Westfield State University - Tekoa Yearbook (Westfield, MA)

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1909 WESTFIELD NORJIAL. 1.0 had made it a custom to honor one member of the faculty in this way. IVe decided to do the same, but when we came to choose. we wished to make every member of the faculty a member of our class and could not be satisfied with only one. Finally we decided upon two, Mr. Monte, who was a new teacher, and Mr. Allyn. Although we had to study very hard to keep our work up. our teachers realized Cthough not any more than we didl that all work and no play was not good for us from a physiological standpoint. Shortly after school opened a house party was held at Dickinson Hall. which proved to be a very enjoyable gather- ing. Dickinson llall was the scene of a number of other good times also, though perhaps some of them are better not spoken of here, since I have heard that many were not strictly in accord- ance with the 'tliules and Regulations of the house. The pike has been noted for a certain surreptitious gathering which was 'fdiscovered there at half-past eleven one night. I cannot- say exactly how it happened. but certain it is that on that same night, one poor junior from the upper story. who had a senior roommate. was almost forced out of her room bv the presence there of a number of her roommate's friends. l'nfort- unately, she wandered down to the pike in search of some of her colleagues, only to find them companions in misery. Not long after the house party a masquerade was held at Dickinson Hall. The same evening a smaller gathering occurred in the school hall. Doubtless of the two, the former was the more enjoyable. but I am certain, from what information I have ac- quired upon this suhject. that the latter was not lacking in amuse- ment. Ask Mr. XVinslow about it if you are in doubt. Almost before we knew it the first term was over and we re- turned home for a short recess at Thanksgiving. The winter term proved to be much easier than the fall term had been and. as a

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18 WESTFIELD NORJIAL. 1.909 tation with him with little hope of ever getting Hsignedf' Vie were to him the young juniors. Sometimes our voices failed us: at other times reason was so impaired by fright that Mr. Monroe failed to Hget the point in our recitations and we were obliged to call upon our colleagues for help. Such instances brought forth ejaculations fro111 our psychology professor, which it would be hard to imitate. In the study of the history of edu- cation it would have been well if we had had a previous course in phonetic shorthand. The day our notebooks were first in- spected was a red letter day in the history of '09. The worst part of the work in these classes was the fact that so little en- couragement was held out to us. One girl, who entered a few weeks late. when told that it was almost impossible for her to do the work, and that it was useless for her to expect to get throughf' decided that she would give up the idea. and so made it her last as well as her first day. , XYith Miss Cummings we spent many pleasant periods inthe gymnasium at Dickinson Hall after a hard day's work. She, together with Mrs. Knight, we found to be the most considerate of our teachers. In these periods we were never allowed to overwork ourselves Cand never didj. Two other teachers whom we had throughout the year were Mr. Goodwin and Mr. Brodeur. The former did his best to implant in our minds the Hseven time principles, and if they are not there still it is through no fault 'of Mr. Goodwin One period of each week was devoted to pedagogy. in which we had various interesting discussions, varying from My boy at college to Hthe standard authors. As time we11t on there grew a desire for class organization. Our first class meeting was called and conducted by our prin- cipal. It resulted in the election of class officers for the year. After that. meetings were held regularly. and one of the first things we did was to choose honorary members. Other classes

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20 IVESTFIELD NORMAL. 1909 result, brilliant recitations from our class became more frequent. NYe no longer had Mrs. Knight as a teacher, and in place of zoo- logy with Mr. NYilson, physiology was substituted. It was in this class that one of our members astonished the teacher with some 'interesting facts regarding t'French cooks. The first reception given by the seniors was a most enjoyable social affair. lVe soon returned the compliment by giving them a reception which fairly outclassed anything of-the sort which had ever been given before. The winter term seemed even shorter than the fall term and, with the advent of spring, we were obliged to set ourselves to the grindstone and work harder than ever. In this term we took up the study of physics in which we were introduced to many interesting phenomena. Is it not so? Imagine our surprise to find ourselves presented with shower bouquets in this class. Geography, about which we had heard a great deal, became even a larger thorn in our path than psychology or anything else had ever thought of being. Although already acquainted with Mr. Monroe's methods and customs, it did not help us much. Memory and reason rarely combined in this class. Our sympa- thy was always ready for the poor unfortunates called upon to take the floor, or asked to 'tstep to the map, please, and point out tl1e heat belts, wind belts, or to 'ctrace the migratory heat equator. Then, after a vain attempt to do what was re- quired, we would sink into our seats, only to hear that we could 11ot have done worse if we had been blindfolded. Even though it seemed impossible we survived this first year of work. Commencement time arrived and with it a longing for a. much-needed rest. It was a sad time, too, for now we must say good-bye to the seniors, who would not return again in the fall, as we hoped to. But sad things and glad things are contin- ually coming our way and soon that first year was all over,