Then and Now

When years have rolled o’er thee
And summers are fled
And this comes before thee
Like one from the dead –
When these scenes and these days
Shall be past and afar
Let them live in the blaze
Of bright memories star!

Let fate do her worst these are moments of joy,
Bright dreams of the past which she cannot destroy!

— Naomi Hayes


Far from home,
separated from family,
a young girl
is away at school.

In a journal are written
words and thoughts
by schoolmates and friends –
the year 1855.

Words of love and friendship,
of misdeeds and accomplishments,
of hopes and dreams,
of everyday life so dear.

As I read the words
written by those
so long ago,
I wonder . . .

Perhaps the hopes and dreams
are not so different
for a young girl
of then and now.

— Dan Hardison

Image: The poem by 17-year-old Naomi Hayes was written in a school journal kept by Rebecca Pettit in 1854/55 when they were students at the Columbia Female Institute – an Episcopal finishing school for girls that was located in Columbia, Tennessee.

Also available:
Read or print PDF