The Washington times., 1915-01-03

Last Friday, at the luncheon given by
gths Washington Aumnae, Of Wellesley
college, a woman rushed excitedly into
thS room, waving . telegram over her
head, and gasping. I'VE have itv'
s1t' was the assurance Of practically
nndereraduates. trustees and faculty Of
Wellesley College, and the telegram waa
tho dramatic climax to the Wellesley
fire of March II. 1914. In nine months
after the fire, with the European wal
SsO sosnd sss
ciated with Wellesley College succeeded
in raising the $1,250,O00 necessary to
obtain the conditional gifts amounting
been given before the the fire. t '''''''' ~
IF a short resume Of the unusual fea-
lures Of this fire, the raising OF the
money and the attitude OF the gradu-
ses does not send thrill nra. Ct IT, Pride Pride
women and girls, there Is something
quite wrong" said Mrs. Ernest Knaebel,
1896, chairman Of the Washington alum
nae endowment and restoration comrnit-
tee for Wellesley, in an interview today.
. War No Obstacle.
when the war broke out there was
$625,00O still to be raised. How did We
do It? Various ways. We worked our
selves, we told the story Of Wellesley
to our friends, and we depended on the
great unseen influence of the college
During all Of the time following the
outbreak of the war, there were active
Belgian relief. Red Cross, and other So
cieties formed by the girls. They work.
cd increasingly for the sufferers of Eu-
rope, and think that part Of their sue
cess was due to the generous attitude
they maintained to other charities.
For those who think that we achiev-
ed our aim at the expense Of the Eu-
wrong for us to continue our efforts
in the face Of SO great calamity, they
are mistaken.
wellesley girls were quite as active
; in behalf of Belgium as they would
have been in any other circumstances.
They went about with their knitting
continually, they shared half and half.
and most gratifying and substantial
returns came from the societies.
Offices Set Apart.
& 'sOffices for the relief societies were
set apart in our own temporary build
< ings. and the work went along as un-
disturbed as If College Hall were still
standing intact.
What gave us our three million. and
what will enable us to rebuild Welles-
! ley is something for which there is no
one word, 1t is something so intangible
I that we can scarcely find it twice in
the same form i can illustrate 1t only
hy a story.
. One of the first gifts in money was
81, which came from a widow, with
two little girls. who lived in the vi
cinity of the college. She is the pos
SCISSOR of a very limited income. and
7 her little girls could not hope to be
sent to the college. But she sent her
dollar, along with note in which
she stated that since Wellesley meant
so much to her children by its mere
influence. and so much to hundreds Of
! other women of this country by its en-
istence. that she wished to contribute
her money as she would to any friend.
If all the friends Of the college. she
claimed. would COW" ''"rar. the ex-
penses would soon be met.
Sent Big Checks. s3F
She did not, perhaps. .rilize how
truly she spoke, and the friends OF
wellesley did send money. but, in
stead of Just 81 bills it has come in in
thousand 1 dollar checks.
"As 10 the deeper meaning of how