The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-01
In MEMORY OF MARY LYON,
THE FOUNDER or MOUNT HOLYOKE
COLLEGE,.

Review of Her Famous Deeds.
South Hadley, Mass, Feb. 2S.-Mount
Holyoke college celebrated to-day the
centennial of the birth of Mary Lyon,
the founder and for twelve years the
president of Mount Holyoke seminary.
The president of the college delivered
a memorial address in the Congrega-
tional church, Holyoke. Rev. DR.. Ar
thur Little of Dorchester, formerly of
Chicago, preached the centennial ser
mon in the village church. which is
also the college church. One of the
great needs of the institution is col
lege chapel.
Dr. Littles text was Psalms cxxvi:5,
"They that SOW in tears shall reap in
joy" He said that there is peculiar
fascination in the work of pioneers.
They deserve peculiar honors. These,
however, with rare exceptions, are tar
Oily bestowed No cause has moved
more tardily or wrenched its victories
from more reluctant hands than that
of woman in her righteous demand for
the dignity, honor, position, power ana
influence accorded to her by her crea-
tor. By him who is under every obli-
cation of truth and honor to be her
protector and companion in all honora-
BILE service, she has been habitually de-
prived of her inalienable right to life,
liberty and the pursuit or happiness-a
painful and even disgraceful instance
of might against right.
l do not have in mind, he said, at
this moment, what has come to be
known as "women's rights" or any
phase of the suffrage question. The
wrong done woman in the past is far
deeper, far more radical, than the old,
hackneyed phrase about "women's
rights suggests. The purpose of this
discourse is to hold up before you for
a few moments the life, character and
services of a pioneer in the broad, i'm
mense and now popular and even fas-
cinating field of the higher education
of women. | need not mention her
name; she has no rival. OF course,
mean Mary Lyon, whose eyes first saw
the light in quiet little country town.
nesting among the hills of western
Massachusetts, one hundred years ago
to-day; who became the illustrious
founder of Mount Holyoke seminary,
now thoroughly equipped college. 1t
was not only the birthday of great
soul, but of a great idea as well; the
germ of new order of things.
Born in a humble home, OF self-re
liant, hard working parents, tenderly
devoted to their children, the mother a
cheerful, capable woman, distinguished
for he1, faith and prayers and Christian
gentleness, an angel of goodness among
her neighbors Mary Lyon inherited a
sound mind in a sound body, buoyant
temperament, a great, warm, trusting
heart with intense energy of body,
mind and soul When seventeen years
of age she began to teach at seventy
five cents a week and board, boarding
round twenty-five cents less than she
had been receiving as her brothers
housekeeper. Later, while teaching in
Miss Grants seminary at Derry, N H.,
afterward at Ipswich, Mass, Mary
Lyons capacious soul was set on fire
with a holy purpose to found a semi
nary where girls coming from humble
homes, like her own, might secure
broad, thorough, all-around education,
commensurate with their capacities
and opportunities for service. While
with Miss Grant she saw visions and
dreamed them.
1t is but scant justice to the memory
of Mary Lyon to say that, under God,
standing in the portico' to her was
given the honor of opening the door to
the higher education of women, in
| s,ia 10 lnx t1n@ I,p
belongs the great distinction of ''clear-
ing the ground" on which has since
been reared the superb structure, every
day growing ampler and more beauti-
full of college and university training
equal to that provided for men. If this
modest, unassuming woman had done
nothing more than this she would be
entitled to affectionate remembrance by
all.
Reviewing the life work of the sub
ject of his eulogy, DR.. Little said:
Mary Lyon was the most remarkable
woman of her time in America. The
custom has been, / am pretty sure, to
think of her as an eminent Christian
woman, devoted to the training of girls
in Christian character. 1t is not easy
to say anything more praiseworthy
than this; nothing more true. Love for
Christ and souls was indeed the con-
Stunning passion of her life, the main
spring of all her activities 1t has been
said that she had the tact of Elizabeth
in discovering what everybody was
good for and the skill of Napoleon in
finding her generals and putting them
in the right place. She had a sunny
and hopeful temperament and the
somewhat rare, but very desirable, gift
which enabled her to extend a warm
welcome to new students, making them
somehow feel at home. She had most
unusual organizing power. The gift of
leaderships belonged to her by the
sheer force of her consecrated person
ality. All her native endowments were
reinforced by that immediate gift of
God of which we speak as common
sense. She was transcendently in earn
est about the supreme things of life,
and intolerant to trifes. For the ad-
vancement of Christ's kingdom on
earth she had a consuming passion
Therefore her whole ransomed nature
kept itself at a white heat of interest
in the subject of foreign missions
In concluding his tribute Dr. Little
said:
The soul of Mary Lyon is marching
on, while thousands in all lands rise up
to-day to call her blessed. The old
building which witnessed her early