Part I

ABBOT AND MISS BAILEY

CHAPTER I

MISS BAILEY'S BEGINNINGS

"You do not need to make Abbot Academy more attractive to me. The attraction it has for me is one of opportunity, and that you have fully set before me." So wrote Miss Bertha Bailey in accepting the offer the Trustees had made to her of the position of Principal. "From all I can learn of the School, I am convinced that it stands for real education .... I am heartily in sympathy with the aims and ideals of the Trustees for its future... and should be honored to work with them in the further expansion and development of the School. Indeed it is not too much to say that my willingness to accept this responsibility rests almost wholly upon my confidence in the wisdom and progressive spirit of the Board of Trustees as represented in those members I have seen."

After the resignation of Miss Emily Means, a committee had been appointed to consider possibilities for the principalship and to report to the Board how they had learned of Miss Bailey's qualifications. In the first place her name had come before them, not by her own initiative but at the suggestion of someone who knew her work and thought her competent to fill the position. Then her letter written at their request had not only given the pertinent facts of her educational background and experience in a direct, concise fashion, but the facts themselves were such as to indicate admirable preparation for a larger work.

As a preface to the summary of these facts, it may be fitting to insert Miss Bailey's tribute to her father: "Whatever of success I may have attained is due to the foundation laid by my father, a clergyman of the Dutch Reformed Church, who taught me to see, to think, to help myself, and never to say 'I can't'!"

Miss Bailey was born in Albany, New York, in 1866. She prepared for college at the ancient Albany Academy, specialized in mathematics at Wellesley College, and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1888. Beginning her teaching with two years in a private school in Shelbyville, Kentucky, she was connected with private boarding or day schools in Cleveland for three years, in New York City for nine years, 1893-1902, and for two years in Pittsburgh, much of the time in important administrative positions. In 1904 she joined Miss Lillian Dixon in the charge and ownership of the Taconic School in Lakeville, Connecticut. During these years "I studied somewhat," she wrote, "besides the rather widely diversified work of my classroom, which has included the whole range of science, history, and language." In the cities where she had taught, especially in New York, she had taken advantage of educational and cultural opportunities, for example, along the lines of the social sciences and the fine arts. "While I am neither a musician nor an artist," she wrote, " I have a vital interest in both music and art, and have spent some years of study on each --- enough to appreciate the work of other people." The dignified candidate did not mention the fact, which might have surprised the Committee, that she had been coxswain of her class crew at Wellesley. And again, "While I have not travelled extensively, I know well the eastern United States and from Chicago to Texas. One summer I spent in England." At first reading of this statement of Miss Bailey's, the Committee must have noted with satisfaction her opportunities to become familiar with educational policies of the time, her intimate acquaintance with young girls, her general knowledge of subjects covered in the secondary school curriculum, and particularly her alert interest in them, and her college contacts.

The Trustees were of course eager to learn of Miss Bailey's personal characteristics and of her personal achievements from other and varied sources. They were especially interested to hear of the Taconic School itself, a successful and growing project, because of the fact that it had been molded into shape by the decisions of the two principals. There was a corporation which owned the buildings and land, but it had no voice in the administration of affairs. It seemed as if the situation there was like a somewhat modern version of Abbot in the early days when the principal took in the tuition money and was supposed to pay the bills therewith! No wonder Miss Bailey, in considering the unexpected suggestion of her leaving Taconic, asked at once how far the Trustees would control the educational policies and what financial responsibility would devolve upon her. Another knotty question was "To what extent would the life of the household be complicated by the proximity of Phillips Academy?" Perhaps this question was based on situations in connection with Hotchkiss School at Lakeville?

From what has been said it may be seen that Miss Bailey had been almost always, if not always, in urban schools, which depended so much on the personality and business ability of the woman at the head that they were not permanent in character. She was to come to a New England school with a long history behind it, many traditions, a permanent, self-perpetuating board of trustees to bear financial and related responsibilities, including members with experience fitting them to advise also as to academic policies. In her letter of acceptance Miss Bailey had approved what she called "the progressive spirit" of the representative Trustees she had met. Later the Committee turned about and commended to the Board her ideas of education as "sane and progressive." This implied agreement in the approach to fundamental policies was a good omen for their efficient working out together the expansion of the School which the Board had already decided was imperative. The business capacity and active and independent, though deliberate, thinking which had been attributed to Miss Bailey were to stand her in good stead in the consideration of possible changes and developments.

The fact that she was spoken of in 1912 as a modern college woman is worthy of note. It is a sign of where the year 1912 stood in the scheme of things educational that Miss Bailey at forty-five was a product of the earlier years of the woman's college movement. Indeed she had entered Wellesley within the first decade of its existence. She had kept in close relation with her college as it advanced and was already recognized as an able leader and executive not only by her fellow alumnae but by broader collegiate alumnae groups. She was at the time Vice-President of the Alumnae Association of Wellesley and had been President of the New York Wellesley Club.

In the week following the announcement of her appointment she made a short visit to Andover, speaking briefly at morning Chapel. She preferred not to be introduced by a Trustee, but came in naturally as if she were already a part of the School. In the afternoon of the same day she was given an opportunity to meet the students, Faculty, and Andover friends at a tea given by Miss Katherine Kelsey, Acting Principal, in the McKeen Rooms of Draper Hall. A personal welcome was the gift for the McKeen Rooms of a handsome grandfather's clock from Mrs. Draper, whose thoughtfulness and generosity Miss Bailey was to learn was never failing.

 

Inauguration

In suggesting an inauguration ceremony, Miss Bailey may well have had in mind the advantages arising from such an occasion because of having recently been in touch with the inauguration at Wellesley College of Miss Ellen Fitz Pendleton, her friend and college contemporary. The prospect of meeting alumnae was a solid reason for some observance of her taking office; in fact she had mentioned earlier as one of the reasons for her wanting to come to Abbot that there was such a strong and loyal body of alumnae. The inauguration was in any case appropriate, for it marked a new era. Miss Laura Watson, Principal from 1892 to 1898, covered in her period the beginnings of college preparatory work; Miss Means was strong on preserving the finishing school although yielding to the pressure of the times for college preparation.

The ceremony was held in Davis Hall, the assembly room of McKeen Memorial Hall, October , 1912. There was the usual amount of newspaper publicity but such a thing as a radio broadcast was unheard of at that time. This was an interesting occasion. There had been no gathering of any importance at the School since the dedication of McKeen Hall in 1905. Formal invitations had been widely distributed, and the large responsive audience included the student and Faculty bodies, past students and teachers, parents of present pupils, neighbors, friends from Andover and afar.

When the exercises were about to begin, the audience arose as a long line of alumnae filed in, selected representatives of classes beginning with 1845 (Rebecca Farnum Jenkins) and including, with scarcely a gap, the whole sixty-seven years through 1912. Even this range was extended by a message read from Mary Cornelius, who was present on the very opening day of the School, May 6, 1829. Knots of yellow ribbon worn by students at the exercises indicated a kind of royal pedigree, i.e., that mothers, grandmothers, great-aunts, or great-great-aunts had been at Abbot before them.

The music of the program befitted the occasion. A chorus composed by Joseph N. Ashton, Abbot Music Director since 1907, and one by Professor Henry C. Macdougal of Wellesley were sung by the Fidelio Society, founded by the famous teacher, Samuel M. Downs, in 1889.

The choice of speakers was a natural one. The presiding officer, Judge Marcus Morton, was President of the Board of Trustees. His acquaintance with Abbot must have early begun and flourished in the brick house (Morton House) across the street, for his five sisters had attended the School, one after another. As a young man he had often served as a marshal at the graduating exercises in the South Church. Then in 1896 he became a Trustee, and was always thereafter actively interested in the welfare of the School.

Reverend Markham Stackpole and Reverend John Phelps Taylor, the two clergymen on the Board, also officiated. Mr. Stackpole was the first to become acquainted with Miss Bailey as chairman of the committee which had selected her for the principalship. Professor Taylor was the only Trustee who had served already under three principals.

Professor Charles H. Forbes, Acting Principal of Phillips Academy, Latin scholar, wit, and discriminating lover of beauty, spoke at first with mock gallantry of the girls before him. Then more seriously, as if deprecating the current trend of duplicating in institutions for girls the traditional educational training of boys, he stressed the importance of fitting not only for success and achievement in life but for what he called the "obligations of womanhood, gentleness, tact, and aesthetic and intellectual taste, the qualities of a lady."

Miss Laura A. Knott expressed welcome and congratulations as the head of Bradford Academy, "sister school" in origin and traditions and, at that time, with much the same purpose and problems as Abbot. The schools had been long and closely associated in various ways, and in the later years in the friendly rivalry of outdoor sports. Anna L. Dawes, 1871, President of the Alumnae Association, ready of speech and quick humor, looking as if she might easily take the whole program in charge, handed over what she felt were precious traditions of the School into the hands of the incoming Principal; yet, expecting new ways in new days, pledged the allegiance and love of the students that had been and were to be. President Pendleton of Wellesley College, intimate friend of Miss Bailey, congratulated her as well as the School and the Trustees on this new relationship.

Then came Miss Bailey, giving her forward look to what was to be the outstanding work of her life --- the contact with more than a thousand young women. She spoke with easy grace but with the earnest seriousness natural to her. To build upon the solid foundations of the past, yet with the needs of a rapidly changing society constantly in mind, was her ambition, and she pledged herself to the task, relying greatly on the cooperation and help of those whose loyalty to the School was assured.

She referred to the women before her who were examples of Abbot training as being for the most part in the thick of practical everyday problems and therefore capable of advising her as to how to prepare girls for the complicated conditions to be met after school days were over. She spoke not of rights to be gained, although college women were even then parading for women's suffrage in the streets of New York and Washington, but of the opportunities calling to educated women in civic enterprises, on school boards, and especially in "community housekeeping." No one could then foresee the wide range of activities which would so soon be opened to women by the cataclysmic changes in society caused by World War I. In concluding, Miss Bailey expressed her warm appreciation of the spirit of cooperation at the School, which had helped her to make her new burdens lighter, mentioning students, Faculty, and above all Miss Kelsey.

Following the exercises came luncheon for the guests and a reception for Miss Bailey in Draper Hall --- Judge and Mrs. Morton, Miss Kelsey, Miss Bailey, and Mary Donald Churchill, 1863, then the only woman Trustee, in the receiving line. In the afternoon there were an exciting hockey game and tennis finals as a happy wind-up of the day.

Thus auspiciously began the regime of twenty-odd years, which was to become a most important period in the long life of the School.

 

CHAPTER II

FIRST DEVELOPMENTS

IN 1915 Miss Bailey gave a report to the Board of Trustees on the three years of her regime, the significance of which lies in the fact that she not only summarized the material improvements which had been accomplished by the Board --- with no hint that many of them were at her suggestion --- and discussed the curriculum, but that she presented the needs of the School in such a far-sighted way as to provide a blueprint for future development. There had been the important and long-delayed modernization of equipment in Draper Hall; the completion of the Antoinette Hall Taylor Infirmary; various improvements in the grounds; new provision for sports; plantings; additional lights, and so on. Under "Needs" Miss Bailey mentioned a Fund for Instruction; an increase in General Endowment; some definite recognition of the general problem of additional space in the Library, and of the insistent demands for larger dormitory accommodations; the desirability of an ornamental fence and gateway, offering an opportunity for a stately and beautiful memorial to former students.

Within five years indeed the vision was on its way to fulfillment. By that time most of the money for a gateway was in hand and an ambitious plan for raising a Fund for Instruction, under the name of the Centennial Loyalty Endowment Fund, had been initiated and turned over as a ten-year project to the Alumnae Association. The dormitory problem had been temporarily solved by opening Sherman Cottage, Draper Homestead, and Sunset Lodge (historic South Hall) for the use of students. Adequate housing for the library, however, was such a baffling proposition that it was postponed again and again.

 

Student Government

Even at the beginning of Miss Bailey's regime there was on the part of a few upperclass girls a certain sympathy with the Faculty point of view and a desire to cooperate in conforming to School regulations. By the year 1916-17 the readiness of the girls for taking responsibility was growing and the scope of the self-governing machinery was definitely set up. At a meeting of the resident student body certain powers were given over to the "Council" by Miss Bailey, and the whole procedure was taken very seriously and earnestly. At a second meeting she presented, in behalf of the Faculty, a mahogany gavel (historic because made from a piece of Mr. Draper's old printing press) to symbolize their recognition of the organization as an established factor of the School life and of their sympathy and cooperation.

The Council is spoken of as composed of the student body and directed by a committee, headed by the senior class president and comprising representatives from all classes, with the senior heads of the Athletic Association and the Christian Association, thus having a majority of older girls. This committee had oversight of the conduct of resident students off campus and appointed proctors to be responsible for good order in Draper Hall, that being the only dormitory in use at the time.

The official recognition of the new system in the annual catalogue reads, "In this way a strong body of opinion has been formed in favor of dignity and good order, and the discipline of the School presents few problems." This was relatively true although of course there were still difficult moments. Success in the undertaking naturally depended on the leaders. If they were mature and tactful in molding student opinion it worked very well. In cases of discipline handled by the student committee, the decisions were likely to be too severe. This has often been found true in other institutions because students have not had enough experience for more lenient judgment. Although there may sometimes have been a basis for criticism of disciplinary action by the School, it is a matter of record that the Faculty deliberated long and carefully before dismissing a student. More than once a penitent girl was allowed to return and make good. Emphasis in all Faculty discussions and decisions about a penalty was always on whether or not it would be of constructive help to the girl.

 

Secret Societies

The moot question of secret societies in secondary schools and colleges had been much discussed elsewhere before Miss Bailey's time. The situation at Abbot was like this, as discussed by Miss Kelsey in her Sketches. "Three societies had been officially recognized by Miss Means in 1902 after some years of existence in secret, with the expectation, so it was said, that they would have advantages that would outweigh objections. At first she felt they were a help to her." One wonders a bit just what the Courant editor meant in expressing the hope that "the character of the societies may become an increasingly strong governing power in the School life."

In the course of less than a decade, however, conditions changed. The society system was discontinued at Bradford early in 1907, and the same action was pending at Mount Holyoke in 1910. A definite report of what happened at Abbot comes from a former society member. "Before Miss Means retired she called us all together and explained that she felt the societies had come to be something of a problem which she was reluctant to leave to her successor. She asked us to disband voluntarily, which we did by not taking in any new members after that time." Another says, "All the societies were in accord in the feeling that Abbot is too small and the living quarters too intimate to have secret societies. Girls are bound to be hurt if they are not invited to join." So it was that the societies had been edging themselves out of existence, and only confirmation by the student body remained when the new Principal came. She remarked in her first comprehensive Report to the Trustees in 1915 that the leaders had shown a fine spirit and that she felt the change had resulted in greater harmony and unity in the School.

One of the intriguing aspects of the society system besides the good fellowship and the love of mystery was that a member might look forward to finding a special group ready to welcome her whenever she could come back to School. This loss was deeply regretted. Old girls that had belonged to societies were "irate," "furious," when they found out about it. Efforts were naturally made at once to find some substitute set-up that would assure a welcome not only to certain returning alumnae but to all of them. A system of successive committees to serve as official greeters was suggested and possibly functioned for a time. It was a simple enough matter when the guests still had friends in the School, but more difficult when they had been away longer, what with changes in student body and Faculty. After about 1915 the Alumnae Secretary (then called the Keeper of Alumnae Records) took a responsible interest in seeing that all returning alumnae were received with cordiality, and after the Office in Abbot Hall was opened, it naturally became a rendezvous for them.

Something in the way of a permanent replacement came into existence in the field of sports, perhaps a dozen years after the disbanding of societies. The School was divided into two groups with these slogans, "Once a Gargoyle, always a Gargoyle, Once a Griffin, always a Griffin," names spontaneously suggested by Miss Bailey. All during a girl's life at Abbot she worked and rooted for the Club to which she had been elected at first, and even tended to feel on coming back a special interest in that group.

 

Intervale

One of the first problems to be attacked in the new administration was the obvious cleavage in the senior class. The so-called Academic students (those taking the finishing school course) and the increased number taking College Preparatory studies formed two distinct units, having no classroom work together, and having separate class organizations even when there were only a few in each group.

As an initial remedy for this rather awkward situation, Miss Bailey in February of that first year took all the seniors after midyear examinations to the mountain country of Intervale, New Hampshire, for a three-day outing. School responsibilities were dropped and School labels forgotten in the merry doings in the open. The next year the same thing happened, and then it slipped into the regular schedule. The third year it was mentioned in the annual catalogue (1916), next the Classbook of 1916 came out with snapshots and songs in the Sports section. The tradition was established. It soon came to be something to look forward to by every class. The whole School was affected when the girls came back bringing the crisp freshness of the mountain air and all talking at once about their exciting experiences.

In addition to the jolly allusions in the classbooks and some statements and good photographs found in publicity material, there are available in the Memorial number of the Courant, issued after Miss Bailey's death, illuminating reactions of the graduates of the earlier classes as they harked back to those joyful, care-free days. They spoke especially of their surprise at discovering that their dignified Principal could so quickly be transformed into a real playmate or, as one put it, they found "a brand new Miss Bailey," joining in their fun, breaking the trail on snowshoes, as ready as any of them for tobogganing, cooking hot dogs over the camp fire, yet often enough leaving them to frolic by themselves.

Other things in the Intervale holiday brought her closer, too, her coming into their rooms in the cold mornings to shut their windows and to get them up to see the sunrise light on Mount Washington; morning Chapel as they sat about on the floor of the hotel living room; intimate chats round the fireplace as she shared their enthusiasms. This close association with Miss Bailey and with one another in a holiday environment gave the two sections of the senior class new and delightful interests in common.

Even though she did not always in the later years join in all the more vigorous activities, yet a young alumna tells of an outdoor cookout in 1933 when Miss Bailey not only helped build the fire but herself cooked the pancakes for the youthful appetites of the whole group. When two girls began a contest as to which could eat the most, Miss Bailey laughingly egged them on till the winner gave up at forty!

Perhaps all sensed what one expressed: "She made you feel that you as a senior were a little bit closer to her than the rest of the School." A graduate of 1914 later remarked that it gave her faith in Miss Bailey's good judgment and a resulting sense of security and ready confidence in her as a leader. She felt that Miss Bailey was a sort of buffer between her and the world.

The unifying purpose of the Intervale plan was recognized even at the beginning by the more thoughtful students. Amalgamating forces were at work, and in the second year the senior class (1914) and the senior middle class (1915), after full discussion, elected only one set of officers for both Academic and College Preparatory divisions. This practice was continued as a matter of course and other common interests developed from time to time.

At the same time definite organization was promoted in the two lower classes, junior middle and junior, which heretofore had been held together very loosely. Having officers of their own tended to bring a feeling of responsibility and a strengthening of morale in the School. Soon they were given student representation in the Student Council. This definite recognition of the lower classes had become feasible because of a more strict alignment in classification as shown in the annual catalogues.

 

CHAPTER III

WAR TIME

IT was only two years after the beginning of this era that the Great War, World War I, broke out in Europe. From the educational point of view, the first need was to provide adequate information to the students about world conditions. Another, closely linked with this, was to provide opportunity for practical participation, in one way or another, in active humanitarian effort. Both these needs increased in importance as the war progressed and the United States joined the Allies. The Patriotic League, organized in the fall of 1917 under the active leadership of Miss Bailey, brought all students and Faculty into a working whole.

One method of giving a background for daily news was already in use in 1914, the Saturday afternoon Current Events talks by Miss Rebekah Chickering, given at intervals before the School. The year before there had been a discussion of the Balkan situation, then a map talk on the "Fundamental Causes of the European War" is mentioned, and after the Armistice a discussion of "Territorial Questions before the Peace Conference."

For individual study there were both required and elective courses in Modern European History as well as in English History, American History and Civics. A current events elective was added, in which news of the day was studied in reference to its bearing on the history of the countries involved. Voluntary classes outside of hours were held once a week for a time in Principles of Democracy and Civic Problems; also on the practical side in First Aid and Surgical Dressings, by the Resident Nurse. Under the Patriotic League regulations each student was supposed to attend one of these classes. The Household Science Department provided both theory and practice in courses in War Cookery (1917-18) and Red Cross Sewing (1918-19).

Students in English classes were given opportunity to express themselves on war subjects. Stories and poems appearing in the Courant became more spontaneous and vivid as the war came closer, especially when, as occasionally happened, the young writers had travelled or lived abroad. Common expressions, conditions, and attitudes of mind, quickly forgotten in the rush of after events, are preserved both in casual touches and in plots of stories. A "Tommy WAAC," faultlessly uniformed, was smiling and full of poise; a highborn "munitionette" loses her beauty from mustard gas but gains a sweetheart. This was after a speaker had told how the faces of English women munition workers were discolored. "Air raids and London were becoming synonymous and commonplace" with "Gothas overhead for five successive evenings." "Carry on" and "Do your bit" were slogans in common use.

A short poem worth noting because so spontaneous and sincere in its sorrowing was written after a Chapel service in memory of Miss Elizabeth Tyler, a recent teacher of French, who had died in France. One writer, in a burst of sentiment and optimism, concludes, "The days of pre-war were good old days, happy and gay, but the days of the future will be purposefull and glorious."

Probably the most significant event in the story of war time at the School was the founding of the Patriotic League, for it greatly aided in the building up of morale. This took place in October, 1917, at a mass meeting under the auspices of the Student Government Association, attended by Faculty as well as students. The Constitution, or Statement of Purpose, signed by all present, was a serious pledge to united effort in every phase of life. "Realizing that the present need of our nation and its future stability and progress demand from each citizen the highest possible quality of service, we desire to prepare ourselves to do our best so that we may be able to give our best to our country." There were added briefly stated but definite commitments on the part of the signers to organize themselves with enthusiasm and sincerity, to demand of themselves excellence rather than mediocrity, to undertake with energy whatever special training in mind or body was offered, and to act as good neighbors in their communities.

To translate these ideals into everyday conduct, an organization plan was carefully drawn up by a committee of students with Faculty representation, called together by Miss Bailey. The requirements of this document were extremely detailed, covering:

(1) Personal efficiency, including attention to hygiene, posture, thrift, alertness. (2) Service, including, in addition to excellence in studies, sports, voluntary training classes and military drill, self-denying contributions of time, work, and money for extra needs caused by the war.

For active Red Cross work, besides great accomplishments in knitting, the School was divided into groups of ten. Surgical dressings to the number of 4500 were prepared in Wednesday sessions in 1917-18, the money for material having been raised in various ways. An alumna who was in School at this time says that too great emphasis cannot be placed on the high spirit of cooperation on the part of the girls and their conscientious efforts in carrying out the requirements of their pledges. As indicative of this, it may be noted that in the year 1917-18, the senior middlers chose for their class motto, "Duty, Service and Sacrifice."

In all the efforts thus described, the part played by members of the Faculty and especially, of course, by Miss Bailey was worthy of high praise. Without them no such results could have been reached. They supervised, suggested, at times initiated, lifted morale, sent all drives over the top with their own giving, and in general acted as a steadying, supporting force behind the lines.

 

The Abbot Battalion

As part of the war schedule, military drill was introduced in the fall of 1917, and carried on for two years under the charge of the military instructor at Phillips Academy. A series of talks which Major Davy gave, beginning in November, on military training and discipline put meaning into the program. There was a weekly drill and also an evening class for officer training, which began with a membership of about fifteen. Some difficulties were at first encountered, caricatured in mirth-provoking fashion in "corridor stunts," as "Where we got all those extra hands and feet, heaven only knows." But the Abbot Battalion with its two rival companies was ready before long to give a good account of itself. At the annual Field Day in May, 1918, the usual sport contests were secondary to the exhibition of military manoeuvers by the Battalion, impressive in white Peter Thompsons, with the proper quota of commissioned and non-commissioned officers. The judge, an officer from the Phillips Academy staff, gave commendation to Co. B. Possibly the exhibition drills which the girls had attended at Phillips helped to bring them up to concert pitch. Regular room inspection by Major Davy and Miss Bailey was part of the discipline, and any lack of order took from the credit of the student's Company.

There were two opportunities for joining in community parades, one with the Red Cross in May, 1918, when the Battalion together with other military organizations of the town marched to Brothers Field, and another after the Armistice in the fall. Applause from the onlookers and congratulations on their appearance and good form gave the girls a satisfying return for their hard work.

In the prevalent replacement of man power, the practical application of service mentioned in the principles of the League was ready to hand on campus and in the community. The girls cut the grass in the Circle and worked on the big garden near the Maple Walk, planting, weeding, and cultivating enough potatoes to serve for a whole year. Eighty hours a week was volunteered for these and other tasks. The attention to food production made them perhaps more ready to help cheerfully in food conservation, in the case of butter and sugar, for example.

The following summer was full of activities in home and communities, as reported at a general meeting in the fall. "The girls had not been slacking," "farmerettes" had been picking apples, getting in hay, and driving the cows. Others were in canteens or in the automobile corps. The range was fairly limited, partly because of the conservative feeling about women's work characteristic of the times, but largely because conditions in this country did not warrant the more demanding work in stores and factories. As for community work off campus, two husking bees were held in the fall of 1918 at Andover farms where scarcity of labor threatened loss of crops. There were merry frolics for the fifty or more girls whose help was asked. These resulted in more than two hundred bushels of corn husked, and a sum of money earned for the Red Cross. Interest in community affairs had been shown in other ways, such as attendance at a "preparedness rally" and other patriotic meetings in the town, and by joining in Andover parades.

 

Contributions

A very important factor in the program, one which led to the whole-hearted participation in war effort, was the spirit induced by speakers' from the thick of things overseas, who brought first-hand stories, not only of hardship, suffering, and despair in the path of war, but of the definite alleviation of these through organized relief work of various kinds. The increased feeling of individual responsibility was evidenced not so much by what the students said, for instance in the Courant, as by what they gave. Early contributions were made for Belgian, Syrian, Armenian, and Polish relief. Funds were given for French wounded and refugees, and forty French orphans were "adopted" by students and Faculty. They helped to raise a scholarship for a Greek student at Abbot, and gave freely for Serbian relief and for the education of a group of Serbian youth in the United States. Cooperating with the Andover community, they pledged $1500 in the drive for Y.M.C.A. work at the front, known in schools and colleges as the Student Friendship Fund, and worked with great earnestness to raise the money for it.

Just to mention the names of the speakers would be to recall to anyone who heard them, the profound impression produced by their moving stories. Among them were Baroness Huard of France, Miss Helen Fraser of England, Miss Tileston and Dr. Rosalie Morton from Serbia, Olive Twichell Crawford, Abbot 1876, from the Near East, and Nursing Sister Davis of the Canadian Army.

A Courant editor probably expressed the general feeling that the signing of the Armistice, November 11, 1918, was the greatest event that could come into their whole lives. The news was announced in the morning by the sound of whistles and church bells. The girls tore out into the corridors in a mad dance of joy, then gathered for a sing and a procession through the house and round the Circle. A snake dance by Phillips Academy boys added to the general excitement. Morning Chapel brought serious consideration of the event, lifting their feelings to a height of united thanksgiving and the forming of worthy purposes for their future lives in view of the great sacrifices of the war. Something of this need for higher ideals in national life was expressed by Miss Bailey in a talk given later before the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, entitled "After Victory, What?" If this had been preserved, how interesting it would be to see what she had to say to such an audience on that vital subject.

During the days just before the Armistice, the Great United War Work Campaign, in support of seven general organizations, was being brought to the attention of the girls, first by a dynamic speaker and later by the glowing reports, given at an Abbot student mass meeting by fourteen student delegates, of a conference they had attended with Miss Bailey. This had been held under the auspices of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges to determine what share Massachusetts students should have in this great project. Other presentations of the matter led up to the opening of a drive on November 11, the exciting Armistice Day. A committee of collectors acted with such enthusiasm and dispatch in canvassing the whole School --- students, Faculty, domestic and maintenance staffs --- that in two days the pledges were all in and the quota of $1800 oversubscribed. This sum was later increased so that the whole amount raised was $2800, and it should be said that this was in addition to Red Cross memberships and the usual contributions for philanthropic objects. In this campaign as in previous ones, the girls were urged to let this be their own effort, either by saving from their allowances by definite self-denial or by their earnings or by helping to produce some of the benefits or sales for the Cause. Small sums were earned by shoe-shining, shampoos and manicures, mending, cleaning rooms and so on. There was a penny tax on after-dinner dancing! An auction of posters made for the campaign brought an additional amount.

The production of "benefits" as a method of raising money was much in vogue all along, beginning in 1914 with a skit for the Red Cross by the youngest class. Among other groups participating were the dramatic committee of the Patriotic League, the Glee Club, the French Department, corridors and upper classes. The total amount raised by all these extra donations is said to have approximated $10,000. In 1918, nearly $4000 was held by students and Faculty in Thrift and War Savings Stamps in addition to Liberty Bonds.

In 1921, in response to an appeal of Herbert Hoover, a generous sum included in the total above was raised for European relief, and a table taken by Abbot people at the dinner in Boston Symphony Hall for the "invisible guest." Afterwards from time to time in case of some special need so-called Hoover or Golden Rule dinners, with plainer food than usual, were served at a saving of as much as $60 for each meal. This was always by general consent. Some girls found romance in the candlelight setting, although others less starry-eyed felt it to be a real sacrifice even if they did not begrudge it.

 

Greater Abbot in the War

It seems essential to recognize here, even if briefly, the patriotic service of the twenty-five hundred scattered alumnae, both at home and abroad. Much of it indeed was never known, although there were many responses to the postal card call sent out to the alumnae for a statement of their own activities and those of their immediate families. The Honor Roll for service overseas bore the names of sixteen alumnae as well as six Faculty members and three Trustees. At home many alumnae carried heavy responsibilities, conducting Liberty Loan Campaigns among women, filling executive positions in different kinds of Red Cross work including financial drives, and in some instances carrying double burdens where professional or business men were away. Others with endless patience served in the ranks, preparing surgical dressings, collecting clothes, helping families of service men or influenza-stricken households. Although many of these activities could be carried on near home, "several of the younger alumnae," says one account, "volunteered to leave home for nursing, farming, Y.M.C.A. canteen, and Government work."

The influence of all this alumnae activity on the student body was decidedly important. A senior of that time tells of having a thrilling sense of the unity of all-Abbot effort, with the Circle as a natural symbol of the world-wide representation.

 

CHAPTER IV

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS AND MORALE BUILDERS

A convention that was taken very seriously at this time, not only at Abbot but at similar schools and even at colleges, was the matter of dress. In detailed statements in the annual catalogue Miss Bailey made quite evident her solicitude for the health of the already healthy young women under her charge! Amusing to us now are the explicit limitations which in these earlier days seemed so important to sensible women, who with painstaking care tried to guard not only the health but the modesty of their students. Here are some quotations from the annual catalogues, showing the progress made from dark tabus to a new freedom!

1911-15 "For school and street wear low shoes may not be worn during cold weather." (In 1921 modified to "except with woolen stockings.")
"No low necks or sleeves above the elbow." (Even in 1925 "sleeves must come to the elbow"!)
1914 "In cold weather shields [to fill in a V-neck] must be worn with Peter Thompsons or middy blouses."
1917 "Shirt waists must not be too thin. Middy blouses may be worn for gymnasium and sports."
1918 Black lisle stockings had been insisted on long after only Stearns's in Boston could supply them to frantic mothers. Now at last they could be replaced by rayon in flesh color, but the requirement still remained for "shoes with broad low heels for ordinary wear."
1919 "High Cuban or French heels may not be worn."
1920 "Extremely short or narrow skirts may not be worn. Silk stockings are considered unsuitable for school wear."
1926 "Warm stockings must be worn in cold weather."
1929 "Fur coats should not be worn for school or ordinary exercise."
1930 "Shoes for ordinary occasions may have low heels, but in addition one pair of Cuban heels, measuring at least 1-1/2 inches in both directions at the bottom and not more than 1-1/2 inches at the back. Higher heels may not be worn and shoes with higher heels may not be brought to the School."
1932 Inevitable surrender: "Higher heels may not be worn except for dances."
"Sleeveless gowns to be worn only for sports, and silk stockings only for dress occasions."
1933 Dress instructions omitted altogether.
1935 "The School has no regular uniform but students must dress simply. Shoes with broad heels for ordinary wear."
Later "Dress simply and appropriately for all occasions."

In 1918 and 1919 although bobbed hair was epidemic for girls, an explanation was thought necessary when a new member of the Faculty appeared at the beginning of School in the fall with short hair. She had had typhoid fever.

The baffling problems arising in connection with a girls' school in a town like Andover were not new. In a reminiscent letter written by an alumna of the year 1837, for instance, she speaks of "two curious little ladies" enrolled from a neighboring town who were said to have corresponded with as many as twenty-five Phillips boys, while a graduate of twenty years later recalls that a clandestine correspondence "with those terrible [sic] Phillips Academy boys" was discovered and the culprit expelled, adding that it was "a time of dread" to the pupils. Times had of course changed. In the more recent past, the girls had been allowed to receive calls from boys whom their parents approved, and to go to ball games, concerts, and lectures at Phillips Academy in chaperoned groups. The new Principal realized that further opportunities should be provided for the girls to meet naturally boys of their own age. Sometimes at sports events on the Abbot grounds there had been "uninvited guests," as Miss Kelsey called them in her Sketches, ranged along the Abbot Street wall, for all the world like little boys slipping in under the edge of a circus tent. If they became too evident, the sturdy School policeman interfered. Indeed white-haired Miss Means was wont to stride over in all her dignity and firmly dismiss them. One surprise incident in the track events on the first Field Day (1899) was not mentioned by Miss Kelsey. Phillips boys ran in from the grove and formed a block a few feet from the finish tape, so that the speeding girls plunged willy-nilly into their arms! When in the new regime the boys became "invited" visitors at games, they behaved with courtesy, and these particular difficulties were solved. At a much later period, a snake-dancing, torch-bearing throng crowding around the Circle after a Phillips victory would shout for a speech, "We want Bertha!" and get a pleasantly amused response.

An occasion that gave the girls a chance to meet boys on an easy footing was the students' Bazaar in Davis Hall, which became after 1920 an annual event early in May to celebrate the date of the original opening of the School, planned at first to help the Centennial Loyalty Endowment Fund. Publicity about the affair brought customers from the Hill, many of them "Friday night callers," who bought candy, gadgets, and all kinds of souvenirs at the gaily trimmed booths from zealous salesgirls, and between whiles patronized the fenced-off floor for dancing, all to the benefit of the treasury.

In 1930 the girls received with delighted excitement Miss Bailey's announcement that they might take their guests on Friday nights to the Recreation Room for dancing. Tea dances after games or at other times at the homes of Phillips teachers or at fraternity houses became a usual thing. Other liberalizing changes in accordance with the social customs of the day came a little later as a result of suggestions by alumnae and parents in the so-called Enrollment Program beginning in 1932, such as, for instance, more freedom on Sunday afternoons. There was an innovation in 1933 which met with enthusiastic approval by seniors and senior middlers. To their mind the Prom on Friday night was "made almost a double one" by the formal dinner which was given for their guests at Draper Hall before the dance, by the freedom of unprepared lessons for the next morning, and by the tea dance in the afternoon. A senior privilege that distinctly raised the morale of the class was that of an extra hour for lights on from ten until eleven o'clock every night.

Not only individual expression but community spirit was fostered by the song competitions, first held in 1926 and at intervals thereafter through this era. The need for songs for different occasions, athletic and general, was keenly felt by the physical education instructor, Miss Mary Carpenter (later Mrs. Dake) who, with Dorothy Hopkins (later Mrs. Morris) as co-organizer, aided by a group of students, worked out detailed arrangements. The School was divided into several natural units, Draper Hall corridors, cottages, day scholars. A ten-day period was usually given in which any girl could try out with an original song for her unit, from which one was chosen for the final competition, and everyone took part in some way in presenting the chosen song before the judges and the assembled School on the great night. There was room for originality and ingenuity and an element of mystery in the preparations. When the units, announced by the roll of a drum, came marching into Davis Hall in their colorful and often clever costumes, each led by its song leader, to offer their productions before the august judges sitting on the stage, the effect was most exciting and festive. The units, after performing, made a ring of observers round the Hall and with good spirit applauded their rival competitors. This first contest furnished four good School songs and a serenade for Miss Bailey. In 1927 a day scholars' unit presented a song to Miss Kelsey. Songs were also chosen by competition for the Gargoyle and Griffin Clubs, founded about that time.

The First Prize serenade to Miss Bailey, by Sydna White, 1927, is here given, as long and affectionately used.

Miss Bailey, here we gather round
To sing to you our praise,
Our hearts attuned to every sound
That echoes Abbot days.
Our happiness while we live here
Is in the School to stay,
Because to you it's always dear
Good cheer lasts through the day!

Your light of love is shining
Through all the length of years,
It keeps the bond of union,
And comradeship endears.
Why have you given your best to build
Our youth so firm and true
While forward urging us?
It's just Miss Bailey, 'cause you're you.

The Bulletin commented: "Although these songs are not all of poetical merit when set down in cold print, they are often transformed by the lighthearted eagerness and sincerity of the girls into something essentially beautiful."

A custom introduced in 1934 to provide some social experience was that of weekly School teas held in the Recreation Room in charge of student committees with the help of a member of the Faculty. The girls played the role of hostesses with graceful hospitality.

An opportunity for growth in another way came about when morning Chapel exercises were varied, beginning "as an experiment" in the spring of 1934, by special programs, usually on Friday mornings. Each was opened by a brief devotional service, conducted either by two students, representing with becoming dignity different groups or departments, or by one of the Faculty. Sometimes it was all in French or German or even Latin. The students, said the Courant, heartily approved this momentous change in Chapel exercises by which instructive matter was presented in a charming way, for they felt such responsibility helped to foster among them an adult attitude.

 

CHAPTER V

A REVIEW OF SOME EDUCATIONAL POLICIES
AT ABBOT ACADEMY

College Preparatory or Finishing School, Which?

FOR the better understanding of the situation in 1912 as to whether the School should continue to be a finishing school or should yield further to the pressure for college preparatory work, a brief outline of successive changes in attitude and policy may be in order. The rapid rise of women's colleges, four in one decade (1870-80), did not at once affect Abbot Academy. It still kept to the traditional lines. Miss McKeen was loath to make any changes. When in 1891 a prospective pupil went to her to ask for studies fitting for college, she was received by Miss McKeen in her bedroom off the McKeen Rooms, where she was doing her weekly mending. The immediate reply was that she might get what preparation she could in existing classes, but that no special arrangements could be made. Individual teachers, however, did make an effort to help such students. Miss McKeen explained her attitude on the subject in Volume II of her History. The women's college movement was to her a shadowing threat because she thought that young women of intellectual power and of literary ambition would then naturally and properly go to college instead of to such institutions as Abbot. If Abbot should accede to the demand for definite college preparation, the danger was that it might "sink to the level" of a preparatory school! She agreed that a thorough training course admitting to college might be allowable, but insisted that the place of honor should be given to the "Academic Course," which should have its own diploma, and with competent teachers and a liberal program should fill a "quiet, useful, artistic niche in the educational system." The alumnae had also put themselves on record in 1892 by vote of their Association that they regarded the work of fitting girls to enter into active life as too important to be subordinated to preparation for college.

The Trustees, however, seem to have been less conservative and to have eased the study of Greek into the curriculum, for although first offered instead of advanced Latin, indicated by a footnote only in the catalogue of 1891, it was emphasized there the next year in a direct announcement from the Board as of supreme importance, not only for the requirements of higher education of women, but for general culture. Their desire, plainly stated, was to make Abbot Academy in response to the demands of the times, "no less famous as a fitting school than it has been and will continue to be as a finishing school." Miss McKeen retired in 1892 and within a year a "college training course" was introduced into the curriculum under her successor, Miss Laura Watson, a woman of decided intellectual interests who brought new ideas to the institution. By 1897 there were twenty pupils fitting for college. To meet the objections and fears of critics, statements were then being made to show that few changes and adjustments had been necessary to adapt the curriculum to the new purpose, chiefly a strengthening of the classical course; and moreover that there had been no encroachment on the regular "Seminary work," since the college seniors had practically no work with the Academic group. Furthermore it was said (this in the Courant) that although anxious thought and care and some extra expense had been involved in maintaining the new system, this had been justified by the fact that Abbot certificates had been accepted by the colleges "with great confidence" and besides, the number of pupils had increased, and --- as a climax to the defense --- "thousands of dollars had been brought into the treasury"!

Yet there was one important omission in the arrangement. When the Academic seniors were given their diplomas at Commencement, there was no recognition of those who had completed the College Preparatory Course, a matter which was at last remedied but not until some years later. In 1905 a Courant editor remarked a little reluctantly that the college seniors might perhaps be entitled to the greater degree of prominence in the School which they seemed to be gaining, for they really did deserve recognition as much as the Academic seniors for work well done and for school loyalty. Then in conclusion, "If the college class continues to gain, perhaps we may hope that some day the two classes may be bound together as one by ties of affection and good fellowship." This rather doubtful hope began definitely to be realized in the early years of Miss Bailey's administration, chiefly through the encouragement of common interests outside the classroom.

In speaking of the following period, 1898 to 1911, it may be said in a general way that Miss Means with her background of culture and the prestige of an old New England family, without college training herself, was more interested in keeping Abbot a finishing school than in turning it into a preparatory school, except as the trend of the times made it inevitable.

Miss Bailey, coming to Abbot in 1912, with the outlook of a college graduate who had taught in private secondary schools, was well equipped to consider whether or not, in view of changing conditions, both the departments should be continued. Although she might perhaps have been expected to be biased toward college preparation, she gave as her opinion that they were mutually beneficial. There was, on one side, a broadening influence on the School as a whole in the literary and artistic studies of the advanced Academic Course and, on the other, the tonic effect on all students of the preparation of some to meet a standard imposed from without in the college entrance examinations.

During the years following Miss Bailey's coming, the all-over pattern changed decidedly from time to time, with sometimes waves of desire for college training, sometimes greater demands for advanced work in the Academic Course, depending partly on the economic status of the fathers, whether in post-war affluence or depression. This meant that the subject of maintaining the two divisions could not be decided once for all. Take this instance. In 1918 Miss Bailey gave a talk on the aims of Abbot Academy in which she voiced her conviction that while both departments should be kept, the greater need would increasingly be for a general advanced course for those who did not expect to go to college. Yet before long applications from prospective college students began to be received in such numbers that in 1922 a joint meeting of Trustees and Faculty was held to consider what the future policy of the School should be. A committee of five Faculty members, after careful study, made a clear and comprehensive report discussing the various possibilities and stating valid reasons for their conclusions. This was printed in full in the next Treasurer's Report, having been presented at a meeting of Trustees and Faculty, thoroughly discussed and approved. The Committee advised retaining the two departments side by side, but recommended that they be kept as evenly balanced as expedient, especially in the two upper classes. It was felt that the current pressure for a larger preparatory division might be lessened as the aftermath of war receded and as the standards of public high schools were readjusted. This recommendation was carried out as far as seemed advisable, though the figures show that the number of "one-year specials" coming from high schools to complete college preparation tended to upset the balance. Safeguards were the limiting in numbers of such students admitted, by their meeting certain conditions for entrance to the senior class and by the fact that no diploma was given them until after they had passed their college midyear examinations. At first these special students were to bring credentials from accredited schools, then by 1922 they must not only give evidence of satisfactory work in earlier years elsewhere, but pass preliminary College Board examinations in courses that were to be studied further in the last year. If failing in these, they must take more than one year of preparation.

As to the recognition of Abbot standards of scholarship, certificates were honored at the colleges so admitting (Mount Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, 'Wellesley) until the method was changed in 1919. Thereafter the certification consisted in presenting students as being ready for the College Board examinations. First noted in 1924 was preparation for both the restricted and the new comprehensive forms of examination, which latter was a test more of the intelligence of the individual than of memory of the exact content of the subjects studied.

The survey now turns to the consideration of the Academic Course whose aim, according to the annual catalogue of 1913, the first issued by the new administration, was to give a thorough general training, demanding two years beyond the ordinary high school course. This sounds on the face of it like the germ of the junior college idea. It was indeed the beginning of a gradual expansion of what had been Miss McKeen's contribution, the special cultural opportunities of the senior year.

The first move in the new regime was the rearrangement and definite systematizing of the whole program of this Course, though with little if any change in the content. The following year, 1914, brought the announcement of a requirement for graduation of a satisfactory rating in fourteen instead of twelve full courses, each understood to mean two semesters of not less than three periods a week, in addition to Bible and elocution. These requirements, however, varied from time to time.

A stricter class grouping eliminated the list of "unclassified" students. A preparatory or first-year class probably took care of some of these. There had previously been a laxity in admissions, and year after year there were evidently some who were not ready to enter existing class divisions, or for other reasons were allowed to take selected courses. With a greater number of applicants in the new regime, it was possible to choose those who were best fitted for the regular classes.

It is significant that at about the time of the joint decision in 122 of Faculty and Trustees that the two departments should be continued side by side, there became evident a strengthening and enrichment of the Academic curriculum for the upper classes as if to offset encroachments of the College Preparatory Department. The number of required full courses was raised then from fourteen to sixteen with, at one time or another, more obligatory extras, namely drawing and painting, music appreciation, and choral music. The annual catalogue of 1923 announced the introduction of a group of elective courses offered to serious students of music in the two upper classes, covering two years of both technical and theoretical work, which led to a special Music Certificate. At that time, or soon after, this would enable students to get college credits and was a good preparation for those who wished to go on with their study. It was spoken of later as an advantage in the competition with the junior college movement.

Miss Bailey's attitude toward the Department of Music was then as always sympathetic and stimulating. She had felt it a great advantage to the School when she was able in 1922 to secure a resident pianist, Miss Kate Friskin, who not only had charge of piano teaching but was an able concert pianist. In 1922 also a studio for voice training was established in the lower south room of the John-Esther Gallery.

By 1926 a reorganization covered a change in nomenclature in requirements, and there was a specific recognition of the "Two-year Advanced Course" for a selected group of graduates of accredited schools, for completion of which seventeen hours' work for each year was necessary in addition to what was required before entrance. This course, which later became still more flexible, was the one offered as a satisfactory substitute for the junior college status. Miss Bailey prepared a statement in 1926 for Constance Parker Chipman, 1906, the President of the Alumnae Association, in order to bring the matter before the alumnae public and ask for cooperation, as she was just starting on a tour of Abbot Clubs.

 

Junior College

To come now to a review of the junior college matter, it may be said that as early as 1909 Mr. Flagg in his Treasurer's Report had given, as one reason for urging an increase in endowment, a possible future need for a change in status. Two California universities had recommended to the high schools of the State the addition of two years of work of college grade in order that students unable to afford a whole college course might have the benefit of two years of it. This was the beginning of the junior college movement, which spread over the country in spite of the remonstrances of conservative educators, who felt that it would become too ready a substitute for a thorough liberal arts training.

In the joint report on policies in 1922-23, as approved by the Trustees, a change to junior college rank had been put aside as inadvisable, with a statement of objections which were deemed insurmountable at that time. The subject kept cropping up, however, and letters were frequently received asking about it, and finally in 1926 Miss Bailey prepared the statement for Mrs. Chipman. In this she presented the pros and cons as she saw them. The chief practical difficulties to her mind were that the changes necessary to qualify as a junior college, while keeping the so-called high school work, would not only multiply classes and perhaps necessitate a larger faculty, but would involve separation in living arrangements because of different regulations for the two departments, and this would disrupt the long-cherished unity of the household. As an alternative she suggested the two-year advanced course, now well organized and enriched, explaining in detail its broad advantages, and urging alumnae to advise well qualified girls to choose Abbot for further study. Alumnae who were graduates of the Academic Course would be the first to appreciate this opportunity and recommend it to others, for they were always testifying to the value in later life of their senior work, which indeed had been a distinctive mark of the School before ever women's colleges came into being.

 

Vocational Training

A modification of educational policy was adopted early in the new administration, in part probably because of a demand from without. Vocational training as such had not been accepted as part of the School program. It was felt that this might be left to schools established for the purpose, or to high schools which could take it up in a practical way. The theory was that in a private school of high standards like Abbot a student should devote her time to the liberal arts as a broader foundation for later specialization.

What might have been regarded as a concession was made in the case of instruction in housekeeping in a broad sense, such fundamental courses as might properly belong to the training of a young woman for home life. In 1913-14, the second year of the new administration, the idea was tried out in a one-hour course of household science and economics offered to seniors, with physics or chemistry as a prerequisite. Emphasis on the broad implications of the new course is apparent in the statement of purpose, "to help girls realize the importance of the home as a unit of national life and the influence of a scientifically conducted house on the welfare of the state." It was planned to have, among the topics to be covered in the course, public health, and visits to factories, shops, and markets, but as it worked out, this part of the program was not carried out. The large room in Abbot Hall basement that had been used in the nineties for gymnastics, and later for an extra-curricular arts and crafts class, was fitted with gas stoves and other paraphernalia for a laboratory kitchen.

For several years there was a frequent change in instructors. For two years, 1916-18, the course was placed under the direction of the Garland School of Homemaking in Boston, from which different teachers came for special subjects, Housewifery, Household Management, and so forth. Supplementing this in 1916-17, a series of four lectures was given for the benefit of the whole school on Saturday afternoons; the first by the Principal of the Garland School, who discussed food, shelter, and clothing problems and the right use of a yearly income. Other subjects treated by different experts were "Efficiency in the Home," "The Relation of the Home to Society," and "The Care of the Child."

The two-year course included always theory and practical demonstration. From the first, the study of dietetics was accompanied by laboratory work in cooking, and the study of textiles by sewing and dressmaking. The girls took pride in their achievements in these lines. Once under the direction of the instructor, they prepared and served a luncheon for the Faculty in the John-Esther Gallery. At the end of sewing courses there were informal exhibits of baby dresses and other simple garments, and of the individual scrapbooks containing studies for house furnishings and decoration.

In the twenty-five year period under consideration, this Department was decidedly affected by changes in the outside world in the treatment of both the general field and the practical elements. Altered economic conditions had definite bearings on household management. The introduction of new appliances tended to change methods, scarcities of certain foods led to training in "wartime cookery," and at a later time high prices and income shortages made experiments in thrifty but attractive use of materials really important. The study of the chemistry of foods took account of the new emphasis on the value of the several vitamins, just as the consideration of house furnishings and clothing was affected by the changing of fashions in fabrics and in modes of dress.

A second concession to vocational training was made twenty years after the first, but with the same thought for the broader principles and values concerned. A business course, non-professional in character, was introduced in 1934 for the two upper classes, covering "accounts, budgeting, elementary bookkeeping, banking investment, and so forth, with stenography and typewriting," while a course in typing was open to the lower classes. At a lecture given at this time before the School, a prominent speaker emphasized the importance to a young girl of being able to think straight about the use of money and to understand something of economic backgrounds, not simply for the purpose of managing her own affairs but because she would thus be enabled to take an intelligent part in the social and civic affairs of her community.

The Trustees and Faculty thus conferred, through committees, in making decisions as to School policies in the face of the changing conditions of this transition era. It was a wise move. There is an old saying, "It takes all of us to know it all." Miss Bailey's awareness of the serious problems that existed, and the constant search, under her leadership, for ideal solutions, meant progress. Only so could the flaming torch of the Abbot seal, handed down from the years before, be passed on to the coming generations.


Part One: Alice and Miss Bailey

Table of Contents