traditions

Throughout the years, there have been many traditions at Wellesley; some have changed little, and some are no longer practiced. The May Day fete and Ice Carnival are gone, but hoop rolling and "traying" remain.

One of the College's early traditions -- one that sadly ended when College Hall burned to the ground in 1914 -- was passing through Harriet. Florence Converse 1893 explains that the statue of Harriet Martineau in College Hall Centre was "Of heroic size, a noble representation of womanly force and tranquility. ... No freshman was considered fully matriculated until she had been dragged through the rungs of Miss Martineau's great marble chair."

excerpt from The Story of Wellesley, 1915
illustration from the 1913 Legenda

Copyright © 2005 Jennifer K. Mathews. This site is not affiliated with Wellesley College.