Newspaper Page Text
10
THE CAMPUS MIRROR
A Letter
(Continued from Page 1)
By diligently searching and inquiring 1 have
found out something concerning the pioneer
days of the Y. W. C. A. on our campus. This
information was given to me by Mrs. H. R.
Butler, one of our early graduates. She also
gave me a Spelman Messenger, dated June,
1890, that she borrowed from Miss Clara
Howard, another early graduate. In it I found
an article which reads thus:
“We, the members of the Y. W. C. A. of
Spelman Seminary, have cause for gratitude to
Cod for the blessings he has bestowed upon
us, not only during the present term, but through
the five years of our existence; and now at
the close of our fifth year, the outlook for the
future is promising.
Cheering news comes, too, from the Congo,
from our dear Nora Gordon; our former presi
dent of the Y. W. C. A., who has been laboring
one year in that dark land, while another of
our loved ones, Clara Howard, is on her way
to carry the glad news of a Savior’s love to
those in heathen darkness.
Our object is to do whatever work He sets
before us, with an entire reliance upon Him,
and a child-like trust in His promises.”
This clearly shows that the early Y. W. C. A.
workers lived to honor and glorify God.
We have almost as many enthusiastic fresh
men in the Y. W. C. A. this year as we have
sophomores, juniors and seniors combined. For
them the freshman commission of the “Y”
sponsors a book club which was organized
October, 1928, with Cassandra Maxwell as
leader. The general work is the reading and
discussing of novels, short stories and poetry.
The Glee Club was organized during the
year 1925-1926. It furnishes occasional music
for the school and is making marked improve
ment under the direction of Prof. Kemper Har-
reld.
Acting upon the suggestion of Prof. Louise
Dickinson, the Societas Latina Collegii was or
ganized November 7, 1928. "The object of the
club." as stated in the constitution, “shall be
a profitable and pleasurable enrichment of the
Latin courses.” Its president is Pauline Nel
son.
The next organization I shall tell you about
is the Press Club, which has been divided and
subdivided until now we have three other or
ganizations which are the outgrowth of it. In
1924, when the Press Club was organized, it
did literary work and also did the work of the
Campus Mirror staff. Later when the paper
grew larger it was decided to have the staff
meetings separate from the literary meetings
and to the latter group was given the name
Wheatley-Fauset Literary Club. In 1927 the
members of the literary club decided to divide
it into two groups. Those interested in debat
ing organized a debating club, with Willie H.
Barnett as the first president. Those interested
in story-telling joined the story-telling group
with Mary A. Dunn as president. Near the
end of the year it was decided to discontinue the
Wheatley-Fauset Literary Club and draw up
constitutions for each of the new clubs. They
received the names Wheatley-Fauset Story-Tell
ing Club and Wheatley-Fauset Debating Club.
1 wish you could have been with us on Foun
ders' Day this year. Sincerely yours,
MARY A. DUNN.
A group of S pci man Teachers who have served
as advisers of Student Organizations.
Reading from left to right, first row: Miss
Louise Dickinson, Principal of S. S. Teacher
Training department; Miss Beulah Boley, Ad
viser of Scipionian Literary Club, S. S. teacher
and adviser for C. E.; Miss Anne Brookings,
Superintendent of Spelman College Sunday
School, and adviser of C. E.; Miss Ethel Mc
Ghee, Adviser of Y. W. C. A.
Second row: Miss M. Mae Neptune, Adviser
of Campus Mirror staff; Miss Minnie B. Tim-
son, Teacher of S. S., adviser for C. E., and for
Scipionian Literary Society; Miss Josie Frisby,
Teacher of S. S. and adviser for C. E.; Miss
Susie Green, Teacher of S. S.; Miss Annie
Rutkay, Teacher of S. S.
Third row: Miss Effie Guest, Teacher in Sun
day School Teacher Training department; Miss
Sadie Taylor, Teacher of Sunday School Teacher
Training department and adviser for C. E.;
Miss Ann Cooke, Coach of college plays; Miss
Ruth Smith, Adviser of high school news
writers; Miss Lillie Roudabush, Adviser of
Wheatley-Fauset Debating Club and of Wheat
ley-Fauset Story-Telling Club.
Other Advisers not on the picture are: Miss
Gladys Rose, Teacher of S. S. and adviser for
Johnsonian Literary Club; Mrs. Hannah Red
dick, Teacher of college S. S. class; Miss Eliza
beth Perry, Teacher of S. S. and leader of
Y. W. C. A. discussion group; Miss Camille
Howard, Adviser of high school French Club,
La Cercle Francais.
APPRECIATION OF THE
ADVISERS
By Mary DuBose, ’31
As “Today is the tomorrow we worried about
yesterday,” so tomorrow is the day we must
prepare for today. Today we seek, prepare
and gain; tomorrow we act, work and achieve,
or fail. Today we have help; tomorrow we
must stand alone on today’s foundation.
Students are as ships at sea, knowing not
which way to go, and they may be dashed to
pieces, or drift from their course at any time,
if not piloted aright.
Here in this college are well-organized, help
ful extra-curricular activities managed by stu
dents, but piloted by cheerful, efficient ad
visers.
To these advisers Spelman students offer
praise and gratitude. They feel keenly the in
terest invested in them, and but for this interest
and guidance, they would oft times drift ashore.
j The advisers’ work is mostly voluntary; and
apart from their regular teaching schedules,
they work for the good of the students and
help to prepare them for future work. As a
piece of granite is chiseled by the sculptor’s
hand and in course of time, under careful
chiseling, takes on the desired form, so stu
dents, under the gentle touch of the advisers
may stand forth in the aspect of prepared, use
ful women.
One or more efficient advisers arc chosen for
each activity and students are trained so as to
be well equipped for the same type of activity
on a larger scale. These advisers possess wis
dom, foresight, sympathy and enthusiasm and
have a clear conception of the place of stu
dent activities. They are persons of such en
gaging personality as to be able to gain the
co-operation of the students and to give dignity
and recognition to the students’ program. Time
and patience are not questions with them. Their
time is shared for the asking and their patience
seems unlimited. They have stopped many a
conversation, been late to many meals, cur
tailed many important engagements or amuse
ments just to aid students who were “at sea”
on a problem.
What are the specific values of the work of
the advisers to the students? First, they help
the student to find herself. She says:
“I just cannot do this. My brain does not
function along such lines.”
“Oh, yes you can,” says the adviser. “It is in
you. Come to my room. I will help you bring
it out.” A conference follows and before long
the student is a surprise to herself and the
campus. The student finds that she can, and
she does. Who knows but that a costly pearl may
be in the homely oyster shell down under the
sea? Candles cannot glow until they are light
ed, but started burning what a pleasing light
they give. Spelman advisers find the pearl and
light the candle.
Another great value of the work of the ad
viser is the bond formed between her and the
student. “How?” You may ask. By those
individual conferences! How much is re
vealed when adviser and student meet face to
face. There is a gentle attitude toward each
other that would otherwise never exist. There
the adviser meets the real girls, and the girl
meets the real teacher—a contact rarely made
in the class room.
Other values of the work of the advisers are
the training for leadership and the acquiring
of ability for deeper and saner thinking. The
mind is eidarged, making room for new ideas,
clearer reasoning, better viewpoints and a wider
range of knowledge. Like a broken vessel
whose perfume enriches wherever it reaches,
these advisers sweeten and enrich the person
ality of students, and their influence will live
years after they are gone, through the girls
they touch and the lives the girls touch.
Three cheers for the Spelman advisers who
make “I can’ts” cease their music, “I can’s” be
come a chorus and friendly “I will’s” to domi
nate.
CLEAN VERSE
I know a baby named Jean
The prettiest baby I’ve seen.
If she never is wealthy
She ought to be healthy
hor every one says “Hi-Jean!” (hygiene)