Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

Page 22 text:

16 The Aiig2ista Seminary Anmial. culty was removed and, at last, our hearts were delighted with the gift from Miss Baldwin of the Old Calisthenics Hall, which was soon changed by the busy hands of the Room and Library Committee into a pleasant Y. W. C A. room, with books, maga- zines, and a small museum. The fund for this purpose was in. creased by the sum of $15.00, the proceeds of a Mother Goose Entertainment, planned and successfully carried out by the So- cial Committee. Mother Goose proved herself the same old de- lightful lady that she has always been and the pleasure afforded by the antics of her numerous children was greatly increased by the recitations of several of our best elocutionists. We have been much helped by the visit of Miss Abbie Lyon, who, although coming especially in behalf of the Student Volunteer, still gave us much aid in our Y. W. C. A. work. She made two deeply interesting addresses in the Chapel and her face showed that her words came from her heart. Never will we for- get tho.se delightful conversations with Miss Lyon in her own room, when she solved for us so man} ' of the difficult problems in our own Christian work. All too short for us was her stay in our midst, for in her we found an inspiration. Another great help to us has been the series of meetings in our Y. W. C. A. room, conducted by the Rev. Mr. Booker, for Mr. Booker has, in an unusual degree, the gift of knowing what to say to school-girls to show them very plainly the road to the Celestial City. Our beloved pastor, Mr. Fraser, has often been among us and teachers and girls have felt that his presence always brings a benediction. One of our greatest difficulties, one lion which is still roar- ing loudl} ' in our path, is the question, How are we to keep up the interest among the members ? Alas! that lion has made us tremble again and again. The variety of our programs has done much to rivet the fetters of this king of beasts, but he is still very threatening. However, many, many blessings have fallen to our portion and for these let us raise our hearts in thankfulness. And, when we of this year are far away from our Alma Mater, may those blessings increase and may many souls be made heirs of God through the instrumentality of our grand old Y. W. C. A. Pauline Du Bose.

Page 21 text:

The Augusta Seminary Annual. 15 The few remaining weeks of the session sped so rapidly and brought with them such countless multitudes of last duties, that nothing could be done to carry out our new ideas. Summer days came swiftly and then the happy home-going and all the merry-makings and the numberless pleasures of vacation hours. But in the midst of the joy and sunshine came ringing in our ears, like the chimes of far-off bells, the talismanic letters, Y. W. C. A. Louder and clearer they sounded as the vacation hours drew to a close, and soon our minds and hearts were so filled with the melody that many a petition went up to the throne of grace for guidance in establishing an association the next session. September soon re-united many of the loving school-friends in the time-honored walls of the A. F. S. Well, girls, we are just obliged to have a Y. W. C. A, this year. We can ' t do without it, such were our words during those busy days of preparation for the hard, steady work of the winter. Miss Baldwin greatly favored our plan and with her help and that of a number of our teachers, a Young Women ' s Christ- ian Association was organized Sunday, October 7, 1894, and the following oflBcers were elected: President, Miss Eleanor Preston; Vice- President, Miss Margaret Daniel; Treasurer, Miss Hallie Ogle; Secretary, Miss Pauline Du Bose. By the next Sabbath, our President had appointed several committees to carry on the Association work. The Membership and Finance Committee were soon busy canvassing for members and collecting the dues, the vSocial Committee was planning en- tertainments, while the Committee on Religious meetings was trying to revise the order of services for Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings. Other committees were added, one by one, as they seemed to be needed. The Y. W. C. A. combines in itself the little Volunteer band and the Missionary Society and takes under its supervision all our religious meetings. Were there lions in the way of this newly organized Christian band ? Aye, lions fierce and growling, such lions as threatened to tear the then feeble undertaking to pieces. But when we came to them, like Bunyan ' s Pilgrim, we found them ' chained ' The first difficulty that stared us in the face was the lack of a suitable room for our Association. Little by little, this diffi

Page 23 text:

The lu iisfa Semmary Annual. 17 Mars Phil. SO LONG, honey, yo ' ole mammy ' s got to work. Don ' t yer see how busy I is ? What ' s dat you say ? You want me to tell you a tale ' bout yo ' ma an ' yo ' Unc ' Phil when dey was li ' l i Law honey, when yer stuck yo ' haid in dat do ' I mos ' thought I wuz back on de ole plantation way yonder fo ' de war, an ' you wuz yo ' ma. I recollec ' how she use ' ter run in wid her curls flyin ' roun ' her face an ' her eyes a-shinin ' , a-hollerin hello ter me an ' axin ' me how I is. She an ' Mars Phil wuz de smartis ' children dat ever lived. When de war broke out, yo ' ma wan ' t no bigger ' n you an ' Mars Phil he was jes ' two years older. When ole Massa went off to de war he Icf me an ' ole Unc Tom to tek keer uv ole Missus an ' de chilluns an ' de plantation. Mars Phil he wanted a uniform an ' brass buttons like his pa ' s an ' wanted ter go to de war. But ole Massa he tell Mars Phil to be his brave li ' l soldier an ' stay- home an ' teek ' keer uv his ma an ' his li ' l sister. So arter ole Massa wuz gone Mars Phil felt like he wuz ' sponsible for de whole plantation. Bymeby arter ole Massa been gone two or three weeks, we hear de Yankees is comin ' . Me and Uuc Tom gits all de silver and de jewels an ' teks ' em out in de woods an ' buries ' em in d5 grown ' . Unc Tom he teks de kerridge horses an ' turns ' em out in de wood-lot so de Yankees wont know whar to find ' em. All dat day Missus ' face looks mighty still and white but she don ' t say nothin ' an ' don ' t cry none so ' s de chillun wont get skeerd. Mars Phil gits his pa ' s ole sword an ' puts it on. Next mornin ' ' long bout ten o ' clock we hears a mighty gal- lopin ' down de big road, an ' sees de Yankees comin ' . De sol- diers come up to de house a-laffin ' . One ' lows as how dey wont have no trouble gittin ' what dey want kaze dere ain ' t nobody ' ceptin ' women an ' chillun on de place. One asks Unc Tom where de horses is and de res ' all start in de house. Den Mars Phil he sees ' em an ' he steps up wid his haid helt up high, an ' his eyes a-shinin ' , an ' his han ' on de big sword an ' sez dat his Pa hez done gone to de war but dat he lef him home to tek keer uv his ma and his li ' l sister an ' dat all de Yankees in de worl ' shan ' t hurt