Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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HISTORY OF THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS 1842-1862 T. ( ) the town of Staunton, Virginia, with its popula- tion of about three thousand, its many comfortable homes and rich farms, its healthful climate and beau- tiful scenery, there came in the summer of 1842 an adventurer of unusual caliber even for days when ad- venture of whatever kind secured the best talent of America. A native of Maine, graduate of Dartmouth, ex-minister, lawyer, teacher, and author, he had travel- ed widely, his latest field having been educational work among young women in South Carolina. )ther reasons there surely were for this last move and for later ones, but certainly the dominant one was to start in this ter- ritory, rich in so many ways, a proper school for the daughters of prosperous and devout citizens. For the man who had taught and preached for twenty years, the author of the widely read Scholar ' s Companion, was guided all his life by a strong belief in the power of moral precept. His name was Rufus William Bailey, and the college which today celebrates its cen- tenary recognizes him as its founder. Although the town which he selected as most suit- able for his enterprise had supported several similar experiments previously, and although later decades started several more, his was the first successful one, and the longest lived. Why? What did Mr. Bailey and the number of ministers and other gentlemen do and say at their meetings that summer that laid so sure a groundwork? Their object is simply stated in the Plan or Constitution of Augusta Female Semi- Reverend 1 nary printed in Aug stitution design it to literary and Christian of this portion of the Board of fifteen Tru FRANCIS MoFARX UTD, V. J) Pruida i.uir.s ciiAUTojai. WILLIAM BROWN 31 LINK, E.,j. EXPLANATION. !e number of pupils for (he Rbrft-iKfietcrk 2 -riJistry 20, As 12. H— History sophy 50. KJi— i,; ; I ' ■ L— Latin 2. TEACiJKUfc I ' vges From The Firsi ( i i ocui it i s William Bailey ust : The founders of this In- jfford the means of a thorough education to the female youth country. A self-perpetuating stees was appointed to manage the funds and property and promote the interests of the Seminary, whose pupils were to be admitted after examina- tion of their literary attain- ments. The Principal was to plan the course of study, subject only to the stipulation that such courses shall al- ways contemplate a daily rec- itation by all the pupils able to read, of a portion of the Sacred Scriptures. With this meager blue- print and an abundant faith. Air. Bailey, as Principal, as- sisted by his wife and two daughters, opened school that fall in rooms over a Cabinet- maker ' s shop in Court-House Alley, but moved soon to a large frame house on Green- ville avenue. Two years later a new building was ready, with its portico and columns in front, the center — and it

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ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

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iSi ' fumlou ■ A ? x . AaHfiwJ ' . Jafie, kcwinff voj t itetect cuui it jser tfle Sxcffninaiionj. in hr zP r-ri n vU Course gf •Muc ry 0 this ■ Js j-af tt ' t on. i,r hereby declared a Ofatinat? of r u- ■ ■fuqw.rta J-f mUc Jeminary . cJ i testimony w tetea ' . tnu Jia-s been- (Urmc ed mr. ■Jitzic J It i lfi6 ' 6 ' Diploma M 6 stands today — around which all the rest was to grow. There were sixty young ladies, among them one named Mary Julia Baldwin, to whom such a Plan pro- posed by such men was attractive. (Or, at least, to their parents.) The first catalogue, printed in 1844, and appended to a sermon of one of the Trustees to give a wide gratuitous circulation, shows that fact. For a solid and useful Education plus whatever or- nament might be required, they paid $1(X)-$130 a year, including board. They studied in school from 8 A. M. to 12 noon, from 2 to 4. and in Boarding houses from 7 to 9. Their books were The Bible, Porter ' s Rhetorical Reader, Brown ' s English Gram- mar, Colburn ' s Mental Arithmetic, Davies ' Algebra. And they followed this schedule for two sessions of live months each with no vacation between! Every student had a daily fare of Reading, Writ- ing, Spelling, Arithmetic, English Grammar, Geog- raphy. Then she might choose further from Rhetoric, Botany, Chemistry, Astronomy, Algebra, History, Natural Philosophy. Solid and useful enough, you say, but did girls of the 1840 ' s thrive on such heavy fare — no sweets, no stimulants, no cokes, no jukes? The lightest mental pabulum in the catalogue are Piano Forte, Guitar, French, Drawing and Painting; but the description of the Ladies in charge of these makes their sphere seem anything but frivolous. The seriousness of educators at this period seems to 11s at times both pompous and puritanical. The gen- eral tone is perhaps best indicated by referring to the dedicatory speech of Rev. B. M. Smith at the laying of the cornerstone on June 15, 1844. He scoffs at the acquisition of accomplishments, so-called, German Waltzes, French dances, and Italian music and paint- ing. He felt that female education had gone too far in making woman a mere toy, that efforts to teach them to play had gone to ridiculous extremes. Now, he says, we want no Calisthenics, no measured plays, no scientific jumping — no running by rules or laughing by squares. But it is wrong to suppose that such pro- nouncements or stricter codes of public deportment than girls today know could obtain an unlaughing, un- mischievous student body. Furthermore, the picture that Mr. Smith presents of education as a whole is an appealing one, these strictures aside. He cites Milton ' s definition of edu- cation — to permit one to perform justly, skillfully, and magnanimously the duties of life, and then goes on to speak of the spiritual, mental, and physical as- pect. If he had no use for the lascivious waltz. or the impure imaginations of the French theatre, he still relished a happy and vigorous group of students. Surpassingly beautiful for situation is this location. We reckon among its great advantages this broad green yard; we long to see it the scene of those healthy sports which invigorate without fatigue, amuse without corruption ; excite unaffected goodnature, and even aid in cementing those early friendships which, in after veais, will be remembered as Pilgrims remember Fountains and groves in the vast desert. Well, the cornerstone was laid and sealed, contain- ing among other items the Holy Bible enclosed in oil silk, with the superscription — The only rule of Faith, and First text-book of the Augusta Female Seminary. The Virginia Legislature passed an act incorporating the school on January 30, 1845. The Board met reg- ularly to express satisfaction with the progress of things, to deal with financial and other matters, and to adopt rules. In 1849 Mr. Bailey resigned. As an aeent of the American colonization Society, lie con- v —.. Certificati 1846