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

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OB111' illlnihvr Our noble mother, we, 'l'hy many children, come to thee To celebrate in prose and rhyme The day most rare Thou didst begin thy fostering care. Full hfty years have flown, And thy small family has grown To be a throng of workers, far and near, In many a sphere Of usefulness. Still thou a leader art, Alive, and strong, and true of heart, Brave mother. Wfhat if the facts thou taught us are forgot, It matters not. A reaching ever toward the light, Intent to do what seems the right, The will to bring the right to be, The power to lead on valiantly, Or grace to follow reverently, Witlial a heart of syn1pathy,- These are our heritage from thee, VVise mother. Thou of thy best dicls't give, Tay children did receive And unto others gave as free, And lo, there shine thruo.ut the land Cf ear lights from off thy altar litg And many who ne'er thy face did see, Sing grateful praises unto thee, Fair mother. Still may'st thou live thy life sincere For many a year, W'ith each succeeding year the best. And may the beauty of thy living, And the joy in thy giving, Be an inspiration blest. And may thy loyal children be An honor ever unto thee, Loved mother. -1.1.0111 Brofuiz ilLfc'1ll111'ry Page Twenty-three

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i .4 i I :xr Eh? mnhpx Page Twenty-two FAN NIE FELL I have been asked to recall some incident associated in my mind with the every day life in the I.S.N.U. when I was a stu- dent there. .Xs I think of my school days there comes to me one warm Iune afternoon. It was the fifth hour tnot period as it is now called IJ and Iinglish Literature, under the leadership of Professor Stetson was to be in full sway the following hour. This was a section A study. The members of the Senior class seated next the middle aisle to the left of the president, were al- lowed special privileges of conferring with one another on any weighty matter pertaining to the assigned class room work. Even this was not enuf for two members of the class of i7Q. 'Iulia Scott and your humble servant were not content with this subdued and restrained method of communicating our deep and original observations on the subject of Eng-lish men of letters. Consequently we quietly and decorously Cas became dignified Seniorsj slipped out through the west door of the Assembly Room and up the steps on the north side leading to the entrance of the XVrightonian Society Hall as it was in our days. Gnce seated on the top stair there commenced a low but con- tinued interchange of ideas as to the writings of this or that author. Not many minutes passed before we heard a gentle tapping of feet on the stairs. The footsteps were all too easily recognized by the two intellectual miscreants. Those light, steady, but quick footfalls could be caused by none other than our short but highly esteemed President, Dr. Hewett. lVe managed to maintain our dignity in the ordeal and sa- luted our respected superior as if he were an expected guest. There he stood at the turning of the stairs, watch in hand and gave forth this sententious remark, with a twinkle in his eye, XYell, I thought there was a woman's sewing society in pro- gress. That was all, but it had its effect, we vanished. However, I found that our cheering hospitality, or the dig- nified position we held as Seniors, must have inHuenced the good doctor. Later on he entered a complaint to Mr. Burrington, the reverend principal of dear old high school, against certain high school pupils whom he had found wandering around the build- ing without leave or license, and my name was not on the list of culprits.

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Mizinriml Svkrtrh. A On the eighteenth day of February, 1857, the bill establish- ing the Illinois State Normal University was signed by NVilliam H. Bissell, the first republican governor of the State. This was an important step in school legislation as it recognized the duty of the State to prepare the teachers of its public schools to ren- der more efficient service. The motive prompting the act was not charity, but self-interest. The a system of free public schools to property of the people. Property to be educated were taxed on the children, and it was no more than money was thus taken that they State had recently established be supported by a tax on the owners who had no- children sa.me basis as those who had simple justice to those whose should receive in return the greatest possible benefit to themselves and their property. Many of the friends of education believed this would result from the establishment of a normal school. The friends of education in the State were much divided among themselves as to the kind of school to be established. Some wanted a normal school whose entire aim should be the preparation of teachers for the public schools of the State. Others wanted a normal school with an agricultural department attached. Still others believed that an industrial university with a normal department should be established, while a fourth party claimed that the wisest course was to establish normal depart- Page Twenty Four