Valentine's manual of old New York 1924

(New York :  Valentine's Manual Inc.,  1924, c1923.)

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  Page 215  



MISS SPENCE

A Famous Educator and a Remarkable
Christian Character.

A most unusual personality passed away in the death
of Miss Spence. The following tribute from one of her
"old girls" is well worth preserving, but no pen, however
eloquent, could do justice to so noble a conception of life
and such lofty ideals as were the everyday privilege of
the girls in this school.

Her pupils were the children of the very rich. It is
no small compliment to them also that Miss Spence's
School was preferred solely for its spiritual worth; and
that no consideration of position or power ever weighed
with this wonderful teacher where a question of principle
was involved.

The death of Miss Spence of Miss Spence's Schooĩ is
such an overwhelming loss that the alumnae of her school,
her "old girls," as she fondly called them, have been alraost
stunned. But with the passing days has come the need of
expressing in words, inadequate as they raay be, our grati-
tude for the inspiration of her life and our appreciation of
her service to the world.

She was a truly great educator. Her high idealisra,
her sense of spiritual values, her standards of righteous-
ness, which did not change with changing times, gave a
loftiness to the raeanest task, transformed the dreariest
lesson, lent significance to all of life. It was only through
this uplifting sense of the value of effort, the meaning of
struggle, be it only a battle with arithmetic or history, the
knowledge of progress toward an ultimate goal, that Miss
Spence was able to maintain the high standards of scholar-
ship for which the school is noted. Her girls were ever
inspired to put forth fresh effort, to strive harder, knowing
or gradualĩy perceiving as they grew older that each
lesson mastered, each duty honestly performed, was one
more stone laid in the foundation of character. "Character
is the greatest thing in life," she told us from first to last,

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