ' s most gifted teachers. Miss Riddle, who has won our admiration in her social relations as w ell as our esteem as a teacher, has decided that a rest for a year is imperative. All good wishes attend her during the interv ening year. The Seminary will also lose Miss Douglass, who has so faithfully trained our voices for the last seven years. She w ' as alwa3 s at her post of duty, and such energj and untiring perseverance as hers in drilling her pupils is seldom found. Vocal Music has been her life work, and in preparation for it, she availed herself of fine instruction, from Masters both in America and Europe. Her departure is greatly re- gretted b} her pupils, and in leaving the Sunny South for her Northern home, with loving hearts and sincere wishes, for her great happiness, we bid her good-by. Madame Russell Garnier, Diplomee of the University of Paris, will be a most valuable accession to our faculty. She comes highly recommended , both by the Presidents ot the several influential Colleges, in which she has taught, and b) her pupils, as a scholarly. Christian woman, at once gaining the respect, confidence and love of her pupils, and holding their interest in the subjects she teaches. Madame Garnier is an excellent English scholar, and will supplement her work by Lectures on Phj ' siology and Hj ' giene. The friends of Mrs. Darrow will be gratified to know that she will have charge of the Vocal Department next ses- sion. Her reputation, as a successful vocalist and teacher, is so well known in Staunton, that it is scarcely necessary to comment upon her qualifications for the position, but for the gratification of many who will be her pupils, we will give a few items regarding her accomplishments and advantages. Mrs. Darrow was educated at the Augusta Seminarj and gained a distinction as yet attained b} no other pupil, becom- Till-: AUGUSTA SKMINARY ANNUAL. 45 inq; a full sjaduate, both of the Literary and Musical Depart- ments, and takinf star Medals in Vocal and Instrumental Music. We who have aimed at one of these distinctions, knowino; the amount of hard labor, and years of faithful study and practice it requires, look with wonder upon her attainments. After graduating, she went to New York and received instruction, from the most celebrated vocalist there, then returned as instructor in Vocal Music, and had charge of the department several years. She was quite young, just where womanhood and childhood meet, but was possessed of so much dignity and judgment, that she had no difficulty in controlling those of even more mature years than herself. Her career as a teacher was successful. Having married, she moved to the far West ; and now after the lapse of a few years, she returns to her home and Alma Mater to resume her profession. In view of taking up her work again, she has made ample preparation for it, by availing herself of the finest instruction in the West, she will spend the summer in New Y ork and Boston for the purpose of acquainting her- self with the latest and best methods of vocalization, that fully equipped, she may give her pupils all that is new in the proper placing and training of the voice. Though we do not know her, we give a hearty wel- come to the daughter of the school-girl ' s friend and congrat- ulate the Seminary upon the valuable acquisition to its corps of teachers . Mrs. Sellers has resigned and accepted a position in a large girl ' s school of Roanoke, of w hich institution her sister is Principal. Teaching is Mrs. Seller ' s chosen profession , and we wish for her great success in her new home and extended field of usefulness. Mrs. Williamson, of Warren ton, Va., has accepted the position of intendant of the infirmary. She is admirably fitted for the duties which will devolve upon her. Her effi- ciency in nursing, devotion to deeds of kindness, and her consistent Christian life, cause her presence to be eagerly sought in the sick chamber, and in her own neighborhood, her form is that which oftenest meets the eye in entering the presence of sickness and death. 46 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Among the changes, which have occurred during the session, may be mentioned the resignation of our efficient Secretary, Mr. Louis Ravenel, who desiring a more extended field of action has become the manager of a flourishing brick-yard. The proximity of his place of business to the two rapidly growing places, Waynesboro and Basic City, must ensure him very abundant success. The position is now most acceptably filled by Mr. W. W. King, who by his efficiency, fidelity to duty, uniformly pleasant manners and accommodating spirit, has won the esteem and affection of all. The Remarkble Characters and Pets of the A u GUSTA Seminary. — Raise your eyes and look upward if you would behold our guardian, who, tall and gaunt, stalks around our school night after night, from the time the leaves begin to turn and winter ' s snows lie thick upon the ground, until the spring breezes blow, and flowers spring up and clothe the fields and woods in variegated robes. A red blanket is thrown carelessly across his arm, in addition to the great thick coat he wears to keep him warm. This is Mr. Jeremy Thompson, and if stooped he be, no wonder, for has he not had the great responsibility for three years of watching over the girls and teachers and of seeing that no living creature or ghostly visitant from an- other world enters the grounds to disturb their nocturnal slumbers, however light they may be. Next comes Uncle Chess, who long ago Laid down the shovel and the hoe. And hung up de fiddle and the bow. ' ' It is really true that . He has no hair on the top of his head, In de place whare de wool oughter grow. ' ' His feet are not quite As long as de cane in de brake, And he almost has no eyes for to see. ' ' I cannot say whether he is in the sad condition of his relative Uncle Ned, who Had no teeth for to eat de hoe cake, And so had to let de hoe cake be. ' ' TIIK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 47 We will bring the two pets, Beauty and Midget, on the stage together, as they art inseparable. Beauty carries himself with a satisfied, knowing air, and well he may, for has he not travelled and had his picture taken in oil, which picture now hangs in the office, where all the literati and distinguished visitors go. He also wears a decoration around his neck, and I often wonder if it is the lodge of the Order of the Garter, and if he is a member. Poor little Midge ! although he has not the pedigree of Beauty, and is little and lank and lean, still he is not at all dignified. He skips and scampers, frisks and frolics. Making music wherever he goes, with rings on his fingers and bells on his toes, Since the above piece was written, the dread fiat has gone forth, and that reaper whose name is death, with his sickle keen, hath reaped the bearded grain at a breath, and Midget that frisked between. Seminary Tourists. — In England. Dr. W. — Driver, what tree is that ? Driver — That is the hash tree, sir, the hash tree. Dr. W. — The hash tree ! I never heard of the hash tree. Driver — You call it the ash tree, but we call it the hash tree. In Paris. A carriage to Versailles. Plain English wo- mon to Seminary Teacher — That gentleman is a country- man of yours. Indeed ! where is he from ? From the Sandwich Islands. Guide at the A. F. S. Art Exhibition— That old fel- low (pointing to portrait of Daniel Webster) I know too well. The mean old thing has kept me writing at his old dictionary for the last six weeks. The colours adopted by themajority voteof the students are henceforth to be white and gold. The Catalogue and Annual, respecting our choice in their covers, give these colours to the world. 48 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. A Sad Fact. — Died and dyeing of yellow fever, the hair of , , , , — Miss W. — Well, Nellie, what is the meaning of Syn- tax? (Nell.) — Oh, yes; it ' s a tax on d?mamon, isn ' t it ? Sadie, Is Clay rejected b} ' the makers of patent medi- cines ? Mile. J. — How do you answer a question in French ? (M. E.) — ' ' With. politeness and expression. Stranger — How many are there in the Faculty? (Student) — About three hundred, counting day scholars and all. (Sudie to a small boy; — Can you show me the way to the cemetery ? (Small boy) — Yess, Miss; you jes turns dis corner, go ' s down dat street and j ' ou ' s dar. (Sudie) — Thank you. She walks on, soon finds herself at the cemetery gate, turns and sees the boy following and ex- claims, I mean the place where I go to achool. Miss Bald- win ' s Cemeter} ! Sudie are you there yet ? Looking Backward — The line of Gray -coats on Sunday morning. Gilmer would be Kyn(d)er if she was not always in a Brown study. Is it true that Pattie A. is learning the Baker ' s trade ? We are glad that Georgia devotes an hour a day to reading and thinking over the songs of the Sweet Singer of Israel ! ' ' We suppose Uncle Chess is hoping that the demi-trains will stay in until the leaves begins to fall ! Matilda is in the fourth reader ! If her rapid progress continues she may be the first to receive the Academic Cer- tificate. Miss Baldwin — My dear, don ' t you know it is wrong to flirt ? Hallie — Miss Baldwin, he threw a kiss to me, and I didn ' t do anything but throw it back to him. TIIK AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. 49 Roll Call — Mrs. Crawford, Genevieve Weiss. (Gen- evieve) — Caught chewing gum, and it wasn ' t gum, it was rubber, an ' -an ' -a ' -, I-I- didn ' t know ' twas any harm ; but I -I- didn ' t go to class — an ' -a ' -an ' — late to breakfast. Mrs. Crawford: — Mary Burleson. (Mary B.) — Smiled in Study Hall, and spoke to myself in class. Miss Crawford — Roselle Mercier. (RoselleJ — Up before six. A conversation between two girls not in the Literature class : First girl — Do you like Keats ? Second girl — I have never tasted it. Miss S. — How is Canada divided? F. R. — Canada is divided into Providences . ' ' A. McF. (raising her hand) — Miss S., I don ' t think she meant to be inreverent. ' ' ' Coming out of Church : N. McF. — Wasn ' t that a splendid sermon? A. McF. — Yes, I dearly love to hear a preacher preach through his nose. Examination question — What did Chaucer and Wick- liff write ? ' ' Answer — ' ' Chaucer wrote the Canterbury ' Tales and Wickliflf wrote the Bible, Examination question — What is a preposition. An- swer — A preposition is a word that shows relation ; as father, mother. ' ' From what does wool come. ' ' Pupil — ' ' From wolves. ' ' Teacher — What is that you have in 3 ' our mouth? Girl (chewing gum) — Chestnuts. Legion is the name of the young lad} ' who comes to Miss Baldwin ' s expecting to graduate in one year, and after staying three, carries oflf a music -medal, certificate in neat- ness, botany, and improvement in drawing. What strange freaks girls will take. It is rumored that while Miss Mary T. was in Washington she de cided to become a Cook. Inquisitive new comer — Do you expect to pursue Latin when you leave school. Senior Latin student — No; I will be thankful enough if it stops pursuing me. Oft in the chilly night. Ere slumber ' s chain has bound nie. Fond memory brings the warmth Of other nights around me, The other nights are those in summer, in which John exerts himself to get up early and kindle a large fire. 50 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Girl of emerald hue to Senior Latin student — Do you read Chaucer in the Senior Latin class? Can the heart of a Hogshead hold Hay-good, or does a Barr prevent ? (Sudie, who had never seen a mountain, stands at studio window) — Oh what an awful cloud ! I am afraid Aye are going to have an awful storm. Binnie, see! CBinnie; — Where, Sudie ? I can see nothing? lean see nothing. rSudie pointing) — Over there, that dark blue one; see how heavy. (Binnie) — Ah, go awa} — that ' s the Blue Ridge. Alice H., won ' t 5 ' ou tell us who Delicious delightful is? Lizzie R. — Mr Thompson, won ' t you let me in ? Mr. T. — No, Miss, I can ' t ; the door is Dun-barred V Lost — A heart on Chapel Hall in No. 40. Finder will please restore to Mande Wilson. Are Hills well adapted to the cultivation of Cof- fey? The Academic course, recently arranged, is planned to suit those girls who cannot spend four years at school, and who are content with a less extended course than that opened to a full graduate of the Seminary. In this course of two years study, the following branches will entitle the pupil to an Academic certificate: In the Sci- ences, Geology and Botany; in Mathematics, Algebra to Quadratics and Plane Geometry; in Histor} ' , Junior courses in Ancient and Modern; in Literature, through Junior course; in Latin, two years; in French, two years. An Aca- demic certificate will be awarded those completing this course, and a medal to those averaging ninety on all exami- nations. It is hoped that one advancing thus far will be encouraged to finish the entire course, and thus gain that most precious possession, a diploma of the Seminary. We hear that Misses A. Pearson and M. Bohon are get- ting up a collection of recitatations : for the former we would suggest Kentucky Bell, ' and for the latter ' ' Denny ' s O ' Reilly. The labors of the Saturday night workers in the Library are often disturbed, now that the balmy nights of Spring THK AUGUSTA SUMIN ' AKV ANNUAL. 51 have come, by the rehearsals of The GUc Club. To satisfy ])ul)lic interest, the names of the club, with their respective parts, are here made known: Miss M. Gilliam, Falsetto Regretto; Misses Pearson, Stribling, Baldwin and Armstrong; Soprano Inferno; Misses Mercier and Richmond, Basso Dis- gusto; Misses Bohon and Moore, Alto Night-cat-to; Misses Bowe and Foster, Tener Vehemento. The old girls will 43robably appreciate more than ever the fact they arc old girls. It has been said that on the night of the soiree, March 20th, the students from the University painted things red. We were under the impression that there was a decided blueness in the atmosphere. On these bright afternoons, the votaries at the shrine of the racket may be seen on the tennis courts in all the glory of jaunty caps and blazers. A different kind of racket issues from the vicinity of New House, and blcLsls, both loud and deep, foretell the introduction ot a new element — the prospective swimming- pool. Uncle Chess ' s health is failing. There are few Semi- nary- girls who have not a tender feeling for the old man. A new science has sprung up in the Seminary. All those desiring instruction in the tonsorial art will apply at Long Room for a course of lectures delivered by Miss R. Mercier, and illustrated hy her assistant, Miss E. Bowe. Scene — Miss Riddle ' s recitation room after school hours. Enter tw ' O Histor ' Graduates of ' 90. First Graduate — Let ' -s see if ve can answer these questions on the board, just for fun. ' ' Second Graduate — Well (reading abbreviations for names of States, Alabama, Georgia, etc.) — A-la-, G-a-, La H ' m, has Miss Riddle begun to give vocal lessons? We regret that there will not be room for more of the interesting letters from the old girls, but our attempt has been made to avoid repeating any bits of news from the es- caped. We regret to see how extensively one of our graduates is taking To-Lcw. Ask Duncan Williams what her favorite style of gentle- man ' s hair dressing is ? A lady was heard to remark that of all the girls, Betsy Bell was the last to put on spring clothes. If she looks again, she will find that Betsy has attached a demi-train to her winter dress. We would like to remind some one in Brick House that all is not gold that glitters— ; ?5 , for instance. 52 THE AUGUSTA SEMINARY ANNUAL. Why? Wh} is it that the terrace bricks look so depressed since spring holida3 ' s ? Why is Fannie Colbert the rara avis of the school? Why is Sweet William Sue Stribling ' s favorite flower ? Why does Lucille Foster enjoy letters from her Pater so much ? Why does the sign ' Lucas Paints cause a vivid blush to mount to Lou Brown ' s face? W h} is it that Arches are so attractive to Eva Bowe ? Why does Bessie Beall think the island of R{h)odcs would be a charming place of residence ? Kate Johnson says if she can I be a nightingale, she ' ll be a Martin-gale. Wonder wh} ? Why is Huckleberry Nill Zimmerman ' s favorite pie? Why does Emma Baldwin sing Bum -de-rum -dum ? ' ' Wh} is it that though Lynchburg is farther South than Staunton, a young lady ' s hands are always cold there ? Why do you weckon Page Osborne sings Dove ' s Gol- den Dweam is Past since her recent trip to Wackbwidge. Where do girls carry most of their gold ? On their heads. Why is Childe Harold Roselle Mercier ' s favorite poem? Why does Pattie Alexander| make Brick House resound with — The butcher, the Baker, the candlestick maker-er? Why does Eva Bowe feel conscious when any one men- tions a Semi -Terry ? Why does Mamie Richmond prefer Curd-(s) to whej ? Guess who would like Bessie to Bealle or nothing to him, and has eyes for no one else ? Why should Alma IVayt for fame when she can have Ritchies f Wh} is Maud W. so interested in the fortifications of Fort Mac Henr} ' ? Why does ] Iay R. love Read(ing) ? Why does Mr. Blackley cut the S. W. amen-corner? Experience has taught him that there is no change there. Dk. N. Wavt Bro., No. le W. Main Street, DEALERS IN Drugs, Medicines, CHEMICALS, Perfumery Fancy Toilet Articles, PTtlNTS, OILS, VKRNISHES, RtiD DYE=STUFFS. Physician ' s Prescriptions Carefully Prepared at all hours. W. H. WKLLKR, (Y. M. C. A. BUILDING.) Is now shiowing Very Handsome and Extreme Novelties — OF— This Snason ' s ImpoFtatinn —IN- DRESS GOODS, SILKS, TRIMMINGS, RIBBONS, LACES, PARASOLS, FANS, GLOVES, ETC. V. H. WELLER, Y. M. C. A. BUILDING. Second-Hand School Books wanted! The Young Ladies of the Augusta Female Seminary who have no further use for their School Books or who do not wish to take them home, can obtain their full value in jpane deeds, Stationery or other Books, -OF- W . L. OLIVIER, Bookseller and Stationer, :2S W. Main Street. WITZ, LIGHTNER CO., DRY GOODS, Silk:®, Ribbons, Laces. c. C5tRI BXS, OIL CIvOXHS, 1VI?«:XTINGS, And everything found in a first class store at lowest prices . Chas. K. Jesser, fine cakes, Candies, Ice Cream, Fruits, c. Special attention given to orders from Seminaries. 17 W. Frederick: St. Go to Berkeley ' s PhatDdraphic Studio -FOR- Artistic Portraits. NOVBLTIKS, Dry Goods, NOTIONS, C., No. 22 East Vlain Street, Staunton, = Viroinia. Go to Mrs. Gladke ' s -FOR YOUR- Fine Millinery, Flowers Ribbons. IVIrs. Gladke ' s Imported Hats and Bonnets is the Xalk of the Season. Mrs. Gladke has more Millinery Goods, than all the stores in Staunton put together, and h%r prices are the lowesL 15 Different makes of Corsets. 10 Different styles of Kid Gloves. 2-5 Different styles of Silk Net. 10 Different makes of Ladies ' Muslin Underwear. All can be found at MRS. GLADKE ' S. 3 Ribbed Ladies ' Vests for 2S C ents. All the above goods, and many more can l)e had at low figures, at GLADKE ' S DRY GOODS DEPOT. Barkman Singer, MANUFACTURERS OF FINE Candies, Cakes, AND PnEB Ice H Eam, MAIN STREET. Special attention to orders from the schools. McH. HOLLIDAY, 20 W. MAIN STEEET, HliAUQUAKTICKS [ ' UK I,AI)Ii;S FINK SHOES, Dxtnrd Ties AND FANCY SLIPPBRS. Dont Fail in Find the Ri|ht Place. NlcH. HOLIDAY, New Shoe Store, in the CroAvIe Building. Hart ' s Grand Bazaar, Dry Goods, Fancy Goods, MillinBFj, Muslin IlndHrwEan, ConsBts, niQVBs. no West TVlaio St., NEXT TO THE F OST OFFICE. i ' I C ClCl jMain Street. Watches, Diamonds Jewelry, R Large Line of Silver Novelties. Souvenier Spuous, Love Chains, Friendship Rings, Gold and Silver Hair Pins, Glove Hooks, Bangle Bracelets. fl.ll the I atest Novelties. Purchases Engraved Free. LIBRARY OF Wm BALDWIN CClLEd