Class of 1889

Allen's oldest daughter, Maria Charlotte, was married recently to Dr. Herbert Harmon Purinton of Durham, N. C.

Blair, who is president of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of the District of Columbia, attended the annual meeting of the Association of Life Insurance Presidents held in New York, December 3 and 4.

Curtis—his picture and a description of his work—was given a full page in the December 27 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch under the title "The High School Principal Enters Business," and the sub-title, "Changing Professions at the Age of 50, Chester B. Curtis has Revolutionized the Handling of Personnel at Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney Company." From the very interesting article these paragraphs are quoted.

"Chester B. Curtis, for 30 years an educator, for four years assistant principal and 12 years principal of Central High School, is chairman of the executive committee of the ScruggsVandervoort-Barney department store. He is director of personnel, director of education, and director of research. Far from being an efficiency expert at the start, he was a business greenhorn. Now he is rated as a top-notch business executive. Many of the methods which he has introduced into the business system of Vandervoort's have been adopted by mercantile establishments in nearly every large city of the country.

"But to say he is an efficiency expert and let it go at that does not describe or even summarize his function. He is a great deal more than that. He is a scientist of business. His achievements, which have so profoundly affected the daily routine of trade at Vandervoort's, have been made through the application of the principles of chemistry and physics and psychology to the practice of meeting the customer and supplying his needs. He is an experimenter and an eternal seeker after the 'why.'

"Equipped, as most business men are not, with training in mathematics, chemistry, and physics, he was able to apply the scientific theories of trial and error, probability, control, elimination, and proof to such seemingly humble factors of commercial success as bundle-wrapping and the measuring of yardgoods. Equipped with knowledge of the human element gained through 30 years of dealing with parent and pupil, he was able to solve problems of personnel that had long baffled more experienced executives."

Ozora Davis, president of the Chicago Theological Seminary, was speaker at the Rollins Chapel vesper service Sunday, December 6. His subject was "The Reality of Religion." For several years Dr. Davis has worked very hard to secure an adequate endowment for the Seminary. This task is by no means ended, but it has been lightened by the terms of the will of the late Victor F. Lawson. In addition to a direct bequest the Seminary is made one of three residuary legatees of the estate. Recently one of Dr. Davis' poems has come to the' Secretary's attention. It was written a few months ago, and is entitled "In Memorium Ruth Sibley Hilton." It is a poem of rare beauty, showing sympathy, vision, faith, and all expressed in choicest English.

Secretary, 87 Milk St., Boston