Elmira Free Academy - Torch / Sagoyawatha Yearbook (Elmira, NY)

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-A V an-.1...,3 .5 we t . t 1862 1863 1865 delightful woman, to whom the writer of these pages makes grateful acknowledgment for many interesting details of the early days. George Raines, son of the pastor of Hedding Church, left school with that first class. His special aim was preparing for college, and in so doing he neglected some requirements for graduation, but the Class of '62 always regarded him as one of them. Later he became a brilliant lawyer and Senator at Albany. The custom of holding Re-unions of former students originated the evening of the first Commencement day. This became an annual event and a very pleasant feature of Commence- ment week. In Prof. Monks's time, possibly earlier, besides the summer Re-union, another was held at the Christmas season. A literary program in which alumni were given prominent places was held in chapel. Following this, until the over-crowded condition of the school necessitated narrowing the aisles, it was the custom for couples to promenade through the broad aisles encircling the chapel and crossing it at right angles through the center. Refresh- ments were served in the Debating Club Room. For many years the Seniors conducted the Christmas Re-union and the juniors the june Re-union. Thus each class had charge of two. The receipts from the refreshments were devoted by these classes to beautifying the interior of the building. Several of Artist George W. Waters's paintings, costing from 200 to 250 dollars, were thus given to the school. Book-cases, statuettes, rostrum desks and chairs, clocks, etc., were presented in the same way. The encyclopaedia case in the present library was such a gift, and the case in the office was presented by the class of '82. The last June Re-union was held June 24, 1892 in the Masonic Temple, as the present E. F. A. building was in process of erection. Mr. J. Sloat Fassett gave the main address on this last occasion. The Christmas Re-unions continued for eight years longer, the last one being held Dec. 27, 1900. For several years, however, these had been called Senior receptions, and admission was by ticket. Any graduate was entitled to a ticket, but many objected to asking for one, so the attendance dwindled. For many years the Re-unions failed to serve the purpose for which they were doubtless intended, as the older alumni rarely came. They were usually re'-unions of not more than four or five at most, of the recent classes. In the winter of 1862-'63, the country being in the midst of the Civil War, the Academy Cadets, a military organization with regular dri ls, was formed. Charles R. Pratt was cap- tain, Roscius Morse, jr., First Lieutenant, H. C. Morse, Orderly Sergeant, Manfred Davis, Second Sergeant, Henry V. Ransom, drummer, and a young man named Burgess played the fife. Prin. Wellington was the judge Advocate of the Court Martial. At the ilune Re- union of 1871, surviving members of the company presented the Academy with an a bum con- taining photographs of the cadets. Former Captain Chas. R. Pratt made a very graceful pre- sentation speech, and Prin. Wellington accepted the gift for the school, in a felicitous manner. Unfortunately all trace of that album seems to be lost. The Class of 1863 contained but one member, Miss Sarah T. Haskell, now Mrs. Zera Compton of this city. Quite a long program by under graduates was given at her Commence- ment, in addition to the graduate's essay on the Blessing of Dullness. The exercises were on the afternoon of july 24, 1863. Supt. Bement, the successor of Mr. Schofield, announced that a class of eleven or twelve was preparing for the next graduation. The Class of '64 did number eleven, as did also the Class of '65. jul 21, 1865 was Principal Wellington's last day at the head of E. F. A. He retired from his office amid the protests of students and patrons. He was an inspiring teacher. After more than forty years, students retain interest in subjects he taught them. He was untiring in his efforts to help and encourage ambitious students, giving them outside time both early and late. Many of his progressive methods were afterward revived and made famous by Prin. Steele in conjunction with the latter's original methods. Self-government was encouraged to a high degree, tho' not systemized to the extent that it was later under the Steele regime. To retain for nearly a half century the enthusiastic loyalty and love of his students is a recog- nition of worth that must gladden the heart of Prof. Wellington. The chronicler has been es- pecially struck with this devotion on the part of every former student of his with whom she has talked. Only two years ago, his surviving students, led by Miss Eliza Bement and the late judge Chas. R. Pratt, made elaborate plans to bring Prof. Wellington back to Elmira from his Chicago home for a sort of jubilee visit, and keen was their disappointment that his health would not permit the journey. Perhaps a kinder fate will make possible his presence, next September, at the semi-centennial of the school for which he did so much. . CHAPTER IV. PRIN. TIMLOW'S ADMINISTRATION, 1865-'66. V With the retirement of Prin. Wellington went also Miss Phillips and someofthestudent body. The students had so idolized Prin. Wellington that they resented any onels taking his office, and the incoming principal, Mr. G. W. Timlow, was the innocent victim of their mis- directed energies. For six months riot ruled in the Academy. The lady teachers were treated with courtesy, but the lawless condition of the school nevertheless made their positions un- pleasant. February 23, 1866, Mr. Timlow's resignation was accepted and on the same day Mr. Joel Dorman Steele was appointed to the principalship.

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appeared, he seemed to be quite interested, and the pupils looking out of the Carriage Factory windows at him and his beautiful wife were quite as interested as he was. Another incident, in 1861, which gave interest to the pupils was the arrival in the neighborhood of a company of soldiers and their location in the nearby Baptist Church, where the Odd Fellows' new home now stands. These gave plenty of excitement with their blanket- tossings, pyramid formations, their drilling and marching and martial music. When the school returned to their home on Clinton Street, the change from warlike ways to peaceful quite was quite noticeable. December 26, 1861, the Board inspected the new Academy building on Clinton Street, and on the last day of '61, formally accepted the building. The winter was spent in equipping the Academy for occupancy, and the school did not move in until the spring term of '62. Mr. Orrin Robinson, Secretary of the Board of Education, delivered the keys of the new building to Prin. Wellington as the important feature of the formal opening of the building. The new Academy was a three-story brick structure facing Clinton Street, the first story being a basement largely above ground. On either side of the front, a long flight of stone steps with iron railings led to the second floor. When the building was torn down, nearly thirty years later, these steps were purchased by Contractor Gerity, and may now be found on the terrace of the Gerity or Queen City Cottage. on Keuka Lake. The third story was divided into four recitation rooms, with a hall and a small room or office on both east and west sides. The library cases were in the northeast room, tho' the room was eventually used for recitation purposes also. The second floor had halls and ollices the counterpart of those on the third, the chapel occupying the remainder of the story. It was an oblong room, the greater length being from north to south, and comfortably accommodated 150 students, though 213 could be crowded into it. As there were windows on four sides, the chapel was a light, cneerful room, which later had a very homelike appearance. Across the center from east to west was a row of pillars, and, true to traditions, there were sliding doors between these pillars that might be lowered to divide the chapel into two rooms. Despite this provision for separating the sheep from the goats, the doors were apparently never lowered, and as the girls' seats in the soutn end faced north and the boys' seats in the north end faced south, tho opportunities or the two sexes for observing each other were increased rather than diminished by the arrangement planned to separate them. Because of this intended division, there were two doors, close to- gether, opening into each hall. Near the west doors was a tiny platform, curved at the back to allow tor the swinging of the doors. This rostrum was the throne of the faculty, and, owing to its scant dimensions, the precarious foothold of the school orators on Priday afternoons. Later, the seating arrangements were altered. A larger rostrum was placed at the south end of the room, the seats all facing it. 'l'he office on the east side was Prin. Wellington's and that on the west side, Miss Ph1llips's. The basement contained, on each side, a hall running north and south with an exit at each end. From these halls opened the dark, windowless cloak-rooms. Along the north end of the basement were two rooms, the east one being used as a science laboratory for the few experiments then performed, and the west one for the Lyceum Society, after that was organ- ized. Across the south end, down several steps, was a long room extending the width or the building, an archway in the center giving it the appearance of double parlors. This archway well illustrated the principle of a whispering gallery and afforded amusement to experimenters. This room, after 1869, was the home of the Adelphic Debating Club, and other similar societies. The first two years after the organization of the Free Academy no class was prepared for graduation, as comparatively few students of the former Academy registered in the new school. Not until the new building was occupied was there a Commencement of the Elmira Free Academy. The official records of these early days were apparently not kept. In 1871, Mr. George Ivl. Diven of the Board, having a proper realization or the value of records, tried to remedy that defect by having a report compiled giving a resume of the previous years' history. The Academy report, being written by a later principal than Mr. Wellington, made an error in reporting the date of the first graduation, claiming the first class for '61, the second for '62, and no graduates for '63, That error has persisted, people of later days naturally assuming the date of the official report to be correct. 'l'he testimony of the graduates of the first four classes and the Advertiser reports of the Commencement exercises of '62 and '63 are ample proof that the first class was graduated in '62, the second in '63, and there was no year after '62 without graduates until 1866. The first Commencement exercises were held in the new Academy building, July 25, 1862. At first it was thought impossible to have exercises, but the under graduates made heroic efforts to secure a piano for the occasion and decorated liberally with flowers. Diplomas never having been needed before, were not ready, and Prin. Wellington was too conscientious to present dummy diplomas, so that customary feature of Commencement programs was perforce omitted. Nevertheless all went off well. There were but two graduates, james R. Monks, laterthe beloved principal of E. F. A., and Miss j. Amelia Munson, for a short time also a member of the faculty. It was an ideal beginning, each sex being represented by a con- spicuously able studentg for what the class lacked in quantity it maoe up in quality, and set a very high standard for later graduates. james R. Monks has long since 'tcrossed the bar and his eulogy has been spoken, but Miss Munson is still a resident of Elmira, a well-read and 1862 1862

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I I 4 CHAPTER V. PRIN. STEELE'S ADMINISTRATION, 1866-1872. Prin. Steele began his difficult task March 1, 1866, with a policy of extreme severity, as he deemed the case demanded. Gradually he relaxed, and after a time revived self-govern- 1 ment developing it into a system that became famous far and near, and attracted many visitors to the school. His methods, being in' advance of the times, were much discussed by educators. The following are some features of his govern- ment. Students attaining a creditabie scholar- ship had their names placed upon an Honor Roll, in order of rank, as First Head Scholars or Second Head Scholars --tho' that was not a very scholarly use of terms. To these students were given certain duties and certain privileges. No teacher remained in charge of the study room 3 thus one teacher's full time was saved. Monitors ' had served in the place of teachers, under Mr. Wellington's rule, but all supervision was now dispensed with. To summon classes from recita- l tion rooms, large bells in each second-floor hall were rung vigorously by Head Scholar boys at the proper times. Classes were dismissed to recitation rooms by Head Scholars, who went forward in front of chapel desk and tapped the desk bell for Seniors, juniors, and Sophomores in succession. The Seniors of highest rank performed this service, ifin chapel 5 if not, the next lower. If no Senior of honor rank were in the room, the duty fell to the highest junior, and so on. If a teacher happened to be at the desk for an reason, the teacher sent the classes, but the service was usually performed by the honzr student. With these duties went privileges. Senior honor students had their choice between studying in chapel or in the office on the second floor, the boys using the principal's office, the girls, the lady teachers'. Studying in the princi- pal's office to-day is not exactly a reward of merit, but conditions were different in those days, when the principal's time was spent almost entirely in the class-room. Junior honor students used the offices just above these, on the third floor. Sophomores---the entering class- some- times had tables and chairs in the front end of the third floor halls, sometimes they used the basement. Of course, abuse of these privileges usually resulted in lowered standings the next month, loss of honor rank involving loss of privileges. The system worked, in the main, exceptionally well. It was maintained during Prin. Steele's administration and that of his successor, Prin. Monks, aggregating about twenty years. ' During Prin. Steele's term, the faculty was increased to four. One of the teachers, Miss Hattie Marshall, assisted Dr. Steele in the preparation, especially the illustration, of many of his text-books, most of which were written while he was at the head of E. F.A. Prof. Steele made fame and fortune by his fourteen weeks' courses in Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and other sciences, also by his Barnes's U. S. History, so-called because written for the A. S. Barnes and Co. publishing house. All these books are well known to students attending E. F. A. during the seventies and eighties. Miss Mary Harriet Norris, another teacher during Steele's administration, is now Dean of the Northwestern University, and celebrated as an author. One of her books has Grover Cleveland as hero, another has its setting in the Chemung Valley. Shortly after assuming control of the school, Prin. Steele introduced Calisthenics with dumbbell drills. This proved too tame for the fellows, filled with the spirit of the late war, and an Athletic association resulted. This died out later and new associations have been or- ganized several times in the subsequent history of-the school. The original association secured a barn already standing at the rear of the Academy, and remodelled it for a gymnasium. Prof. A. Wellington Norton, an assistant teacher, later principal of No. 4 School, deserves the credit for this undertaking. With the sanction of Prin. Steele, the work was done by the young men of the school, under Prof. Norton's direction, the material being purchased with money sub- scribed by students. The building had a floor of saw-dust and was well equipped for a gym- nasium in those days. Outside was a trapeze and rings, which were in constant use at recesses and before school. The gymnasium stood until the building of the second Academy 1891 Owing to the waste of time during the first six months of 1865 --'66, no class was ready for graduation in june 1866. 1866 1866