SUNY at New Paltz - Paltzonian Yearbook (New Paltz, NY)

Page 29 text:

s 5R2R2ii2222222?2222?225222222321222222 M P W W , . Q A s Egesa r Z2 0 ya W ' W W W M W M W W W M Still' V., W W BA Va! M ' W W W M W W W W W M W M W M .. W Bd 0 I, A N l899 Myron T. Scudder became principal of the school. During this period is BA men were giving more attention to domestic science, manual training, the 3 BA kindergarten, physical training, and to the newer ways of teaching old subjects. V3 B74 Dr. Scudder was an enthusiast and threw himself whole-heartedly into the task Vg B72 of bringing the school fully abreast of the latest ideas. A kindergarten was established, yd BA courses in domestic science and manual training were added, and teachers were secured 53 B! who were familiar with the new pedagogy. Mr. Scudder believed in the utmost freedom of BA the individual and established a school city which managed the ordinary affairs of student pig BA life. Wilson L. Gill, originator of the school city movement, was called in to organize this ya BA unique system in New Paltz. 513 M W The school was divided into three cities: the Primary, the Intermediate, and the Nor- Spf mal. Each city had its mayor, councilmen, courts, policemen, and departments of health, pub- if lic works, and finance. Council members were elected to represent wards, as in an actual city. N1 3824 Oflienses against the school society were tried by courts. A police court, consisting of one 'Ni if judge, tried minor offenses, while more heinous crimes were tried by a court made up of a N55 BA judge and six or twelve jurors. A state government was soon formed, important parts of R55 HA which were the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. A governor was elected, as well as Ni BA a lieutenant-governor, a secretary of state, an attorney general, judges, senators, and assem- P53 BA blymen. An interesting feature of the election procedure is that it was made as nearly true Q59 BA to life as possible. f 5 M , . M BA . The school print shop prepared ballots closely patterned after those used in real elec- kg pd tions.. Actual voting lllothiiwere set uphin the gymnasium, and the presence of policemen and Ag BA e ectlon inspectors a e lgnlty to t e occasion. 'Ag S5 The aim of the School City is by practical means to raise the quality of citizenship 22 to the highest standardg to increase the happiness of student life: to add effectiveness to the -X3 H2 teacher's work.: and to set forth the great object of education, which is that the individual ga 82 Twenty-eight A3 M ,M W KKKXKZZZZZKKKKKKKKKKZKKKKKZZK5ZKKKKKKQ

Page 28 text:

' 1 MQW., 4 K9 SNS u 'A As fl GN 'I Q1 'GNQK9 fb -KDFNSKSQ GNQKS 0 KIXSNQ-KD' S34 J 'I Frank Sumner Capen was grad- uated from the Brockport Collegiate Institute. He entered the University of Rochester in I863, but after his first year enlisted in the Union army. When Une war ended he returned 1899 and tool: his A. B. degree from the I University. He accepted the chair of T h G W al 1 1 1: 1 1 1 mathematics at Cortland Normal, where he taught fifteen years. For two years he was mathematics in- structor at Colby University. He received his Ph. D. from Colgate University, and in l888 accepted the principalship of New Paltz Normal, where he served until l899. He died at Cortland in l900. expectation that they can, in the allotted time, complete the prescribed courses of instruction. They must at least be able to spell correctly: to pronounce in reading accurately and readily words in common use: to write neatly and legiblyg to pass creditably an examination upon physical, descriptive, and mathematical geographyg and such an examination upon arithme- tic and grammar Cincluding analysis of sentencesl as will show that they can review and com- plete these subjects in one term: they should have given consideration to the elements of natural science, and in general, they ought to have availed themselves of all the advantages offered by the common schools of the state. Even though the building had been enlarged, it soon became inadequate and crowding re- sulted. ln IS93 the entrance examination was done away with, and any elementary school graduate could enter the Normal School. ln the same year, however, the course of study was lengthened, which served to discourage prospective entrants and reduced the total en- rollment somewhat. Dr.Capen's forceful personality madeitselffeltin the ingenuity with which the Normal and its Practice School were efliciently managed in the over-crowded building. Further evidence of his dynamic thinking lay in his departing from the beaten track and differentiating be- tween the professional and academic subjects, and by placing the instruction of the children in the grades more fully in the hands of student teachers. The beloved principal, aside from stressing the professional ideals of teaching, also emphasized the practical viewpoint of teaching as a business. However, Normal students managed to find time for some fun, and the swan-song of the Capen administration may well have been the Class Yell of 1899: Razel, Dazel, Whoop la rool All our hearts are strong and true. We're all right with gold and white, Drop in line, drop in line, ,I-u-n-e-'99 I Twenty-seven ' 'Q.I'0so'Di Q10-fb 6GNWk9GW QJOfDGN6K9Ql0fDQ 6364.23 121015 D630 K2 2 2 Q 2 Q 5 2 3 2 3 -QA an KJ 2.00 O SKS Q2 GN :va K5 'I 5 X. 9 9 Q. G f. 1 A Q a C 6 J C

Page 30 text:

.J I 52332335.32-,?:32?i?3?3i3e3?fff35i3Qf593'E-5f3Se3-,l5ri31.l3F,. E.ui:3f:3F3:E-iff 135- ., - .X S55 Myron Tracy Scudder was born 2 is in i QU in India in l860 and came with- his 52 parents to this coiinirylln 31868. .lile attended thedAdep id elrzy Iam BA Brooklyn, an receive is . . BA from Rutgers College. Later he -if layif studied at the graduate School of iii! 544 , : - E as EI Philosophy at Yale. Coming to New i 3 aff Paltz in l899, he brought advanced 'Vg fx e uca iona 1 eas -an erve as W W d r 1 'a d s C1 V4 Fil T principal for nine years. l-le was gg BA A Professor of Education at Rutgers pil University from l908' to l9l2, when Zvi he left to become principal of the pil Scudder School for Girls in New York 2,25 522 Cityii a pgggion he held until his pix cleat in . 528' Li wx Elf shall be led to form the habit of thinking and of acting toward others honestly and gen- xii erously, and under all circumstances to govern himself fearlessly and wisely. HA Such was the preface to the Charter of the Normal School City, a document which set if forth in great detail the functions of departments, the duties of officers, and the rights of big Bd citizens. The charter was a tremendous improvement over a former series of Regulations for BA Student Government, which inveighed against the evils of 'ttheldrlnklng ofnlntoxicating ya pil liquors, playing pool, billiards, and cards in public places, and pitching pennies, which were 3 considered detrimental to educational interests by cultivated and refined people. ya 5,2 The school city was not the only innovation at New Paltz in which Dr. Scudder and Mr. ye? gd Gill were included. The glorious successes of the American arms in the war with Spain were gif still ringing throughout the land in l90l when The Normal Review published this editor- ya QA ial: The Cubans are coming, Hurrah! Mr. Gill writes Dr. Scudder from Cuba under date 271 of june 25th: 'I wish l could help receive the fifty young women who are going from here to Vg 3,2 you. That is a big responsibility for you. But you are equal to making them love America Vg BQ - and spread that love in Cuba. I hope your American girls will love the Cuban girls and help yd make them happyf H Vg gi The girls were sent by the Cuban government to get training in the United States in order Vg iff, to become fitted for teaching in their native land. A local hotel was leased to serve as a dormi- My 8,91 tory for the young women. Several Spanish-speaking teachers were added to the faculty. Vg if The Cuban girls were for the most part earnest and conscientious, and did well in spite of Vg 'ca s. Arran enients were made to repeat the experiment a second year but the Cuban fig Spf handi p 8 pd government was unable to provide funds and only one of the girls remained to graduate. Vg ad In the midst of this activity, during the Easter recess, 1906, the disastrous fire occurred Vg B71 which burned the school building to the ground. In two days, through the executive ability of aff Dr, Scudder, provision had been made to hold school in shops, lodge-rooms, and churches of the PM village. This piece-meal school continued for two years, until in l908 the Normal convened ga Z5 for the first time in the new building on the hill. Y BA Twcnly-nine ya W - .- .i ,o X. . .. . .. . . .. ,N -,-.-, -, eff 5YiiKKK3fifTi75?ili'?Yiff1iif?i1'35?1'fS fii f23i1Yiati'?5rIif'iii'ii1Yf'3?i?i'6'S'5'353s 1i'51'?fiii