Salem State University - Clipper Yearbook

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Not all life can be one round of pleasure, so after lunch we poor little new-comers passed through a great ordeal-we entered the Chamber of Horrors. Fright- ened and trembling we entered, but came out fearless and triumphant and reassuringly whispered to those waiting to enter: It isn't very bad. We had only to sing a scale and read a little music, and the guardian of the chamber wasn't so terrible, now was she, girls? Thus the first day passed and we survived to tell the tale. 'Twas not long before the class of 1904 became fairly familiar with the ways of the school and learned to know the teachers and fellow-students. That first year we learned to draw, to find color, violet if possible, in every conceivable object, even in the lustre of an iron ore. We painted twigs and handed in our results, sure that they would go to Purgatory, where we might find them among the not passed. Yet many times we were happily surprised when the next day we saw these self-same sketches exhibited before the class and heard that familiar voice say, Isn't that jolly! We learned-nay-tried to learn Significant Figures. There were many puzzled faces at that time, but a patient teacher did his best to clear the cobwebs away. Mathe- matics, at which we had before looked through smoked glasses, now appeared as clear as crystal. We cheer- fully learned theorems and took great pride in our meter cube. But the best fun was our field trips, when we shouldered our instruments and went a-measuring. The people in the cars might stare, we didn't mind. Alas, how our hearts did beat when we went to acertain recitationand were told to give the line of thought as 17

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N. grouped into sections. Then there were many disap- pointed faces for high school chums were now separated. Little did some of these disappointed girls know of the life-long friendships that were to be formed with these strangers from all parts of the state. 'Twas not long before they said, How glad I am that I am in junior II thail may be with you! Now a normal school is a place for work, so it was not long before lessons began. In high school we had always looked forward to loitering'away the first few days when sections were being formed and books given out. It was just the opposite at Normal School, how- ever, for our principal has a hobby of having programs made out and everything in working order even before his classes come back to school, so within an hour of the opening exercises of that first day we had started work in earnest. It was strangeiyet very pleasant to sit around tables in such an informal way. We liked it. We went from recitation to re'citation, meeting new teachers and liking them, too. Taking it all in all, that first morning was more or less of a strain upon every one of us. We felt somewhat relieved when it came noon and we were freed from our new duties. Hungry as only healthy young girls can be, we hastened down stairs. There was the lunch room with many little tables and that delicious smell of something to eat awaiting us. Then what a din! juniors forgot their shyness and vied with Seniors in shouting for fried fish and ice cream. When all were served and some degree of quiet prevailed, the girls had great fun talking over the morning with old chums and new. 16

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though nothing had been said. It wasn't so bad after all--when it was over. Then we learned to know the flowers and trees. Qften we stood intently gazing up into a tree. The people thought that we were escaped inmates of the Danvers Asylum. We were only trying to discover how to tell that kind of a tree from all others, for we were learning that trees, as well as human beings, had that wonderful something called personality. It was a warm spring day and at a near-by open window appeared a little maid of four or live years of age, look- ing with wondering eyes down upon us. She broke the spell which the personality of the tree was making upon us, by exclaiming, What 'oo doin? Junior II literature class had rather a jolly time that year. You know its teacher. Gnce she remarked that she loved to be in the room with a rubber-plant, it was so sympathetic. The girls were bright, and wide-awake, but hard work was wearing upon them so that they began to think of sleep and rest. At the time they were reading Words- worth's To Sleep. Innocently enough the teacher asked, Miss Finn, did you ever think of sleep in this way before P The line ran thus: Come, blessed barrier between night and day. Well no, not exactly-that is-not until I came to this school, answered Finney. Yet this division felt envious at times, when they thought of the little, gentle lady who unlocked the hidden treasures and gave new thoughts to the other literature classes. She believed and taught, He is never alone who has noble thoughts. All our classes, too, vied with each other for the honors of the gymnasium. It was all good-natured rivalry. 18