Sgt. Richard Kirkland - Angel of Marye's Heights

"How easily church edifices could be built, pastors supported, missionaries sustained, colleges endowed, and every good cause pushed forward, if we had in our Churches today anything like the spirit of these Christian soldiers”

“How often have I seen these brave fellows, after they had won a hardly contested field, despite their almost exhaustion, going over the ground to hunt up and care for the wounded of the enemy – binding up their wounds as best they could, carrying them to the field hospitals, and providing surgical attendance, sharing with them their scant rations, bringing them water, building brush shelters to protect them from the sun, and proving 'good Samaritans' indeed to men whom they had so lately met in the shock of battle."

"I might give scores of illustrations of this point, but must content myself now with the story of Richard Kirkland, 'the humane hero of Fredericksburg,' as it is told by the gallant soldier and able jurist, General J. B. Kershaw, of South Carolina (now Judge Kershaw), who commanded the brigade at the time. I will only premise that Kirkland had professed conversion [to Christianity] but a short time before, and will give the incident in General Kershaw's own words:

“Camden, South Carolina, January 29, 1880. 

To the Editor of the News and Courier: 

Your Columbia correspondent referred to the incident narrated here, telling the story as 'twas told to him, and inviting corrections. As such a deed should be recorded in the rigid simplicity of actual truth, I take the liberty of send you for publication an accurate account of a transaction ever feature of which is indelibly impressed upon my memory.”

Very truly yours,“J.B. Kershaw.”

"Richard Kirkland was the son of John Kirkland, an estimable citizen of Kershaw county, a plain, substantial farmer of the olden time. In 1861he entered, as a private, Captain J.D. Kennedy's Company (E) of the Second South Carolina Volunteers, in which company he was a sergeant in December, 1862."

"The day after the sanguinary battle of Fredrericksburg, Kershaw's Brigade occupied the road at the foot of Marye's hill and the ground above Marye's house, the scene of their desperate defense of the day before. One hundred and fifty yards in front of the road, the stone-facing of which constituted the famous stone wall, lay Syke's Division of Regulars, United States Army, between whom and our troops a murderous skirmish occupied the whole day, fatal to many who heedlessly exposed themselves, even for a moment. The ground between the lines was bridged with the wounded, dead, and dying Federals, victims of the many desperate and gallant assaults of that column of 30,000 brave men hurled vainly against that impregnable position."

"All that day those wounded men rent the air with their groans and agonizing cries of 'Water! Water!' In the afternoon the general sat in the north room, upstairs, of Mrs. Steven's house, in front of the road, surveying the field, when Kirkland came up. With an expression of indignant remonstrance pervading his person, his manner, and the tone of his voice, he said:

“General! I can't stand this.”

“What is the matter sergeant?” asked the general.

He replied: “All night and day I have heard those poor people crying for water, and I can stand it no longer. I come to ask permission to go and give them water.”

The general regarded him for a moment with feelings of profound admiration, and said:

“Kirkland, don't you know that you would get a bullet through your head the moment you stepped over the wall?”

“Yes, sir,” he said, “I know that; but if you will let me, I am willing to try it.”

After a pause the general said: 

“Kirkland, I ought not to allow you to run such a risk, but the sentiment which actuates you is so noble that I will not refuse your request, trusting that God may protect you. You may go.”

The sergeant’s eye lighted up with pleasure. He said, 

“Thank you, sir,”

 and ran rapidly down-stairs. The general heard him pause for a moment, and then return, bounding two steps at a time. He thought the sergeant's heart had failed him. He was mistaken. The sergeant stopped at the door and said:

“General, can I show a white handkerchief ?" 

The general slowly shook his head, saying emphatically, 

“No, Kirkland, you can't do that.”

“All right,” he said, “I'll take my chances,” and ran down with a bright smile on his handsome countenance.

"With profound anxiety he was watched as he stepped over the wall on his errand of mercy – Christ-like mercy. Unharmed he reached the nearest sufferer. He knelt beside him, tenderly raising the drooping head, rested it gently upon his own noble breast, and poured the precious life-giving fluid down the fever scorched throat. This done, he laid him tenderly down, placed his knapsack under his head, straightened out his broken limb, spread his overcoat over him, replaced his empty canteen with a full one, and turned to another sufferer. By this time his purpose was well understood on both sides, and all danger was over. From all parts of the field arose fresh cries of 'water, water; for God's sake, water!” More piteous still the mute appeal of some who could only feebly lift a hand to say there, too, was life and suffering."

"For an hour and a half did this ministering angel pursue his labor of mercy, not ceased to go and return until he relieved all the wounded on that part of the field. He returned to his post wholly unhurt. Who shall say how sweet his rest that winter's night beneath the cold stars!"

"Little remains to be told. Sergeant Kirkland distinguished himself in battle at Gettysburg, and was promoted lieutenant. At Chickamauga he fell on the field of battle, in the hour of victory. He was but a youth when called away, and had never formed those ties from which might have resulted a posterity to enjoy his fame and bless his country; but he has bequeathed to the American youth – yea, to the world – an example which dignifies our common humanity."

Selection from Christ in the Camp or Religion in the Confederate Army by Reverend J. William Jones, D.D. Reverend Jones was the Chaplin in the Army of Northern Virginia.

Chapter XIII “Results of the Work and Proofs of its Genuineness”

This is an inscription upon a monument commemorating the compassionate act of mercy toward the enemy by Sergeant Richard Kirkland.

At the risk of his life this American soldier of sublime compassion brought water to his wounded foes at Fredericksburg. The fighting men on both sides of the line called him “The Angel of Marye's Heights.

Aboard the Mayflower

There were 102 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower; 37 of those immigrants to America were children. The ship was 106 feet from beak to aftercastle. Her keel was 58 feet and her beam only 25 feet. Sometimes the mast of the Mayflower drifted a foot laterally as the Mayflower rolled in heavy seas while crossing the Atlantic.

 "...one of the main beams in midships was bowed and cracked, which put them in some fear that the ship could not be able to perform the voyage...but in examining of all opinions, the master and others affirmed they knew the ship to be strong and firm under water and for the buckling of the main beam, there was a great iron screw the passengers brought out of Holland which would raise the beam into his place; the which being done, the carpenter and master affirmed that with a post put under it, set firm in the lower deck and otherwise bound he would make it sufficient."

There was a spacious area of the Mayflower on the second deck on which the ship's boat was stored. It was needed in New England to explore the territory and for fishing. The Pilgrims were placed in the aft portion of the ship where they were huddled for 66 days of the voyage. Two babies were born aboard the Mayflower as it traveled on the journey to the New World.


On November 11, 1620 a great event occurred in which 41 Separatists representing one branch of the evangelical Puritans made a covenant with God and each other to establish a colony for His glory.

"In the Name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, by Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and the Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland, the fifty-fourth,  

Anno Domini 

1620.

The Pilgrims planned to land in Northern Virginia but were blown off course. The Providence of God prevented them from landing in Virginia where they would have never enjoyed the religious liberty for which they came to the New World. The Virginia colony was deeply entrenched in the Church of England. The Pilgrims left England and sojourned in Holland before coming to America because of persecution from the Church of England.


William Bradford described the landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth in December of 1620.

"Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element...besides what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men - and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not. What could now sustain them but the Spirit of God and His grace?"

While in Holland, Pastor John Robinson grounded the Pilgrims in the principles of Scripture for daily living and the founding of a Christian republic. Hence, the first street in Plymouth was named Leyden Street after the Calvinist haven of liberty and refuge in Holland. These men and women charted the course of liberty and representative government which would eventually make America unique among the nations.


The Reformation brought fresh winds of heaven to Western Europe. Luther, Calvin, Bucer, Zwingli, Knox and other Protestants were the instruments through which He brought the refreshing waters of liberty to a thirsty land. The Reformers did not enthrone autonomous man as did the Renaissance scholars. Luther debated Erasmus in 1524 on the issue of free of the will. Augustine's doctrine of the total depravity of man was augmented by Aquinas. Aquinas brought about syncretism by blending the teaching of Aristotle with that of the Bible. Furthermore, the Catholic Church eventually placed the authority of church tradition against and above the authority of the Bible. Aquinas had an incomplete view of the fall of man as recorded in Genesis. Aquinas believed that the will of man was fallen but the reason and intellect were not. 


The Reformers proclaimed that man was totally dependent upon the unmerited grace of God to save him. Whereas the clergy of the Catholic church asserted that man could merit the merits of Christ through good works. Inevitably, the controversey led to a fundamental contest: What is the final authority: the Holy Scriptures of the Bible or the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.


The Protestants declared the answer was Scripture Sola. while the Catholics asserted final authority rested in tradition, works of the church fathers, papal decrees, the consensus of church councils and the Bible.


To the men of the Reformation: The Bible means what it says and says what it means!


John Calvin developed a systematic theology from the Bible and a pattern for government based on the Holy Scriptures. 


Lorine Boettner declared:

"Calvinism was revolutionary. It taught the natural equality of men, and its essential tendency was to destroy all distinctions of rank and all claims to superiority which rested upon wealth or vested privilege. The liberty-loving souls of the Calvinist has made him a crusader against those artificial distinctions which raise some men above others...Calvin himself held that the Church, under God, was a spiritual republic; and certainly he was a republican in theory. James I was well aware of the effects of Calvinism when he said, 'Presbytery agreeth as well with monarchy as God with the devil.' Bancroft speaks of 'the political character of Calvinism, which with one consent and with instinctive judgment the monarch of that day feared as republicanism.' "...The system not only imbued its converts with the spirit of liberty, but it gave them practical training in the rights and duties as freemen.'"

William Tyndale, burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English was martyred on Belgium. He boldly prayed  as he was being burned: 

"Lord, open the King of England's eyes!"

Henry VIII attempted to divorce his wife for she gave him no male heir to the throne of England. When the Pope refused to grant him a dispensation to divorce Catherine; he broke with papal authority and formed the Church of England. In a political move to secure loyalty of the English people to himself he gave them Tyndale's Bible. 


His son, Edward VI reigned England as a boy from the age of ten till his death at sixteen. Edward VI was a godly, compassionate Puritan king reigning from 1547 till 1553. He was a king who encouraged dissenters who held to a high view of Scripture within the state church. 


Mary Tudor, his Roman Catholic sister became known as "Bloody Mary" for she persecuted the Puritans in the Commisarie Courts of the English Inquisition. The Protestant exiles fleeing from Mary included John Knox of Scotland who fled to Geneva Switzerland. In Geneva, they enjoyed the fellowship and teaching of John Calvin and his close associates at the zenith of Calvin's influence. Knox fled from Bloody Mary upon her ascension to the throne in 1553. He sojourned in Geneva with Calvin until 1559 returning to Scotland to aid the Protestant revolt.


Persecuted Protestants poured into Geneva, Switzerland after expulsion of "Libertines" in 1555. By an act of Divine Providence, Geneva became the greatest center of Christian education in the world. Geneva became a center in which Protestant exiles were grounded in the Scriptural principles of the Bible. John Calvin became ill in 1561 and died three years later but the capital of spiritual blessing from Geneva is a well which still refreshes.


It was John Calvin and his associates in Geneva who personally trained the leaders of the Puritans and Presbyterians. They were not only destined to change Great Britain but laid the basis for the republican form of government in America.


The Geneva Bible was translated and published in 1560 and was the first Bible to divide the books into verses omitting the Apocrypha.


Mary Tudor reigned less than five and a half years and was executed on November 17, 1558. Sunshine burst out upon England when Queen Elizabeth I, Mary's half sister ascended the throne of England.  Those Protestants who had not been martyred by Mary who remained imprisoned were set free by Elizabeth. Furthermore, Elizabeth authorized a new translation of the Scriptures.


William Bradford was born after the defeat of the Spanish Armada during Elizabeth's reign. He was orphaned as a child and raised by his uncles in Austerfield. Although he was not one to have great health; he found comfort and solace in reading the Scriptures. He surrendered his life by humbling himself before Christ receiving Him as his Lord at the age of twelve. Bradford would walk several miles in order to hear the preaching of Puritan men of God. Presbyterian theology of Scotland and the Puritan theology of Great Britain were coming of age in this era.


Richard Hooker, author of "Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity" written in 1593-1594, was a moderate which set the path in which the Church of England would follow. Hooker advocated tolerance and charity among Christians groups. Although Hooker believed the Jesus Christ was God incarnate; he was not one who fully accepted the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith. Nor did he fully accept the doctrines of predestination and other doctrines which departed from the teaching of Medieval  Catholicism.


His opposition would only strengthen biblically oriented Protestantism: Puritianism-Presbyterianism.


After Knox returned to Scotland,  Protestant exiles in Geneva added their voices to that of Knox and the Puritans. The Bible was the sole source of Truth concerning all of life, private and public. Therefore mankind, must be governed by the precepts, principles and ordinances of the Bible. While refuting the rationalism of Richard Hooker, the Protestant exiles cast the die which led to the Puritan emigration to Massachusetts in America.


Scotland exploded into civil war. John Knox took the helm of the revolutionary movement after Protestant reformer George Wishart was strangled and burned to death. John Knox established the Kirk of Scotland on Calvinism centered upon Justification by faith in Christ and the Scriptures as the ultimate authority.


Hence, the Scottish Presbyterians were united by faith with the Dutch Reformed Calvinists, the French Huguenots, the Swiss Calvinists, and the Protestant exiles in Geneva. The faith of the Scots spread to Ulster in Northern Ireland, the middle colonies in America and the frontier west of the colonies.


The National Covenant written by Scottish Presbyterians gave great encouragement to the American Republic. Furthermore, the Scottish Presbyterians place great emphasis upon godliness in education. The National Covenant did not secure religious freedom but did assure the Kirk of Scotland freedom from interference from the king. The Presbyterians heartily agreed with Knox who believed that the purpose of education was to firmly ground the student in the Scriptures.


The major point of difference between Knox and the English Puritans was in the area of church government. Not few Puritans believed that each congregation should be independent and not answerable to a presbytery. Yet the English had to continue to function within the corrupt Anglican Church. Those Puritans who saw themselves as totally independent of the state church were known as 'Separatists.'


In the early 17th Century, young William Bradford was a separatist who fled north to Scrooby. His uncles refused to allow him to worship among the Puritans while living with them. William Brewster was the secretary to England's Secretary of State. Bradford became acquainted with Brewster while in Scrooby. The two men became the nucleus of a group of separatists who worshiped in the manor house Brewster leased. After severing all ties with the Church of England, the group of separatists chose John Robinson as their young pastor. Consequently, since preaching the gospel outside of the Church of England was illegal; the group fled to Amsterdam in 1608. William Bradford was eighteen years old when they fled to Amsterdam.


The group of separatists migrated to Leyden, a rural region of Amsterdam, after a year in the city. In Leyden, the Pilgrims enjoyed the fruit of religious liberty which Calvinism brought to the community. Furthermore, they also enjoyed a functioning republican government Calvin stressed which was essential to secure religious liberty.


It was while the Puritans were in Leyden, they learned of local self government, town meetings, and the principle of voting by casting ballots. Furthermore, it was in Leyden that Robinson taught the Pilgrims from the Scriptures. Between 1617 and 1619, they established an underground press in which they published over twenty titles. Not few of the pamphlets were smuggled into England giving encouragement and guidance to the Puritans.


William Bradford reminisced concerning the era under John Robinson's ministry in Leyden:

"So as they grew in knowledge and other gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, and lived together in peace and love and holiness; and many came unto them from diverse parts of England, so as they grew a great congregation. And if at any time any differences arose, or offenses broke out (as it cannot be, but some time there will, even amongst the best of men) they were ever so met with, and nipped in the head betimes, or otherwise so compose, as still love, peace, and communion was continued; or else the church purged of those that were incurable and incorrigible, when, after much patience used, no other means would serve, which seldom came to pass, Yea such was the mutual love, and reciprocal respect that this worthy man had to his flock, and his flock to him, that it might be said of them as it once was of that famous Marcus Aurelius, and the people of Rome, that it was hard to judge whether he delighted more in having such a people, or they in having such a pastor. His love was great towards them, and his care was always bent for their best good, both soul and body; for besides his singular abilities in divine things (wherein he excelled), he was also very able to give directions in civil affairs, and to foresee dangers and inconveniences; by which means he was very helpful to their outward estates, and so was every way as a common father unto them..."

Although, in 1620, Holland was threatened with war with Spain; there were several reasons which the Pilgrims left Leyden, Amsterdam for the New World.


The hardships which they encountered were of such severity; they could not accommodate other dissenters who were attracted to their venture.


The number of their body able to emigrate to the wilderness of the New World was lessened due to ill health and premature aging.


Their children had to work at hard labor with the adult parent from economic necessity. Hence, some of their children suffered badly on this account.


Some of the children went astray. Consequently, parents blamed the permissive culture in which they lived.


The Pilgrims had a genuine desire to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to take the gospel to the world. Hence, they believed that God was preparing them for this bold missionary adventure.


The Separatist community in Leyden sent William Brewster to England to inquire of the London Company that they might fund their emigration to the American colony in Virginia. Sir Edwin Sandys, treasurer of the London Company, encouraged his friends and associates to invest the venture. In February of 1620, a meeting took place in the home of Sir Edwin Sandys. A company of 70 merchants were granted a patent to finance the settlement of separatists in the New World. 


Southampton was the city from which the Pilgrims set sail in early September of 1620. Before leaving Leyden, they humbly fasted and fervently prayed together. In a final sermon to his flock, John Robinson preached a message from the text of Ezra 8:21

"And there at the river, by Ahava, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble ourselves before our God, and seek of Him a right way for us, and for our children, and for all our substance."

Pastor John Robinson presented a letter addressed to the whole company as they parted.

"Loving Christian friends, I do heartily and in the Lord salute you all, as being they with whom I am present in my best affection, and most earnest longings after you, though I be constrained for a while to be bodily absent from you...I thought it but my duty to add some further spur of provocation unto them, who run already, if not because you need it, yet because I owe it in love and duty. And first, as we are daily to renew our repentance with our God, especially for our sins known, and generally for our unknown trespasses, so doth the Lord call us in a singular manner upon occasions of such difficulty and danger as lieth upon you, to a both more narrow search and carefully reformation of your ways in His sight; lest He, calling to remembrance our sins forgotten by us or unrepented of , take advantage against us, and in judgment leave us for the same to be swallowed by earnest repentance and the pardon thereof from the Lord sealed up unto a man's conscience by His Spirit, great shall be his security and peace in all dangers, sweet his comforts in all distresses, with happy deliverance from all evil, whether in life or in death."

"Now next after this heavenly peace with God and our own consciences, we are carefully to provide for peace with all men what in us lieth, especially with our associates, and for that watchfulness must be had, that we neither at all in ourselves do give, no nor easily take offense being given by other..."

"Lastly, whereas you are become a body politik, using amongst yourselves civil government, and are nor furnished with any persons of special eminence above the rest, to be chosen by you into office of government, let your wisdom and godliness appear, not only in choosing such persons as do entirely love and will promote the common good, but also in yielding unto them all due honor and obedience in their lawful administrations not beholding in them the ordinariness of their persons, but God's ordinance for your good..." 

"These few things therefore, and the same in few words, I do earnestly commend unto your care and conscience, joining therewith my daily incessant prayers unto the Lord, that He who hath made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all rivers of waters, and whose providence is over all His works, especially over all His dear children for good, would so guide and guard you in your ways, as inwardly by His Spirit, so outwardly by the hand of His  power, as that both you and we also, for and with you, may have after matter of praising His name all the days of your and our lives. Fare you will in Him in whom you trust, and in whom I rest."

The Pilgrims were charged to keep and maintain a right vertical relationship with God and a charitable relationship with each other. They left for the New World to create a 'body politik' which guaranteed freedom and personal responsibility to preserve the harmony of the community.  


They were challenged to establish self government under God. 


After settling in Plymouth in December of 1620, Bradford wrote: 

“...in two or three months' time half of their company died, especially in January and February, being the depth of winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases...”

Despite the terrible first winter, none of the surviving members of the venture returned to England on the Mayflower in the spring. Their first governor John Carver died after only a few months in the Plymouth colony. William Bradford, who was thirty years of age, became the new governor whom they elected from among themselves. William Bradford was the governor of the Plymouth colony for the remaining thirty years of his life. Throughout the earliest years of the colony, he governed the colony with God's wisdom having one assistant only. Five councilmen who were elected in 1624 to assist him. As governor, Bradford was given a double vote in matters brought before the council. Eventually the number of councilmen was raised to seven members. 


Immigrant Pilgrims came unprepared without provisions for the first two years of the fledgling colony.


The investors of the London Company failed to send promised provisions and supplies. Hence, the Separatists had to provide food and shelter for themselves and the newly arrived immigrants. Governor Bradford chose to cut the daily ration of food per person in order feed everyone. The daily ration of food which each person received was less than half the amount formerly received. The soil of Massachusetts did not sustain the seedlings of wheat and grains brought with them from England. In the providence of God, He graciously sent the Indian Squanto and friendly Indians to assist the Pilgrims. Had he not shown them the manner in which to plant American corn; there would have been no Autumn harvest in 1621.


The London Company inserted a utopian scheme into the contract to which the Pilgrims agreed. They envisioned a communal society where all of the colonists would contribute to a central source from which each would be supplied. Unfortunately, single young man worked for all non-producing family members yet did not receive assistance such as sewing and darning.


Nobody owned their own property which inhibited one's motivation to provide for themselves and their families. Hence, they did not enjoy the emotional rewarding pleasure of seeing the fruit of the own hard work and labor.


The manner in which Governor Bradford handled the situation was stated by historian Eggleston:

“After two years of labor in common had brought the colony more than once to the verge of ruin, Bradford had the courage and wisdom to cut the knot he could not untie. During the scarce springtime of 1623, he assigned all the detached persons in the colony to live with families, and then temporarily divided the ancient Indian field on which the settlement had been made among the several families in proportion to their number, leaving every household to shift for itself or suffer want. 'Any general want or suffering hath not been among them since to this day, ' he wrote years afterward. The assignment was a revolutionary stroke, in violation of the contract with the shareholders, and contrary to their wishes. But Bradford saw that it was a life-and-death necessity to be rid of the pernicious system, even at the cost of cutting off all support from England. In his history he draws a very clear picture of the evils of communism as he had observed them.”

The early system of Plymouth involving government control of the means of production and sharing from a common source proved disastrous. The system bread indolence and laziness among able-bodied who became unwilling to work. Furthermore, hopelessness and diminished incentive were the consequences of hard working settlers who provided for themselves and those persons who did not work. 


The Pilgrim Separatists experienced the loss of over half their number the first winter. They often experienced conditions of famine and disease throughout the early years of the venture. Shipping agents misrepresented the condition of the colonists to the merchant sponsors who did not send the necessary supplies to sustain the colony. The population of colonists continued to increase although the new immigrants did not have the necessary provisions and supplies to sustain them. 


None of the Separatist Pilgrims chose to return to England! They came to the American continent to serve the Living God, trusting in Him alone and not fallible men. They firmly believed that they were as ancient Israel who had been called for God's purposes. They came in the service of the Living God revering his holy Word, preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. They laid the foundation of a nation where the Scriptures would be taught to their children and generations of believers who followed them.




Condensed and edited from Pat Brooks' The Return of the Puritans.

Danniebelle Hall - Ordinary Woman

"Ordinary People"

Danniebelle Hall

Just ordinary people 

God uses ordinary people 

He chooses people just like me and you 

Who are willing to do as He commands 

God uses people that will give Him all 

No matter how small your all may seem to you 

Because little becomes much as you place it in the Master's hand

Just ordinary people (ordinary people) 

My God uses (plain old) ordinary people (oh yes He does) 

He chooses people just like me and you 

Who are willing, willing to do everything that He commands (oh, yes) 

God uses people that will give Him all 

No matter how small your all might seem to you 

Because little becomes much as you place it in the Master's hand

Just like that little lad 

Who gave Jesus all he had 

How the multitude was fed 

With the fish and the loaves of bread 

What you have may not seem much 

But when you yield it to the touch 

Of the Master's loving hand, yes,

Then you'll understand How your life could never be the same

Just ordinary people My God uses (plain old) ordinary people (yes) 

He chooses people just like me and you 

Who are willing to do everything that He commands 

God uses people that will give Him all 

It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how small your all may seem to you 

Because little becomes much as you place it in the Master's hand 

(All you've got to do is give your everything to Jesus, yeah-hey) 

Little becomes much as you place it in the Master's hand

Danniebelle Hall learned to play the piano at the age of three. She confessed her faith and belief in Jesus Christ at an early age. Danniebelle was an award-winning international Gospel recording artist and composer who has been called by her Lord Jesus Christ for her grand performance in His presence and in His honor.


Danniebelle played the piano in her hometown church of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where she was born.  She attended Pittsburg public schools and Mount Mercy College - liberal arts.


She was the fourth of eight children born to William Butler Jones and Danniebelle Jones. Danniebelle had a passionate desire to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ by utilizing her talents. Her two younger sisters joined Danniebelle to become a trio - The Jones Sisters.


Danniebelle moved to San Francisco, California when she was seventeen and became acquainted with Charles E. Hall whom she married in 1958. Charles and Danniebelle had three children: Charlotte, Charles, and Cynthia. Charles and Danniebelle were members of the Lighthouse Full Gospel Church. He served as a deacon while Danniebelle served as choir director. It was her husband who encouraged Danniebelle to follow her dream of a global music ministry.


In San Francisco, she formed a gospel quartet in 1969 which she called: "The Danniebelles." They sang to units of the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War.


Traveling on tour overseas promoted the growth and popularity of "The Danniebelles" beyond their expectations. The Danniebelles toured with World Vision International ministering to thousands of people in Zamboanga, Mindanao, Philippines, and Phnom Penj, Cambodia. While on tour The Dannibelles recorded an album of their music.


A few years later, Danniebelle eventually joined her favorite Gospel group, Andraé Crouch and the Disciples. "Soon and Very Soon," "Take Me Back," "Tell Them," and "Quiet Times" were gospel recordings in which Danniebelle was featured. 


A personal side note: I attended a Christian festival known as "Jesus '75" in which I had the pleasure of hearing Danniebelle perform with Andraé Crouch and the Disciples. It was the first time in which I heard Andre and the Disciples and could clearly hear Danniebelle. The gracious tenderness of her voice anointed with the Holy Spirit touched my heart leaving a lasting impression. I eventually purchased the album "Take Me Back" which is a wonderful classic Gospel album I treasure.


For the next two and a half decades; Danniebelle recorded and sang on several solo albums. She traveled world wide. "Danniebelle Live in Sweden" (Sparrow, 1977) is one of my favorite albums which she recorded in Sweden.


Danniebelle used her own personal trials to minister to others as she spread the love of Jesus Christ to people with whom she became acquainted. Danniebelle composed and arranged her music while finding great fulfillment in writing lyrics that touches needy hearts hungry for the love of God. Danniebelle was greatly admired for setting biblical passages to music. She was one who encouraged and inspired new and younger artists to fulfill their aspirations to serve Jesus Jesus through their music.


Danniebelle has been admired by others for having set to music various passages of the Bible. Among the notable artists for whom Danniebelle penned songs were Eartha Kitt, Pat Boone, and James Cleveland.


Danniebelle Hall dedicated her life to win the lost to Jesus Christ through her music ministry. She had a special gift - an anointing from God to touch the hearts of wounded and lost through her music and ministry. Danniebelle has a delightful warm personality, a 'down to earth' personality that made people feel comfortable, welcome, and loved in her presence. That wonderful touch of gentle kindness and encouragement was experienced through listening to her recording.


Danniebelle took the time from a busy schedule of touring to honor Christal Roberts' home with her presence on April 9, 1976. She visited Christal during a twenty-four hour time span before traveling overseas to minister. Christal was celebrating her 15th birthday when Danniebelle visited her. The memory of this special day of celebration brought joy and would become an unforgettable experience. Danniebelle brought a copy of her most recent album "This Moment" which she graciously autographed for Christal. For forty-five minutes, Danniebelle blessed Christal's family and friends with a concert in the family livingroom.


This gracious act of kindness by Danniebelle would forever change Christal's life. Christal patiently waited on God to bring the two of them together again.


Twenty-two years would pass before God gave his approval and smiled upon Christal during the sunset season of Danniebelle's life. They spent several days together in which the two daughters of Christ laughed, prayed together and encouraged each other. 


They were seperated when Danniebelle received her personal invitation to perform before her Savior and Lord on December of 2000. Christal continues to keep Danniebelle's memory fresh and alive by sharing her testimony of God's gracious love and favor. Christal has traveled across the United States and Europe has her mentor Danniebelle had done before her bringing the Good News of Jesus through her music. Christal Roberts is an psalmist anointed by God. She is a talented musician, music arranger, and songwriter of the living God. Her love of music began in her childhood and she started to sing at the age of two.


The title track "Thank You" from her CD of the same title has great significance for the listener will recognize the smooth distinctive voice of Danniebelle Hall. Danniebelle was a wonderful friend who encouraged Christal; this song would be her last recording before she was called home to perform before Jesus.


She played piano beautifully and sang with gentle gracious comforting words of encouragement. Danniebelle's intimate style of singing and songwriting has been compared to Robera Flack. It was not unusual for Danniebelle to simply serenade the Father and create a worshipful atmosphere while performing. 


Danniebelle traveled to Nigeria in the mid eighties. Upon returning, she lived in Monroeville, PA and served as Ministress of Music at The Lords Church which was pastored by Pastor Archie Dennis. When her tenure ended at The Lords Church, Danniebelle chose to return to the Northern California Bay Area. It was there where she awaited her next assignment from the Lord.


That assignment came through Pastor John Cherry where she ministered at his church in Temple Hills, Maryland. While she served at Pastor Cherry's church. 


Danniebelle ministered in various churchs performing at various concerts throughout the United States and overseas. Danniebelle wrote "O Se' Bab" (pronounced "Oh Shay") and several other songs which she recorded on two albums: "Designer's Original" and "The Best Gets Better."


Danniebelle wrote: 

"Little did I know that my faith would be tested to the max. There was something about that declaration of faith in God made in the song "Aint No Devil in Hell Gonna Walk on the Jesus in Me" that was really going to be put to the test."

Danniebelle experienced her biggest personal battle in 1995. In June of 1995, Danniebelle was with E.K. Bailey, a good friend, while at the Concord Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Danniebelle experienced her first seizure in Dallas. Doctors informed her that her kidneys were failing. She had been an insulin dependent diabetic for a number of years and was being treated for hypertension. Before long she would need kidney dialysis. Furthermore, Danniebelle had a mammogram which resulted in a mastectomy.


There were other operations, an appendectomy, and the insertion of a pace maker. Danniebelle's left leg was amputated due to gangrene sore which appeared on her left heal. There were multiple hospitalizations due to gastroporesis and diabetic neuropathy of her right hand and leg.


When Danniebelle couldn't take care of herself, everyone in her family worked hard to care for her and meet her needs. Danniebelle recounts that she didn't have just one doctor but numerous doctors: Nephrologist (kidney), Vascular Surgeon (circulation), Oncologist (breast cancer), Opthalmologist (eyes), and Gastroenterologist (stomach).


Eventually her left leg was amputated below the knee. Danniebelle experienced a host of other health related issues but her faith in her beloved Jesus increased each day. 


In 1996, doctors said that Danniebelle had six to nine months to live. But God wasn't ready to bring her home. Through her suffering, Danniebelle could minister to others who experienced health problems and introducing those who did not know her savior to the gracious kindness of Jesus Christ.


She began a website Danniebelle.com as a meeting place where friends and fans could encouraging words of faith from Danniebelle. She would post updates which detailed her personal battle with diabetes and share with her fans an enormous sense of determination and faith in her God. Friends, and fans would post messages of encouragement to Danniebelle while holding her up in prayer.


Danniebelle's letter are very inspirational for her faith in her Lord Jesus remained strong till the end of her sojourn on earth "and the beginning of her everlasting life."

Danniebelle declared: "God has delivered me so far from those days." 

She was residing in an assisted living facility and became the resident chaplin. Danniebelle was the youngest resident at the facility and conducted weekly Bible studies. She would hold memorial services and visit other residents giving encouraging words to the people who came into her life whom she treasured.


Danniebelle declared: 

"Basically, my mission is to help prepare the residents for their next big move."

Danniebelle regained a measure of health and was able to do many daily tasks in which she once needed assistance. A motorized wheelchair enabled her a new level of independence.


Danniebelle expressed her appreciation to South Bay Community Church which was her church and to her pastor Dr. Stanley Long. She expressed her thanks to those friends who visited Danniebelle.com

"Thanks to God for your prayers and his grace and mercy. I know that I am going to make it....Aint No Devil in Hell Gonna Walk on the JESUS in me!!!!"

Her brother, and husband Charles preceded her in death. Danniebelle left two daughters and a son, three sisters, three brothers, two sons-in-law, and eight grandchildren who cherish her memory. They delight in continuing Danniebelle's legacy by making her recordings available to old and new friends who become acquainted with Danniebelle and her music.

"We all had the privilege to take a seat and listen; we would then be ushered into His Spirit bny this great woman of God."

Danniebelle Hall "entered the gates of heaven complete with both legs, whole and anew" on December 28, 2000. When Danniebelle passed on peacefully; she left the world a wonderful legacy. Although her presence on earth is missed; her legacy and music lives on in all of us who treasure this beloved woman of God.




Here are Danniebelle's solo albums 


Danniebelle (Light, 1974)
He Is King (Light, 1974)
This Moment (Light, 1975)
Let Me Have a Dream (Sparrow, 1976)
Danniebelle Live in Sweden (Sparrow, 1977)
Unmistakably Danniebelle (Onyx, 1978)
Song of the Angels (Onyx, 1983)
Designers Original (CGI, 1994)
The Best Gets Better (CGI, 1995)
Remembering the Times (EMI, 2001)

Let Me Have a Dream - Danniebelle Hall

LIFE BEGINS WITH JESUS
Words & Music by Danniebelle Hall


Life really begins when you give your heart to your Creator
And He puts His love deeps within your soul
He gives you the power to see your friends and enemies as people who need His love
And to see yourself as a vessel through which His love can flow
Oh, you’re a vessel through which His love can flow
Life really begins the very moment you accept Him
He gives you the courage to face reality
He gives you the power to change the things you know you've got to change
And He gives you the grace to accept the things that have to be
Oh, you'll accept the things that have to be
Life full of meaning
Life abundant and free (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Life that opens up the door to all eternity
Yeah, life really begins with Jesus
Oh, life full of meaning
Life abundant and free (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Life that opens up the door to all eternity
Yeah, life really begins with Jesus





IN HIS PRESENCE (Psalm 16:11)
Danniebelle Hall


As I kneel before Your throne, dear Father
I come boldly in the name of Your Son
Giving You the praise and the glory
For all the mighty things that You have done
Oh, how I welcome every moment
Oh, how I treasure every hour
That we spend together in Your presence (oooo, yes)
As I learn of Your sweet love and holy power
No great gift have I to offer
Because everything I have You gave to me
The praises of my mouth and the worship from my heart
That's the best I have, my best I give to Thee
Oh, how I welcome every moment
Oh, how I treasure every hour
That we spend together in Your presence (oooo, yes)
As I learn of Your sweet love and holy power
How love to be in Your presence, dear Lord (oooo)


You are most cordially invited to visit Danniebelle's website:


Danniebelle.com

The U S Racial Crisis and World Evangelism - Tom Skinner

Tom Skinner was among the very special men with whom I became acquainted several years ago. I first heard Tom preach at the Jesus '75 Festival held in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Tom is the author Black and Free, Words of Revolution, If Christ is the Answer, What are the Questions?, The Will of God, Now, I'm Free, and Words of Revolution: A Call to Involvement in the Real Revolution.

Tom Skinner was among the most powerful speakers during the 70s and 80s. He presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a unique powerful way that transforms the lives of men and women. He presented a unique message of hope, renewal, reconciliation, and personal motivation. The message of Tom Skinner taught was to transform western culture into a just, compassionate, moral society which could only happen as each man and woman were transformed by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

The U.S. Crisis and World Evangelism

A Christian Manifesto - Dr. Francis Schaeffer

Selections from Dr. Schaeffer's book A Christian Manifesto

"Most fundamentally, our culture, society, government, and law are in the condition they are in, not because of a conspiracy, but because the church has forsaken its duty to be the salt of the culture." 

"The humanistic, material-energy world view intolerantly uses every form of force at its disposal to make its worldview the exclusive one taught in the schools." 

"God has ordained the state as a delegated authority; it is not autonomous. The state is to be an agent of justice, to restrain evil by punishing  the wrongdoer, and to protect the good in society. When it does the reverse, it has no proper authority."

"It is time we consciously realize that when any office commands what is contrary to God's Law it abrogates its authority. And our loyalty to the God who gave this law then requires that we make the appropriate response in that situation to such a tyrannical usurping of power."

Mary Mason Lyon - Educator Extraordinaire

One might ask "Who was Mary Lyon?" She was an extremely important Christian woman in the history of American education and women's affairs.


Her life and achievements are inspiring and continue to influence women throughout the world. Mary Lyon  overcame obstacles which would discourage other people who were not as determined to accomplish her objectives and purposes.


Historians have called Mary Lyon's accomplishments as "an astonishing feat." She was among the most important women who changed the course of higher education for women in the United States. She became a pioneer in the struggle to establish institutions of higher learning for women which were equal to the best colleges which were available to men.


This school teacher from Massachusetts wasn't merely an American pioneer in the field of education. She was a remarkable woman who founded a model of higher education for women worldwide. She lived in an era when people held contempt and scorn at the idea of women attending colleges to become doctors and lawyers.


Mary Lyon was a woman of foresight, courage, and daring who did not resign herself to the discouragement of people who did not hold her high ideals concerning the abilities of women. She became the founder of the first women's college in America which is known today as Mount Holyoke College.


Mary Mason Lyon (28 February 1797 - 5 March 1849) was born in Buckland, Massachusetts in the remote western region of the historic state. She was the sixth of eight children; the fourth daughter of Aaron and Jemima Shephard Lyon. This charming little girl would grow up to become a most influential Christian educator. Her family who owned a farm in Buckland, Massachusetts.


Mary's parents were strong devout Christians who traced their lineage to the earliest days of the Massachusetts coloney. Her parents struggled to provide for their family which became more difficult after Mary's father died when she was five years old. Consequently, she grew up learning skills necessary for a girl of her era: spinning, weaving, sewing, and helping with the necessary chores on the family farm. Mary walked several miles to the nearest school when she was a little girl of four years old. Eventually, she would stay for periods of three months at a time with relatives and friends in order to attend school. She would pay her host for the priviledge of staying in a home by performing duties such as cooking and cleaning. She continued to attend school until she was thirteen years old which was common in her era.


Hard work became a way of life for Mary; she continued to work hard at whatever she sought to accomplish throughout her childhood into her adult life.


Her mother remarried when Mary was thirteen and moved from the family farm into town with her husband. Mary chose to stay behind at the family farm in Buckland and kept house for her older brother Aaron. He accepted the responsibility to keep the family farm and gave her a dollar a week for her help on the farm. Mary frugally saved the money she earned to further her education.


She treasured with great pleasure memories of her years as a child at the family farm in Buckland.  Mary described what she could see from her home in Western Massachuestts:

"The far-off mountains in all their grandeur, and the deep valleys, and widely extended plains, and more than all, that little village below, containing only a very few white houses, but more than those young eyes had ever seen."

She had a strong desire to learn and a love of education. Mary continued to work and save the small amount of money she earned in order to attend school for a few months at a time.


She attended schools in various districts intermittently. In 1814, she was offered her first teaching position at a summer school in Shelburne Falls a small town near Buckland. She was seventeen years old when she began teaching in a one-room local school although she had no formal training. Mary was paid seventy-five cents a week and received meals and a place in which to live. 


Mary wasn't very successful as a teacher at first for she had difficulty controlling her students. She was always ready to heartily laugh with her students being only a few years older then her pupils. Her reputation among the people of Shelburne Falls as an excellent student was accepted by them as her qualifications. The parents of her students saw her skill and ability.


Large numbers of men were moving west in seach of better economic opportunities which became available. Hence, female teachers were in great demand.


Mary chose to commit herself to extending the educational opportunities of girls from families of modest income and the poor. As a teenager Mary had a profound thirst and hunger to learn and knew that other girls had the same desire to learn as well. The modest beginnings from which she began became the impetus to foster a commitment to provide educational opportunities to girls who had similar economic backgrounds as her own. While teaching as a teenager, Mary earned some money to continue her own studies at various academies and schools.


Beginning to teach at the age of seventeen; she eventually taught in several schools which include Adams Female Seminary at Londonderry, New Hampshire and Zilpah Polly Grant's school in Ipswich.


Mary began a long intensive period of study and teaching when she twenty years of age. At the age of twenty, she was earning 75 cents a week plus board. The burden of working and studying often left her with only four hours of sleep each day.


Sanderson Academy was a new private secondarly school which opened for women in Ashfield, Massachusetts. She created and sold coverings for books frugally saving the money she earned as a teacher to attend Sanderson Academy.


It was at Sanderson where she began to study more difficult subjects which included: science, history, and Latin. A friend who attended Sanderson with her wrote that Mary was "gaining knowledge by handfuls." 


It has been reported that Mary actually memorized a complete book the Latin language in three days. It was while she studied at Sanderson; she received the basics of her education. Sanderson was among several academies in which Mary eventually taught. 


Mary felt that her handwriting needed much improvement in order to be read clearly. At twenty-one, she chose to attend a local public school where she would sit among children in order to improve her writing skills.


Despite her financial burden and busy teaching scedule; she was determined to further her education. She chose to spend time in the classroom and attend lectures alternately with teaching and running her school. There were times when she would travel by carriage three days in order to enroll at a school. Members of her family advised against her choice to cash in a small inheritance which she received from her father in order to pay for her education. She was frugal, resourceful, and thrifty, saving portions of her small salary to pay for her education. Mary traded coverlets and blankets which she had woven to pay for room and board.


Adams Female Academy and the Ipswich Female Seminary were run by Zilpah Grant. Mary developed her vision for Mount Holyoke Female Seminary which resembled Zilphah Grant's schools in many respects. She hoped her school would draw students from a much wider socio-economic spectrum which included girls of modest means. Her college would be founded by people of modest means to serve their daughters rather than the wealthy families.


The Reverend Joseph Emerson was the brother of Ralph Waldo Emerson and wrote "Discourse on Female Education" (1822). He advocated the position in which women should be trained to be teachers rather than 'to please the opposite sex.' Reverend Emerson was the headmaster at Byfield Seminary in eastern Massachuestts. It was while Mary attended Byfield that she became acquainted with Reverend Emerson and his assistant was Zilpah Polly Grant. 


Mary Lyon was raised as a Baptist but under the influence of Reverend Joseph Emerson; she eventually became a Congregationalist.


Mary spoke highly of Reverend Emerson. She admired him because he "talked to ladies as if they had brains." Furthermore, she praised him because he treated men and women equally concerning education. Emerson became a key influence in Mary's life by encouraging her creativity. He was the one who encouraged her to start teaching women by opening a school of her own. In the era in which Mary Lyon grew to maturity; it was unusual to see a woman outside the home working in respectable positions except in positions where women taught school.


Byfield was infused with a commitment to Christianity and Mary absorbed the ethos of rigorous academic education at the school.


After three years, she opened a school for young women in the village of Buckland which Mary named the Buckland Female Seminary. She held classes in a room which was on the third floor of a house. Students praised her ability to teach for she proposed new methods of teaching which included discussion groups in which students could exchange ideas. Mary Lyon's reputation as a gifted teacher spread beyond her school in Buckland. Throughout the next twenty years, she taught in schools in western and eastern Massachuestts as well as in southern New Hampshire. Her experience in teaching and managing schools before opening her own school provided invaluable lessons.


Mary Lyon was becoming a leading authority on education for women. While at Buckland, she developed an educational philosophy and gained invaluable experience in managing a school. She expanded opportunites for young women who were preparing to become teachers in an era when few professions were open to women.


It was while she taught young women at Buckland that she conceived of the idea of establishing a private school that would be open to the daughters of farmers and skilled workers.


In the early 19th Century, it was very difficult for an intelligent woman of modest means to achieve an education. Private academies, which were often called seminaries, sprang up throughout New England. Unfortunately, women of modest means could not afford the tuition and fees to attend those institutions. Furthermore, fortunate women who were able to further their education were taught a curriculum in private schools which included skills such as drawing, needlework, sewing, French, and music.


Consequently, those academies were far less challenging than the schools and colleges in which male students were enrolled. Those schools offered classes in the sciences, geomerty, and Latin. Mary sought to teach and educate young women but not operate a school primarily for profit. Schools of higher learning in her era were usually supported by people interested in the profitability of their investments. Consequently, private schools were established for the wealthy and neglected opportunities of higher learning for girls who were not from well-to-do families.


The advancement of women's education was important to Mary Lyon. She worked diligently to create a school which would provide women with the opportunity to obtain a higher education of quality caliber.


She formulated a plan to open a school in which common folks could afford to send their daughters. She thought that students could actually do some of the domestic work at the school which would cut operating costs thereby reducing tuition. In the early 1900s, an abundance of educational opportunities for women did not exist.  Mary dared to contemplate the novel idea that women should be included in an educated citizenry able to attain lofty dreams. She believed that women would measure up to the challenges of the century. American citizens reaching their greatest potential should include women too.


Throughout the 19th Century, education for women was not considered as an important priority in the United States. People supporing advancement in education for women faced several problems which seemed insurmountable. Although states did require that each town provide for the schooling of their children; teachers were often ill prepared to meet the challenge. Hence, the marjority of young women were not able to continue their education in private schools.


Mary Lyon became one of the most famous women during the 19th Century through her passionate desire to educate young women. It was her firm opinion that women were educators both in the classroom and in the home. Mary Lyon believed that the advancement of education for young women served the kingdom of God. Hence, women who were well educated would become better teachers in the schools and in the home throughout the United States and several nations across the globe.


Mary contracted typhoid fever in 1828 and upon regaining her health she chose to leave Buckland to join Zilpha Grant who began Ipswich Female Seminary.


Mary was responsible for teaching one hundred and thirty students while at Ipswich. Mary became the assistant principal while at Ipswich Seminary.


Although Ipswich was among the best schools in the country it lacked the necessary financial support to continue. It is likely and believed that the reason the school lacked financial support was because "good men's fear of greatness in women."


Zilpah Grant and Mary Lyon urged that Ipswich be provided with buildings which were necessary for the school to become a permanent institution; their appeals ultimately failed. 


Tragically, Mary resigned from Ipswich Female Seminary in 1834 to focus her time and efforts on acquiring the funds to establish her own institution of higher learning for women. For three years, she tirelessly crusaded for the funds to create her school.


By 1834, Mary Lyon had been teaching for nearly sixteen years when she chose to leave the classroom to raise funds to build an academy for her young women. It wasn't an easy task to raise funds to create an academy for girls in the era in which she lived.


Mary helped establish Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton, Massachuestts which opened in 1835 and is now known as Wheaton College.


The Panic of 1837, a terrible economic depression,  left several Americans jobless, homeless, and helpless. The nation was in severe economic depression which made it difficult to raise the necessary finances to open a school. Mary persisted in achieving her goal by writing circulars and ads in which she announced her plans for a school for women of modest means. She began to raise money to bring to reality her dream of a permanemt non-profits school of higher education for women.


Eventually, she succeeded in raising the necessary funds to open her school with the help of prominent men to back her venture. She courageously endured  ridicule from those people who believed that her ambitious undertaking was 'wasted' on women. Her constant travels in the effort to gain support for her venture left her in a state of exhaustion. She never doubted her belief that young women deserved the same opportunities for a higher education as men. Within two years, she was able to raise $15,000 to build Mount Holyoke School and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary which is now named Mount Holyoke College.


She opened her new school to educate young women as the country entered a severe economic depression. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary wasn't filled to capacity when it opened but Mary Lyon wasn't discouraged. She was determined to offer women the kind of education which was available only - until then - in men's colleges. Despite the financial crisis which gripped the nation, Mary was able to raise enough funds to open her school. She received financial assistance from Christians who were interested in her goals and purposes which honored God. 


She developed a curriculum after visiting schools where she spoke to educators as far away as Detroit, Michigan. She chose the location for her school as well as supervising the design and construction of the building. Mary bought the necesary equipment, hired teachers, and selected the first students for her new school.


She decided that her school should own its own property and be guided by an independent group of directors. Therefore, the necessary finances would be the responsibility of the directors and not investors seeking lucrative financial profits. Furthermore, her school would not be dependant upon any one person in order to continue educating women in the future.


Mary Lyon didn't forget that as a young girl of poor means; she had a strong desire to learn. Therefore, she sought to give young women of moderate means the opportunities which she desired for herself as a young girl. She conceived the idea of having students share in cleaning and cooking as she had done in her youth. Hence, costs could be kept to a minimum thereby reducing tuition.


Mary achieved her goal of establishing a committee of advisors who helped in planning and building the school. She collected the first thousand dollars for the school from the women of Ipswich and the surrounding area. She even chose to lend the committee her own savings which she carefully accumulated through years of work. Mary chose not to receive any money as pay until the establishment of her school in which she would become the headmistress.


Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women opened in 1837 in the small town of South Hadley, Massachusetts. The school for which she diligently worked to established was about ten miles south of Amherst, Massachuestts. It was the first school of higher learning for women in Massachusetts.


Mary raised more than $12,000 which was enough to build a five story building. The first 80 students enrolled in the Seminary arrived in the fall of 1837. Mary's dream of her school was being fulfilled. There were four teachers and a class of eighty young women who lived and studied in the new building. In the year that followed, there would be one hundred and sixteen students enrolled in her school. She insisted that the school not be named after her. Hence, the school was named after a nearby mountain peak.


Several of the young women who were enrolled in the Seminary traveled two or three days by carriage and stagecoach as Mary had done in her youth. Each of the young women passed a difficult oral examination in English, grammar, math, U.S. history, and geography. The young women enrolled in her Seminary were instructed to bring a Bible, an atlas, a dictionary, and two spoons.


The motto of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was: 

"That our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace." Psalm 144:12

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was the first college in the United States designed specially for women. Mary Lyon's school of higher education for women was consecrated to her Lord Jesus Christ as was her personal life. Her academy was highly regarded; it was unique school having a reputation of strong values, noble purpose, and frugal operation and administration. Numerous other schools would eventually be established and modeled on Mount Holyoke.


Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, founded in 1837 nearly a century before women gained the right to vote.


Mary Lyon made the following declaration which may be spoken of as the school's motto:

"Go where no one else will go, do what no one else will do."

Those words have inspired young and older women as they continue to inspire the students of Mount Holyoke today.


When Mary Lyon opened the doors of Mount Holyoke in 1837; a new era of women's education opened in the United States.


Mary strove to maintian high academic standards and set rigious entrance exams admitting no students under the age of sixteen. The tuition was limited to $60 a year which kept true to her socio-economic vision of providing an excellent education for women of moderate means. Tuition at her school was approximately a third of the tuition Zilpah Polly Grant charged at the Ipswich Female Seminary.


Mary believed in the importance of daily exercise and required each student to "walk one mile (1.6km) after breakfast."


The requirement was reduced to 45 minutes during New England's cold snowy winters. Teachers taught calisthenics - a form of exercise - to students in unheated hallways until a storage area was eventually transformed into a gymnasium.


According to her plan, Mary required each student to perform domestic tasks which enabled her to reduce costs in the school and making tuition more affordable. Hence, she created an early version of work/study. Dedicated teachers, including herself, were paid relatively poorly. Although her policies were considered somewhat controversial, the seminary attracted a target student body of 200 students.


Mary anticipated a change in the role of women in the future generations. She chose to equip her students with an education that was rigorous, innovative, and comprehensive. Her curriculum included a particular emphasis on science.


There were seven courses in the sciences and mathematics at Holyoke in order for a student to graduate. Furthermore, there were rigorous studies in history and theology.


This educational requirement was unthinkable in other seminaries that were established for women. Mary was an educator which was ahead of her time. Furthermore, she introduced students to "a new and unsusual" way in which to learn science. Mary introduced laboratory experimentation in which students would participate in the venture. She organized field trips on which students collected plants, rocks, and various specimens for laboratory experiments. The students would inspect geological formations and dinosaur tracks which had been uncovered.  Mary invited distinguished scientists and men of learning to lecture and inspire the young women to pursue careers in sciences as college teachers and researchers.


Mary personally taught chemistry. Her personal interest in the sciences and her high expectations for women sparked a tradition of leadership in the field of science education which continues at Mount Holyoke College today.


As more students were enrolled at Mount Holyoke, it began to grow and it became necessary to increase the size of the building. 


Mary Lyon was the principal for the first twelve of the seminary's fledgling years. She established a model of excellence and a life lived for her Lord and Savior.


Mary Lyon was a woman with a radiant personality shining with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. She spoke with captivating conviction to students, faculty, parents, and members of the community. Mary led chapel lectures from the wisdom of Proverbs and delivered other messages which were appreciated by her students. Mary was known to give timeless spiritual advice which provided them with practical applications to utilize throughout life.


She was preparing young women to take part in the development of the fledgling nation which she loved. She hoped the knowledge and wisdom which her students received at Holyoke would be carried with Christian Good News throughout the world. 


Mary was devoted to serving her Lord Jesus Christ through whom she would serve her students and women with whom she became acquainted in her life. She sincerely desired to have her pupils become active consecrated Christians dedicated to God and seeking His will and purpose in whatever tasks in which He would lead. She sought to cultivate a missionary spirit in students and faculty.


Revivals of authentic Christianity broke out at Mount Holyoke in which Mary preached to her students and wherever she was invited. Although she was not an ordained minister, Mary became a member of the fellowship of New England's New Divinity clergy. Consequently, she played an important role in the revival of teaching, thoughts, and preaching of Jonathan Edwards. During her era, the works of Jonathan Edwards were read more frequently than during his lifetime. She was attracted to his ideas of self-restraint, self-denial, and disintrested benevolence. Edwards was among the most learned brilliant men in colonial America who was fascinated with various subjects. He had a well rounded interest in the sciences as well as Christian theology.


Mary was a woman who put great emphasis upon the development of the spiritual life of each of her students. Mary and the instructors of her seminary would pray with devotion for the conversion of each of her students. Those periods of revival at the seminary were definite answers to their devout prayers.


Twice each day, students were given half hour periods for private prayer and meditation. Teachers would visit each of the students to converse and pray for the young women. Special prayer meetings and days of fasting were held from time to time as well as regular prayer meetings.


The conversion of the world for Jesus Christ was the object of prayer which was observed on the first Monday of each January. Revival of college and religious institutions was the object of prayer on the last Thursday of February. Each Saturday, a half hour was set aside to study the activities of various missionary agencies. Consequently, the leaders of various missionary societies were invited to speak to the students and faculty of Mount Holyoke.


Hence, Mount Holyoke was to play an important part of the blossoming of missionary spirit throughout America. Graduates of her seminary became foreign missionaries in several countries. Not few of the graduates of Mount Holyoke became missionaries to the American West. Some of her graduates went west to establish academies for female education on the frontier. The institutions which graduates established gained a well deserved reputation for high academic standards. 


Mary Lyon's Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in Hadley, Massachusetts became source of cornerstones which Mary polished for God's service.


A student named Eliza Hubel attended the school from 1840 until 1844. Ms. Hubel took the following notes from Mary's lessons:

"Religion is fitted to make us better in every situation in life. Our common duties will be more perfectly discharged if we are under the control of the Holy Spirit's influence."

"She inculcated the duty of committing Scripture to memory and of having a plan for self-teaching in regard to it."

"Character is made up of little things, and it is greatly important that we know ourselves in little things. Avoid trifling, volatility, anything which will lessen self-respect if you would retain the respect of others. See how the Bible regards small things: Eve, Achan, etc."

"She did not wish us to be like soap stone which crumbles as it is rubbed, but like gold which shines brighter, the more it is used."

Through Ms. Lyons' tireless efforts and influence, the seminary became a training school for Christian workers and missionaries. The college continued for several years in the spirit and purpose of Ms. Lyon. She fused intellectual challenge and Christian moral purpose valuing socioeconomic diversity. 


Mary Mason Lyon was principal of Mount Holyoke for twelve years until her death in 1849. Mary Lyon, Christian educational pioneer, died at the age of 52 on March 5, 1849 at South Hadley, Massachuestts. Mary died of erysipelas which was possibily contracted from an ill student which was in her care.


Her work continues to be carried on by the dedicated faculty and students of the beloved school which she established. There are now more than 2,000 students enrolled at Mount Holyoke. Mary Lyon's reputation and that of her school grew as the alumni of Mount Holyoke went out into the world taking with them the ideals, educational philosphy, and teaching methods they learned at Mary's school. She graciously left behind a legacy in the area of higher education for women and a school which gave women of modest means the opportunities which she desired as a young girl. Upon her death, Holyoke had no debts and had financial support for the future provided by thousands of dollars which were received as gifts.


Eventually, the three year curiculum was expanded to four years in 1861. In 1893, the seminary curriculum was phased out; the name of the institution reflected the change by becomeing Mount Holyoke College. In 1893, Mount Holyoke became a college under state law. Mount Holyoke College became the first college to offer women the same kind of education and opportunities which were offered to men.


People who have studied the life of Mary Lyon affirm that she wasn't fighting a battle of equality between men and women but desired more educational opportunities for young women. It was through the labor and effort of Mary Lyon that led to the spread of higher education for women in the United States. She became the strongest influence upon the education of American young people during the middle of the nineteenth century. Not few of her students went on to teach other young women thereby spreading her lasting influence throughout the nation.


Mary Lyon proved that women were as intellectually capable as men. Furthermore, she showed that an institution of higher learning offering a curriculum for women could survive financially. Gradutates from Mary's school carried her ideas and methods of teaching to Alber Lea, Minnesota; Marion, Alabama; Bitlis, Turkey; Honolulu, Hawaii; Umzumbe, South Africa; Kobe, Japan; Clinton, New Jersey, and the Cherokee nation.


The success of Mount Holyoke opened the doors of higher education for women across the country. Western College for Women, Vassar College, and Wellesley College were patterened after Mount Holyoke.


One of her graduates founded the first public school in Oklahoma in which classes were held in a tent. The quality of elementary and high school education experienced vast improvements across the nation through the work of Mount Holyoke's dedicated alumnae teachers. Consequently, the presence of well-educated teachers in the Americn classroom offers exemplary role models for bright aspiring girls and young women.


Mount Holyoke became the first of Seven Sisters. Mary Lyon's academy for women is equal to the Ivy league colleges which were once predominantly male institutions of higher learning. Mary's Seminary led the way in higher education for women becoming a model on which other colleges for women were established. Mount Holyoke is an educational institution well known for academic excellence and is synonomous for brilliant teaching. Furthermore, Mary's Seminary provided the leadership for several women's colleges which would eventually follow.


Henry Durant, a trustee of Mount Holyoke, founded Wellesley College. Ada Howard became Wellseley College's first president. She was an alumna of Mount Holyoke class of 1853. John Greene, a trustee of Mount Holyoke, was instrumental in founding Smith College. Susam Tolman Mills was a graduate of Mount Holyoke, class of 1845, who founded Mills College in California with her husband. Mary Lyon's seminary school became the model on which Western College for Women in Ohio was established. In fact, Western College is known as the "Mount Holyoke of the West." Western College was opened in 1855 by Helen Peabody and Daniel Tenny became the first president of the college. Tenny gave invaluable assistance to Helen Peabody without which she could not have opened the college. Tenny was married to a Holyoke graduate and eventually came to Miami University in 1851. The level of education at Miami excited and impressed Tenny. Fortunately, he desired to establish a seminary for women that was similiar to Miami which focused on solid academics. Daniel Tenny was a gentleman with foresight who believed in higher education for women. He found land that was appropriate for an institution and exerted the necessary energy to create a seminary. He incorporated a governing board of "The Western Female Seminary" by 1853.


"The Virgin Daughter of Holyoke" was the title by which Western Female Seminary became known. Western Female Seminary was consecrated to the ideals and practices inherited from Mary Lyon.


As a pastor, Daniel Tenny became the president of trustees. In 1855, the Seminary welcomed 150 students upon opening day.  Several of the teachers of Western Female Seminary were graduates and former members of the staff of Holyoke.


The Mary Lymon dormitories at Swarthmore College, University of Massachuestts Amherst, and Plymouth State University are named in honor of Mary.


In 1837, Mary Lyon, the teaching staff, and students of Mount Holyoke gathered together in the Seminary building. They could not envision that their beloved Seminary would continue for over one hundred and seventy years. Mount Holyoke would have 2,200 women enrolled from the continental United States and almost seventy countries. Mary's school would eventually grow till it encompassed 800 acres while offering 48 different majors to young women. There are now more young women enrolled in colleges than young men and her beloved Seminary is on the front lines of higher education for women.


Scores of missionary wives received their education at Mount Holyoke. Not a few single females received their education at Holyoke also. Mary sought to teach the whole woman, liberal arts, domestic work, and ministry. She aimed to "teach nothing that cannot be made to help in the great work of converting the world to Christ."


Her school nestled 80 miles from Andover was well situated for partnership with Andover in its role involving foreign missions. Through the courage of Mary Lyon, young women enjoyed greater freedom to serve in missions on their own. The young female missionaries could minister more freely with internationals abroad than at home in America. Mary Lyon's school proved indespensible to the labors of missionaries throughout the world.


Mary Lyon would not be surprised that graduates of her Seminary have risen to every challenge becoming leaders in their professions throughout the communities of America and the world.


Mary Lyon's courgeous example has made a profound difference for women throughout the United States and the world. She was honored by the United States Postal Service when her likeness was engraved and printed on a 2 cent Great Americans series U.S. postage stamp. Mount Holyoke was honored when four alumnae and Mary Lyon's image were placed on United States postage. In 1905, Mary Lyon was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx, New York City, New York.


"That our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace." Psalm 144:12


"teach nothing that cannot be made to help in the great work of converting the world to Christ."


"Go where no one else will go, do what no one else will do."