State

St. Mary’s School and Junior College in Raleigh, as it appeared about the middle of the 19th century. The picture is taken from an old wood cut, found on a piece of sheet music. St. Mary’s 100th Birthday In 1812 St. Mary's opened lier floors for the first time to 12 Young Indies. Sinee that time, thousands of girls in many states are loyal to their Kaleigh alma mater. By IIOIUS GOKKCII I F in the very nenr future a soft. I low murmur should eomc from the I stately portals of Sinedes Hall on St. Mary’s campus saying, “Goodness ! I feel as old as Methuselah,” the stu¬ dents will just look up an<l smile, for what the old school murmurs is true. St. Mary’s celebrates her one hun¬ dredth birthday this month. St. Mary’s had her first birthday in 1842. Formerly only boys had been admitted and the school was known throughout Raleigh and the surround¬ ing counties as Ravemeroft Grove, an Episcopal school for boys. Soon after the school was estab¬ lished. Dr. Aider! Sinedes, the princi¬ pal, saw the need for a chapel and in 1S54 Judge Duncan Cameron built the "little brown chapel,” which with the addition of transeepts, an organ chamber, robing room and a new re¬ cess chancel is the same chapel today that stood on the campus 88 years ago. In a letter from a former student, Mrs. Montgomery, to Dr. William Way, living conditions in the three buildings in the early days are com¬ mented upon. She speaks of five dormi¬ tories: two in West Rock, one in East Rock, and two on the fourth floor of Smedes Hall. “These dormitories were divided into alcoves, five on each side of the hall, with a half-window to each alcove except at the four corners where there was a full-sized window. There are no springs on the beds, only mat¬ tresses. Our only bathing facilities were in wash bowls. Each night we filled our pitcher from a large tub that had been filled at the well, brought in by two Negro men and placed on a stooi in the hallway. For a hot bath we went to the kitchen where a huge cauldron was kept filled and a con¬ stant fire underneath." Only 13 girls attended the first ses¬ sion of St. Mary’s while today the en¬ rollment is around 225. The students in the early days ranged from kinder¬ garten to college ages and were in¬ structed in all of the courses that were considered necessary for the training of a young lady. Although the girls of the present- day oomplaiu about the regulations regarding their activities at St. Mary’s, there’s many a girl who’d be thankful she wasn’t among the stu¬ dents who were enrolled at the school during the first twenty-five years after its doors were opened. “At five o’clock in the morning the young ladies arose, dressed, made their beds, tidied up their alcoves, and reported to the schoolroom for roll call and prayers. After breakfast the young ladies walked for an hour. Five times around the grove was considered a good day’s exercise. Enter in Chapel, the Rector lectured on the preceding Sunday's Bible lesson and afterwards each pupil was required to write an ah>trnet on it. Recitation periods last¬ ed until sunset with time out at one o’clock for dinner. After tea there was a study period. At 10 p.m. there were prayers and roll cal! in the parlor be¬ fore the young ladies retired.” Thus was St. Mary’s at the begin¬ ning of its hundred years of “success¬ ful living.” Many are the lovely ladies who have tripped over its front steps: Annie Lee, daughter of General Rob¬ ert K. Lee; Margaret Wilson McAdoo, daughter of President Woodrow Wil¬ son; Frances Fisher, whom the world knew as “Christian Reid,” the popu¬ lar writer during the War Between the States; Emily McVea, former president of Sweet Briar, and many others. Many of her fair daughters will come to Raleigh on May 17 to wish (Continued on page twenty-two) to