Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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Kkv. a. r. Fkasku, ]). I)., I.L. 1).

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A Message from Miss Mig-gins .My (k-;ir Girls: 1 am cn luippy tn ha r tliis ()|i|i(iituiiily of SLiiding a HKssagr tn .mhi in a inrniaiuiil fdini. If ill years tci onu ' xou luni tc. the iiages of tlir . niuial cjf ' )2H-2 ' and rc-ail this simple greeting, 1 wnncler what iinr reaction will lie. Let ns talk f(jr a while alunit yuur aim when yuii came to us and what I trnst it will he when you leave us. Just a few years ago every girl now in college was thinking seriously and talking continuously as to the college she would enter. She sent for catalogues, here, there, and everywhere. In many instances she thought more of the physical and social sur- roundings than she did of the so-called educational advantages. She thought of the college located in broad open spaces where athletics was iiroiiiineiit ami where restraint ap]iareiitly would be negative; she thought of llie colle;.;e in or near a large city where the call for social recreation could be easily answered ; she thought ol the combination of advantages, of the college situated in the small town where the countryside could be easily reached, and at the same time the shops and stores and social jileasures could be enjoyed with comparatively little physical output. Whatever college she selected she discovered that in every case the professors were most e.xasperating and insistent, that lectures must be attended, that library assignments must be mastered, that much of the glori- fied leisure in the city or in the couiitr ' had vanished, that in every case certain tasks must lie done. The result of these years of training shows a change of attitude. It shows that at the ixpiraliiiii of these four years the emjihasis upon physical surroundings has somewhat lost its initial importance. The student sees things differently: her reasoning powers ha e lieeii de- Ml ipe l ; she has learned to make nice distinctions, and she has learned to recognize the true values of life. As yiiii looked fi ruar(l fniiii yniir high school days to the fuller, freer life in college ' , . ciu are now making another decision. (Hme choose your road and away faces you again. If we have been able to imjiress Ujion you the ideals and standards for which Mary I ' aldwin has stood during the long uninterrupted years of its existence you will be more independent in your thoughts and you will think less of the physical and social surroundings. You will think seriously of the profession or occupation which will enable you to develop l.iteiit tal- ents. A few years ago if you had looked through a list of professions or occuiiations yuu might ha e found only a limited number open to women. Now if you re iew that same list, you will find the reverse. The number which is closed to women is limited. I trust that you as Mary I ' aldwin girls will keep your faces straight to the front, that you will realize that it is the future that interests the man or woman who wishes to make a success of life. You should be thankful for the blessings of yesterday, -ou should endeaxiir to be in tune with the conditions of today, ' ou should go lorward with grim determination to make tomorrow the best of all. l- ' idelit) to trust, faith in others, and courage to meet the ar iiig conditions of life, will contribute to your success, but a strong, abiding faith in tin- true teachings of Christ and the earnest endea or to follow these teachings is the foundation upon which all your efforts must rest. 1 urge you to remember that material changes ma take jilaee in our Alma Mater, but an abiding interest in your happiness, your success, and . our ]ih. sical and spiritual welfare will remain unchanged in the hearts of all of us who ha e helped to make Mary r aldwiii our home during the ears ihal von ha e been with us. I am, at all times and in all place Most affectionately yours, iI. lU. .NX.V 1 ' . Hu.lilNS. 23

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MaHIANXA r l(KAMORF, Hll.CIXS, LiTT. 2S