Some liberal donations were promised for the purpose: but as 

 it did not prove an easy matter to find for any moderate price 

 such a place as was desired, sufficiently near the city to facili- 

 tate the carrying out the rest of the project, it was thought 

 better to commence on a smaller scale on some place which 

 might be rented at once, postponing the purchase of a farm till 

 experience should have shown just what was needed. 



After many inquiries and visits of investigation, the Direct- 

 ors decided, on May 7th, to hire a place at Newton Centre con)- 

 prising about two acres of land under cultivation, a large, 

 convenient house and out-buildings in good repair, the whole 

 being charmingly situated on the borders of Baptist Pond, in 

 Newton Centre, and very near to the railroad station. 



The terms proposed being accepted, the house was put in 

 order at once, and the school was advertised to begin on Mon- 

 day, May 23d. It opened accordingly on that day. The 

 Horticultural department was put in charge of Mr. Charles 

 Barnard, and Miss Anne T. Pollard was appointed matron. 

 Many letters were received from different quarters, after the 

 school was advertised and ready to receive pupils, making 

 inquiries as to the terms of admission and the plan to be per- 

 sued, and there seemed no want of interest in the public mind 

 and no lack of women eager to enter the Institution. But 

 unfortunately the majority of these applicants were evidently 

 unable to meet the necessary expense, though the price of 

 board was made as low as possible and the fee for tuition was 

 but $100 a year. 



Beginning so late in the season, and with so small a working 

 force, the number of pupils not exceeding five during the sum- 

 mer, the school labored necessarily under great disadvantages 

 at the commencement. 



The grounds, too, which had been for some time neglected, 

 required much labor to bring them into even moderately good 

 condition, while the exceptional weather of the summer, the 

 intense and prolonged heat, and severe drought, combined to 

 render the task undertaken more difficult and the results less 



