Illinois State Normal University - Index Yearbook (Normal, IL)

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G Miinasiuiii Illinois Go enior J. P. Altgeld ' s influence was the prime factor for erecting a castle-like UNiiinasium instead of the conventional rectangular building. Similar constructions were iVuilt on the other state college campuses. The name ■ ' G nmasimu aho e the main entrance has since been altered to John W. Cook Hall.

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changes his opinions; a fool does not. ' ' Peasant costumes were appropriate attire for the Maypole dance in 1897. The pageant « ' as part of the vearK- Physical Training exliibit. inaugurated for observation purposes. Lecture series and discussion periods were highlights of the agenda. A direct outgrowth of the institute service was the estab- lishment of formal university extension courses in Amer- ica, evolving around state centers of education. Through contact with other colleges. President Cook formed a well-rounded extra-curricular program. Dancing, gym- nastics, and inter-collegiate athletics dominated the social scene. Such organizations as the Oratorical Association, the Athletic Association, and the Student Lecture Associ- ation flourished. It was die task of Normal ' s educators to effect the acceptance of the new Herbartian doctrine in America. With encouragement from President Cook, twenty-one Normal students studied Herbartianism at the University of Jena, Germany. The infant philosophy emphasized the assumption that all subjects are related and that knowledge of one strengthens knowledge of all the others. Acceptance of the newly established DeKalb Normal School presidency terminated the work of John Cook on the State Normal campus. A fitting memoriam ' as ac- corded the revered educator by the placement of a portrait plaque in the lobby of Cook Hall, as the old gymnasium was later renamed. The academic year ' s acti ities were bound together for the first time in the 1892 Index. Senior class mem- bers, equipped witli meager photographic equipment, produced the first small-sized annual. The format of each early edition changed with the whim of its editor. The book contained club articles, posed pic- tures, and advertisements. The Index 21

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Queen of Fame Barred from the men ' s Ciceronian Societ -, a groui of women formed the Sapplionian organization in the fall of 1887. One of the Societ ' ' s productions, Queen of Fame, featured the crowning of Julia Foster as Sappho. The cultured arts group functioned until the early 1900s ' . Social Hall Architects ' plans for a Social Hall in 1893 favored a Swiss chalet t -pe of structure. Build- ing costs were estimated at $15,000. Because of tlie depression of 189.5, the building was not completed. The Student Union became a reality in September, 1956. 23