Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

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Jlisitorp of Snbiana tate Jgormal cijool ' ' I HE roli ' gation of pi-rsons unfit for other - ' - positions in life to teaching school seems to have liecn a distinct factor of the economic system in the early history of Indiana. That it was costly needs no comment. That the defect might be remedied the I. S. N. arose. The first step was made toward this end in 1855 when Dr. E. T. Spotswood, now an honored citizen of Terre Haute, then from Spencer County, in- troduced into the General Assembly the follow- ing resolution : Resolved, That the Committee on Education be instructed ti imiuire into the expediency of establishing a State Normal School, in which persons who design making teaching a profes- sion shall receive instruction free of charge. Provided, they bind themselves to teach for a specified term of years within the State of In- diana, and also if deemed expedient to estab- lish such school, whether it would be practica- WILL D. ANDERSON History of Indiana State Normal School ' ble to establish it on the manual labor plan, so as to make it a self-supporting institution as nearly as possible, with leave to report by bill or otherwise. Other prolilems involving strenuous action claimed public attention at that time and noth- ing came of this first move. The project was forgotten in the turmoil and discord of the civil war, but a step had l)cen made, and the situa- tion unchanged. In the decade of lawlessness and adventure following the rebellion a new day dawned for education in Indiana. A bill was introduced by Judge B. E. Rhoades, passed and signed by the governor December 20, 1865, creating a Nor- mal School. This law provided a portion of the requisite funds for the construction of suit- alile buildings and the amount of $5,000 an- nually for a maintenance fund. It made the location of the school the opportunity of that city which oifered the most facilities and prom- ised the greatest co-operation and the largest amount of cash; it defined the admission of students, the granting and bestowing of diplo- mas and degrees. Terre Haute alone manifested any interest in the advantages that might accrue from the loca- tion of such an institution. She offered half a

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' ■Across the fields we skiirried now. an ' thru the Dalgarn wood, An ' climbed the old rail fence again where that big jDoplar stood, Then down the road to the ha ' nted bridge,— we ' d a ruther run than not. A man was killed there once, you know, at night the dreaded sjjot Wi ' jack-o-lantern ' s all lit up, an ' the spirit that is free Comes back, — at least, they said it did, we never stayed to see. But hurried on past Maple Bend an ' the old canal crossed quick, Fer Tumble Hole ' s the place to fish down there on Briley Crik. An when at last we reached the place an cut a hick ' ry pole. We tied the line an ' baited hook an ' dropped it in the hole; Then waitin ' fer the cork to bob, as quiet as a stone, We listened to the redhead ' s i-ap. er skeeter ' s monotone. But not fer long, — then quick as scat, a cork would bob an ' sink. An ' soon a yaller-cat would flop an ' wiggle on tlio Itrink, An ' the boys would crowd around to see. — remember, don ' t you. Dick? That ' s just the way we used to fi-li way down on Briley Crik. ' Well, I ' ve been to Californy an ' I ' ve sailed the coast o ' Maine. I ' ve climbed the Alps o ' Canady an ' come back down again : I ' ve hunted in the canebrakes o ' swampy Arkansaw, And throwed some shovelfuls o ' dirt down there at Panama : I ' ve lived in South Ameriky, been clean around the Cape, Had many a wild adventure an ' many a slim escape. But, tell you what, in all the years. I ' ve never done a trick To compare with goin ' a-fishin right down here on Briley Crik. My, how the years ha Our lives are like a hi- ' Fore long we ' ll be a-r( A-learnin ' o ' the niystt I don ' t like lea in all raced away, how fast we ' re growin old, ry that soon will all be told : uin ' far among the isles o ' Eest, . s imfolded to the Blessed. : friends, an ' the joys o ' livin ' here. An ' all the scenes e u-ed t( An ' dyin ' ll be the harder. Cause we have to quit fereM ;ii(iw an ' hold in mem ' ry dear; lue it slow er comes it quick, fishin ' down on Brilev Crik. But say, when Gal)riel comes at last an ' lights the eastern skies, An ' blows his horn to wake the dead an ' says it ' s time to rise, If I git up wi ' all the rest, — here ' s hopin ' that I do, — Along with all the other boys, say Bill an ' John, an ' you. I ' m goin ' to ask if we may have on earth just one more day, — Say, Eichard, are you listenin ' ? — I ' d turned my face away; Yes, says I, I ' m hearin ' . — and I thought my words would stick, An ' he says, To go a-fishin ' once again on Briley Crik. —Walt Woodrou: llllustrated by Ben Davis.)

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block lying between Eagle and Mulbeiiy streets east of Sixth street, tlie campus of the old county seminary. Together with tiiis land wortli $l ' . i.O00. also ii;:)().(.)(lO in money was given. It was later stipulated that Terre Haute should bear forever one-half of the expenses of keep- ing the grounds and buildings in proper re- pair. This has been faithfully carried out. Thu- it was that on the banks of the Wabash, in the city of Terre Haute, in the very heart of the town, was established an institution the thrill (if whose life was soon to be felt in every taxpayer glai ' ed wi born came into an uu ' was liefore it. -tnig, tion from other iiisii gle to maintain a liig of public disappniva straggle to seciu ' e a] nomic legislature to fiM ■Icome community. There I — struggle for recogni- II ions of learning, strug- -tandard of work in face and Iciw attendance, and ropriatious from an eco- meet the constantly in- creasing expenses. Indeed, it has required the Host stringent economy to conduct the growing Highness and elH.-ieiicy upini the fun. Is pro- OLD COUNTY SEMINARY. 1868 hamlet, city anil town in the most remote dis- tricts of our fair state. Strange to say, the new school was not re- ceived with open arms. Tradition still holds us in its mighty grasp, despite our boasted in- telligence, we are loath to leave the old and are prone to glance askance at tlu ' new. The old jjedagogue frowned u[)on it as foolishness, the vided from year to year l)y our general assembly. Tile building, when completed, cost in round numbers, without any semblance of equipment, l it.OOO. It was buiit of brick with stone trim- ming, after the architectural style of the French Kennaissance. From the roof a symmetrical series of towers, cupolas and spires lifted their