Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-06-16
GLADSTONE INSTITUTE
COMMENCEMENT

The eleventh annual commence
ment exercises of Blackstone Fe.
male Institute were held on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, June 2nd, 3rC
and 4th.
The attendance of strangers was
larger than usual, all the near by
counties being represented, besides
number of friends of the yonng
ladies from a distance. Among
others present were III. 4. Barrow, of
Fsrmville, q. K. Wilson, of Crewe.
). Il. White and wife, of Norfolk, w.
I. Etheredge, of Princess Anne
County, Mise Marie Byrd, of Acco-
mac, Miss Florence WALKER, of Nor.
champion, Miss Evelyn Robins, of
Lawrenceville, Misses Katie and Liz
zie Gillette and Emily Barnes, of
Southampton, Miss Hodsden, of
Nansemond, j. (. L. Hunter, of
Newport News, Mrs. J. M. Hall and
Miss Powers, of Westmoreland, Mrs.
q. L. Gornto and Miss Bette Pc
trie, of Princess Anne, Miss Sadie
Bristow, of Middlesex, Mrs. j. It.
Rogers and Miss Annie Pitts, of
Franktown, Mrs. j. w. Moseley and
Messrs. Ford and Dortch, of Bruns-
wick, Miss Nellie Cannon, of Bristol,
Nj. j. Jennelle, of Roanoke, DIR. b.
+. lipscomb, of Petersburg, Rev. J.
B. DeBerry and wife, of Cum berland,
J. IL. Irving, of Gainesville, j. H.
Cato and wife, of Emporia, DIR. G.. @.
Campbell and wife, of Burkeville,
and great number of the most
prominent citizens of Lunenburg,
Brunswick, Nottawsy, Amelia, and
Dinwiddie, it being the custom for
people to drive twenty and thirty
miles at the. commencement occasion.
The board of trustees met in an
nual session on Friday and received
the reports Of the work of the school
for the past session. The enroll
ment was the largest in the history
of the school, numbering three hun
dred and thirty-eight, filling the
building to its utmost capacity; in
deed, for the past three years from
thirty to fifty young ladies have been
unable to secure accommodation every
session. The financial outlook is
the best in the history of the school.
About $4,000 has been spent in the
past four years in making various
improvements. The present session
the matter of better water supply
was solved by connecting the Iusti-
tute with the artesian we'll of the
Blackstone Manufacturing Company,
thus giving the finest possible water
both as to taste and for health. All
the current expenses of the institut-
ion have been met and the profits of
the years work were ordered by the
board to be applied to the work of
improvements. A new gymnasium
and Music Hall is to be the next step
forward. The board completed the
purchase of a tract of land of about
eighteen acres, thus giving campus
of about twenty-five acres. The
principal of the school, Rev. James
Cannon, jr., has begun his third term
Of five years, and has four more yet
to serve. He is assisted in his work
by corps of thirty officers and
teachers, the teachers being drawn
very largely from Randolph Macon
College aud Randolp h-M n
Woman's College. The young ladies
who complete the course at the ms
titute are received at the Woman's
College without examination upon
certificate of the principal, and the
Institute has larger representation
at the Woman's College than any
other school.
The greatest work done, however
is the training Of young ladies to
teach in the public schools. The
principal, Mr.. Cannon, is an earnest
and enthusiastic supporter of the
public school system, and by voice
and pen is working to increase the
interest of our people in the develop
ment of better educational system
in the State. The Institute, there
fore, has for many years had a de-
partment of Pedagogy and Model
School, and no young lady is given
a certificate of graduation without
completing the course in Pedagogy
including teaching in the Model
School. The result has been, there
fore, that the great majority of the
graduated have gone into the public
school work, and the demand upon
the Principal for teachers every sum-
mer and fall is many times greater
than he is able to supply.
The annual concert afforded great
pleasure to all lovers of music.
The instrumental and special vocal
work showed talent and training,
but the finest work of the school is
the chorus work, which is done by
the entire school. 1t is probable that
no finer singing is heard in our State
than that of the Blackstone chorus,
consisting this year of three hundred
voices. The work for the past
session was under the supervision of
Miss Ida j. Hayden and Miss Grace
T. Post. Miss Henrietta Pettyjohn
of Lynchbnrg, who was granted
furlough the past session, having
studied under leading professors in
New York, will have charge of the
chorus next year, and Miss Evelyn
Peake, of the Syracuse Conservatory
will have charge of the special vocal