EARLIEST YEARS AT VASSAR

EARLIEST YEARS AT VASSAR

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS

The more I recall of the early times, the more unwritable any accountbecomes by reason of the personal element. The charm and delight laychiefly in the close confidence of mutual friendly relations. "A chielamang us taking notes" would not have been tolerated in those days. Inever expected to regret not keeping a journal, but I do now as Irealize how much precious and interesting history has been lost inconsequence.

One of the first teachers in the Latin department had to deal with astudent so literal as to afford much amusement by her continual habitof asking, "What is the exact date of this event?" One day in class,allusion was made to the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha, when the girlunthinkingly began her usual query. The teacher despairinglyinterrupted,—"Thank heaven, Miss ——, there is a period in historyin which there are no dates."

So you are invited to look back with me to the time in Vassar historywhen it began,—when practically there were no dates; the time whenthe word "female" was still carved over the entrance, and had not yetbeen stricken from the spoons. As to that word, there seems to havebeen much discussion about its use from the first and objections madeto it, for the Evangelist in 1860 had a long article in defence,summing up the matter in this wise:—"We hope the college will not bepersuaded to change the title on account of any prudish antipathy onthe part of a few who entertain a false prejudice against the wordfemale, and who are utterly unable to find a substitute for it, orsuggest any graceful circumlocution by which it can be avoided."

It may be interesting to the student of to-day to know the sort ofsetting in which her eldest Vassar sister was placed. The course ofstudy laid out here was substantially what was prepared for herbrothers in colleges for men at that period, and requiring the sameproficiency in grade to enter. But of this the purpose is not to giverecord of what the early catalogues testify. It is rather a littlepicture of the life and customs at the beginning, over forty yearsago, when all was new and we were all young. It is not from thestudents' point of view. That side ought to have a chronicler from oneof themselves. If only all the letters written home from the collegefor the first dozen years could have been saved, the narrative wouldbe of far greater interest than this can hope to be.

With the interest attaching to great enterprises hardly anything istoo small or insignificant to be counted. How the Founder first gothis idea to do something for women, what the highest opportunitieswere for women nearly fifty years ago, are on record and need nofurther chronicler. All the various steps in development of the greatenterpri

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