The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-20
A ROYAL WELCOME.
Smith College Girls
Greet the Presi-
dent.
SCENES IN THE CHAPEL.
Mrs. Mckinley Presented
With a Beautiful
Loving Cup,

Holyoke, June 19.-"I am enjoying
this trip very much, indeed, and had no
idea the country about here was so
beautiful" said President Mckinley to-
chair in the observatory on the sum
nit of Mt. Tom. His whole manner and
the great improvement that is notice
able in his face bore out the assertion
and were an earnest of what results
will yet be accomplished, as far as rest
and enjoyment are concerned, before
the New England journey is ended.
Notwithstanding that the day had
been a long and tedious one, both the
president and Mrs. Mckinley stood the
strain incident to the great demonstra-
ton at Northampton and the journey
back to Holyoke very well indeed. The
trip to Mt. Tom in the late afternoon
was welcome change from the tur-
MOL of the morning, while the quiet,
homelike, pleasant evening hours were
a fitting climax to very busy day.
The entire morning was taken up
with the visit to Northampton and
Smith college. Never before has the
witness Of any of it's picturesque COM
mencement exercises +, and everybody
from President Seelye down to the low
est under class girls who only man
aged to get a glimpse of what went on
from the side door of the assembly hall,
made the most of the honor
The parade was an interesting fea-
ture of the program, followed by the
senior chapel day exercises of the col
q nj "
occupied the platform and listened to
the exercises by the graduating class
of $50 young women and to a resume Of
the work Of the year, as given by Pres
ident L. c. Seelye Of the college.
The only special incident of the drive
was when the president noticed a ven
cradle gray haired man seated in a
chair near the curbstone, ordered his
carriage driven near the spot while he
shook hands arJ 81 )ke few words to
the aged gentleman. He was Gen.
| Benjamin F. Cook, 81 years of age, the
father of Capt. Frank Cook of the Uni.
ted States cruiser Brooklyn.
President Mckinley was then driven
to the residence of Harry L. Williams,
| captain of Co. I, Second Massachusetts
volunteers. during the recent war, at
which place Mrs. Mckinley had been
resting while the others were seeing
| the city. Before they entered the car.
riages again President Mckinley went
out upon the grounds and personally
shook the hand of each member of ca
which had done escort duty for him
during the parade.
When the presidents special train
! from Holyoke drew in at the North
ampton station at $50 he found the
station itself bright with bunting.
while on the plaza alongside the lines
| of Company 1, Second regiment, and
the local Grand Army, men formed a
living wall to keep back the crowd.
AS the president stepped from the
platform he was greeted by a small
| group in which were President Seelye
| of Smith, Mayor Mather Of Northamp-
ton, Congressman George p. Lawrence
and ex-Councillor William H. Plunkett
! The president paused but a moment on
/ the platform, then stepped across to
| his carriage, in which President Seelye
and Mayor Mather also seated them
| selves. In the second carriage went
Mrs. Mckinley, who was warmly
! greeted by several representative
| Northampton women as she was as
sisted across the platform. Mrs. Seelye,
Mrs. Russell Hastings and Mrs. A. L.
! Williston. The others Of the presidents
| party quickly found places in the fol-
! lowing carriages. Then, with the bard,
militia and Grand Army doing escort
| duty, the procession swung around the
station into the main street. straight
up to the hill to the college.
| When the president stopped at the
main gate of the college, he found not
| only a great crowd of spectators out
! side the grounds, but from the gate
! to the entrance of the main building
| the members of the graduating class,
bareheaded and looking their lorelicst
in their fresh gowns of delicate white
| drawn up on both sides of the drive
way. The members of his party, alight-
! ing from the carriages, were escorted
| to the assembly hall in the main build
! ing. where the seniors last chaIel ex-
| ercises took place. The guests took
seats on the platform, the president
sitting with President Seelye IN front.
| They were preceded up the aisle by
! the two chief ushers, Miss Elizabeth
Meir of St. Louis and Miss Sarah San
| derson of Greenfield, respectively pres
! ident and vice president of the Junior
class. Soon the seniors marched slow
| w in. with the class president, Miss
! blanche Ames of Lowell, a grand
daughter of Gen. Butler and Miss
| Louise Barber of Chicago, vice presi-
| dent. in the lead Then followed the
regular chapel service.
President Seelye gave an address Civ
! ing a statement of the colleges pro-
gress in the year and its needs for the
| future. When he began by abiding to
| the growth of Smith as a proof of its
expansionist principles the girls ap-
plauded vigorously. and President Nc
! Kinlev smiled. The speakers later al
usion to President McKinley's visit,
as In a way. giving national sanction
TO the "womanly renaissance" that has
been going on in all lines of learning,
| brought out a burst of applause that
was good to hear. President Mckinley
couId not fail TO see that this outburst
was i'm measure prolonged as per-
sonal tribute to him, yet in spite Of
! soto voce expressions like why won I
he saw anything?" I think he might
/ talk. and Isn't it too bad of him?'
] nv the time this gathering in the hall
/ had concluded with the singing Of
"Anerica." however, an interesting lit
| tie ceremony had been concluded in the
| college reading room in the main build
| ing. There Mrs. Mckinley and the la
dies of the party had repaired on en-
| tering. This was the presentation OF
| a handsome loving cup TO the first lady
/ of the land by Bethlehem chapter, Or
der Of the Eastern Star, an order OF
/ ,,-bfot Mrs Mckinley is a member The