Lebanon University - Link Yearbook (Lebanon, OR)

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JOSIAH HOLBROOK Uhrm' Xhu'fwfimq

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Prof. Holbrook about this time under the title of School Management, and together with his English Grammar and uTraining Lessons became quite popular, the grammar especially being very widely used. One of the features of the system at the Old Normal which endeared its principal in the hearts of his pupils was the famous nGeneral Ex. This was the opening exercise each day and here Prof. Holbrook appeared as his stu- dents remember him most vividly. He was a man of small stature, slightly gray, Vigorous in his movements, indomitable of will, full of resources, of a lofty and noble ambition, grandly impressed with the magnitude and importw ance of his work, crisp and incisive in conversation, genial, social and domes- tic, faithful in the religion of his Puritan ancestors, vigorously severe in every moral precept and practice, faithful and generous to his friends, benevolent to a fault, sustaining freely with purse and personal effort every worthy enter- prise. For the first eleven years the school had been governed under a definite code of laws made at General Ex by the voice of the students themselves. But the success of the continued relaxation in the rigor of discipline seemed to Prof. Holbrook to warrant the dropping Of these rules, depending entirely upon the good will of the students. This honor system, as emplifled by the principal himself, justified his theory and added to the respect and love which the pupils evidenced toward their beloved professor. Though all of the stu- dents were pledged to attendance at itGeneral Ex every morning, the calling of the roll was discontinued and the attendance increased where a dropping off might have been expected. At this exercise the necessary changes in daily class were announced; the time and place of weekly exercises such as debating and composition were made known; the appointment of committees for any special purpose, the caring for the sick, class discussions and reports of vari- ous committees were also arranged. This great variety of exercises, crowded into a brief period of forty-five minutes and presided over by Prof. Holbrook, never failed to produce some agreeable excitement and became one of the feat- ures of the institution. Seldom did a student ever miss General Ex and then only when it was impossible for him t0 be present. ASSISTING THE YOUNG Those characteristics which made Prof. Holbrook the idol of his pupils, and which were responsible for his success and that of the normal, are largely embodied in these two paragraphs which are taken from his writings: nIn the continued service of over forty years, chieiiy devoted to helping the young to manage themselves and to establish these good habits for life, namely tll 0f cheerful, earnest industry for the love of it; ml of careful, persistent investigation for the love of it; GB of useful, benevolent activity for the love of it; Hi of systematic, determined work for the love of it, the writer has had an interesting Work, a positive and ever-increasing enjoyment. It would be ungrateful, indeed, not to acknowledge the guidance and aid of a good Providence, ever giving measurable success in wished-for attainments and new inspiration for further advances in bringing the spirit and power of the New Testament into the school room. tilt has been my earnest and prayerful desire to exclude the paralyzing effect of tyranny and rote from the school room by introducing the spirit of lib- tPage Ninetyefourl

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erty and enterprise, thus converting the dead formality or active antagonism of tyrannical rote into the enthusiastic and immeasurably more profitable work of liberty, enterprise and enthusiasm. With no hostility to other schools or edu- cators, I have a determined hostility, always and everywhere avowed, to all of those usages which turn the sympathies of the students against good order and which tend to make labor a burden and life a failure. 7 Not one among the thousands who attended the old normal ever sought in vain for personal assistance in his studies from the principal. He was always ready and willing to give instruction and advice and was continually lending a helping hand to all who came under his supervision. This personal interest in each individual was not confined to the matter of studies, but extended into every phase of student life. From his personal purse many a dollar was cons tributed to the welfare of those who found even the very low expenses of the institution more than they could meet. At his own expense he provided an excellent library which was placed at the disposal of his pupils in a large room in the university and still serves the institution to-day. This library was one of the famous features of the school and was much more expensive than the tuition of the university would warrant. To the casual stranger on the streets of Lebanon the figure of the founder of the Old Normal probably often passed as ordinary and unnoticed, but in the class room, at ttGeneral Ex and through- out the grounds the frail form was the most conspicuous of all and was every- where accorded the respect and admiration of every one present. For the stu- dents of the National Normal University held their principal in the highest esteem and loved him as only a real, true friend can love another. That the strength of his personality and the influence of his work has survived the years that have passed since they left the City of Cedars is evidenced by the enthusiasm that the approaching reunion has brought from the thousands of men and women throughout the country who still regard their days at the nor- mal school as among the most important in their lives and who have never for- gotten the wonderful democracy and benevolence of Alfred Holbrook. A WONDERFUL RECORD The soundness of his system of training and the value of his theories of life were illustrated in the mants own wonderful career. Though frail and in poor health from early boyhood, having to give up his chosen line of work in civil engineering because it was too strenuous, Alfred Holbrook lived to be ninety-three years old and was in the best of health when in his seventieth year. it has been remarked by those best acquainted with his work that, while he had under his direct instruction a total of more than fifty thousand students ta rec- ord for personal instruction for one main no pupil ever left the institution of which he had control morally worse than when he or she entered it. A fond- ness for home life was evidenced throughout his career and he raised a family of six children, one of whom was drowned while skating in his early manhood. His three other sons and his two daughters were closely associated with him in the work at the Old Normal. R. Heber was vice-president of the institu- tion for a number of years and was professor of mathematics and natural sei- ences. He was the author of a number of worthy educational books and was identined in an editorial capacity with several prominent educational jour- Utugc Ninefy-siltl