"The Casket" & "The Institute Jewel" - 19th Century School Newspapers

Neagle2VR

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Jan 22, 2020
Location
Mechanicsville (Hanover Courthouse), Virginia
About ten years ago I inherited some of my g grandmother's belongings. Amongst them were these school newspapers from the Suffolk Female Institute (an all female school) and the Suffolk Collegiate Institute (a co-ed school), both in Suffolk, Virginia, four issues each. When I presented these to the Library Of Virginia they said these were the only extant copies they knew of, as they had never heard of them, and were excited to see them. The library made repairs to them and made digital copies, and having two copies of one issue of one of these papers, I donated one hard copy to the library. I don't recall which hard copy I donated, but all are accessible for viewing on the Virginia Chronicle website (www.virginiachronicle.com). Inside The casket you will find " Poetry, personals, jokes, student news, alumni updates, homilies, the latest fashion trends and advertisements made up a typical issue".* "The Suffolk Collegiate Institute’s newspaper had a size and look very similar to that of the Casket. The Jewel also included like content with local and student news, cultural news, poetry, religious anecdotes, excerpts from other newspapers, and lessons on the virtues of healthy and honorable living."*

The Casket Jan 1878, and The Institute Jewel May 1880
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*https://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/fit-to-print/2014/05/20/the-casket-and-institute-jewel/
All eight issues can be found on Virginia Chronicle website: https://virginiachronicle.com/
 
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The casket you will find " Poetry, personals, jokes, student news, alumni updates, homilies, the latest fashion trends and advertisements made up a typical issue".*
Some of the stories are utterly adorable - I loved “Mollie’s” answer to Satan and the apples, and that the sudden death of little “Frank” made the paper.

I really enjoyed the poems “In Memoriam” and “A New Year’s Tribute to an Aged Couple”

Interesting when the old lady claims “I never can enjoy poetry when I’m cooking but when I step out to feed the hogs and hist myself on the fence and throw my soul in a few line of Capt. Jinks*, it does seem as if this airth (I believe she means earth?) was made to live on after all.

I went and found the song/words that made her life worth living!
*https://mnheritagesongbook.net/the-...ecordings/captain-jinks-of-the-horse-marines/

I found this section on Boys Smoking interesting (considering the time in America when I didn’t realize people were aware of the dangers of smoking) - 38 boys between the age of 9-15 all smokers were studied and 28 found had harmful health issues. (May 1880) I enjoy reading on the following section when asked “What will educate your son? - Your example will educate him.” - sage advice

And finally, I imagine there was a certain young man that never asked another young lady what she thought of his enormous mustache when she replied - - looks like you swallowed a squirrel and left the tail sticking out of your mouth.:bounce:

Thank you for posting - I enjoyed and how wonderful your g-grandmother had these treasures and I can only imagine how each edition was eagerly anticipated.
 
Some of the stories are utterly adorable - I loved “Mollie’s” answer to Satan and the apples, and that the sudden death of little “Frank” made the paper.

I really enjoyed the poems “In Memoriam” and “A New Year’s Tribute to an Aged Couple”

Interesting when the old lady claims “I never can enjoy poetry when I’m cooking but when I step out to feed the hogs and hist myself on the fence and throw my soul in a few line of Capt. Jinks*, it does seem as if this airth (I believe she means earth?) was made to live on after all.

I went and found the song/words that made her life worth living!
*https://mnheritagesongbook.net/the-...ecordings/captain-jinks-of-the-horse-marines/

I found this section on Boys Smoking interesting (considering the time in America when I didn’t realize people were aware of the dangers of smoking) - 38 boys between the age of 9-15 all smokers were studied and 28 found had harmful health issues. (May 1880) I enjoy reading on the following section when asked “What will educate your son? - Your example will educate him.” - sage advice

And finally, I imagine there was a certain young man that never asked another young lady what she thought of his enormous mustache when she replied - - looks like you swallowed a squirrel and left the tail sticking out of your mouth.:bounce:

Thank you for posting - I enjoyed and how wonderful your g-grandmother had these treasures and I can only imagine how each edition was eagerly anticipated.

As long as I've had these, you would think I have read through all of them, but I haven't. I have read through most of these two issues, though, and remember reading these quotes, thinking the same as you. m I know my g grandmother attended the SFI, because I have found her name in the school register book at the Library of Virginia, the actual book. It appears she began there in Jan 1878. I don't think she attended the SCI, but probably knew a few people from there. I feel fortunate that she saved what she did.
 
It was wonderful of you to make these accessible for viewing on the Virginia Chronicle website! These papers are gems for sure. Your post was a delightful read! @Neagle2VR , have you considered submitting this for a front page feature on CWT? You should!!!
I haven't given any thought to submitting for a front page feature. I'm new here and haven't read how to do that.There is more that can be told about this as the Fit To Print blog an the library's site shows. Would this be acceptable as it's written?
 
Some of the stories are utterly adorable - I loved “Mollie’s” answer to Satan and the apples, and that the sudden death of little “Frank” made the paper.

I really enjoyed the poems “In Memoriam” and “A New Year’s Tribute to an Aged Couple”

Interesting when the old lady claims “I never can enjoy poetry when I’m cooking but when I step out to feed the hogs and hist myself on the fence and throw my soul in a few line of Capt. Jinks*, it does seem as if this airth (I believe she means earth?) was made to live on after all.

I went and found the song/words that made her life worth living!
*https://mnheritagesongbook.net/the-...ecordings/captain-jinks-of-the-horse-marines/

I found this section on Boys Smoking interesting (considering the time in America when I didn’t realize people were aware of the dangers of smoking) - 38 boys between the age of 9-15 all smokers were studied and 28 found had harmful health issues. (May 1880) I enjoy reading on the following section when asked “What will educate your son? - Your example will educate him.” - sage advice

And finally, I imagine there was a certain young man that never asked another young lady what she thought of his enormous mustache when she replied - - looks like you swallowed a squirrel and left the tail sticking out of your mouth.:bounce:

Thank you for posting - I enjoyed and how wonderful your g-grandmother had these treasures and I can only imagine how each edition was eagerly anticipated.
I went to the link for the song, "Captain Jinks". I didn't know what it referred to, and never thought to find out. Thanks for digging that up. It is amusing. Then I had to read the rest of that page, which was really interesting, too, since Little House On The Prairie is one of my favorite shows ever.
 
Thank you--and Good for You! To share this treasure with the Archives and with us! As a genealogist I know the importance of this kind of resource. How wonderful of you to preserve for the future the voices of the past.
 
Thank you for another edition. I can only imagine how the girls awaited each paper that came their way. There are so many various topics and give an interesting glimpse of school life - 1878. Line that made me smile - little girl telling her mother she was going to be a duchess for she would marry a Dutchman. :smile:
 
I had to laugh at the one titled "Vanity", about the young gentleman who sat in church and turned around to look at the girls in the gallery, who supposedly didn't notice his mustache and side whiskers. They never see the boys. They look at the minister. LOL.

Or Mr. Charlie Nelms and his ride uptown in the wheelbarrow.
 
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