Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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interesting treatise, The North Americans of Antiquity, 111111 111111, 011 ae- cnunt of his wide study of A111ei'ie1111 colonial history, been selected 11y the aged historian Bancroft to revise the second volume of the 111st e11iti1111 of Bancroft's History. 11 was Professor Short's i11t111e11ee 111111 turned the mind of Mr. Sparks to the teaching of history as his life work, 111111 the 111111'11'e1'1 11e11ieve111e11ts 111 the former 111111 his severe 51111111111115 01 exce11e11ee,11111t caused 11412511111115 to esteem, us 11 mark of especial e0111111e111111tio11, the C1111 to the position of assist- 11111 111 the 11611111'1111e11t 11f history.111 addition to his work as 11 teacher 11111'- 1111r his Junior 111111 Senior yeais, he acted 11s 11111111111e1isis 111 1 1'11fess111' Short while the latter was engaged 111 writing his History of Ohi11' . M 1'. Sparks was invited to e1111111111e, after his graduation, his connection with the 11e11111'1111e11t of history in the U11ive1'sity,11ut he chose 111111111e1' held of w01'k.111 1885,11e accepted the position 115 instructor in 111st111 y 111111 11mg- lish 1111-1'11t111'e11 the II'igh School of P1111511111111h, 011i0,11 thi'ixi11g manufac- turing city. A year 111111 11 half 111'1te , he W115 e1ec1e11 111 the 111'111L'il1111ship of the seh1'101, where he remained until 1888. 111 the latter 3'e111', Principal 811111115 was called 111 the superintendeney 111 the public seh11111s 111i Martin's l'iei'l'y, 11111 11the1'0hi11 eity 111 11111111111131 111111111'111111e i11 111111111111e'.1111e '111e1e, in 1890,23 S1111e1'int111111e11t Spmks 111111'1'ie11 Miss Katherine, 11111111111 te1' 111 the late D. 13. 1211111111, M. 11., 11 well known 111111 highly esteemed 111131- Siei1111 11f 11111'151111111111. Dr. 111111 11115. Sparks have one child, Miss 112111111. VII'sSl1111'11's,1v110se e11111'111i1111' 1111s11i1111ity 1111s won her the 1111111131 1'eg111'11 111 the st111le11ts,te11ehe1's 111111 11ie1111s 111 the 11111ege is,1i11'e 11e1'1111s11111111, 11esee111111111 1111 1111111 11111'e111111 111111 1111111111'11 11 1i11es,f1'11111 11111 .1111111'i11111 f11111iliseii I11 escape 11 111111 11ef111'e A'1e1111ish1111 11111111 1111 11 charge 111 111111-111111111'111113,111 11131, the 11e11'1'e1111 1111111 111111111 the f11111111e1i11.',X111L11'1111 111 he1' 111the1' s 111111i13, 111111 111 New Ia11g1111111. lhis distinguished 1111'it1111 11ivi11e, it 11111 be recalled 113' students 111 1'1111111i111 hist111'3', led in the controversies with Roger 11'111i11111s, e11111e 111 he e1111e11 the u111111'1111'1'11 111 New 11311141111111,U 111111 was the 111:11'1111111'1e111q'e11 authority in 111111 1'1111111v 1111 1111 matters 111' e1'111liti1111. A 1101' his death, his 1111111w 111111'1'i1111 the 11eve1'e1111 11i111111'11 1V1'1the, 111111111111 111111- CUIIIOl'lllist retugee, 111111 1111111 th111 1111i1111 s111 1111,e1 the 11e1 e1111111 ,11i11'e11se Mather, 11.11.. L'1e1'gy1111111, the Calvinist president 111 11111'1'111'11 1'11ix'e1'sit3', 111111 the 1'1111111i111 111313111 wh11, 111'te1' the Restoration, 11111111111111 1111' the h'111ss11ehusetts 171111111y its second L'hz11'te1', 111111 his son, 11111'1111' L'11tt1'111 Mather, the tighter 0f 11'111'111'1'1111: 111111 the defender 111' 1'11111111111 rights. .111 1890, Superintendent Sparks 111'1'1111se 111' his s11LL'ess1111 record 111 the public school service, was c1111e11 111 the 111'i111i11111s11ip 01 the 1 1'011111'111111'y De1 11111111111111 111 this C1111e1111.111s 1111111111is11'1'1ti1111 w: 1s 11111111011 11y hinh i11e111s 111 scholarship,11'i11111y 11111 111111 111sei111i11e, 111111 excellence of executhe 111111111g'e- 1110111 111s 1111111e111e 1111s 11e11111111y exerted in 1111 phases 111 11111e1re life. and he was 111'11111i111111t 11s 11 1'1V111'ite judge 111 student: athletic contests, 11s the 01'- g'1111ize1' 1'11 11 Nourishing press 1'11111 which 111111'iei1t1y 11isse111i1111te11 over the State news of interest concerning the C111111g'e. 111111 115 11 1311111111 force 111 the s0ci111 1ife 111' the 1'01111111111ity.

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ii1gly,21t the successful conclusion of the 111'st college year, he left Delaware 211111, the following 2111t1111111,11'21s 2111111itte11 111 the 51111110111111'eC121ss of the Ohio State U111ve1s1ty, 111 21 course now belonging to the College of Philosophy, Arts 211111 Sciences; 211111, in 1884, was graduated the1'ef1'11111 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. During his college student days, the stern necessity of self-support limited his study periods, 211111,11111L'h 11101'e,his play periods, as it 112111 in his high 511111111 years His f111'111e1'1'e121ti011 to the 01110 stale Jour- 11111 w as made closer by his entry upon its staff 11f 1'epo1'te1's.111 this 1111211 re- lation of college student 211111 City 1'eporte1,11e spent his days 211111 much 111 his llithtS. T11 his studies of C112111L'e1',Cice1'o, De11111sthe11es, Goethe 211111 Cor- neille, he added 2111 acquaintance with the language 111' the street the hotel lobby, the police court, the theat1e, 211111 the forum 111 21 State legislature. His practice in 11121the11121ties included in its scope 11111 only the 11e1h1etive logic of 1,1311L'1i1le1111 geometry, but the theory of probabilities applied to the problem of ttmaking h11th ends meet . His course 111 philosophy 211111 history i11v1.11ve11 not simply 21 study 111 the polities 211111 ee111111111ie 11evel1111111cnt Of Rome and Greer.x 21s su11111121rize11 by historical e1111111e1111111111s 211111 21111111111e11 by prescribed readings from 21 score 111 authorities, but also 21 1111111111e11g'e, 21t 111'st 11211111, of the men 11'h11 moved the strings 111 011111 politics at the e2111it211 of that State 211111 at 1121s11111g1111111'hithe1'11e was sent 1111 s11eei211 1e11111t1111111 service in the 1121vs 11he11 11121i11e was 21 111'esi11e11ti211 e211111i1121.te With 2111 his effort, the earnings of 21 L'11h reporter were not sultieient 11,1 11:1y 0111' students hills. 'Jihel'e1'1'11'e, 11111'i11g' the 11mg 11211'21111111s, he sought and secured e11111111yl11e11t. 11s 21 s211esn12111 111 21 11111111 Store. How 1211' he devel- oped 111111111: this 111e1'e2111111e experience the 1'1e1'e1' 211't 111 the successful 11'2111es- 11121112--the 211't 111g21i11i11g' 21 11111111 111'111it 1111 the sale 211111 at the s21me time satis- fying the purchaserseis 11111 1'11'211'. That his employer was pleased, is i1111i- e21te11 by the f21L't that his services in this 1'211121L'ity were repeatedly e11111111ye11, 211111 11y 2111 inseriptiun written by that e11111111ye1' 111 21 g'ift-111111k 211111 referring to the time when you 1111ste11 211111 swept the 11111111-st111'e 211111 11111 it so well- in your College 1l21ys',. 1.11 21 lite thus 11L'1',11111L-11 there 11'21s little leisure 1111' 01131211111; in the. 2111- sorhing 011'1111211111113 111 11111ege 111111t11s 211111 1'211'sity s11111'ts 1111111011 11111' stu- dent was often 111'21fte11 1111' 1'11111111ittee service. 1111- s1h11121stiL' 1'e10111 111 the University was 11111 111211'11'e11 by any list 111 prizes, 111e1121ls 111'111111111's 21111xe11 10 the 1121111e, Sparkss-pussihb' 1111' the reason 111211 there were in those 1121ys very few 1'L'11'211'11s 111 this kind es121111ishe11. Three 121ets 21ttest his proheieney in studies ' , 11'21s 54121111011 his 11i1111111121 211' the eon- L'h1si1111 111 the normal period 111' study: 111211. 11111111 the f11111111111g, in 10115, of 21 chapter of Phi Beta Kappa 211 the Ohio State University, 111'. Sparks was one Of the few 21111111111 selected 1111' 111e111hc1'shi11: 211111 the much more signih- 1221111 f211't 111211, in his J1111i111' year. he was appointed 2111 instructor in history 101' the Preparatory 211111 171'esh1112111 Classes. .1111101113' his 11121111! teachers :11 the University. one especially i111111e111'e11 the mind 01' Mr. Sparks. 'lihis teacher was John T. Short, Professor 111' His- to1'y. Professor Short was. 211 this period, 11'e11 11111111111 21s the author 111 the

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During this term of service, Prof. Sparks gradually turned hack to his favorite specialty the study and teaching of history, 111111 for several years, added to the duties of his own Depa1't111e1111,tl1e care of the Lollege classes in 11111111115 historical subjects. hvei'y half 1101111 that could he gained from ioutine occupations, was devoted to the favorite study. 1111'0fess01 Sparks was, then as now, 1111 enthusiastic 111111 inspiring teacher. The successful teacher must not only be acquainted with the facts and versed in the prin- ciples of his subject, but must also be 11 master of their presentation. Emer- son 1111s said, hlf you would learn to write itis 111 the street you must learn it. .Professm'5par11's 111111, 111 the st1LLt school of the 11e1 vs 1'Lpo1te1, aheaLly le11111ed to use language so that 1111 could 11111le1 st 11111 it,gai11e1l aptness in the discussion of a broad valiety of subjects, 111111 learned to illuminate his- toric cha' acters and conditions by the use of appropriate a11ec110te.No 1111- 11111101t1111t part of his errt at this time was spent in more completely 111115- tering the art of expression, and few days passed 111 which some hour was not devoted to exercises in composition for the sole purpose of securing- a1l11e11 ease, 111ei11ity,111111 versatility of style. 111 1891, l rofessor 811111113 received from his 11111111 11111111' the degree of Master of Arts. 111 the summer of: 1893, he attended a g1111l1111te Lou1se in history giVeu at Harvard University, under the direction of its professor of history, Doctor Albert Bushnell Hart. A portion of the 11111111111111: Col- lege year was spent in studies at the Chicago Exposition; 111111 subsequent H1'11c11ti011 periods were likewise devoted largely to further historical studies in the libraries of W'ashington,B11lti111ore and l ostou. 'Ilhe te1Ll1er differs from the student in this also, that the latter may be content with the mere gainiurr of knowledge while the former is irresistibly impelled to impart to others 5, as clearly as he can, the knowledge he has ac- quired. We have already intimated that l 1'ofessorSpa1'ks was by 11111111e a tea Lher. At the period of 11111111 we are speaking, the impulses of the teacher were shown by him not only in his routine class-room work, hut in many other ways. In 1893, he published his first historical volume, Wliopieal Reference Lists in American History , a valuable 11111 to college teachers using the re- search method of instruction. The same year, he connected himself with the A111e1'ie1111 Society for University Extension, 111111, in this relation, delivered at Altoona, hrmiuga 11am, 111111 Holidayshurg series of lectures upon subjects in Ameri '1111 history. These lectures were appreciatively received. Their success, and the excel- lence of 1'e1'11i11 articles contributed to the University Extension Magazine brought Professor Sparks to the faVO' able notiLe of President IIar',pe1 who tendered him 11 position 111 the University l'xtension Division, organized in 1893 in the Univeisitv of Chicago He 11eLepte11 to the sincere regret of his State College associates. Six months later, he was appointed to a position 111 the Department of History of the University, though his connection with the University 111x- t'enson work continued.