SUNY at Fredonia - Fredonian Yearbook (Fredonia, NY)

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JUNE iTI-IE NORMAL LEADER 1918 selves in the midst of a hundred or more girls laughingland gossip- ing to their hearts co-ntent. Standing there alone we wondered if we would be as glad to return the following year as these: girls ap- peared to be . VV e were assigned a Seat and we were taught our first lesson in punctuality. E-ver since that very first day we have been thoroughly drilled in punctuality but alar, clocks that failed to go' onf and street cars that failed to run caused Major Freeman a needless amount of anxiety. 'We soon introduced ourselves to the lieutenants. Then our real duties commenced. VV e had daily drills in long exercises in grammar. lf we stumbled over little things like haint's and aint's we were quickly reprimanded. The land of figures was inspected. This seemed to many of us to, be truly No man's land. VVe encountered many obstacles and some of us were completely exhausted before we removed the greatest, that of adding two thirds and three Fourths. After sever- al interviews with General Dana, we were told that we had passed this terrible test. We also learncdbthat a knowledge of topography and geogra- phy is an essential in a soldiers life. The winds and current al- most carriecl us away but we were taught how to master them and we all passed this test with honors. Our greenness gradually wore off. NVQ adjusted ourselves to the happily blended program of work and play that surrounded us and before winter was upon us we felt quite at home. The first of series of meetings was called October 12th. Our company was organized with Bruce Mathewsonas leader. Under his guidance we were soon ready to show our abilities and this demonstration took the form of a Hallowelen party. This proved such a success that a continuous whirl of social events followed. These were easy to provide for because our company is made up of soloists, recitationsists, dancers and conversationalists who can furnish any kind of entertainment. Our brave leader heard the call of the sea and one day sailed off to the navy to travel and fight for Uncle Sam. Archie Harkness was chosen to succeed him and he carried the responsibilitlies of our class until this April when Sim Mclvlillen was elected. The close of the first year of our enlistment came and we were

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JUNE THE NORMAL LEADER 1918 , OVER THE TOP Over the top with the best of luck, Thats what we're going' to do. Over the top with the best of luck, And XVQ,1'G, doing it all for you. as F lbistorv of Ube lllormal cttw of 'is Alice Marion Johnson A Two years ago- 'we were just beginning to grasp the extent and purpose of this great world war. The question naturally arose, Wl1at can We do to be of the greatest aid to our country? If our Republic is to be a success it is necessary that our citizens be educated so' that they will be better able to solve the eveiirising -problems and to -carry the greater responsibilities. So patriotism was one o-f the motives which made us choose the teaching profession. The unique artistic atmosphere and superior advantages of the cantonment pitched at Fredonia led us to select this as our training station. September Sth, 1916 found a large number of' individuals standing at the door of the cantonnient. Every type-of girl was here represented so it did not take us long to make long and lasting friendships. Among the things that made these first few confus- ing days bearable were Mrs.Rose's kind advice, Florence's smile, Ruth's pleasant, Good morninguand the good-natured twinkle in Mr. Freemans eye. . The hrst day! That never to be forgotten first day. It was .a continual hurry and hustle from one part of the camp to the other. After a brief interview with General Dana we were ordered to register with Major Freeman. 'Wfe inquired from at least a half dozen rookies equally as bewildered as ourselves as to the position of his barracks. It was Hnally located and we found our-

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J' T IUNE THE NORMAL LEADER 1918 given a long glorious furlough. VV e threw our belongings into our bags, said Goodbye to F. N. S., and hurried home. In the fall however we were equally glad to return to camp. The officiers and girls here have a charm all their own which is hard to resist. This year we were trained to become officers. To command rightly is not as easy as it once seemed to us. The first weeks were spent in observing our critics. How wonderful they are. Could we ever make the grim uninteresting subjects look interesting by dressing them in attractive new frocks? Could we ever make the restless, mischievous children respond to our commands. and sug- gestions? Our turn to try soon came. VVe can laugh over our mistakes now but at the time they made the world seem pretty dark. Some of us wound ourselves completely up in our questions while others trembled so that the pupils could scarcely hear our faint yes and no , The questions which the children fired seemrto be aim- ed directly at us. Many o-f the bravest wished we might hold our ears and take to our heels. But our critics with unfailing patience managed to drag us through these first ordeals and as we grew accustomed to the sotmd of this peculiar firing we learned to look behind the question to the intensely interesting questioner. VV e grew bolder with practice until now we feel quite confident that we can conquer any foe. But all work and no play makes .lack a dull boy. So our whole force was ordered to a company meeting October twelfth. Then we planned the successful weiner roast given at the home of Ella Perham. It was there that Dorothy Kelley among many others showed her inguenity in stowing away weiners and marsh- mallows. We all had such a delightful time that we decided never a month would go by without some social gathering. But as the months came they slipped by almost unnoticed so deep were we in despair over criticisms, examinations and class meetings. Some of our class meetings were long and long to be remembered especially those in which a few of our company tried to show their abilities as lawyers. During this dark period there is one usually bright event that stands out clearly. lt was our play. W' e are indeed proud of those of our class-mates who took part. Everyone seemed well pleased with it save little lunior boy who said it ended too abruptly. Ask Madeline if this criticism was just. I