Part I

ABBOT AND MISS BAILEY

CHAPTER XIII

TRADITIONS ---AND CHANGES OLD AND NEW

MISS BAILEY took pains to preserve one old tradition with an interesting history. When the students had assembled in Chapel, she would rise and say, "Good morning, young ladies," and they would respond by standing and saying in chorus, "Good morning, Miss Bailey." This formal greeting had been used at Abbot, except for a slight interim, for a good many years. It was thought to have been brought from Mount Holyoke in its seminary days, where the Mary Lyon influence was still very strong, by Miss McKeen's sister and assistant, "Miss Phebe," who had taught briefly there before they both came to Abbot in 1859. It is on record that the same form was customary with the Mary Lyon group of teachers at the famous old Ipswich Seminary, so well known in Andover, and may very likely have originated there. It was used at Wheaton in its early days, doubtless when Miss Lyon was there helping to found that institution.

Several of the alumnae have been questioned as to their reaction to this little ceremony. Most had taken it for granted just as something that belonged to Abbot. Being young and classing all Faculty members of Miss Bailey's age as almost prehistoric, they missed the twinkle in her eye nor realized that a college woman of her type was far too modern to use the term "young ladies." One, however, said, "I always loved it because I knew it was a tradition. I am sure that is why Miss Bailey said it, and I am sure there was an inward twinkle." Another said, "It started the day for us. We expected it and should have missed it. It gave us a family feeling. Miss Bailey had a special way of saying it. I thought of it as being a sort of barometer; usually when things were going well at School, it was with a lovely gracious expression, but if ever some trouble had tried her soul, she looked even grim." Why not indeed?

The Good Morning breakfast "nod" by the Principal was definitely remembered by an alumna of Miss Means's day, even as to where she sat at table facing the door when thus greeting the girls as they came in. Inquiry as to an earlier origin of the tradition brought this reply, "It seems to me we bowed to Miss McKeen as we came in to breakfast and therefore I think she must have acknowledged it. I can't be sure but it would seem so --- it would have been natural."

Now with Miss Bailey the nod was understood as an essential bit of ceremony, but it occurred at the end of the meal, and the departing girls would stand till recognized. However, they were inclined to get into the habit of hurrying through their breakfast quite too fast. At such times she would go on eating without raising her eyes until there was a line of ten or a dozen waiting, then finally looking up to the chagrined young women, she would nod and dismiss them.

Here is another breakfast story. Picture Miss Bailey pouring a cup of coffee and, before taking it herself, quickly passing it at arm's length in front of the circle of girls saying, "You won't any of you have coffee, will you?"

Another custom had arisen after Miss Phebe's death in 1879. On Sunday evenings before supper, the family repeated in unison the hundred and twenty-first Psalm, which had been a special favorite of hers. Memorable were the seasonal services. One was the Thanksgiving service arranged by Miss Phebe. It was always held in the Chapel in the morning just before the girls went away for the holiday. Bible verses were repeated, many of them from the Psalms, and hymns sung expressing thankfulness and praise.

A tradition which lasted through Miss Bailey's time was the recognition of her birthday, December 17, in combination with Christmas festivities. The night before School closed for vacation, each table at dinner was given a birthday cake and a large one graced Miss Bailey's table. Later, in the McKeen Rooms, came "Miss Bailey's party to the School," so called in the Bulletin calendar, a picturesque occasion with a big open fire and students and Faculty all in white in the candle light. The girls sang carols, some in French, Spanish, and Latin, all joining in "Adeste fidelis," with Miss Friskin and Mr. Howe in charge. The alumnae to whom this was all a lovely memory especially appreciated the wonderful achievement of Miss Chickering in bringing out only one month after Miss Bailey's death the Memorial issue of the Courant exactly on December 17.

The service in Davis Hall the evening before the Christmas dinner was of a wholly serious nature, the program consisting of the Old Testament prophecies and the stories of the Nativity, carefully selected verses, recited by the girls in turn or by groups in unison. To many this became a precious memory. Miss Bailey would read Scripture passages between Christmas hymns and quiet music. There was, mingling with the sentiment of the season, a loyalty and pride in the School. It seemed to the girls that Miss Bailey gave more of herself then than at any other time, showing a deep emotion.

In these and other ways Miss Bailey allied herself with the past, partly because of her feeling for the beginnings of the historic School, and partly because she knew that a large number of interested alumnae clung to the old ways. But she was never one who would have kept traditions that in her opinion would tend to hamper progress or that lacked color or quaintness. If she moved slowly in making basic changes, it was that she preferred first to settle into the life of the School, waiting to see how existing policies were working and whether the habits or routines from her previous experience might advantageously be added.

Some innovations, however, were introduced at once. One of of these proved to be of permanent significance. The midwinter holiday at Intervale for the seniors, first occurring in 1913, quickly became an important event in the School program and an accepted tradition. As has been shown earlier, it helped to unify the two divisions of the senior class and in time came to be a matter of lively interest to the alumnae who had participated, and a definite means of providing continuity with the past.

From time to time changes were inaugurated in Commencement procedure. The custom of a School rally on Friday night with singing on Abbot Hall steps seems to have arisen in 1919, and the distribution of sports' and other awards was made at the last Chapel of the year. Other traditions came into being naturally with the growth of the Physical Education Department and the founding of the Gargoyle-Griffin system in 1926-27.

The return of alumnae for Commencement doings became more general after headquarters were provided in McKeen Hall in 1915, and an organized plan of reunions at five-year intervals publicized and put into practice with emphasis on fifty and twenty-five year anniversaries. From 1925 an alumnae marshal and alumnae ushers served at graduating exercises, and the seniors appeared at the annual meeting of the Alumnae Association to be received formally into that organization. In 1939 Saturday was made Alumnae Day and the headquarters in McKeen Hall, which had become altogether too cramped for the numbers returning, was replaced by the more spacious and convenient rooms of the John-Esther Gallery.

An innovation at this time which became a tradition was the Faculty Play. Dramatic talent among the Faculty had not been lacking in the past, but had been shown without rather than within the walls. At intervals after Miss Bailey came, teachers delighted and surprised the student body with proof that they were really not made of some different kind of clay. In the very first year of the new regime, they put on a very successful vaudeville show, appropriately called "Off Duty," with witty topical songs, a skit, and a Spanish dance by the physical education instructor. At another time an impromptu "Heap Big Powwow" featured Indians in blankets and war bonnets, and an amusing song, still by chance preserved, with hits on Faculty habits.

A sample of rather more pretentious theatricals was the melodramatic "Seven Keys to Baldpate," produced in the general alertness of the spring preceding the Centennial, in an atmosphere tense with excitement as the matter had been kept so absolutely secret that the girls did not know at all what to expect. Although there were regular printed tickets for the "orchestra" seats, the title read simply, "Don't You Wish You Knew?" There were hilarious bursts of laughter as the identity of the actors, disguised by make-up, was discovered and the absurd situations of the farce developed. Most amusing also to the strictly family audience was the adaptation of the various actors to their roles. There was an elaborate stage setting prepared by "Scannell and Company," and the men's costumes were furnished by "Burns [Andover tailor], Flagg, and Scannell"! Rehearsals for plays were great fun for the teachers and a salutary change from the routine of work. The effect on the students of seeing how the other half lived was amazing and markedly decreased the gulf between Faculty and students.

Towards the end of the Era --- in 1933 to be exact --- a new center of relaxation and privacy was opened for the Faculty. The annex of the Flaggs' house over the School garage was a large room with rafters overhead and a big fireplace at one end. This had previously been used for the Flagg daughters to entertain their friends. Mrs. Flagg tells of a chance talk with Miss Bailey about a suitable name for it and declares it was Miss Bailey herself who came up with the name Baronial Hall. Members of the Faculty enjoyed this spot for quiet uninterrupted work, for smoking, as Miss Bailey did not approve of their smoking in the School buildings, and for small parties since there was a hot plate and sink and a hospitable friend in the main house.

Mr. Flagg has recalled how he suggested to Miss Bailey that the seniors on coming back from Intervale in February might be given permission to use "Baronial" on Saturdays for the rest of the School year without supervision. When she hesitated he said, "The Student Council would handle any problems that might possibly arise." Miss Bailey replied, "I'd like to sleep on it." Her decision was eminently satisfactory to the seniors, they proved worthy of their trust, and an enduring tradition was established.

 

CHAPTER XIV

FINANCIAL POLICIES AND PROBLEMS

NEW policies now arose regarding financial problems. The inadequacy of funds for insuring suitable rewards for teaching had long been recognized by the Trustees. An appeal for such an endowment appeared in the Courant shortly before the Semi-Centennial in 1879. Mr. Flagg, who had become Treasurer in 1906, had been emphasizing it in his annual printed reports. When Miss Bailey came into office, she gave direct attention to the matter, mentioning it in her first report to the Trustees in 1915, and rousing interest among the New York Club members so that they designated their annual gift in that year for salaries. Some advances were made then and shortly after.

As in all educational institutions, tuition charges never began to cover the cost even of instruction and related expenses. Sporadic gifts from alumnae and others, whether for immediate use or for invested funds, were usually labelled for specific purposes and could not be diverted for salary increases. Continuous raises in board and tuition, though not deemed desirable, were adjudged necessary by 1917, when the rates which had been stabilized at $600 for resident students were from then on gradually raised, mostly by $200 changes, to $1400, and tuition for day students from $120 by $25 changes, to $450. These increases were indeed not sufficient to help much in view of mounting costs of upkeep in all departments and the competition of similar schools. So finally the long-seething pot came to a boil. What happened next was the Endowment Fund enterprise, which has been told in the story of alumnae activities.

Among Faculty undertakings for the Fund were several distinguished concerts by their own members, and a cafeteria managed in 1921 for Commencement guests by one of the household staff. A yearly Bazaar, introduced in 1920 to celebrate the birthday of the School, conducted with characteristic zeal by students and patronized by parents, neighbors and friends, brought in appreciable sums. These were augmented by a continuous stream of small amounts resulting from various activities, not only of organizations and departments of study, but by the money earned in clever ways by the girls.

So the years passed and finally the long-anticipated Centennial came and the consummation of all the effort in the presentation of the Fund, which amounted to $160,000 The years of Fund raising had fortunately coincided with the prosperous period in the country after the War, and the School was larger than usual. Then, alas, came the financial collapse in the fall of 1929. The effects of the depression soon began to be apparent. Numbers fell and prices rose. Retrenchments and emergency economies were found imperative. The cottage dormitories were closed, temporary cuts were made in salaries, and the domestic staff lessened. The students, responding to the need, did the work of waitresses and other maids. As adverse business conditions came to affect the families of students, tuition payments were delayed and, naturally enough, the raises in tuition brought more requests for scholarships.

So in the fall of 1932, a temporary reduction in tuition was decided upon. Then as an additional measure, Miss Bailey, through circular letters and the Bulletin, asked the alumnae to help in securing promising students, and to feel that here was an opportunity as well as a responsibility. The hearty responses, even from those who had not known her as Principal, were most encouraging and led to the initiation of a definite program to further such alumnae cooperation and to spread correct information about current advantages at Abbot. A Field Secretary, Miss Mildred Winship, was engaged to carry out this plan. Miss Winship was especially well fitted for such work, not only because of her familiarity with educational policies in general and with those of schools of similar type, but because her professional training and experience had made her an expert in publicity methods. She at once organized a real campaign, not for money but for active individual effort, with a central committee and district and community chairmen. The Alumnae office staff helped by compiling geographical lists and attending to mailings of leaflets and an illustrated booklet.

Many informal gatherings of alumnae were held at convenient centers in New England and the vicinity of New York, often including mothers of young girls eligible for Abbot and parents of current undergraduate students. At most of these Miss Winship spoke, at some Miss Bailey, and at some a senior who brought enlightening impressions of School life at the moment. Alumnae enjoyed the sociability of these meetings and at the same time were made definitely aware of the possibilities of a united movement in the face of competition with other schools. Each community of any size was asked to feel responsible for securing at least one student. In the free discussions that were encouraged, some suggestions were made for modifying what was thought to be too strict a regime for the times, and these were soon after put into effect. There is admittedly a retarding tendency in boarding schools since, because of the immaturity of the average student, they must act in the place of parents and yet adapt rules and policies to different types and ages of girls who are away from the restrictions of home. This natural, perhaps necessary attitude may lead in time to an undue conservatism which becomes apparent to interested observers on the outside, as well as vitally and emotionally important to prejudiced insiders! Another part of the publicity plan was "Visiting Day" in May, 1933, a forerunner of many similar occasions when Abbot held open house, and alumnae from Boston and neighboring towns were invited, through an alumnae committee, to come and bring friends interested in education, or daughters eligible as students, to see the School at close range. There were exhibitions and demonstrations of the different departments of School work in charge of Faculty hostesses, a gymkhana in the riding fields and some sort of musical program.

Some measure of success from the concerted action of alumnae and friends and Miss Winship's personal interviews was soon apparent. Succeeding Miss Winship as Field Secretary in the fall of 1933, Constance Parker Chipman, 1906, well known to the Abbot constituency for her executive ability as a former Alumnae Association president, and for her devotion to the School interests, carried the publicity program into the middle west. Through Clubs and regional committees, she was enabled to meet parents of young girls and other interested people, such as public and private school officials. As business conditions gradually improved, enrollment numbers rose again.

Often during the years the School Treasurer brought forward the advantages of what he called "conditional gifts" or gifts in advance, such as the momentous donations of Madam Abbot, which were made with the provision that she should receive interest on them while she lived. There did come in 1923 a larger, although hardly more notable, gift of this sort in a legacy, contingent on a life interest, from Mrs. Antoinette Hall Taylor, widow of Professor Taylor, long a Trustee, and herself a generous friend of the School.

Mrs. Taylor also bequeathed, as elsewhere mentioned, $20,000 for the maintenance of the Infirmary, and $5000 for more adequate Library facilities. In 1929, $20,000 was given for a scholarship fund by Daniel G. Tenney in memory of his mother, Fanny Gleason, 1864. Aside from these larger gifts, there were from time to time many smaller sums from Clubs, classes, and individuals, usually to be spent at the discretion of the Principal.

The subject of regional scholarships was one which had long been on Miss Bailey's mind. In 1934 the matter was taken up by the Trustees, when it was voted to establish, as an experiment for the coming year, three scholarships covering tuition, one each in Boston, New York and Chicago.

A forward move had been made in 1921 when a Financial Secretary was appointed and an office opened in Draper Hall. She became really an assistant to the Treasurer, and thereby relieved the overburdened School Secretary. She took over tuition and scholarship payments, the bookstore, School banking ---a system begun in 1913 for training students in business methods---securing railway tickets, handling parcel post, and other more or less important financial matters. This arrangement was adequate through Miss Bailey's era, but with increasing financial complications, a separate business office was eventually opened.

 

CHAPTER XV

RELIGION AND PHILANTHROPY

THE coming of the new Principal in 1912 brought no real break in the religious tradition of the School. Miss Bailey, the daughter of a minister, as both Miss McKeen and Miss Means had been before her, was often reluctant to make definite decisions quickly. Modifications in the field of religion came gradually and rather more slowly than in the world outside. Before this time, the families and communities from which students came, many of them in New England or the middle west, were more or less unified in this regard, but this was a period of remarkable expansion in the outer world. Such growth in the freedom of women came about, such changes in family life in the homes the students came from, that the whole background of girls' minds was being gradually altered. Different influences, among them the influx into the country of other nationalities and the rapid spread of radio communication, effected a loosening of restrictions and a much greater variation in standards and conventions.

The School, though avowedly non-sectarian, still leaned toward Congregationalism. Attendance at church was required for students at either the South Church, Congregational, Christ Church, Episcopal, or St. Augustine's, Catholic, the choice to be made in advance by the parents. However, there continued to be frequent able speakers at the School from other denominations. Visiting preachers at Phillips Academy often came down for Saturday evening services in Abbot Hall or, later in the period, for more formal Sunday Vespers in Davis Hall.

Miss Bailey was punctilious in her own church relations, was present regularly on Sunday, attended the annual supper and business meeting at the South Church, showed vital interest in the annual community or interchurch all-day meeting, putting aside other matters to attend, and either speaking herself or introducing a student, perhaps from overseas. At an educational conference at Wellesley College in 1930, she was a round table speaker on "Religion in the School." Once at a regional gathering she conducted the devotional services so impressively as to be vividly recalled years afterward. There was an instance of her own religious faith when there appeared on the table in the Faculty sitting room a leaflet about some institution supported by the prayers of its friends, on which was pencilled in her hand the words, "How about the need of our School to be undergirded with prayer?"

In Miss Bailey's second spring at Abbot, she initiated a series of weekly Lenten services (on Wednesdays) which were continued each year throughout her time. The small groups which gathered in Abbot Hall in the afternoon twilight felt the impress of her earnestness.

The topics of Miss Bailey's Chapel talks often fitted the season or circumstances. In a winter term "Salvation through Work" and "Power through Resistance "; at the beginning of World War I "Preparedness" on the spiritual side, and at its close "Building the New World "; at Easter time "Opportunities for Immortal Life on Earth." Someone remembers how at an opening day in the fall her voice rang through the hall as she said, "You are going to come alive. You are going to meet your work and like it. To meet it, to face it squarely is half way to liking it."

Here there had always been a strong emphasis on missionary interests as there was on Andover Hill, earlier the seat of the Andover Theological Seminary, and the list of Abbot alumnae engaged in such work was a long one. At the beginning of the Bailey era there were several able religious teachers and leaders in foreign lands, mostly in the Orient, who came back as white-haired women to tell of difficult experiences, to meet which they had needed all their Abbot training. One smilingly referred to the fact that her educational status as a graduate of Abbot had given her a place on a college board of trustees, although the other members were all college bred. Also because daughters of missionaries had been given scholarships, there had been numbers of these to keep the connection open. Soon there was a different and much broader interest in these countries through the coming of the daughters of professional and business men located there, who were always ready to tell of strange foods, dress, and customs they had known.

There were certain contrasts in Miss Bailey's attitude during her era. A brief survey of the curriculum shows her hesitancy in turning aside from religious tradition. Such subjects for seniors as Evidences of Christianity, formerly prevalent in college programs, were retained by her even to the end of her administration, ministers after a time being called in to give lectures on Theism. On the other hand there was no lack of emphasis on practical altruistic service. Her class in Ethics did research on what women can accomplish in politics, penal improvement, industry, and unemployment.

Miss Bailey's conservatism was shown in the delay in liberalizing Sunday, where restrictive rules still held. Changes came about only when she realized through repeated suggestions from alumnae that this might be affecting enrollment and that a concession to modern practice was indicated. The result was the opening of the gates, not only figuratively but literally, for they had actually been closed hitherto on Sunday. Soon visits from parents were welcomed and permission given for certain campus sports.

The Abbot Christian Association, first mentioned under that name in 1908, was founded by Miss McKeen in 1891, and later went through many changes. At one time it was a branch of the National Young Women's Christian Association, finally becoming independent, thus following much the same pattern as did such societies in other schools and in colleges. The Society, although it had been referred to in the Courant, was not mentioned in the Catalogue until Miss Bailey came. It was there spoken of as having an important influence in the religious life of the School, with a large proportion of the students as members. In the first part of her era there were, besides the weekly devotional service, classes under student leaders for Bible and mission study, and in the year following the Armistice of 1918 conference groups met for discussion of possible ways to help in the world situation. Students gave practical evidence of their sincerity by their extensive work from this time on for International Student Friendship. The Society was indeed responsible for much of the philanthropic work of the School. Reference to the section on War Time Activities will show the important results of sacrifice on the part of the School community. Another function was sending delegates to student conferences at Northfield.

One of the objectives of the Christian Association had long been the arrangements in the fall for the entertainment of new girls. Other social affairs were added. It was doubtless a natural but certainly an unlooked for broadening of the original purpose as conceived by Miss McKeen which led in 1914 to the production of an "amusing vaudeville program"! The gay Christmas party, held in Davis Hall for Andover children, became a regular institution in 1920, with a big tree and a feminine Santa Claus! From 1930 committees arranged for afternoon teas for the School in the Recreation Room, which were followed by dancing.

The study of the years covered in this chapter has been an interesting one, not only for the insight into Miss Bailey's own religious attitude, but for the development through this student organization of a definite practical interest and participation in efforts for world betterment.

 

CHAPTER XVI

OUTSIDE INFLUENCES

IN a New England school geographical variances in the student body were an important means of increasing the range of interests. As in all schools attempts were made to keep as fair a balance as possible. This was made easier sometimes by the fact that, as in early times, a family when sending a son to Phillips Academy, especially from another part of the country, would send his sister to Abbot.

Contacts with foreign countries increased with the coming of daughters of men in professional or business positions abroad. More important was the appearance of nationals themselves. In this era five girls were enrolled from China, five from Japan, one from Brazil, and one from Greece. These, like American girls, varied in intellectual ability, but in general were from families of high social standing. Two of the Oriental students were especially skilled in writing English verse. An example of international understanding arising from close acquaintance is worthy of comment. A Chinese girl and a Japanese, in spite of the strained relations between their countries, grew to know each other and became fast friends because of their inheritance of similar customs and modes of thought. The presence of these foreign representatives with their differing backgrounds naturally gave another slant to the general attitude in the School. Miss Bailey did not miss the opportunity to encourage appreciation of the contribution to our culture from these countries.

Her vision of the increase in keener international understanding through having these students live intimately at Abbot was an attitude just beginning to emerge from the overemphasis on "Americanization" so greatly talked of and practiced in the nineteen-twenties. It was generally considered essential that all incoming foreigners should be molded into an American pattern. There was little effort apparent to save for our own enrichment the thought ways and picturesque customs of the countries from which they came.

Even after these students left Abbot, Miss Bailey's warm interest in their individual welfare continued. In May, 1924, for instance, the old Chapel room, full of New England associations, was the scene of a colorful Chinese wedding. Tsing Lien Li, 1917, a doctor of medicine, was the bride, given away by Miss Bailey to the groom, Chen Hsien Henry Chen, in the presence of the Faculty, seniors, and Chinese friends. The bride asked for a bell and an arch and Miss Bailey made them herself. After the ceremony Oriental and American customs were mingled, as apple blossoms were showered on the bridal party by students in class colors, and refreshments at the reception in Draper Hall included Chinese dainties as well as conventional wedding cake and ice cream.

This account will perhaps give a fair picture of what the girls were exposed to as a beginning of international relations, which grew in later days. Participation in the Student Friendship movement led the girls to think of their opposite numbers in other lands, their backgrounds and problems, and suggested to their minds sacrifices they could make to extend a helping hand as already told.

Broadening also were the lectures on life in different countries, often interpreting national ideals and cultures. After the close of the first World War, Baroness Frances Huard of France told the thrilling story of how her "Home on the Field of Honor" was taken over by the Germans for their wounded men. Other subjects taken up were "Americans from a French Point of View" and "Why the United States Should Join the League of Nations." Helen Frazer of London talked on "Women in War Work" and "Some Solutions of World Problems "; Baron Sergius Korff, Washington Ambassador in 1923, on "Recent Events in Russia," and later Haridos Mazumdar of India on "Gandhi." Earlier, Hamilton Mabie had described "Our Japanese Neighbors," while Sir Wilfred Grenfell, outstanding and beloved Englishman, spoke of his medical work on the Labrador coast.

On literary subjects there were well-known speakers, beginning, for example, with the poet Alfred Noyes, Professor George E. Woodberry, Hermann Hagedorn, Kate Douglas Wiggin, 1873, and Robert Frost, who came more than once. In this connection mention should be made of William Webster Ellsworth, a veteran New York publisher and poetry lover, who by his frequent visits over the years 1917 to 1935, entering into the family life at Draper Hall, seemed to adopt the School. His merry ways and keen humor, in spite of his difficulty in hearing, made him a great favorite. His lectures, with unusual lantern illustrations on various periods in history and literature, presented possibly dull subjects in such an intriguing way that the girls were interested in spite of themselves. Enlightening too were Mr. Ellsworth's brief talks at Chapel, often related to the lectures, following one on Shakespeare or Molière with readings from "The Newest New Poetry"; as a descendant himself of Noah Webster, speaking on "The Making of a Dictionary" or reproducing in a lively way bits from his manuscript copy of "Green Pastures," as yet unavailable elsewhere in print. Mr. Ellsworth's relation to the School seems somewhat like a foreshadowing of the practice that much later came about in colleges of having visiting professors or resident poets or artists.

Every effort was made to present to students phases of life hitherto unknown to them. A representative of Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers in Industry spoke from personal knowledge of trade unions and reasons for unemployment; and a lecturer coming with a group of Navajo craftsmen demonstrated not only the traditional creative arts of weaving, pottery making, and silver working, but prepared a sacred sand picture in the ancient manner on the floor of Davis Hall, watched intently by the students.

There had been for many years an interest in the outside world as shown by student participation in presidential elections, beginning in fact as early as 1840. A study of Bulletin accounts during the Bailey era continues the story:

In 1916 a " really brilliant" political debate took place, setting forth the merits of the candidates, Hughes and Wilson, before a keenly interested and knowing audience.

Mass meetings in 1920 for both parties were attended with "ardent excitement" by students and faculty. At Saturday hall exercises, there were set speeches and an open discussion with "heated arguments." Harding was the School candidate.

In 1924 Q. E. D. sponsored two political forums, there was a registration day and an election day, when there was a "land slide" for the Republicans. Coolidge accordingly became president. [!] The largely attended political rally held in 1928 on the evening before election day was preceded by a flash-light parade and snake dance around the Circle. Excitement was rife among the supporters of the opposing candidates, applause being interspersed with boos and hisses as the speakers --- two for each side --- finished their harangues. Because of the preponderance of Hoover supporters the party lines were, for the sake of balance, drawn without regard to personal choice. This gave the affair an element of play-acting that made it all the more fun. Witticisms, burlesques, and political parodies of School songs added to the general merriment.

By the next year a student reports the real interest shown in the development of the campaign by a number of girls who were members of the history department. They became familiar with the qualifications of the various candidates and followed the proceedings of the national conventions. Plans for international cooperation were also carefully studied. This was all to the good, acting as leaven. Now, it seems, table talk began to cover both political and business trends. Reasons for students' growing concern in such matters were varied. These were natural home influences; discussions in voluntary current events groups; Miss Chickering's talks before the School; and the news digests, supervised by an instructor, given in the dining room after dinner. Once a girl got so absorbed in her story that she unconsciously walked round among the tables as she talked! A motive for excellence in these reports was the hope of being placed on the honor roll prepared by fellow students.

In summary therefore it may be said simply that there were plenty of ways for a growing girl to widen her outlook.

 

CHAPTER XVII

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

Antoinette Hall Taylor Infirmary

ONE of the pieces of unfinished business in Miss Means's mind when she resigned was a more adequate provision for the care of the sick. Miss Bailey, like her predecessors, built on existing foundations. What was begun or vaguely planned in one regime was one of the first things accomplished in the next. A notable example was the building of the Infirmary. The matter had been discussed with the Trustees and some improvements made, but still the best arrangement possible in Draper Hall was far from satisfactory. Miss Bailey realized the seriousness of the situation, for almost at once several cases of alarming or contagious illnesses made definite action imperative. When a student developed pneumonia, Miss Bailey gave up her suite at the end of the first floor corridor and moved into the guest room. Soon after this through the good offices of Professor Taylor, Trustee neighbor, an anonymous gift of $5000 was received as a nucleus for an infirmary fund, one of the conditions being that it should be named for Mrs. Taylor. The donor was later known to be Mr. Melville Day, a generous benefactor of Phillips Academy. "By determined effort on the part of the Trustees," the record says, other pledges came in to make a sum sufficient to warrant breaking ground. Kendall, Taylor and Company of Boston were engaged as architects. On October 14, the wedding anniversary of the Taylors, the first brick was laid by Mrs. Taylor and a brief ceremony held. In June, 1914, on the birthday of Mr. Day, the building was dedicated and named. All that summer as the work went on, it was carefully supervised, even to the smallest detail, by Miss Bailey, who gave up her vacation for the task. It was her artistic taste that was responsible for the quiet, restful colors throughout the rooms and for the flower beds in front.

It is not necessary to describe the arrangements and conveniences of the building, for they still remain. One year seventy-five bed patients were reported, but more than four hundred out-patients with lesser ailments, counting repeaters of course, were cared for by the Nurse in office calls or in their own rooms. Having a Resident Nurse working always for the prevention as well as the treatment of illness helped to insure a healthful School community.

 

Abbot Hall

The old Academy Building, for many years always so called, was considered, when erected, one of the finest edifices in Essex County or even in the State. Such an opinion was confirmed in the Bailey era by an architect consultant. He spoke in admiration of it, as it must have been before it was moved to the present site from its original position facing School Street, and raised to introduce another floor beneath it. He felt its lines suggested a Bulfinch product.

In connection with the rebuilding in 1906, the problem had arisen of increasing the seating capacity of the upper room, which had been spoken of for a long time as the "Hall," long retained in the expression "Hall Exercises." This had been accomplished by the removal of one of the two small rooms at the rear, the historic "No. 1," for many years Miss McKeen's senior classroom. The tradition of "No. 1" as the senior classroom was preserved in the new McKeen Hall. At this time also the narrow stairway was made much broader, providing a more dignified approach to the assembly room, afterwards called the Chapel. But before many years expansion again became imperative. In 1918 "No. 2," the other room at the rear, was removed, and in 1928 a closet on the front side of the building, once large enough to hold a practice piano, was taken away and a window inserted near it for better lighting. It was after one of these noticeable changes that Alice Twitchell, Loyalty Endowment Fund Director and frequent visitor, brought a laugh on herself when she remarked at morning Chapel that this was the one place that had not changed since she graduated in 1886.

It was not until 1902 that the porch on the back of the building seen in the early pictures had been removed. To come now to the later history, important alterations took place on the ground floor. The large room on the southeast corner, which had been used for various purposes and more recently as a "kitchen," was properly equipped for a household science laboratory. Between that and the biology laboratory was a long narrow room formed from the old passageway and used for years as a carpenter's shop, but now closed for some time. As the great Centennial celebration approached, it became obvious that a regular office on the campus to house alumnae activities was a necessity, and in 1927 the old shop was transformed, by the addition of a section of the household science laboratory containing a window, into a sunny livable room with two windows and the old double doors facing the south. Now there was sufficient space for filing cabinets to be set up and widely separated boxes of records brought together and reorganized. Even more space was soon needed, if only for the work of mailing three thousand Bulletins. The next year another slice was taken off the household science laboratory and a good-sized closet installed. With these changes the Alumnae Office became a more adequate center for the many and varied operations connected with the Centennial, and for the regular alumnae routines thereafter.

 

Draper Hall

For some years there had been a fallow period with few changes in the plant, so that now in preparation for the coming of the new Principal a great deal of modernization was imperatively needed. The Trustees were well aware of this situation and were waiting for an appropriate time to take action; it was hardly credible that it could have been delayed so long. Alterations and improvements made later from time to time will also be noted for the record.

In Draper Hall strategic changes were effected. There had not even been a regular office for the Principal. This essential convenience was supplied by taking over the bedroom which opened from the McKeen Rooms. Then a suite for her, a room and bath, was provided at the end of the south wing. Communication with the outside world had depended in the past on a single telephone in the School Office. An extension in the Principal's Office was at once arranged, and later separate lines for the housekeeping department and the Infirmary, while a private system between buildings saved many steps. Soon an electric clock was added, eliminating the ringing of bells by hand.

The room opposite the School Office, which had sometimes been used for an alumnae guest room, was made into a pleasant sitting room for the Faculty. The Recreation Room for student gatherings was made more attractive by the gift of a window seat and draperies. After the Gargoyle and Griffin Clubs were formed, the shield marked for Club victories was hung there.

The McKeen Rooms were twice enlarged, by the removal of closets and an alcove, to make a straight vista through to the Drawing Room. In the "Mason Drawing Room" (which had at first been handsomely furnished through the generosity of Mortimer Mason, a Trustee) there had formerly been on the right of the entrance an alcove partially shut off from the room, which, because of its semi-privacy, was much in demand on "calling nights" and the first guest to arrive claimed it. The story is told that once the second in line preempted a coveted chair in it by tossing his topcoat on to it over the head of the boy in front of him. Soon after Miss Bailey's coming this alcove was made an integral part of the room, which was redecorated in accordance with prevailing styles.

In 1918 the dining room was completely transformed. With the help of gifts from alumnae groups, draperies and carpet runners were added. The long tables were replaced by small round ones which, as a Courant editorial put it, "gave a sense of intimacy and close relationship" and encouraged a more subdued tone of conversation. This more homelike atmosphere was enjoyed only briefly, for soon the number of boarding students was increased by extra rooming space provided on the fourth floor of Draper Hall and in the newly opened cottages. It was not long before Miss Bailey remarked jocosely, "I am obliged to admit that I do not invite a guest for dinner unless there is a reasonable prospect of sending a girl to the Infirmary!" This crowded condition finally became serious. Alternative remedies were offered. A drastic remodelling of Draper Hall was not then considered feasible. The recurring suggestion for a new dormitory with its own dining facilities always met with protest from Miss Bailey, for it was a matter close to her heart to keep the family tie strong by breaking bread together. It was therefore peculiarly fitting that in the extensive changes of 1941, the spacious dining room should be named in her honor, Bailey Hall.

 

The Library

When Draper Hall was completed in 1890, the Library had found a home there, and the two rooms seemed ample for its needs. Gradually but steadily, however, they became less adequate. When on the death of Miss Means in 1922, the question of a fitting memorial was taken up by the Alumnae Association, a committee of five of her former pupils, headed by Mary Byers Smith, 1904, was appointed to look into the matter. Better housing for the Library was settled upon with a possible browsing room added, and a conference with a Trustee committee resulted in a grant from the Board of $5000 as a nucleus for a Memorial Library Fund. It was decided not to have a drive, but first to use general publicity for the alumnae constituency. The Fund grew thereby but slowly. The Committee then approached various educational foundations, asking for substantial aid. Alas, all declined to give until the alumnae had taken a more active part. Next, in 1930 a committee of Trustees and Faculty consulted a firm of architects, who made suggestions for a suitable building. One of these suggestions was to add a wing to Abbot Hall on the west side to balance the John-Esther Gallery. The lowest figure named was so formidable and the general financial situation then so critical that the matter was for the time left in abeyance. It was not until the thoroughgoing campaign, conducted by a professional money-raising firm in 1941, that the dream of years became a reality in the Emily Means Library, a beautiful Memorial.

 

Sherman Cottage

As numbers increased cottages were gradually added. The first was in 1915 when the Shearer house was purchased for the purpose. Miss Gertrude Sherman, long teacher of French, was wade head of the house; her mother, much beloved, lived with her. The Courant mentioned the new cottage as if it were an experiment. "While some might think it would separate these girls from the rest of the School, that has not been the case at all. On certain nights the girls are allowed to have guests from Draper Hall. These little festivities make the relationship between the two houses very close." It is obvious that the merry times at South and Davis Halls as depicted in the famous journal were all unknown to this later generation.

 

Sunset Lodge

In January, 1919, South Hall came again into the spotlight, for soon after its removal to Abbot Street in 1889, it had become the home of Miss McKeen at her retirement and was named by her Sunset Lodge. Since her death in 1898 it had been rented. Now eight girls lived there with a teacher, and once at least it was used for younger girls. When enrollment dropped off in the Depression, it was again rented.

 

Draper Homestead and Neighborhood Houses

It was also in January, 1919, not long after the death of Mrs. Draper, that the Draper Homestead was opened, furnished as nearly as possible as it had been through the years, and fitted for student use. When the house had been completed in 1869, the local papers commented, "It is worth miles of travel to see the exterior, to say nothing of its internal beauty." There the Drapers lived very frugally and saved their money to give away. In 1926 in the course of repairs on the roof, the cupola was removed, ostensibly for practical reasons. What a shock it would have been to the Drapers to think it would ever cease to be an aesthetic ornament!

There had been a gradual increase in the holdings of houses near the School, beginning with South and Davis Halls in 1865, in accordance with an early policy of the Trustees for protection. Sometimes a house was purchased subject to life occupancy and in certain cases some return was made such as free rental and repairs until the death of the owner. The Taylor homestead was bought from Phillips Academy in 1913 and reverted to the School at the death of Mrs. Taylor in 1923. In 1926 it became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Flagg, who have always been gracious neighbors.

 

The John-Esther Gallery

The John-Esther Gallery, added to the campus five years before the Bailey era by the bequest of Mrs. Byers (Esther Smith, 1856), became increasingly an asset to the School. A fire-proof building was provided --- although unfortunately without a maintenance fund --- to contain the paintings and other works of art which were of special interest because they had formed the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Byers. Many of them had been purchased abroad and were enjoyed not only by students but by visitors from outside. Indeed it had been indicated in the will that the Gallery should be open to the public. Once a Greek boy living in town, attracted by the name of Phidias carved on the outside of the building, was excited to find Homer and Socrates pictured in the engravings, and especially the poet Sappho from whose island home in Greece he had come. Groups of public school children were invited and came, accompanied by their art supervisor, and were duly impressed by it all.

The average weekly attendance in the first years was small; however, visiting exhibits came to be featured through this era in addition to the original collection. Well publicized through the press, exhibits from Boston galleries, from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and from the American Federation of Arts attracted many visitors. These gave the students opportunity to become familiar with the important work of notable artists. The financing of these shows, with some exceptions, was limited to a small income available from the McKeen Art Fund. For nearly twenty years the Gallery was open on Saturday afternoons throughout the calendar year, and an officer of the School was in charge. But with the coming of the automobile, "alarums and excursions" on Saturday proved more exciting entertainment for students, and although the Gallery was later open daily to the public, no School officer was there to welcome visitors.

 

McKeen Hall

When McKeen Hall was erected in 1905, the assembly room, which for many years had doubled as a gymnasium, was named Davis Hall as it was financed by George G. Davis in memory of his father, George L. Davis, whom he had succeeded as Trustee. The story goes that when Mr. Davis (George G.) was sitting by his daughter Dorothy at the Inauguration ceremonies in 1912, he had said to her, "How would you like to give them an organ?" He knew that the loft was already designed for it by Mr. Downs, for many years the musical director. Daughter Dorothy agreed and soon thereafter a two-manual organ, built by the Hall Organ Company of New Haven, "with all the modern devices," was presented to the School by her in a special service followed by a reception in her honor in Draper Hall. In 1925 again by her gift the "Dorothy Davis Rimmer Organ" was enlarged for "power and beauty of tone" and chimes were given in 1918 by Mrs. Taylor in memory of Professor Taylor.

The organ was of distinct value to the School. It was featured in concerts by the members of the Music Department, and when once a month Vespers came to be held in Davis Hall, the organ accompanied the time-honored Fidelio Chorus. Brief recitals were given after Sunday evening services by Mr. Ashton until his resignation in 1922, and thereafter by Mr. Howe. The compositions played were chosen to bring out the resources of the organ.

A music prize in memory of Mr. Howe, started by some of his pupils after his death in 1948, has been perpetuated.

 

Merrill Memorial Gateway

The story of the effort that made the Gateway a reality is one that should often be retold since it shows how loyalty works to achieve great ends. After the death in March, 1916, of Miss Maria Stockbridge Merrill, who had been for nearly thirty years, 1878-1907, the beloved head of the French Department, some permanent reminder of her great and varied contributions to the life of the School was desired by her former pupils and friends. An endowment of a chair of modern languages was considered, but the final decision by those most concerned was in favor of something that could be seen and used.

A dignified entrance to the grounds had been suggested by Miss Bailey in her report to the Trustees in 1915 as a possible memorial. This idea was accepted and put into immediate action by Miss Kelsey, prime mover in the matter, abetted by Miss Mason, both of whom had been intimately and affectionately associated with Miss Merrill. They spent long hours writing personal letters to Miss Merrill's former pupils and to all who might have been touched by her vital personality. These letters, full of enthusiasm for the project, brought a quick response in contributions and grateful expressions from those to whom Miss Merrill's influence had meant lasting enrichment. Since the donors, who numbered about three hundred, were each personally thanked, it was estimated that all in all there must have been at least seven hundred letters written by hand by these indefatigable women, in addition of course to their full quota of School work.

At length when enough money and pledges had come in to make it seem wise to proceed with the enterprise, the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White was engaged. Thereafter many experiments were carried on to insure the most desirable proportions of the structure for beauty and convenience. A central entrance for vehicles was decided upon, flanked by two smaller ones for people walking. At this point, however, World War I intervened and the scarcity and heightened cost of materials and labor made further requests for funds necessary. Finally in 1921 not only was the main Gateway completed, but one giving entrance to the John-Esther Gallery, financed by Mrs. John Phelps Taylor in memory of her husband; and another at the Abbot Street corner, given by the always generous George G. Davis, and carefully so placed, at the suggestion of Mr. Stackpole, as to frame the view of the pillars of old Abbot Hall.

For the dedication exercises held in June, alumnae and friends of Miss Merrill came in large numbers from far and near, and were present also at the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the Alumnae Association which followed. The ceremonies began with a colorful procession of students dressed in white with their bright class sweaters. This formed in front of Draper Hall, and divided into two lines, passing through the Taylor and Davis Gates and meeting outside the main Gateway where they sang the Alma Mater. The gates were then formally opened by Mr. Flagg, the School Treasurer, assisted by Mr. Scannell, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, and two other long-time employees. The procession then passed through the Gate and into McKeen Hall. Opening the program, Miss Bailey told in detail the story of how the Gateway came to be, with appreciative recognition of all those who so readily responded to the appeals of Miss Kelsey and Miss Mason, who were the real donors, giving of themselves in joyous tribute to their colleague and friend. Miss Bailey then introduced Miss Kelsey, who spoke fully and with feeling of Miss Merrill's forceful and invigorating personality, of her zest as a teacher who believed in the capabilities of her pupils, her wise and tactful conduct of the French-speaking household, her widely diversified interests, mingling intellectual pursuits and a deep religious feeling with a keen love of sports. She was beloved and honored also in Faculty circles for her counsel and comradeship. The ceremonies were concluded by a word as to the Significance of the Gift by Mr. Stackpole and prayer by Mr. Oliphant of the Board of Trustees.

Because the Gateway has become so much a part of the daily scene, the details of the structure are scarcely noticed by those who pass in and out today. The masonry of the four tall pillars is of Harvard brick, trimmed with Bedford limestone. The wrought iron grill work of the gates, with the arch above surmounted with a lantern, was especially designed by the Krasser Iron Works. A personal touch is provided by the fact that the architect first in charge, William C. Richardson, who thirty years before had been the architect of Draper Hall, became ill but kept in touch from his bed with the progress of the work. Also it was Mr. Stackpole, who in the beginning looked up the details of the business for Miss Kelsey.

 

Grounds

"Miss Bailey loved every inch of Abbot." This was perhaps particularly true of the grounds. She took great pleasure in arranging for plantings of shrubs and trees, including the class trees, for garden plots, and in working in the soil herself. The lawn where at Commencement the senior class party was held in fair weather is an historic part of the campus. The land, two acres, presented to the School in 1863, was the first of the generous gifts of George L. Davis, Trustee 1859-1891, and was officially named "Davis Green." The receiving line on these occasions stood under the noble old white oak, which according to experts was possibly five hundred years old. It appears again and again in the Abbot story.

An important part of the campus, literally and symbolically, was and is the "Circle," which was formed when Draper Hall was built in 1890, even before the old Davis Hall was replaced by McKeen, and soon began to be talked about by name. The term was used not only for the walk itself but for the grass plot enclosed by it which, it was authoritatively understood, must never be trod upon except on such great occasions as Commencement in the sunny hours or when it was glorified at night by the ring about it of Japanese lanterns. There was another exception to the rule: Miss Bailey encouraged the girls to stage on the lawn any colorful activities, such as the winding of the Maypole, so as to be seen by Mrs. Draper, whom she called Abbot's fairy godmother, sitting in the window of her house across the way.

As the name gained in popularity, the students followed suit and in 1917 named the senior class book "The Abbot Circle." All sorts of pleasant memories cluster about this spot, spring days with girls strolling round it between classes or after dinner, Phillips serenades, Commencement processions, and the thrilling alumnae parade at the time of the Centennial. Once when unusual weather conditions had provided a snowy crust there was skating on the Circle in the moonlight! This was described as "indeed an event to go down in history, to furnish a convenient date to reckon from, like 'the year of the great earthquake' "--- or the blizzard of '88! In time the Circle became to the alumnae a symbol of unity, something quite precious, as was registered by the way protests were received when in 1941 the proposed changes in Draper Hall threatened a break in the curve. In the end, however, sentiment prevailed.

An interesting addition to the grounds was an old English sundial, the gift of the class of 1886. After the annual meeting of the Alumnae Association in June, 1931, the company proceeded to the lawn in front of the Infirmary where the presentation was made by the class secretary, Harriet Raymond Brosnan. The dial bore the lion and the unicorn and the date, 1720. It was mounted on a pedestal of granite, "a symbol of steadfast affection and of loyalty to Alma Mater." Miss Bailey accepted the gift fittingly with appreciation of the continued thoughtfulness of the Class for the interests of the School.

 

Garden of Remembrance

In a secluded spot in the Grove, Miss Bailey had taken a little plot of ground rimmed with big ferns, for a garden. Someone remembers walking down there one day in the spring with her, and being shown with pride the hepatica and yellow lady's slippers. She called it the Garden of Remembrance as a reminder of those who had graciously helped her in this project, contributing many flowering plants suited to the woods. In June 11, on the same day mentioned above, a little ceremony took place there with another presentation --- a flower fountain in memory of Fanny Fletcher Parker, 1872, given by her three daughters, all Abbot graduates, Constance, Esther, and Eugenia. Constance Chipman made the presentation, and Miss Bailey received the gift with feeling, recalling how much Mrs. Parker had done for the School and how over the years plants had come from her cherished garden in Winchester to beautify the Abbot grounds. The gray green fountain with a design of tulips and pond lilies had been placed in a cement basin made at the School. It was a sunshiny day and the occasion was made complete when an oriole in a treetop added his blessing.

 

CHAPTER XVIII

TRUSTEES OF MISS BAILEY'S ERA

THE names that follow are those of the Trustees who served during Miss Bailey's administration. A star indicates death; before a date death while in office; a dagger indicates an Alumnae Trustee, and a numeral following the name her class.

1892-*1915 Reverend John Phelps Taylor
1896-*1939 Judge Marcus Morton
1900-*1934 Mary Donald Churchill (Mrs. John Wesley)
1900-*1916 John Alden
1904- 1913 *Edward Coe Mills
1906 Burton Sanderson Flagg
1908- 1930 *Reverend Markham Winslow Stackpole
1913- 1940 Reverend Charles Herrick Cutler
1913- 1920 *Reverend Albert Parker Fitch
1914- 1926 *Reverend Charles Henry Oliphant
1915-*1935 Bertha Bailey
1916- 1921 †*Grace Carleton Dryden (Mrs. Forrest F.), 1886
1920- 1952 Edward Barton Chapin
1921- 1926 †*Anna Nettleton Miles (Mrs. Harry R.), 1893
1923-*1936 President Ellen Fitz Pendleton
1924-*1950 Irving Southworth
1926- 1931 †Dorothy Bigelow Arms (Mrs. Clarence S.), 1911
1927- 1930 *Professor Jesse Buttrick Davis
1930- 1952 Constance Parker Chipman (Mrs. Reeve), 1906
1930- 1952 Dean Margaret Shove Morriss
1931- 1936 †Mira Bigelow Wilson, 1910
1936- 1952 *Mira Bigelow Wilson, re-elected as Trustee
1933- 1958 Reverend Sidney Lovett

Before any account is given of the part taken by the Trustees in the Bailey era, it may be both interesting and amusing to glance at the powers given them by the Constitution. For instance, they must visit the School as a Board or committee as often as once a term, and inquire into the conduct of the instructors whom they themselves had appointed and suggest improvements in their teaching. Although no such group came for inspection after 1912, it is true that at least for a while one member was regularly appointed to visit classes. The idea of spying on the conduct of the Faculty or proposing radical changes in method becomes absurd when it is known that the appointee, as for many years previous, was Professor Taylor, the neighbor and friend who found it a pleasing duty to commend and encourage students and Faculty alike! He was known for his stately courtesy and his formal and colorful eloquence in public speaking. He would visit a psychology class --- as was recalled by a former student ---like a character from Thackeray or Dickens, "frock coat, side whiskers, and all, bow with a great flourish, and with appropriate and elegant gestures present a flower to the instructor." Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were generous and thoughtful, alert to notice small needs of the School and quietly fill them.

One decided change in policy came about in 1915. The Principal, who before had simply appeared at Board meetings to give her reports, was given the status of a Trustee, and this became a permanent custom. The inclusion of women on the Board had come about long before, 1891, at the request of the Alumnae Association, causing "considerable stir" as described elsewhere, but the next move was from the Trustees and in 1916 the first direct alumnae representative took office for a five-year term, nominated by alumnae ballot and elected by the Board. This plan evidently proved satisfactory, for in 1935 a second delegate was asked for. Earlier Mrs. J. Wesley Churchill (Mary Donald, 1863) had been chosen by the Board to succeed her husband after his death in 1900. This was no mere compliment, for she proved to be a decided asset to the Board for more than thirty years, partly because of her shrewd suggestions about financial matters.

There seems indeed to have been during the years a sort of family succession, as if concern for the School had been an heritage. There were two sons of Trustee fathers, generous George G. Davis whose later gifts included the financing of one of the smaller gateways; and Professor Taylor, serving only briefly in Miss Bailey's period. Besides these sons there were a surprising number of other direct relatives and in-laws.

Constance Parker Chipman, 1906, elected soon after the Centennial because of her executive ability shown in the conduct of the alumnae program for that occasion, was made a member of the Executive Committee and of that on Social Relations. She served as Field Secretary in the campaign for enrollment.

Now a word about the ministers on the Board and their service in different capacities. Markham Stackpole was always ready to help in practical matters, arranging for the publication of Miss Kelsey's book, and making preliminary researches for her as to the possible design of the Memorial Gateway. Two of the ministers were intimately connected with the School as teachers or lecturers in Bible or related courses for seniors. Reverend Charles H. Oliphant sometimes conducted evening Chapel or read from great poetry. He is remembered also for his quick responsiveness and fine musical taste. Succeeding Mr. Oliphant in the same capacity, on his death in 1926, was Dr. Charles E. Cutler, serving 1926-32. Quiet and almost shy in manner, he was an able teacher, always making his subject interesting. Later in the period, 1933, genial Sidney Lovett, then as for many years after Chaplain at Yale, began his valued service. As one of his secondary accomplishments, he became a notable successor to Professor Churchill in the role of toastmaster. Other ministers are spoken of under another classification.

In early days members of the Board were more often ministers, chosen because they were known for intellectual attainments and interest in education. As college training became more general, men with different qualifications were recognized as of equal importance. Among practical business men were George F. Smith and George G. Davis. John Alden was valued for his advice as a scientist as will be shown later, but also for his practical interest in all that concerned the School, following changes in buildings or grounds with pertinent suggestions. Irving Southworth, an industrial expert, was Clerk of the Board for twenty-odd years and a friendly neighbor.

Connected with other institutions and as such an asset to the Board were Reverend Albert P. Fitch, President of Amherst; President Pendleton of Wellesley, close friend and contemporary of Miss Bailey; Dean Margaret Morriss of Pembroke College; Professor Jesse B. Davis of Boston University; Mira Wilson, 1910, who after a term as Alumnae Trustee was re-elected to the Board as a regular member. She had been ordained as a minister in 1918, was later a Class Dean and Assistant Professor of Religion at Smith College, and in 1929 became Principal of Northfield Seminary (later the Northfield School for Girls); and of course there was Sidney Lovett with his Yale connections. Barton Chapin, as a graduate of Phillips Academy and familiar with its Bulletin, gave advice in the conference about starting a magazine for Abbot alumnae, and introduced the custom of having a band for the Commencement procession, where his tall figure topped the line. It was as a Brown man that Mr. Flagg became records-conscious to the great advantage of the alumnae public, as described earlier.

This is not an official account, but according to inside information received not long since from a Trustee who recalled conditions at the beginning of this period, Miss Bailey and Mr. Flagg at first "played a lone hand." This means evidently that the reports of the Principal and Treasurer given at the rather formal quarterly meetings were accepted without active comment. After a time, Judge Marcus Morton, Chairman, and Barton Chapin, Clerk, started the practice of having dinner before the evening meetings. The resulting congenial fellowship as a group was doubtless in part responsible for a gradual change in attitude. Especially after Miss Pendleton's advent in 1923, discussions often became quite lively, for she did not hesitate to comment on subjects she deemed important even if not touched upon in the reports, and was very likely to go on until she was satisfied with à decision. Her good judgment and administrative efficiency made her contributions extremely valuable. Among subjects seriously considered by the Board at different times were the problems connected with the College Preparatory Course, the demands for a change to a junior college and, during the depression, ways to increase enrollment, such as providing for more scholarships.

This story does scant justice to any of the personnel of the Board through the years, especially to three of its members, Judge Morton, who had been made Trustee as early as 1896, and was President for nearly thirty years until his death in 1939. His aider, abettor, and fellow lawyer, Mr. Chapin, was Clerk for fourteen years and Chairman for nearly twenty years thereafter. He --- or she --- who runs may read from the repeated references to Mr. Flagg how much the School depended on his personal supervision of different interests and departments of the family life, and of course for his astute policies in financial matters.

 

CHAPTER XIX

CLOSE-UPS OF THREE TEACHERS ---AND AN ALLY

IF all the Abbot teachers in the era under discussion whose influence was felt in after years could pass the reviewing stand, the line would be long indeed. Hence the spotlight is reserved for what might be called the heads of the procession.

First of all, of course, comes Miss Kelsey with her forty-five years of unstinted devotion to the School, counting no effort or sacrifice too great. Her service was many-sided. She had been Acting Principal during Miss Means's absence abroad, 1910-11, and again the year following Miss Means's resignation, when she purposely kept to existing ways and policies so as not to hamper the incoming chief of staff. She held the helm with quiet dignity and efficiency, and passed on the School, as was said, with morale intact.

To digress for a moment, it may be remarked that her ability thus shown was such as to be sought outside Abbot when she was elected President of the November Club, an Andover club for women, at that time an organization of exceedingly high ideals and standards. Her acceptance of this important office for three years, 1914-17, was proof of her community interest.

When Miss Bailey came in 1912, Miss Kelsey was made Assistant Principal. This position included, besides teaching, various duties which she conscientiously performed, such as the granting of permissions and, suiting her orderly mind, the making of class schedules and the work of admission to colleges. She had come to Abbot as a teacher of the sciences, but was for twenty years before her retirement head of the Department of Mathematics, rigid in her strictness. Many former students returning and remembering how fearsome she had seemed to them as their teacher, were surprised by her warm welcome, since one of her gifts was the ability to remember the most intimate details, not only of their doings as students but also of their later life, sometimes even the names of their children.

Miss Kelsey was definitely a liaison with the past, giving talks often to the students about important personalities of earlier days whom she had herself known. Though hesitant at first, she was at last persuaded to write the invaluable Sketches of Abbot Life during the regimes of Miss Watson and Miss Means, covering a period of eighteen years. It was with evident delight that she recalled events and activities and spoke of individual students, teachers, and Trustees. The book was published at the time of the Centennial, 1929, and was not only eagerly devoured by alumnae of those years but was readable and interesting to others. It is the authority for the history of that period.

In the chapter on the department of science, Miss Kelsey shows incidentally her own alert attention from the beginning to every need for progress. Finding in her earlier years that interest in geology was lagging, she took summer courses at Harvard and the Institute of Technology to perfect her knowledge of that subject, that she might be better prepared to lead the students to appreciate the rich examples in Andover of glacial activity, from the worn stones in the Abbot Street retaining wall to the Pomp's Pond pothole and Indian Ridge, as well as the dykes and faults at Nahant. From this time on field work became an essential part of the course.

It is fortunate that Miss Kelsey found in her book a natural opportunity to evaluate the work of Miss Nellie Mason, describing how, beginning in 1894 with infinite patience and inventiveness, she gradually built up the department of science, as it were from scratch, defying the poverty of equipment and material resources. Miss Mason taught both chemistry and physics, later only physics, and was markedly successful in keeping abreast of the rapid progress in scientific theory and practice. She took pains to avail herself of such advanced knowledge as afforded her by John Alden, Trustee, a chemist of international reputation, who as early as 1904 had brought a tiny piece of radium to show the students. Former pupils speak of Miss Mason not only as a clear and convincing teacher but as one who had real understanding of young people and who sometimes gave illuminating talks on advances in science. A fine sense of humor that was likely to appear quite unexpectedly was an added touch. Although there was a reserve power behind her quiet manner, she always suffered from a great feeling of inadequacy, and seemed never to realize that she was asked to serve on important committees molding School policies because her judgment was valued. Miss Kelsey used to say apologetically that she herself often got the credit for constructive suggestions that originated with Miss Mason, and Miss Bailey once wrote Miss Mason, "You help me every day more than you can possibly know."

Abbot was indebted to these two people not only for their everyday contributions to the School, but for something more spectacular in that they were personally responsible, as is told elsewhere, for gathering the funds for the dignified and fitting Memorial Gateway. This was a tribute to Miss Maria S. Merrill, who had been for nearly thirty years the beloved head of the Department of French. The Gate was dedicated in 1921.

Formal announcement of the retirement of Miss Kelsey and Miss Mason was made in March, 1932, at an impressive morning Chapel service. Five members of the Board of Trustees were present and one of them read the expression of appreciation, already spread upon their records, of these two women whose terms of service---Miss Kelsey's forty-five years and Miss Mason's forty years---were the longest in the history of the School. On Alumnae Day in June, following the annual business meeting, a reception was given them in Davis Hall and a pretty ceremony in their honor was included in the after-luncheon program. Nine alumnae, wearing broad Abbot blue bands, represented the five-year periods from 1887 to 1932, three of them being spokesmen. The third was the senior class president, Lucy Drummond, who voiced a contemporary point of view so aptly and comprehensively that it seems worth while to quote her talk almost in full.

Being the only undergraduate here today, I feel rather out of place but greatly honored. I am able to represent the School better than anyone, still being a member of the student body. Considering the length of time Miss Kelsey and Miss Mason have been at Abbot, it is a great tribute to them that the present student body has if possible an even greater affection for and a greater loyalty to them than the girls of former days. In Miss Kelsey we appreciate the youthfulness of her spirit and her really vital interest in every girl in School, not only in her algebra classes but in every one from the oldest of the alumnae down to the smallest prep. Miss Kelsey's attitude toward the School has been entirely unselfish in that she has never allowed personal feeling to interfere with the welfare and progress of the School's everyday life. She is constantly cheerful and above all so gracious that we all sincerely wish to follow her ideal for a "perfect lady."

Miss Mason is better known in her physics classes where the clear flame of her intellect influences all of her students. She has the great power of personality which is the gift of those very quiet, self-contained people. Both Miss Mason and Miss Kelsey have kept up with every littlest development through their many years at Abbot. They have seen changes which have been greater and have happened faster than many of us realize. For one thing they have worked well in cooperation with a constantly changing Faculty and have kept all this time to the same spiritual standards they began with, adapting the outward form to the needs of the changing times.

Annie Smart Angus, 1898, President of the Alumnae Association, then presented to Miss Kelsey and Miss Mason, in behalf of the Association, a silver coffee set on a tray inscribed with their initials. The two friends stood hand in hand and expressed their gratitude and appreciation in sincere and characteristic fashion, Miss Kelsey beginning, "It is I who should have spoken the words of indebtedness, to Abbot Academy and to Miss Merrill," and Miss Mason saying how rich they both were in the memories of these full and interesting years. The unusually large attendance at the luncheon --- one hundred and thirty --- in this "depression" year, and the long distances which several had travelled in order to be present, was significant of the general desire of the alumnae to pay homage to these women who have meant so much to the School in character building as well as in mind training.

Student appreciation was also expressed in a brief tribute in The Circle (senior class book), which was signed "with the utmost sincerity." The class gift of 1925, kept as a grand secret until the last moment, had been a lovely lifelike photographic portrait of Miss Kelsey in a characteristic pose, which was hung in the senior parlor. Later in 1933, these two benefactors, so called by Mr. Stackpole at the Centennial exercises, were honored in the naming of the Kelsey-Mason sitting room in the new Abbey House, where Miss Kelsey's portrait and an equally fine one of Miss Mason were placed.

In the years following their retirement, their pleasant home on Bartlet Street was a natural attraction for scores of homecoming alumnae and former teachers who were impressed by Miss Kelsey's courage in the face of failing sight, and the continuing interest of both in the present as well as the past. Miss Kelsey's death came on August 11, 1939, and a fitting memorial service was held in October in Abbot Hall. Miss Mason died April 7, 1950, and a simple service was conducted in the home by Miss Hearsey. It must have been a great satisfaction to Miss Mason to provide in her will for a "Katherine R. Kelsey and Nellie M. Mason Fund, to be used preferably in the interests of science."

The third by reason of senority in this imagined line of march is Miss Rebekah Chickering, teacher of English, literature, and history for nearly forty years, 1898-1937. Strongly individual she was, outspoken and forthright although really shy and reserved, her intellectual judgments honest and keen. Absent-minded and of a whimsical humor, she was one whose influence can hardly be overestimated. All in all she was a unique character in Abbot annals.

As a teacher of English, she fostered the creative faculty, inspiring students to do what they had not known they could do, yet she was untiring in her attention to the less gifted. Her own feeling for beauty in literature and in nature stimulated others to new appreciation. An important phase of her work was as Faculty adviser of the Courant. During the time of her supervision it received more than one prize in competition with school magazines from all over the country. Just one month after Miss Bailey's sudden death, a memorial number of the Courant was issued, which contained brief tributes from each of the twenty-three classes of her regime. The selection of the representatives was a striking evidence of Miss Chickering's unusual skill in judging individual ability. When someone asked her how she could have worded her letters to bring such uniformly good results, she replied casually, "Oh, they were used to me and knew what I should expect." Sometimes in Faculty meeting, it was said, she would seem to be in deep abstraction but when called upon would respond instantly with a discriminating estimate of the work of the student under discussion. A characteristic that should not be left out of this portrait study was expressed by a colleague in speaking of committee or other group meetings, "She was generous to others, but in her gentle, persistent way she was not unlikely to gain her point."

In connection with her teaching of history and in addition to it, Miss Chickering's talks on world affairs before the School, often illustrated with maps, began even before the first World War, and were of importance in enabling the girls to read the newspapers intelligently. After the Armistice she conducted a class in the Responsibilities of Democracy in an effort to prepare them for personal service. Her Current Events courses were notable, whether voluntary, meeting outside of School hours, or as regular electives, one such being described as "a small and lively class." "An eager spirit," she infused her comments so thoroughly with her warm feeling for her students as individuals that they enjoyed keeping her in touch with their later lives.

Later students did not realize that Miss Chickering was the first School basketball coach. Coming to Abbot fresh from Bryn Mawr where she was a star player on the basketball, team, she was shocked to find the girls playing in long voluminous skirts, and began at once to modernize the costumes and to perfect the players' form.

After 1927 Miss Chickering and her sister, Miss Helen, teacher of mathematics and Latin, lived in a fine old Colonial house on Central Street, where they often entertained Faculty and student groups. In August 1937, Miss Chickering's many friends were shocked to hear of her death in Paris while on a pleasure trip with her sister. A memorial service was held in Abbot Hall in October with many reminders of her lovable and many-sided personality. When in the remodelling of Draper Hall in 1941 better housing for the library was provided, a way of commemorating book-loving Miss Chickering was included in the plan, and the Memorial Browsing Room became a reality. The kindly eyes of this teacher-friend look out from a photographic portrait and invite leisurely enjoyment in reading. A close-up of her in words is found in the poem written by Catherine C. Leach, 1915:

You caught your breath at beauty.
Across long years I see
You pause to smile at wind-carved clouds;
Your voice drifts back to me
Quoting some lovely lyric line
Of verse I had not known,
But that it, stirring you, stirred me
And thenceforth was my own.

You made no cult of beauty.
Quite human things you did,
Endearing you to us the more.
We chortled when you slid
Your text books down the laundry chute,
Pronged cucumber in tea,
Unnoticing, and dreaming walked
Against a startled tree.

You gave me zest for beauty.
Now in gull-flight or star,
In the churned wake of lunging ship,
In firelight you are
Revealed to me --- in chapel bells,
In meadow-scent and snow
You must have come into your own
At last, who loved it so!

Quite as important as these teachers in another realm of Abbot activities was Michael Scannell, who had come in 1903 as a young man to the position of fireman, and gradually in the thirty-three years before his death had been given increased responsibilities, as electrician, engineer, Superintendent. As time went on, he was wont to observe and study all sorts of problems related to the School, and finally propose, albeit quite modestly, satisfactory solutions. He thus became a kind of mentor, so practical and wise in his suggestions that even Mr. Flagg was known to have changed a definite opinion, saying mildly, "I have decided not to do" thus and so. Mr. Scannell's ingenuity and resourcefulness were abundantly shown in the arrangements and devices he originated for the Alumnae Office when it was given housing in Abbot Hall basement in 1927, and it was his forethought for growing needs that made increased space available. He had a fine artistic sense. Miss Bailey once said, "One might not expect to consult the engineer about hanging pictures, but I am very glad to have his advice!" A like skill was evident in his provision for suitable scenery for dramatics. His loyalty to the School made him take pains to become familiar with its history, and he picked up information about the successive changes in the position of the buildings before his time until he was able to talk intelligently about them with interested alumnae and other visitors.

A recent letter from Mrs. Scannell recalls an incident before the Infirmary was built:

One morning Mr. Scannell came back from Miss Bailey's office and said one of the girls had a contagious sickness and he had suggested to Miss Bailey that she use our apartment [in the Draper Hall basement] for an infirmary; and added, "I knew you would be willing." We moved out and that afternoon the nurse and the patient moved in. When Dr. Clark came in later he looked around and said, "This is perfect."

The next day Miss Howey [of the Faculty] and a couple of students came down to see me and told me what Miss Bailey had said to the School. She explained [the situation] and said, "Dr. Clark and I have gone over every available place in this building and the only solution seems to be the part that was intended for an infirmary on the fifth floor. So I called Mr. Scannell and asked if that place could be made usable. 'Y-e-s,' he said, 'but I have a better plan.' I looked at him in amazement! After spending an agonizing night and day, here was someone who said, 'Y-e-s, but I have a better plan'! 'And what is it?' I asked. 'Take our apartment. There you will have a light, airy place with an outside entrance where you can be completely isolated.' And there the nurse and patient now are!

On the day after Mr. Scannell's death, Mr. Howe in a recital in Davis Hall played in his honor Chopin's Funeral March. It is no wonder everybody connected with the School from the Trustees to the least important person on the campus who came into contact with him mourned his loss, realizing at last how much they had relied on his sage counsel.


Chapter Twenty

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