The Belles
1
Of Saint Mary’s
Volume XVI Number Four
February, 1994
By Sarah Corbitt
Staff Writer
In today's Age of Technology
and Information it is difficult to
define the role of tradition.
Certainly we know that traditions
are not sacred institutions. What is
it then that makes Saint Mary’s, a
school deeply rooted in tradition,
so successful in the education of
women?
There are many elements that
Saint Mary’s graduates, faculty and
administration list as making Saint
Mary’s great. These enduring
facets of life at Saint Mary’s define
the common experience of the
students. While last year's high
school seniors may not relate to
study hall and last year s
sophomores cannot believe the
college curfews of today, there is a
sameness about Saint Mary’s that
makes the school what it is, was
and will be. First, my friends, a
little history.
Saint Mary’s was founded in
1842 by Reverend Aldert Smedes
to provide a place where young
ladies of the day might receive a
good education as well as the skills
that would make them more
successful in life. The state
legislature offered no provisions
for public education so many
affluent families taught their
children at home or sent them
away to school. Saint Mary s was
well known because of its integrity
and its church affiliation and
support.
The school was founded on the
Christian principles of knowledge,
honor, respect and humility. Its
relationship with the diocese of
North Carolina was strong. The
school gave the Episcopal Church
good publicity, and an expanded
parish, as well as large donations.
Aldert and Sarah Smedes
received the first students as well
^s their parents on opening day. In
Ihe Smedes family the girls found
surrogate parents and friends. The
Sniedes controlled every aspect of
*eir lives. Sarah Smedes oversaw
iheir wardrobes. Aldert Smedes
^ook charge of the hiring of their
teachers, reviewing academic
progress and religious duties, their
knitting lessons, who they received
on "visiting Saturday," their
vacations and their accounts in
town. He wanted every activity to
be worthy of doing and of God.
The security of such a family
atmosphere gave comfort to
homesick girls. Eventually they
became a huge family network, all
working toward improvement.
Academics at the school met or
excelled the level of those studied
at other colleges. Girls were
taught French, Latin, and German
by native speakers. Other teachers
were highly regarded. Teachers
lived at the school, thus enlarging
further the support offered by Saint
Mary’s.
Saint Mary’s was a peaceful
haven during the Civil War.
Students were at first more
concerned with soldiers arriving in
Raleigh than political upheaval.
Eventually the fighting throughout
the state alarmed Dr. Smedes, as
well as many of the parents.
Students were generally advised to
stay in Raleigh. As inflation rose,
problems providing food for the
girls increased. Tuition, which had
been set at $100 a session rose to
$1000 by 1865. However, many
girls were still able to attend
school because Dr. Smedes did not
demand payment in cash but
accepted fresh foods or provisions.
Classes were held until May
when many girls went to homes
that had been destroyed.
Enrollment at the school fell
although Smedes made the tuition
as affordable as he could. Young
women who did attend Saint
Mary’s after the war found classes
to be just as hard as before.
On April 25, 1877, Aldert
Smedes died, passing the
responsibilities of the school on to
his son Bennett. Mr. Smedes was
described as more scholarly than
his father, and less fatherly, but the
school was still recognized
throughout the community as a
good Christian force for change.
Its work in the community dunng
the difficult years after the Civil
War was known far and wide. Its
reputation was so widely
established, that when Bennett
Smedes turned over the financial
burden of the school to the
Episcopalian diocese in 1896, the
church immediately went to work
establishing Saint Mary's as in the
black for good. A board of
trustees set up to control the school
remained under the direction of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in
North Carolina. In May of 1897,
the school was purchased from the
Cameron family for fifty thousand
dollars. The Trustees ordered that
the charge for attendance at Saint
Mary's be reduced by thirty
dollars, so that a Saint Mary’s
education might be "a school not
only for benefit of the rich".
The Reverend Bennett Smedes
died on February 22, 1899. After
his death, Emilie MeVea oversaw
the running of the school until the
Reverend Theodore DeBose
Bratton became rector. Bratton
radically changed the Saint Mary’s
experience by forming a two year
college. The courses were divided
into three curricula- the Classics,
the English, and the Science. Each
student undertaking college work
was required to pick one area. The
change was noted at the time as
adaption to the times.
Rev. Bratton's cousin, the
Reverend McNeely DuBose, took
over after Bratton left. DuBose
created the positions of Dean of
Students and Dean of College.
DuBose, who took his work at
Saint Mary's very seriously, later
died in a hunting accident.
The fifth rector of Saint Mary's
was the Reverend George William
Lay. A native of New Hampshire,
Lay was very excited about Saint
Mary’s.
Emilie MeVea, former principal,
returned to give a lecture. She told
the ladies to seek whatever job
they loved and defy traditions that
kept women from professional
work. This feminist attitude was
met with opposition from most
southerners, but Reverend Lay
appreciated the idea. His intent
was not to alter drastically Saint
Mary’s but rather to modify its role
much the way Reverend Smedes
had done 100 years earlier. He
held that the school should
"reverence the past" yet look
ahead.
Academics during the Lay years
became stricter. Diplomas were
granted to only a select few. Saint
Mary’s flourished academically
and socially under Lay's guidance.
With the start of World War I the
girls of Saint Mary’s donated
enormous amounts of time, energy
and materials to Red Cross. The
girls raised $660 and were widely
known for their volunteer work.
The man who led Saint Mary’s
during the stressful years of the
Depression was the Reverend
Warren Way. He wished to convert
the school into a four year college,
but instead defined it as Saint
Mary’s School and Junior College.
Way restrained the girls from
inappropriate behavior and even -
expelled some. Student
government became more
influential during his tenure. They
developed and enforced their own
rules.
Fees rose at the time of the
Depression, but still could not keep
the school out of debt. Holt Hall
was erected to bolster admissions,
but the new building failed to draw
the necessary students. In the
midst of heavy financial debt. Way
resigned - to the relief of some
who felt he too strictly enforced
the rules.
After his departure Margaret
Jones Cruikshank was installed as
head of the school. Not only was
she the first woman accepted by
the trustees to run the school, she
took charge in a time of crisis. She
enforced the school’s academic
standards and added a few courses
in keeping with other colleges. In
1933 the trustees voted to grant
high school diplomas in place of a
certificate that stated a student's
ability to enter college.
Richard Gabriel Stone took over
when Margaret Cruikshank retired.
He ended the ban on on-campus
smoking, as smokers existed in
such numbers that they could not
be controlled. He reduced the size
of the honor council and enlarged
the hall council. Alcohol
consumption was prohibited at
Saint Mary’s and at all Saint
Mary’s functions.
Stone repaired many of the
next page
li
[(
f
'
i (
: I
;{
i i