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ALUMNAE ISSUE
THE TWIG
Vol. VIII
Published Weekly by Students of Meredith College, Raleigh, N. C.> February 22, 1929
No. 17
MEREDITH FROM 1899
UNTIL 1913
I
ALMA MATER’S APPEAL
(This letter appeared iu The Atiom
March, 1913. Miss Roan C. Paschal,
who -wrotG it, was then Dean of Women
at Meredith.)
Deaji Few.ow Autmnar;
Receutly a visitor was making a
talk In cliapel, juat as vlailora used lo
do. Things haven’t changed in that
I'eapect. I’ve forgotten the name of
the speaker and have also forgotten his
Bubject, but one phrase caught my at
tention: viz: . the alumnae,
some of thorn are growing old.” At
flrat I smiled and niy train of thought
was somewhat as follows; “Bvidently
he knows as little about us as the
gentlemen did who came down to make
an address at Meredith with the Idea
that he was going to spealt to negro
students. Our college is too young for
anything connected with It to be old.”
Then the corners of my mouth began
to take a downward route. I was
probably the oldest of the alumnae
whom he had seen. Had I suggested
the thought to him? And were tho
alumnae of even youthful Meredith
getting old? And with that 1 began
to reminisce, Pardon the word, for
I’m not -writing an English theme.
I remembered tlie morning I ar
rived at the Baptist Female University.
Oh, yos, you more recent alumnae, il
was a university and it was female,
and it was Baptist then, and all of us
were University glrla and not divided
Into college glrla and academy girls
as we are now, being segregated in
chapel and the dining room. I uudcr-
slaiid that they have actually wanted
the segregation to extend to the class
room since membership in the South
ern Association of Colleges and I’repara-
tory Schools seems almost within
reach. Don’t you girls remember how
you had to walk around plies of lum
ber and stumble over sauares, adzes,
saws and hammers as you passed
through the halls that ih-st opening In
18!)9? "We had expected all things to
bo in readiness for us, but we found no
bedsteads in our rooms and no shades
to our windows. One couldn’t go into
the halls to dress, for thcro were the
carpenters, the electricians, the plumb
ers, tho janitors, the visitors and the
fucuUy passing back and forth. We
had to find our way down town to
buy sash curtains, and there were no
old girls to show us tho wiiy. I had
one of the two-girl room.H on the front
of tho Main Building, so I pushed my
wardrobe out from the wall and
dressed behind that. I don’t know what
tho girls did Avho had no wardrobes,
After a few days Mrs. Kesler and Dr,
Dixon, perhaps Impelled by views from
the street, got w'rapping paper from
down town and pasted it on our win
dows. No, I didn’t mean to say Dr,
Dixon-Carroll; she was only Dr, Dixon
then.
Speaking of no bedsteads, I wonder
if it was any of you who went to
sleep one night In a room with
two on a mattress on the lloor and
woke up next morning to find that
three other mattresses and six
other girls had beon put iu during
tho night. You younger alumnao may
not believe that these things happened,
but they did and even stranger things
in those good old times.
I wish it wiu'O poflsil)lc! for luc to give you an jideqnutc report ol' rlio wontlorfnl mklrcss of Dr.
Viinii’s on Founders’ Day. ITc told us of tlio early slrugglos of friomls to ]uif Mcrrditli on ila foeU
Colonel L, L. Polk ut the 1SS9 aesaiou of tlu; ]3ii|)tist Sliiff* Convention iu nendcrson, ofTcrofl
u I’esohifion looking toward the establishment of a high gralc‘ collcgc for yoiing wonipn in
North Carolina. It was ten years hofore Meredith was oponed for the roec])tion of su?-
donls. Those wore ten years of struggle and iinxiety, hut they revealed the fiief
that there were heroic spirits yet w’ho wore wdlling to suffer and siierifiee for a great ean.se. A
sure fonndalion was Inid in those yeai’s, uud upon it lias grown what wo uow see. Alter tiiirly
years of consistent effort wo discover an in.stilution with a ])hinr vjilued at more thiin $l,^100,00(.l,
and fi prothietive ciilowment of appi'oximately $47."),000. The ideals of those early yenrs have been
adhered to, and followed, so that the standurds ol' Meredith art^ reeognizcd not only by oiir State
Department of Education, hut also, by tho Asso»:ijition of Colh;ges and Secondary Snhools of tlie
Knnthern States, the Auioviean Association of University Women, nnd the Association of American
Universiticfl.
It would be mo.st unfortunate, ho-wever, for us to get ihc idea that the day of atruggle is
over. Pa.st achievements should encourage us (o attack witli vigor and enthusiasm and optiniisni
tlie problems before ua yet to be solved.
Ttie cont(‘nnial movement needs immediuto attention. The successful issue of tho movement is
a necessary forerunner of other essential developttients. Class rooms, loboratories, auditorium, and
gymnasium ni’c all housed in temporary buildings. These arc rendering excellent sei'vice but cannot
last ninny years. Besides, since they are of wnod, they pre.icnt a constant fire ]nv/-arl. Fireproof
buildings, like our dormilories are needed to take their placc.s. A Ifirger library, and a hirgiM-
endomnent are needed to enable us to nuiintain the position we have reachcd, and to take more
advanced positions.
Our itlinnnao are loyal to tlieir Alma Mater. /Vppeal is made to tlicm to keep ^leredith heforc
tiie people, both for patr03inge and for funds. Gifts for education through tho Cooperative
i’rogram will be of sei’vico in connection with ciirrent cxi)euses. For buildings and endowment
money may be given. Thero are some who provide for annuities by fuming over to the Trustees
sinus of money or other properties to receive five or six per cent on sanie during the life of the
donor. Others still provide for the College a lega'v iu their wills. Either of these last two
methods nmy be arranged through the Baptist Foundation.
Public sentiment can bo turned in these directions by those who read those lines. On behal!
of Alma ifaler, T present her appeal to oaeh one of yon.
CiTAs. E. Bubwek,
Preaidenl.
WHAT MEREDITH HAS
MEANT TO THE WOMAN’S
MISSIONARY UNION
i
I
i
Can you imagine any of our Mere
dith faculty stopping in the middle
of a recitation to describe the details
of the scene when her fiance got ou his
knees and pvoiiosedf That did happen
at tho Baptist Female University, but
don’t breathe it to the Southern As
sociation of Colleges, for they might
think our fourteen units no good, hav
ing sprung from such beginnings. And
is your gray matter equal to the strain
of imagining aur present professor of
PJnglish going Into a girl's room after
light bell, getting In bed with her and
relating hor woes? One of your
alumnae will remember her room
mate's having had just such an ex
perience with the then professor of
Bnglisli while she herself lay inirft'r
her own bed to escape just such a
fate. You Meredith alumnae may bnw
your heads in shame of your ancestry,
while you Baptist Female University
alumnae may sigh for the days that
are no more. How our faculty are
proper; they luurcli and ait in academ
ic order and are divided into a colloge
faculty and an academic faculty.
And do you know that last fall I
began to think that there was as big
SI difference In the senior classes of the
Then and the Now as one finds In the
faculties? I know that senior classes
used to sit on the backs of chairs, or
croas-legged on tho deak in the science
room and probably woro dressed in
kimonoa during class meetings. Our
present senior class began to hold their
honorable seBBlons in the parlors,
where, of course, they had to be proper-
(Oontintted on page /o»r)
Miss Law at Wellesley
l nni finding my second year ai
Wellesley very pleasant and eastu*r
now that the strangeness iias worn oiT.
l like my work very much, I'our htur
of Liitin and nine of Groek. My tlnii- h
pretty well taken up, in spite of th?
fact that I havo fewer hours of teaeli-
Ing and less committee work than 1
had at Meredith, for there is a great
deal going on in tho lino of concerUi
and lectures. Wo are near enough Bos
ton to go in for plays or anything olsp
that seems worth while. Tlin lociilion
of the college is quite ideal, 1 think,
for wo have the advantages of the city
and yet can enjoy the beautiful coun
try around here. The fall has been
particularly lovely. I have been living
in very comfortable quarters In one of
the dormitories but just now I am look
ing for an apartment in the village for
next year, as my mother Is to be with
me. It looks as If this summer would
be very much like last, most of it spent
at Lake George with my Interest much
absorbed In my four small nephews,
I regret that I’ll not be able to re
peat this spring the delightful ex
perience I had a year ago when 1
visited Meredith. I was Quite flattered
when I was asked to write for tho
Alumnae issue of Tub Twit., for it
seems to show that yon agree with me
In the feeling that I still belong to
Meredith and North Carolina. One
doesn't tear up easily roota that have
(Continued on page four)
What is Hattie Herring Doing?
'“Sis, what do you do?” one of my
farmer brothers said to me after 1
had been at Chapel Hill for a %vhlle.
“I'oople are always asking me what
you are doing at the l.'niveraity and T
hate to give tho Improssiou that you
are studying, for they always como
back with ‘Won't sha ever get through
going to school?’ ”
'‘You tell them what 1 tell folks
whom I think aru just asking out of
idle curiosity: ‘She is doing industrial
research in the Institute for Uescarcli
In Social Science.’ And if you will
rattle it off (luite rapidly they will be
so Inipresaod at your assurance that
they won't dare show their iguoraucs*
by naklng further."
This plan has worked in many cases.
I fear, however, it is hardly sufiicient
to answer Mae Grimmer's request for
a piece about my work for TiiK Twiu.
It doesn’t fill up enough space—and
thero are many alumnae who know me
too well to be impressed with a rattled-
off formula.
The Institute for Research In Social
Science was started at the University
of Korth Carolina through the ail of
a grant from the Liiura Spelman
Rockefeller Memorial (receutly merged
with the Rockefellor Foundation) to
be used for research In tho social
sciences. Dr. Howard W. Odum, through
whose efforts the grant was obtained
and who has been Its guiding spirit,
believes that there are more or leas
To tell In an adequate way what
Meredith College has meant to the
Woman's Missionary Union would
much more than lill a paper the size
of Tub Twia-
In 1911 when the Union met In the
First Churc-h, Wilmington, and the
first full-time atilaried Corresponding
Secretary was to be elccted, the choice
fell on Blanche .losephinR Barrus, a
graduate of the class of 1910, Miss
Barrus served in this position until
1916, %vhen she resigned to go to
1‘hiladelplila to the Woman’s Medical
College, to prepare herself for work as
a medical missionary. On the 23d of
November, 1922, she was called to
her reward and the Woman’s Mission
ary Union, as iv tribute to her memory
and in recognition of her faithful ser
vice to them, had a large part in build
ing the Blanc-he Barrus Nurses' Home
at our Hospital in Winston-Salem. The
consecration and sacrificial spirit of
this lovely young woman will remain
a blessing and an Inspiration to the
Woman’s Missionary Union.
Dr, Barrus was succeeded as Cor
responding Secretory by Miss Bertha
Carroll, class of 191.^, who gavo four
years of untiring service to our Union.
Duiiny iiur lerni of oiDce Uic io iviiiiiou
Campaign was launched by Southern
Baptists and to Miss Carroll we are
indebted tor much of tho progress that
was made during this period.
in l!i23 Miss Mary Warren (Mrs.
H. T. Stevens) was electcd Correspond
ing Secretary, While Miss Warren
was a graduate of the Woman's Mis
sionary Training School at Louisville,
Ky., she had studied for some years at
Meredith College and received there
some of Iho training that broiiglit such
a I'word of faithful and elTicient service
lo the Union.
On our Exoculivt! Committee thare
arc tour aUnnnac of Meredith College;
Mrs, R. N. Sinuiis, 1904, Vice President
of our W, M. T'nion, Trusteo for Kovth
Carolina for the Woman’s Missionary
I.'nion Training School, and the Pres
ident of tho Woman's Missionary So
ciety of tho Tabernacle Cburdi,
Kaleigh; .Mry. .1, W. Bunn, 1910, who
for tho past year has served as pres
ident of the Woniiin’H Missionary
Society in the Ilayea-Barton Clmrt'h,
Raleigh; Mrs. W. D. Brings, 1903,
President of the Woman's Missionary
Society, First Chnrcli. RiilL’igh; and
Mrs, J, S. Farmer, 1907, former mis
sionary to Japan, and President of the
Woman’s Miaalocary Society of Mill-
brook Church.
Mrs. 11, A. Hocutt has rendered tho
Woman’s Missionary Union Invaluable
service as Superintendent of the
V/. M, U. of the Johnston County As
sociation, Mrs. II. W. Baucom is doing
Uno work as leailer of the young
people’s work in the Wilmington As
sociation. It would bo impossible to
make oven a record of the graduates
of Meredith who are or have been lead
ers In the societies throughout our
State, to say nothing of the students
who have gone fi'oni the college and
have endeavored to share with tho
homo church and the home commuulty
the advantages they received at Mere-
(Continued on page two)
(.Continued on page four)