Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-08-26
Mexico County Missouri Thursday August 2e 1897
NEGRO GIRL AT VASSAR.
She Was Graduated This Year After
Oonfessing Her Fathers Race
Handsomest Girl There.

PoUeHKEEPsIE, N. Y, Aug. 49,
Society and educational circles In this
city are profoundly shocked by the
announcement in local paper to- day
that one of the graduating class OF
Vassar College this year was a negro
girl, who, concealing her race, enter
ed the college, took the four years.
course and, finally, confessed the
truth to a professor few days before
commencement.
The facts were communicated to the
faculty, which body in secret session
decided to allow the girl to receive
her diploma with her class.
Vassar is noted for its exclusive
ness, and every official of the college
refuses to say aught regarding this
girl graduate. She has been known
as one of the most beautiful young
women who ever attended the great
institution of learning, and even now
women who received her in their
homes as their equal do not deny her
beauty. At the reception, on Found
er's day, Philalethian day and the
other holidays of the college year
none of the fair students was more
eagerly sought by the men from Yale,
Harvard and the other universities
who attended these events.
Her fellow-students called her ssthe
beautiful brunette" Her manners
were those of q person of gentle birth,
and her intelligence and ability were
recognized alike by her classmates
and professors. Her skin was dark,
but not swarthy. Her hair was black,
but straight as an Indians, and she
usually gathered it in a knot at the
back of her head. Her eyes were coal
black and of piercing brilliancy. Her
appearance was such that in other en-
vironments she might have been tax
en- for an Indian; indeed, not few of
the students whispered that Indian
blood flowed in her veins.
In her third year In college it was
limited that her ancestors might have
had colored blood mixed with the New
England "blue blood" of which she
was fond of talking. She would often
speak of her brother, of whom she
seemed to be proud, and once the
young man came to see her. The
other girls eyed him curiously. His
skin was of the same dusky hue as his
sisters.
In her senior year the statements
this beautiful dark young woman
made about her relatives-their style
of living, the splendor of her home,
etc.-prompted her roommate, who
already had her suspicious aroused by
gossip, to repeat them to her father, a
well known business man.
He caused inquiries to be made
about the pretty brunette's family in
her native town. The investigation
failed to find the culture and wealth
and family name of which she boast
ed. The name was the same, but the
family was that of respectable negro
who owned small estate. The bru-
nette beauty few days later lost her
roommate, upon the advice of the lat
ter's father.
This incident added to the gossip in
the college, and few days before
commencement the whisperings of
her classmates reached the colored
girls ears. She was heart-broken to
learn that her secret was suspected,
perhaps known. Going to one of the
professors she bravely told every
thing.
AS little girl she said she attracted
the attention of q woman of wealth
and position who saw her possibilities
of noble womanhood. This woman
took the little coIored girl into her
household, gave to her all the advan-
tages of money and refinement, and
as result she passed the required ex-
aminations, entered Vassar and COM
pIeted the prescribed course of study.
The kind-hearted professor, a wo-
man, wiped away the girls tears and
spoke words OF encouragement. Then
she went to President Taylor with the
story and pleaded with him not to de-
prive the girl of commencement hon
ors and diploma. The faculty con-
sidered the matter gravely. Never
had colored girl been a student at
aristocratic Vassar, and professors
were at loss to forsee the effect up
on the future if this one were allowed
to be graduated. Yet there is nothing
in the college rules that prohibits a
colored woman from entering Vassar.
Commencement was but few days
off and the girl would soon be gone
and forgotten. So it was decided to
conceal the facts and to allow her to
be graduated with her classmates. On
class day and commencement the
young woman took prominent part
in the exercises, and of all the hun
dred or more girls in the class of '97
none looked more attractive or acted
more becomingly than this girl OF
negro birth.