Bryn
Mawr History in a Book
By Lorett Treese
In the year 1901,
the George W. Jacobs publishing company in Philadelphia published a work titled
Bryn Mawr Stories. In an era when the American public was becoming fascinated
with the phenomenon of the "college girl," here was yet another insight
into what college was like for the female.
The editors were Margaretta Morris and Louise Buffum Congdon, both from the class of 1900. In their preface they explained, "This book is an attempt to show ... some typical scenes of college life." It was comprised of short stories composed by various alumnae and it therefore had "many heroines" including "the pedant, the coquette, the athlete, the snob, the poser, the girl who loves dress and prettiness, and she who affects mannish simplicity," among others.
The student publication titled The Lantern described Bryn Mawr Stories as "Bryn Mawr's first effort at self-expression" and pronounced the contents "perhaps a trifle too serious in tone" representing "the more serious, subdued, sober-minded foundation that underlies the fun and folly that make college life dear to us and interesting to others."
According to an anonymous review in the more casual student publication titled The Fortnightly Philistine, the work was "nothing to be ashamed of." The reviewer noted "There are a few rather silly passages … but we really have escaped well, for the tone on the whole is earnest and dignified."
Someone else at Bryn Mawr may have had her doubts that the book was going to be serious enough. No written comment by M. Carey Thomas survives but there are two letters in the M. Carey Thomas papers from editor Margaretta Morris which were clearly written to allay any qualms the college president may have had. Morris wrote, "Of course, Miss Congdon and I are more than willing to send you the proofs, though it is rather late to make any changes as the stories have already been accepted by the publisher and the authors paid by him." Morris explained, "We have cut out superfluous eating and drinking [scenes], such as predominate in some stories of other women's colleges and have procured stories that represent the serious and intellectual as well as the recreative side of Bryn Mawr life." Bryn Mawr Stories was not, Morris assured her, "light and foolish like some other college stories," although there was "a certain amount of nonsense and some inevitable tea-drinking."
The Fortnightly Philistine review predicted that the book would find an audience among alumnae and undergraduates. This year, the hundredth anniversary of its publication, copies can still be found in rare book stores and readers can get a detailed and accurate glimpse of college life at the turn of the last century as well as some insight into traditions particular to Bryn Mawr such as the freshman play and the celebration of May Day.
Both editors married lawyers. Louise Congdon remained active with the Alumnae Association and Margaretta Morris, whose husband served in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, became a civic leader active with Republican women's groups.
Among those contributors who kept up with the college Elva Lee, class of 1893 and author of "Within Four Years," and Marian MacIntosh, class of 1890 and author of "Her Masterpiece," both served as editors of the Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Bulletin. Miss MacIntosh also taught at the Agnes Irwin School. Harriet Jean Crawford, class of 1902. and author of "Catherine's Career," worked at Vassar and then the University of Pennsylvania where she was "Directress of Women." Georgiana Goddard King, class of 1896 and author of "Free Among the Dead," taught at Bryn Mawr College for about thirty years, heading up the History of Art department.
One of the contributors, Cora Armistead Hardy, class of 1899 and author of "Epoch Making," did become a writer. Over the course of her lifetime she published a number of novels and short stories, particularly mysteries, under her married name, Cora Jarrett.
Ellen Giles, class of 1896 and author of "The Apostasy of Anita Fiske," might have had a writing career had her life not ended so early. She died in 1914 in Sardinia where she was studying folk customs. A contemporary newspaper account reported that she was found in her apartment dead of a gunshot wound and that an unnamed man of noble family was being sought by the authorities.