Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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The Augusta Seminary Anmtal. 25 terest to those from tliat section. Altlioiii li a little band among so jnany, we were i:;la(] to find that we numbered one hiindrefl and two. With hearts eharij ed with lioly purposes, and with enthusi- asm for missions deepened, tlic intfuenee of the Detroit Con ' en- tion will doubtless be felt thr()Ui2;hout our Southland. Tn order to bring the students into ( ' (tntact with their various boards, a few hours of one morning were given to denominational conferences, it was a little company of Southern Presbyterians who gathered in the lecture-room of the Central Baptist Church, bnt the mem- ' orj ' of the cosy informality of that coming apart, the cheery words of Dr. Chester, the frank, helpful suggestions of Mr. Sampson, the tender, sympathetic prayer of Mr. Rankin will long linger with the members of our delegation. The report of the Convention, read by Mr. Mott, was a most complete presentation of the purpose, field, results, influence and ])olicy of the movement. It showed a remarkal)le growth — a Student Volunteer Missionary Union in the British universities, missionary fires kindled in the universities of Scandinavia, organi- zations in South Africa and India. Six hundred and eighty-six volunteers are already in fields scattered from Greenland ' s icy mountains to India ' s coral strand. To realize the influence in the home land one had only to look at the vast gathering of stu- dents who were present, representing two hundred and ninety- four higher educational institutions, including pi-eparatory, normal, training, literar}-, scientific, law, agricultural, medical and theo- logical schools. The farewell meeting of Sunday night was full of great power and great possibilities for the w ork. A number of short addresses, given by the representatives of the various young peoples ' societies, showed the quiet, earnest consecration which was the spirit of the Convention. One could not watch the eager faces of this great number of cultured young men and women and not feel that this Epiphany of youth meant the influence of a mighty power which will sweep around the earth. As the students from these two hundred and ninety-four colleges return to their institutions, quickened and strengthened in a life of larger faith and purpose and with but one desire — to know God ' s plan for their lives, we must feel that we are approaching the beginning of the end of evangelistic enterjn-ise. Laura Shortt.

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24 The Aiigusta Seminary Annual. every possible point. Dr. J. Hudson Taylor made a most earnest appeal in Ijebalf of close communion with God as the full equip- ment for the foreign held. Without movement or gesture, his simplicity of manner produced a profound impression. The same evening Dr. Taylor again addressed the Convention on tlie Spirit- ual ]S eeds and Claims of China. He was followed by Miss Guin- ness, who gave many instances of the power of a living gospel to reach the hearts of the Chinese, showing that the best way to win for Christ is to live winsome lives. It was a supreme pleasure to listen to the voice of Miss Guinness and look into a face so full of inspiration. One of the strongest addresses of the Convention was Dr. A. J. Gordon ' s— The Man of God and the Word of God. It was not until Saturday morning that we heard Dr. A. T. Pierson, wlio spoke on the Watcli-Crj of the movement. He developed mission service under two heads — the work of a liei ' ald and the work of a witness. Seven things are auxiliary to the immediate evangelization of tlie world : world-wide exploration, communication, assimilation, civilization, emancipation, jirepara- tion, organization. The afternoons of each day wei ' e given up tu section meetings, in which the phases of missionary work, the various fields, their conditions and needs, and the metljods for awakening and extend- ing missionary zeal in colleges as yet untouched, were ably pre- sented by specialists in these several departments. Of all the conferences the most interesting to the women of the Convention was the one held on Thursday afternoon in the Central Methodist Clmrch — interesting because it opened the eyes of many to the far-reaching character and wonderful success of woman ' s work. This conference was controlled in their interest and dominated by them. As Mr. Mott, the president of the organization, had proved himself a master of assemblies, so Mrs. Wishard showed her power to organize with ready tact and executive abihty. Notable wo- men were there, some to speak, many to listen. Inspiration, information and practical counsel were given. The great regret was that all could not be heard at length, but it was a high privi- lege to come in touch with such noble w orkers as Miss Geraldiue Guinness, of China, Miss Pauline Roote, M. D., of India, and Miss Ben Oliel, of Jerusalem. The conference of the Southern delegates was of especial in-

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26 The Augusta Seminary Annual. Betsy Bell. ETSY BELL is the loftiest and most beautiful of the mounts by which Staunton is surrounded. Southeast of the city she towers, piloting the people from every part of the country hither. What Stauntonian, returning home after years of absence, does not look out for her familiar form, and hail her from afar with feelings of rapture ? By what attractions does Betsy Bell tempt the young to climb her rocky sides ? What school-girl does not know where to find the largest and earliest violets ? And what school-l)oy does not know where chincapins are first ripe ? Now I hear you asking, How did she get her name ? And thereby hangs a tale. Lying to the southeast of Betsy Bell, and very much resembling her, is another hill called Mary Gra} ' . The story which most of the old inhabitants of Staunton will tell you is, that on the sides of the two hills stood two cottages, one owned by Mr. Bell, who had a daughter named Betsy, and the other by Mr. Gray, whose daughter ' s name was Mary. One day Betsy and Mary, who were close friends, were sent to find the cows which had strayed off. Night came, and as the girls did not return, the fathers made up searching parties and found the lost ones dead — tomahawked by the Indians who were, at that time, quite numerous in this part of the country. This story, however, is without foundation. The names of the hills are of Scottish origin. According to tradition, Mary Gray ' s father was laird of Lednoch, and Betsy Bell ' s of Kinvaid. An intimate friendship sprang up between the two girls. Once, when Betsy was visiting Mary, a plague broke out in the neighborhood, and to escape it the girls built a bower near Lednoch House and lived there for some time. A young man, in love with both of the girls, came often to see them and brought them food. They caught the plague from him, and both died in their bower, and were buried half a mile from Lednoch House, near Perth. Their sad fate became the subject of a ballad, the first verse of which ran thus :