Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/654

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Catholic Women in America
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President Tyler; Gertrude and Jessie Alcorn, the daughters of Senator Alcorn, of Mississippi; Romaine Goddard, daughter of Mrs. Dahlgren, who became the Countess von Overbeck; Irene Rucker, who become the wife of General Philip H. Sheridan; Constance Edgar, now the Countess Moltke Huitfeldt, daughter of Madam Bonaparte and granddaughter of Daniel Webster; Mary Wilcox, granddaughter by adoption of General Andrew Jackson. Ethel Ingalls, daughter of ex-Senator Ingalls, has reflected credit on the academy by her literary work; her younger sister, Constance, followed her at the school, together with Anna Randall Lancaster, and her sister Susie, daughters of the late Samuel J. Randall; the five daughters of the late A. S. Abell, of Baltimore, and Jennie Walters, daughter of W. T. Walters of the same city.

"Miss Early and Miss Ould were two gifted Southern ladies who are remembered at the school. Miss E. M. Dorsey, also, a bright and winning story-writer, whose 'Midshipman Bob' is well and favorably known to young readers, is one of the later graduates."

Even this partial list of some among those who have received their training at Georgetown Convent in knowledge, morals, manners and the conduct of life, is at first rather surprising by reason of the high rank and average of the women educated here. Yet on second and deeper thought it will appear to be only a reasonable result of so much patient labor, lofty endeavor, unselfish effort, and devout studiousness, offered day by day for a century, with no other thought than that of contributing to the glory of God and the blessing of the human race, in whole and in particular.

The annals of this illustrious institution, which celebrated its Centennial in 1899, must, we think, place one fact very clearly before the minds of all thoughtful and observant readers, and that is, the marked degree of individuality characterizing the