Bell Cote 1950

many hours of his time in service to the
congregation.
The daily
rituals of the school at that
stage were stiff but useful in training of
the young ladies. The following quota
tion from the book Elizabeth J. Somers by
Faith Bradford, best illustrates a typical
day
at 204 F Street:
"Seven o'clock was the rising hour, half
after seven, breakfast time. The spirit of
the morning table was appropriate
to the
beginning of a new day. A verse of Scrip
ture was required of each girl,
and woe
betide the miss who too frequently pro
duced one noted for its brevity.
9>-
A walk
^i^tovv of t^e ^cfjool
followed breakfast, then devotional exer
cises; the serious business of learning was
pursued
until one o'clock luncheon. From
three until five was a study period; half
an hour was allowed for dressing for din
ner. Dinner brought with it a require
ment that seemed a task at the time, but
in later years was a cause for gratitude;
each pupil was obliged to present
in the
course of natural conversation, some sub
ject of art, science, or general
current in
terest. Quaint as such a custom seems six
ty odd years after, it was a step toward
the acquisition of useful information, and
a not-to-be despised training
conversation.
in the art of