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posed to the Board of Trustees “to buy a site and
erect, equip and donate a suitable building to ac
commodate at least 150 pupils.” The Board accepted
his offer and in recognition of his generosity the
name of the Seminary was changed to that of “Ag
nes Scott Institute,” in memory of Colonel Scott’s
mother, Mrs. Agnes Scott. The cost of the plant
and equipment conveyed to the Trustees by Colonel
Scott was $112,500.00, and on November 12, 1891,
Agnes Scott Hall was dedicated in the presence of
the Synod of Georgia then in session at Decatur.
Phenomenal Growth of the School.
From this time forward the growth of the insti
tution has been almost miraculous and its capacity
has been taxed to the utmost to accommodate the
pupils desiring admission. During the year just
past 301 girls were enrolled, and in the year about
to begin application has been made for more than
four hundred with a prospect of even this number
growing when the full enrollment is had.
Rebekah Scott Hall.
As has already been said the problem of arrang
ing for the home life of young girls during their
student years has been one with which the Agnes
Scott College has deeply concerned itself, and as
the original dormitory had long since proved inade
quate to the demands upon it, another building was
an urgent necessity. As always in the history of
Agnes Scott, generous friends were forthcoming to
meet the needs of the institution. One of the most
earnest of these friends is Mrs. Josephine Abbott,
of Atlanta, and the site for a dormitory building
was donated by her. This building was only com
pleted during the past spring and the fund for its
erection was contributed by the family of Colonel
u,nd Mrs. Scott, as well as by Mrs. Frank Inman,
Col. J. W. English, Jr., Capt. J. W. English, Sr.,
Miss Jennie Inman, Capt.-R. J. Lowry and Mr.
H. M. Atkinson, all of Atlanta. It was formally
dedicated and the keys given to the Trustees dur
ing the past spring and in compliment to Colonel
Scott the name of his beloved wife, Rebekah Scott,
was given to the splendid new hall. Mrs. Rebekah
Scott was herself deeply interested in the life of the
institution and it seemed but fitting to honor her
memory thus.
If ever there was an ideal home for young wom
en it is to be found in the new building at the Ag
nes Scott College. Erected with every possible
forethought for the comfort, health and happiness
of its occupants, it is architecturally beautiful as
well as substantially and practically perfect. A
visitor might easily imagine himself being conducted
over a mammoth summer hotel such as our country
is famous for, when he is shown over the Rebekah
Scott Hall. A broad, stately corridor connects the
new building with the class rooms in the main body
of the institution, and this corridor, guarded by
massive Corinthian columns, extends around the en
tire front of the building, a distance of many hun
dred feet. Apart from the artistic beauty, this
affords an ideal walk for students during inclement
weather, and is only one of the many provisions for
the health and pleasure of the occupants of the
building. The inside finishings of the new hall are
of dark walnut, “Mission” style, and the furniture
is in keeping with the woodwork. The beautiful re
ception rooms, the spacious dining hall, the luxu
rious bed rooms, and baths, as well as the modern
and complete culinary arrangements all testify to
the taste and the careful intelligent supervision un
der which the building was erected. It accommo
dates about 100 students and its estimated cost is
in the neighborhood of $60,000.
Literary Society Rooms.
One of the features of the new hall are the two
magnificent apartments devoted to the use of the
two secret literary societies and furnished by their
members. These societies are the Mnemosynean and
the Propylean and they afford ample opportunity
for practice in literary expression as well as in
correct parliamentary practices. Their usual pro
grams consist of “essays, debates and readings, in
terspersed with vocal and instrumental music.” The
furnishings of these two halls are worthy of spe
cial mention for the handsome carvings of the chairs
on the rostrums, and the graceful fittings of the
apartments in all the details are matters of pride
The Golden Age for September 13, 1906.
to the college as well as to the individual members
of the societies.
Location and Other Buildings.
While much has been said as to the physical con
struction of the Agnes Scott College* there is small
danger of exaggeration as to the completeness of
the college equipment. The site chosen for this
great educational work is exceptionally beautiful,
being within five miles of Atlanta, the grounds lying
so high as to furnish natural drainage, and the
buildings for various purposes are grouped around
a campus which it is safe to say cannot be ex
celled by any institution in the South. In addition
to the Rebekah Scott Hall there is another dormi
tory building, which -was the original house used
for the Agnes Scott Seminary—this is the White
House, and is also a complete and spacious struc
ture. A Science Hall, Gymnasium, together with
the Infirmary Building and the president’s home,
complete the buildings on the campus, the whole
forming almost a colony in itself.
The Alumnae Infirmary.
The Alumnae of Agnes Scott have forever made
themselves a factor in the future of the institu
tion by founding an Infirmary for use of the stu
dents, and by donating and equipping a special
building for this purpose. A trained nurse is in
constant attendance, but it is a matter of some
pride that even with nearly four hundred pupils,
during the season just past there were several weeks
when not a single patient entered the building pro
vided for illness. In connection with the infirmary
there is also an isolation ward or separate house for
the care of possible contagious diseases—an extra
nurse is employed for such cases, and even a sepa
rate kitchen is attached to this department, thus
insuring absolute isolation for the infectious patient,
and consequent safety for other students.
Standard of Scholarship.
Although we have given attention first to the
physical equipment of the Agnes Scott College, yet
after all, this is but the outer husk of the institu
tion, as its real worth is found in its standard of
scholarship and rare moral and spiritual training
offered to its students.
Although begun as a seminary the promoters fixed
before them the ultimate standard of a College, but
so high were their own ideals that it is only within
the very recent past they have succeeded in so ar
ranging their curriculum as to feel on a perfect par
ity with the other colleges of the country. The de
gree of B. A. when conferred at Agnes Scott enti
tles the holder to fullest collegiate recognition by
the advanced universities of the country.
It so happens, however, that Agnes Scott College
is not at this time within the Southern Association
of Colleges, but the reason for this is such a one
as time and further facilities must surely remove.
Preparatory Training.
The faculty of this institution found it exceed
ingly difficult for many of its students to enter the
college course because of insufficient academic train
ing. It was decided, therefore, to have, in connec
tion with the college, a sort of preparatory school
to which admission can be had at fourteen years.
This school, however, cannot yet be separated as
completely from the college as the rules of the
Southern Association of Colleges demand, hence in
this requirement alone Agnes Scott is deficient, but
it is hoped that within the near future the academ
ic and collegiate courses may be completely separat
ed and the members of each will then be given sep
arate training and separate accommodations. This
preparatory department, however, will be carefully
retained as it has been found of inestimable advan
tage here as it has been at many other large col
leges and universities.
Carnegie’s Gift.
Standing as it does so prominently among the
Southern Educational institutions it is but natural
that Agnes Scott should have attracted the atten
tion of Mr. Carnegie and this college is to be the
recipient of one of the Carnegie Library buildings
just as soon as the requisite amount—s2s,ooo —can
be furnished by the institution to meet the Carnegie
requirement. At present, however, a spacious hall
(Concluded on page 3.)
Items of General Interest.
The boa constrictor has 320 pairs of ribs.
Report says that Saint-Saens will visit America
this coming winter.
A falcon has flown from Tenerife to Andalusia,
750 miles, in sixteen hours.
The Russian pianist, Gabrilovitsch, will make a
tour of the United States and Canada next win
ter.
It is said that a loaf of bread 4,000 years old
has been found among the ruins of the royal palace
at Dei-ei-Bahri, Egypt. The bread is supposed to
have been baked about 2,500 B. C.
With characteristic progressiveness two young
Japanese men are studying the business of horse
breeding as it is done on a Kentuckv stock farm.
It is intended to start breeding establishments in
the principal Japanese cities with a view to enter
ing Japanese horses in the great races of the world.
It was recently discovered that the United States
soldiers employed at the various army posts through
out the country were in no way physically fitted for
active service. Consequently long marches and en
forced hardships of camp life were had with a view
to hardening the soldier for the possible exigencies
of real warfare.
The New York Central Railroad is about to dis
place the old steam power in use on its suburban
roads and to use electricity instead. In order to
successfully accomplish this a school for the train
ing of electric enginemen has been opened at High
Bridge and the old time engineer must begin all over
again to learn his trade.
President Roosevelt has added one more unique
incident to his already remarkable career. He has
been appointed, by courtesy, a G. A. R. “Veteran.”
This honor was conferred on him by the G. A. R.
Post at Mt. Vernon, Vermont, and was the result
of President Roosevelt’s expressed regret that ha
himself had not been a veteran of the Grand Army
of the Republic!
The longest bridge in the world is planned to span
the St. Lawrence River six miles above Quebec. It
is to be 1,800 feet long, stretching almost from bank
to bank of the river. The central suspended girder
is to be 675 feet long and 130 feet deep at the cen
ter. There will be tracks for railroad traffic and
roads for street ears as well as for wagon traffic.
Tom Johnson, the mayor of Cleveland, who has
made a persistent fight for three cent street car
fares in the city of his municipality, has at last
succeeded in forcing street car companies to grant
seven rides for a quarter—this would seem as
though the three cent fare were bound to come even
tually.
A curious combination of commercial interests
is had when telephones and toothpicks are coupled
together, but it is a fact that the President of the
Atlantic Telephone Company says he would pay one
million dollars a year for an exclusive New York
Telephone Franchise and that he would give even
more for a monopoly to manufacture toothpicks for
that same city.
Mrs. Humphry Ward, the famous English nov
elist, is about to visit America for the first time.
She had many offers made her to lecture before
American audiences, but has not, as yet, decided
to accept any one of them. As Mrs. Ward has been
somewhat prejudiced against Americans it is hoped
she may have ample and favorable opportunity to
readjust her views. Certainly she has had loyal
friends and admirers in the large number of Amer
icans who read her books with interest to them and
profit to her.