The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-06
RECEPTION 70 MRS. MILLS
LIFE WORK OF A REMARKABLE
WOMAN.
In sixty Years She Has Taught over
Them Have Attained Distinction.

Much interest is being manifested in
! the reception to be rendered Mrs. G. !.
Mills at oahu college next Saturday af-
ternoon, by her former pupils.
Her name is cherished by many men
and women, both young and old, in
! these Islands. At oahu college, where
she and her husband. Rev. cyrus T.
! Mills labored for four years, from 1860
1864. were educated some of Hawaii's
! best women, and most distinguished
men. Among the number are President
! Dole, Minister :. NJ. Damon and Mrs.
Damon. w. O. Smith, II. Z. Baldwin
and wife, Mrs. G. II. Dickey, Mrs. II. y.
p. Carter, Mrs. b. +. Dillingham;, Mrs.
Widdiheld, members of the Anterior,
Cooke, Rice. Waterhouse De le Verne,
Castle. Levers, Armstrong, Judd, Bal
ley Dimond, Hail, Jones, Alexander,
Brown and Hall families, besides many
others.
Besides these, there are today in Ho-
nOluu many pupils who We're with Mrs.
Mills both at Benicia and at Mills col
lege, among those who were at the lat
ter place are Mrs. Phillip Dodge, Mrs.
Clarence Macfarlane, Mrs Hastings.
Mrs. Noonan Mrs. +. d. Tenney, Mrs.
f. NJ. Swanzy, Miss Damon, Miss Car
, ter, Mrs. A. j. Campbell. Mrs. Gerrit +.
Wilder and many others.
The early home of Mrs Mills was
Ware, Mass. She was educated under
Mary Lyons at Mount Hulyoke college,
the first of its kind for the higher edu-
cation of women. There as Susan Lin
coin Tolman she remained as teacher
for three years, after her graduation.
In 1S49 she was married to Cyrus T.
Mills, a graduate of Williams college
and of the New York Theological SEM
mary. There were sent by the Ameri-
can Board of Missions to India, where
Mr.. Mills was soon placed in charge OF
1, y.11 col &c in.
tuition was designed for the education
of picked men, as teachers and minis.
ters.
At the end of six years i'll health com
PEELED them to relinquish this work, ant
- 1860, Mr.. Mills became president OF
Oahu college.
Mrs. Mills presided over the happy
household, and, as the corps of in
structors was small, the trustees urge'
her to aid in the teaching. She laugh
especially the Natural Sciences and Eng
lish. At that time Oahu college wa
poorly equipped with books, apparatus
etc. At the expiration of four years
Mr.. Mills health again compelled hin
to seek a cooler climate. When he lief
Punahou, the college had ceased to b
10 dependent upon the American Board
and had besides the nucleus of a goo
endowment fund. II has, at the presen
day. an endowment of nearly $500, 600.
= After a few years rest, Mr.. Mills pur
Z. chased and took charge of the Benici
Female seminary-the oldest Protestan
school for girls in California. Still mis-
sionary in spirit, Mr.. and Mrs. Mill
sought to establish a school that, Xix
Mount Holyoke. should be permanent
of high order, and thoroughly Christa
o in character. After six years of sue
W Cessful work. the school was move
from Benicia to it's present beautifl
location, east of Oakland, and With
an hours ride of San Francisco.
In 1877 Mr. and Mrs Mills, carryin
!, out their idea Of a permanent goo,
decided 100 acres of ground, togetht
with the fine buildings thereon to a sci
n perpetuating board of trustees. Tn
" entire property was valued at S25O00
- The only conditions of the gift wer
that the institution must be maintain
ed as "a school of high order, must |
Christian, but non-sectarian in charaC
ter" Mr.. Mills continued in charge
:, the school until his death in 1884. Mr.
no Mills was then appointed by the tru'
o. tees to succeed her husband as pres
al dent of the institution. This pOsitiO
al she still holds, as well as that of treas
1y urer and also as instructor of biblic
xe study.
M Mills college is the only chartere
woman's college on the Pacific slope; i
curriculum corresponds with the un
?. versities. Many of it's pupils have di
tinguished themselves in art and mi
sic, but they are best known as goo
err teachers, wives and mothers.
Mrs. Mills is now seventy-th yea
of age, and has taught more than 80
pupils. This institution of Mills co
. lege is her life. She has devoted h,
N heart and years to its service, and 81
IL still continues active in her magnii
cent work.
. At present the endowment fund
but $4,000, but loving hearts and han,
are endeaVOring to increase tn
- amount, so like Stanford uniVeTsit
and our own Oahu college, Mills COLES
may be placed on such a footing tn
the dearest wish of the hearts of NJ
and Mrs. Mills may be realiZed-th
a. Mills college be a permanent insttI
ton for the higher education of unse
fish lives.