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

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W? ,, p ,, we I ' Sie -1' I I 5' l 3 W ...aims-T., . .Wy t. HQ 1901 1902 1902 1902 1902 1902 1902 1902 1902 1903 1903 pw. H., f in 1872. Up to 1909 it has accessioned 3987. Little in the way of fiction has been added in several years, the purpose being to keep it a reference library. As such, it is good. The registration in the fall of 1901 was 734 for a building comfortably accommodating 450 at most. An annex was a crying need, though the building was but nine years old. In November, Miss Norman, whose health was seriously undermined, was granteda leave of absence. The school began then to realize how much she meant to the institution. The Boys' Protective Union was formed in February, 1902, to look after the protec- tion of school property, to repair in case of damage by carelessness of students, and to encourage school spirit. The suggestion was Prin. Conant's. A constitution was drawn up, providing for a governing board consisting of two members from each of the four classes, and the prin- cipal ofthe Academy. The first officers elected were President, Earle Hart 3 Treasurer, Wick- ham Smith: Secretary, Beal Banks. This organization lasted into the second year. In March, 1902, the Athletic Association, now augmented to 112 members, held a banquet at the Frasier House, with elaborate menu, toasts, and much enthusiasm. About one hundred were present. J. R. Rubin of Syracuse presented the cause of the new Inter- scholastic League ormed by Syracuse University, similar to the Cornell League of which E. F. A. was already a member. Mr. Conant was in his element as toastmaster. Interesting toasts and speeches were given by Pres. Fred H. Wise, james B. Pratt of the faculty, Messrs. Tripp, Fennell, and Murtaugh from the city and Messrs. Doane, Hart, and Capt. Shea from the school. The junior Class charmingly entertained the faculty and Seniors at Industrial Hall the evening of April 22nd. It was the first social function since the closing of the clubroom and was greatly appreciated. There was a program and dancing with refreshments of ices and cakes. In May, E. F. A. for the first time sent a representative to the Hamilton College prize- speaking contest. Since then, frequently the school has been represented at Hamilton College and at Syracuse University. In 1907, our representative at Syracuse, Loring Pratt, took second prize. This year, 1909, Henry Williman took third prize at Sfyracuse and John Conroy won first prize at Alfred. Both these young men are members o the class of 1909. May 31, 1902 brought almost universal grief to the city of Elmira as well as to E. F. A. in the death of Miss Sarah Cornelia Norman. From the age of sixteen, for forty-five years Miss Norman had devoted her life to educational work in this city. Twenty-six of them had been given to the Academy, where she had been the balance wheel through all changes of administration. She had taught most of the leading men and women of the city and had in full measure, the respect, admiration, and love of all her students. Miss Norman approached the ideal of impartial justice: Her sympathy was equal to her justice, and no one sought her help and counsel in vain. On all questions of public interest she was remarkably well informed, and her sound judgment and original expression made her a delightful talker. Her greatness as a teacher received one unique compliment: she was the only woman ever invited to teach in the Elmira Reformatory. For many months regularly, certain evenings of the week, she lectured to intensely interested inmates. When the strain of the extra work necessitated her giving it up, the Reformatory authorities were very reluctant to release her. What she vwm, even more than what she .mai or did, shaped the lives of her students 5 and her best epitaph is written in the character development of those whose standards are higher for having come under the influence of her personality. The year 1902-'03 was the most uncomfortable one in the school's history as far as congested conditions are concerned. As Mr. Conant said, it was impossible to take a step without danger of crushing some undersized Freshman. Two students to a seat was the rule in more than half the seats, as the registration was almost twice the seating capacity. The Beta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Sorority was established October 18, 1902, with the initiation of eight Charter members at Ithaca where the Alpha Chapter is located. The aims of the sorority are literary, social, and charitable. It has a present membership of twenty- four. Several of the teachers are honorary members, and Miss Wixon of the faculty is Patron Saint of the club. After 1902, all graduates were required to have a regents' Academic diploma as the minimum requirement for graduation, one year more of English being required by the school than by the state. No locals would be accepted in lieu of the State diploma. Owing to the increase in the numbers of the faculty, Mr. Conant felt that such banquets as had been connected with Class Day for several years were becoming too great an expense to Senior Classes and advised 1903 to adopt a simpler style. The Class of '03 therefore changed Class Day to a day-time observance in Academy chapel, serving light refreshments to class and faculty in Room K. Later classes have followed the same custom, except that they have served the refreshments to all their guests, thereby making the expense quite equal to that of a banquet. 1903, through its president, Isaac Laude, presented to the school, busts of Washing- ton and Lincoln, and reliefs of Thorwaldsen's Night and Morning in medallion form, for the decoration of upper chapel. During the year 1902-'03, the Alma Mater song of E. F. A. was composed by Miss Florence Vollbrecht, now Mrs. Frank -I. Allen, of Sharon, Pa. The words were set to the Thuringer Volkslied music. Miss Vollhrecht was obliged to leave school on account cfillness, but in the song so often sung has left a memorial that should keep her frequently in mind.

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CHAPTER IX. PRIN. CONANT'S ADMINISTRATION, 1900'f- 1906. Mr. Howard Conant came from the Penn Yan Academy to succeed Mr. Evans. During the vacation the Clubroom had been dismantled and seated as an annex to lower chapel to accommodate the over-flow of 1 first and second year students. Mr. Conant placed Miss Koehler in charge of the room and changed its name to I Room K in her honor. The loss of the Clubroom put an end for some time to social functions in the school. November 7, 1900, Commissioner H. C. Mande- ville of the Board offered prizes of 15 and 10 dollars to Seniors and juniors respectively, 7for thelbest articles written on The Commercial Future of the United States. The award was to be made at the 1901 Commencement. This was the first prize offered by a public-spirited citizen since the early seventies, when several E. F. A. prizes had been established. This was for the one year only. The Class of 1901 established the custom of choosing a Patron Saint from the faculty Wa custom popular in college. Miss M. Louise Godfrey had the honor of being the nrst Patron Saint in Academy history. The example of the Naughty Ones, as they called themselves, has been followed by all succeeding els sses except '02 and '08. Their choices were as follows: soq . .ff Miss Minna B. Phelps, '04.- -'Prin. Howard Conant, '05.fNMiss Grace Foster, '06.4 Miss M. Louise Godfrey, '07.-Miss Lillian B. Herrick, Miss M Louise Godfrey '09.ff . . In May of 1901, the first demonstration of wireless telegraphy in Elmira was made by Miss Lillian B. Herrick of the science department of E. F. A., assisted by Leon Bogardus, a student. Communication was established between two rooms and the experiment was entirely successful. It called outside attention very strongly to E. F. A. Miss Herrick was a partic- ularly able and progressive teacher and such up-to-date experiments were common things while she headed the physics department. Wednesday afternoon of Commencement week in the Academy chapel, the Seniors repeated their class play, A Letter of Introduction, given first in Park Church, February 19th. The repetition was for the benefit of the Athletic Association. The 1901 Commencement was unusually interesting. Mr. Francis E. Neagle, the val- edictorian, broke the state record by securing a 127 count regent's Academic diploma in his four years' course. The nearest approximation had been made by Prin. Charles Kent of the Elmira Heights School, but he made the record in mature years, after he became a principal, and even then fell several counts short of 127. Mr. Neagle later made an enviable record in Harvard, doing seven years' work in six in the arts and law departments and lecturing regularly in Radcliffe during the last years. He is now practicing law in New York City, the Harvard Club there having given him first choice of all openings in law offices because of his exceptionally able work at Harvard. Another brilliant student of 1901, Miss Rena Rockwell, after completing the course in Elmira College, did post-graduate work at Radcliffe. The salutatorian, Miss Florence Blades, secured the 15 dollar prize offered by Commis- sioner Mandeville for the best article on The Commercial Future of the United States, Miss Clara Louise Comfort receiving honorable mention. The 10 dollar prize went to Miss Helen Jeannette Allen of the junior Class. This would look as if the commercial future of the United States were in the hands of its women. The decisions were made by three prominent Elmira gentlemen. During the summer of 1901, the Academy library was catalogued by the Dewey decimal system. The librarian, Miss Godfrey, though she had never taken the two years library course, had already roughly classified the books under the groupings of that system. The state in- spector of libraries, seeing this and knowing her familiarity with books from her English work pronounced her capable of doing the cataloguing, usually done by an expert from the library schools. Conseuuently, studying out for herself the complicated system of red tape, she undertook to learn to do by doing, consulting Mrs. Andrew of the Steele Memorial Library when necessary. In six weeks, by working early and late, Miss Godfrey classified the 3269 books then in the library. She was assisted in the handprinting of the more than 10,000 cards by Mrs. Ida M. Sherwood and two young ladies of the school. One young girl's time was en- tirely taken with labelling books with the classification number, and rearranging on the shelves. In the report of Miss Emily Nelson, an early librarian, the library was said to contain 744 books 1900 1900 1901 1901 1901 1901 1901

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In Mr. Conant's report to the Superintendent for 1902-'03, he gave a table of representa- tive cities of New York and neighboring states, proving that E. F. A. has the largest percentage of enrolment in proportion to the population of the city, also the largest number of students to each teacher. The former item is a matter for pride, the latter, for regret. With the opening of the fall term, the Freshmen were farmed out, 165 being placed in Grammar School No. 2, and 84 in Grammar School No. 3, leaving 459 upper classmen registered at E. F. A. proper, which still exceeded its seating capacity. This arrangement relieved the congestion somewhat, but was undesirable in many ways, especially as regards school spirit. Music as a regular subject of instruction was introduced this year, under the capable leadership of Mr. George Morgan McKnight. This applies to upper classmen. The Fresh- men are under the direction of the Supervisor of Music tor the grades. The music has proved a highly desirable addition. That year the library was moved from Room 25 to 22, 26 was made into a physics laboratory, the geological specimens were moved from M f-now Room 30--fto the chapel, and M equipped for a biological laboratory. This was the third purpose to which that room had been turned, but not the last. ln November, Mr. Davis of the faculty organized a school orchestra, which was a pop- ular feature for rhetorical programs. This organization lasted for more than two years, dis- banding for lack of place for rehearsals. During its existence it played very creditably for two Arbor Days and one performance of the girls' minstrels. The Arbor Day of 1904 was a particularly festive occasion. Mr. Fassett made the ad- dress of the day. His name guarantees the quality of the speech. Following the usual exercises, about one hundred white-robed girls gave an elaborate drill on the South lawn under the direction of Miss Grace Foster, teacher of elocution. The school orchestra played for the drill. The tree planted that year was named for Miss Minna B. Phelps, who had accepted an appointment in the East Orange High School for the next year and would leave E. F. A. in June after thirteen years in the faculty. Miss Phelps was both an able and a popular teacher. lt is Elmira's misfortune that a woman of Miss Phelps's ability and personality could not have been offered sufficient inducement to remain. The 1904 Commencement was held in Hedding Church, because the Lyceum had burned during the year. An Assembly to fill the place the Adelphics relinquished as the open debating society of E. F. A., was organized November 7, 1904. lts constitution makes girls as well as boys eligible to membership. This may not be generally understood, in any case, no girls thus far have joined. The Assembly died out after a time, but was reorganized April 11, 1906. The meet- ings are held in the Academy building. Miss Herrick conducted a class in domestic science during 1904-'05, and served oc- casional suppers to fortunate guests, who sampled the toothsome viands prepared by the class. This is E. F. A.'s only approach to modern practical methods of training hand as well as head. The English Reading students, on February 14th, had an informal gathering, to which each student contributed at least one original valentine. Some very clever artistic work was the result. So great was the interest that for two succeeding years these parties were repeated, being an oasis in the social desert. In 1908, no room was available, so the custom was dis- connnued. - E. F. A's famous baseball nine of 1905 had a record of but one defeat in two years. That, unfortunately was at the hands of their dearest foe, Cook Academy. The return game, how- ever, was a brilliant retaliation. Pitcher Mack let not a single Cook player reach first base. Such a feat has been accomplished but two or three times even in the national league. The 1905 Class was the largest ever graduated from E. F. A., containing 99 members. lt had been hoped that the rebuilt Lyceum would be ready by Commencement time, but, as it was not, Hedding Church was again used. On this occason, the first award of D. A. R. prizes was made. ln the previous fall, the Chemung Chapter D. A. R. offered two prizes to E. F. A. students for the best essay on assigned historic themes, the third and fourth year students com- peting for a 10 dollar prize, the first and second year students for a 5 dollar prize. These prizes have been continued to date and have been an incentive to good work. The awards have been as follows: 19054-Lester R. Carrier, '05. Marie Beach, '07, 1906--Mary Elizabeth Fairbanks, '06, Donald Beardsley, '09, 1907 fEthel Housman, '07, Jennie Myer, '10, 1908--Anna Marie Goetz, '08, Agnes Harrison, '11, Jessie Howell, '08, Honorable Mention. Margaret Jennings, '08. Dorothy Pickering, '08. The 1905 syllabus required eighteen hours a week recitation or laboratory work of each student and increased the number of counts necessary for graduation, adding a few each year until 1909, when 72 counts are required. The passing mark was correspondingly lowered to 1903 1903 1903 1904 1904 1905 1905 1905 1905 1906 1907 1908 1905