Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-25

7 WAS reminded this week again of an.
other curious coincidence to which I
referred before in this column. but which
has new significance in the light of n
recent happening.
was coming up Spruce street some vcars
ago, and at Thirteenth and Spruce streets
] saw Miss Agnes Irwin coming out of n
mouse and starting to walk west along
spruce. Apart from the fact that | had
been her grateful scholar. l had every rca.
son to snow my gratitude to her just then
hcraus" she was helping me move some per
sons in the town to an interest in thc
\. ". {. \. and in proposed club build
ing for business women. So I crossed the
street and asked if ! might see her across
Broad street. Her cyesght made crossing
streets lrkSome and little dangerous
for her.
As soon as she assentcd She began TO talk
to me about the proposed clubhouse and
against its being large or prctentious.
,.,,I ~ Sc and adapt buildings, bat do not
build great new ones" was the gist of her
advice. based on her own experience as dean
Of Radcliffe College.
,Do not sink great sums of money in
buildings. Not bricks and mortar, not
UrIchs ana mortar sh" said as We parted
Tn THE Y. W. e. A. campaign for that
j club building which followed I forgot
hcr admonition, and after her death and
that of her sister when the alumnoo nf thc
Irwin School and of Radcliffe College met
70 confer on some sort of n memorial to her.
| went TO the meeting on fire with a pro-
poSal that her interest in the Y. W. G.. A.
and the business wOmen's clubhouse should
be turned to account and an effort be made
TO make that into her memorial
Now 1t happened that the meeting was at
the college Club, and as ! arrived at the
corner OF Thirteenth and Spruce streets n
sudden memory OF that chance meeting with
Miss Irwin on that very corner and of our
conversation md
my plans for urging n memorial of bricks
and mortar out of my heart
When the other mcmOrial-thc pension
fund for private school teachcrs-was nro-
posed as an alternative for n great school
building to be called the Irwin School |
realized what cumulative power thar
phrase, mot bricks and mortar" had when
it was quoted in such a crisis 1t was
r"cognizabIy Miss lrwin's, and fitted the
point at issue SO AptIy that TO many minds
besides my own It left no ground for debatr,
although TO minority the setting aside of
the big school building idea was marked
disappointment,
Eventually more than 5000, 900 WINS roisrd
as memorial pension fund to the two great
sisters, and the yearly pensions derived from
thnt fund do honor to the recipients and the
Irwin name alike
Meanwhile, the school that for so many
years has gone by the name of the Irwin
School has been carried on IN the original
house on -" IanCoy street II has out
grown its quarters, has kept its reputation
for fairness, for discipline and for success
under its present head lNiStrCSs Miss Matt.
and its secretary, Miss Laws, and hos
proved itself still dear to its alumnac. 80
that this spring, under the leadership of
Mrs. Charl>s Edward lngcrSol, Miss Riley,
Mrs. J. Howard Rhoads Mrs. John GribbGl
Miss Townsend and otIprs there has been n
quiet drive for an endowment fund to buy
the present school quarters and the adioin.
ing house on -" Lunrcy street and 10 fir
them for the present needs Of the still grow.
ing school.
THE fund is not n memorial fund except
i in the provision that with the cessation
Of the school it shall be- used by the trustees
in way 20 tttngly carry out the school
ideals. Neither do the trustees cOntrn,platr
using it to build II schoohousc. II rroiIy
only confirms the original choice Of the
Irwns and aa simply aud practically as
possible carries out their taste and Judgment
in tn" adaptation Of pleasant living Uuar.
tcrs on quiet street into pleasant school
quarters.
Already, without any blowing Of trumpcts
more than SlO,OOO has been collected frou,
the alumnnr and their friends Thrs,Io,
afternoons at Mrs, lnyorSOII'S : house on m
tpnhOuse square have been devoted tu rc
pCrts ON the progress Of the collectors Dnd
next autumn, when tn" business Of addin,
TO the fund will again be tuKen up. thaf
hospitabp house will once more Lr tho
meeting place for the old and tho nr,y
Irwnitcs.
The simplicity and gcnuincncss of the
spirit displayed in this affair speak well for
the school and its present as well as its