Blount Library Blog

Archival Display, April 2025: The Commencement Exercises of 1900

125 years ago (June 4th at 8:30pm, to be exact) Averett University - then known as Roanoke Female College - held Commencement exercises at the end of its 40th academic year.  All these years later, the ceremony is remarkably similar to current graduation practices.  Even a cursory comparison of the program (pictured to the right) to a 21st century version shows a remarkable level of consistency:

• Whereas we now open with a musical "Processional" and a religious  "Invocation," and close with a musical "Recessional," the college of 1900 opened with a "March" and a "Prayer," and closed with a choral piece by Wagner, along with Ernest Gillet's "Loin du Bal" (performed between the medals and the diplomas).
• Then, as now, the bulk of the program was filled with the conferring of degrees though, as Roanoke Female College was a very small institution - typically featuring only a handful of graduating students each year - the program was lengthened significantly by conferring certificates of "Promotion, Distinction, and Proficiency" on most if not all matriculating students.  Three medals and three other prizes rounded out the night's honors.
• The event also included speeches by prominent individuals - the President and the class valedictorian - although the tradition of inviting a high-profile guest speaker was apparently not practiced in 1900 (though evidence of guest preachers exists for graduation exercises in prior years).

Of particular interest on the night of June 4th, 1900, President Charles Fenton James gave an address that was surprisingly gloomy.  Slowly recounting his personal difficulties over his first eight years as College President, punctuated with occasional highlights of positive changes, he wound his way through stories of financial struggle, ill health, and worry before finally culminating with a hope that "the next session [will be] the most successful & prosperous of all."

Through this litany of despair, the listeners would have heard stories of numerous building renovations (the addition of a new front porch, a new fence, and the addition of bathrooms with hot and cold running water), changes to graduation requirements (using a then in-vogue 'points' system to determine when enough classes had been taken to justify a degree), and fluctuations in enrollment.  Bizarrely, this latter was explained by the inclusion of a visual chart - something nearly impossible to get across in a purely verbal speech.

This speech, seemingly conceived more to market the school to listeners in the audience than to congratulate graduates, provides invaluable data to a historian researching the late 1800s at Averett.  That said, it seems unlikely that the students especially enjoyed hearing it in 1900.

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The class of 1900 with President C.F. James.  Back row: Annie Pollock, Janie Terry (winner of President's Medal), Lucee Johnson, Ethel Reynolds (Valedictorian and winner of Weller Medal), Ella Vaden.  Front row: Elise Williams, Pres. C.F. James, Robbie Browning.  Not pictured: Jennie Button.

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Full Transcription of C.F. James's Commencement Address:

              The exercises of this evening mark the close of my eigth [sic] session as president of this institution.  And as there remains but one more under the existing contract between myself and the trustees and as I wish the ninth session to be the best of the nine as this has been the best of the eight, I hope you will follow me as I hurriedly sketch the history of these eight years in the hope of finding encouragement and inspiration for the future.

              When I came to Danville in 1892, it was in obedience to what I regarded as a Divine call.  It was not of my own seeking, for while the trustees advertised for a president, I, for one, did not send in any application.  I had resigned the principalship of Alleghaney [sic] Institute without any idea of again engaging in school work, but with the idea of returning to the pastorate.  But while I was waiting for a call to some pastorless church, or churches, Dr. Thames came to Roanoke, as the representative of the Trustees, to interview me on the subject of taking up the work which had been laid down by my honored predecessor, Capt. J. T. Averett.  That visit led to my making Danville & the College a visit, which was followed by a call from the Trustees and my acceptance.  Had I then foreseen all that was in store for me, I should almost certainly have shrunk back from the ordeal.  But I did not know.  It is best for us all that God only knows what the future has in store for us.

              In my ignorance I had miscalculated as to the patronage of the school, with the result that I became deeply involved in debt the first year.  We had a good local patronage, but only sixteen boarders, not counting two who were in the college only a few weeks.  That was discouraging.  But that was not the worst.  If prosperous conditions had continued throughout the country, the losses of the first year might soon have been overcome.  But, in the summer of 1893, there came a financial crash which almost paralyzed business and seriously crippled our schools.  And yet our college made progress during the next two years, the number of boarders increasing to 23 the second session, and 32 the third.

              It was confidently expected that the fourth session would be better still.  Teachers, pupils and patrons were all encouraged and the outlook was bright.  But the failure in the tobacco crop affected us most seriously, and the boarding patronage fell off to 28 the 4^th session and to 24 the fifth.

              But it was not only the depression in business resulting from the financial crash of ’93 & failures in tobacco crops that affected our patronage; we have been suffering from competition with the numerous lower-rate schools that have sprung up all over southern Virginia and North Carolina during these years of business depression.

              And yet notwithstanding these unfavorable conditions, we have struggled on through eight years and have just closed the best session of the eight.  A glance at the matriculation lists shows the ups and downs of our patronage.

This shows that the last three sessions have been the best three, and that the last session, the 8^th, leads in the total enrollment, excluding my own children, leads in the Literary Department, and in the Preparatory Department, and leads also in the Boarding Department, for while the number of boarders, 42, does not exceed that of the 6^th session, far more have remained through the session.

              I have every reason to believe that the next session will show a marked increase over any of the rest.

Improvements in grounds & buildings.

              I wish to call your attention to the improvements made in the grounds and buildings during these eight years.  Some of you know the condition of the buildings & grounds when I accepted your call in 1892.  The city authorities had taken off a slice of land on Ridge street [sic] and left that side without a fence.  And the rest of the fencing was practically worthless.  The buildings needed a thorough renovation inside & out, the furniture was old and unfit for use, and there was only one piano in first class order.  Now, the grounds have been newly fenced, the buildings have been repaired and painted, new furniture has taken the place of the old, the old stiff pianos have been rebuilt, valuable additions have been made to the capacity & comfort of the buildings, with the introduction of gas, hot & cold water & bath rooms.  There have been two small, but very important changes for the health and comfort of the pupils. One is the early introduction of Pasteur’s filter, which gives us the purest and best water, however muddy the river may be; and the other is the change in the Chapel, or study Hall, by which pupils sit with their backs to the light, the rostrum having been moved from the end next to the street and placed at the opposite side of the room.

              But one of the greatest additions and improvements is the long front porch.  It is hard for us to realize now how we ever got along without it.

              I must not fail to mention that our Literary Society has been adding to the library from year to year, until now they have a very respectable section of books of reference and for general reading.

System of Graduation by Points

              The courses of study and the requirements for graduation remain essentially the same, but we have changed the names of the Degrees from “Full Graduate” and “English Graduate” to “Master of Arts” and “Bachelor of Arts” respectively, and added one other, Bachelor of Letters.  We have also adopted the system of graduation by “points,” which is so much in vogue in the largest Northern Colleges, and which has been adopted by Richmond College and Washington & Lee University.  The special advantage of this system is that it gives the pupil full credit for all that she does in class work and in examinations.  (Explain.)

              I know that some of the friends of the College have felt discouraged at times and so have I; and yet I think that this exhibit [?] has much in it to encourage us.  These have been exceedingly trying years, and no one has felt it more than myself.  Never before, in all my experience, have I been so embarrassed & heavily burdened financially.  Under my contract with the Trustees, I pay them ten per cent of all tuition fees, whether collected or not, besides keeping up repairs and meeting all expenses for advertising, canvassing, concerts, commencement, and teachers’ salaries.  If business depression causes a falling off of patronage & revenue, or if some patrons fail to pay their bills, the loss is mine.  As I have already said, my first session involved me in debt.  And just when, at the close of my third session, I began to feel relieved and to take a hopeful view of the future, there came two bad years, instead of the prosperous one that all of us expected, and I found myself, at the end of five years, more deeply involved than ever before.  If I had not been through the four years [sic] war between the States, and other experiences which try one’s faith, I should have given up then.  But I hated to give up.  And I could not believe that the Lord had led me to this field to bury me in financial ruin.  So I resolved to struggle on, and three prosperous years have lifted much of my burden; but the long continued strain has been too much for my health.  Twelve months ago, in May, I had a serious collapse.  Last October I had another, followed at Christmas with a severe spell of pneumonia, which made my physician very uneasy.  He said my system was run down and that I needed rest.  I took a short rest in May, which helped me very much, and I am planning to take a longer rest this month as soon as I can get away to the mountains.  After than I shall be at work for the coming session.  I trust I may have your co-operation in this work.  And I feel that I have a right to ask it, for no one has worked harder or made more sacrifices for the College than I have.

              If I had died of pneumonia last winter, my debts would have been paid out of my life insurance, but my family would have had little or nothing left.  Through the goodness of Providence I have been spared to see the end of my best session, and I trust that through the same kind Providence I may be able to make the next session the most successful & prosperous of all.