The Burial of Trigonometry For many, years, sometime during the year, Mr. Sparks would tell what became familiarly known as the Trigonometry Burial. Mr. Sparks was a member of the Scientific Class of Dixon College, Dixon, Illinois. This class put on a stunt, involving the last rites of Trigonometry. Thinking that students of former years might relish the story, Mr. Herman Janes reproduces it. One day last summer, Mr. Sparks was in Dixon, and stood near the spot w ' are Trigonometry was buried. Place; Dixon College, Dixon, Illinois Time: 1903 - Henry Donham Sparks was a senior Cast: Senior Scientific Class Plot: The Burial of Old Trigonometry The senior class had an awful worry with Old Trig, so they just decided to bury the villain and call it a day. Henry Donham thought the joke was rather crude, but, as the majority was for it, and really no principle of good morals was involved, he went along with it, and in fact became one of the chief mourners. H. D. was sent to the President of the College to ask permission to dig a grave out in front of the main building, where, after appropriate ceremonies, the Scientific Class might dispose of the remains of Trigonometry. Old Trig was properly em- balmed and placed in a small casket covered with bright red, somber black, and other appropriate colors. The procession, consisting of the bearers, chief mourners, and the Devil and all his Angels, formed in the library and went toward the campus. Some freshmen, thinking to be wise beyond their limited ability, tried to fix a bucket of water so that when the door was opened the procession would be drenched, but the Scientifics got the dope, and prevented this catastrophe. The procession marched around the campus with doleful music of the bugle corps and crying of chief mourners. While the class was out around the campus, the grave was left open. A couple of freshmen went to the grave with the intention of filling it up. Director of the class. Prof. George C . Heritage , put one foot across the open grave, picked up a shovel and said, Come one, come all, not one drop of earth or anything else will you put in that grave while this bunch of mine is away. And so the grave was left untouched. The procession in time returned to the open grave and buried the deceased in due form. Finally they presented the soul of Old Trig to the Devil, a terrible looking person all decked out in red, long horns and tail, etc. As they were about to disperse, our good friend Heritage called a few seniors together and told them they had better guard the grave at night, as he believed some fresh- men would try to steal Old Trig from the grave. They took the tip, and a number were scattered around the campus waiting. About one o ' clock, some freshmen, armed with elm clubs which they had peeled until they shone like sabers in the moonlight, appeared on the scene. The Scientifics were greatly outnum- bered, and would have lost the body if the freshmen had attempted to take it by force. However, the freshmen listened to the argu- ments of the Scientifics, and the body was left in the ground. Guard was maintained for the next two nights, but no one came. On the third night, Old Trig was taken from the grave to the ball park and cremated. The Scientifics noised it around that they had quit. The freshmen came and opened the grave only to find that Old Trig was gone, thus letting the Scientifics laugh last. Says H. D., I didn ' t like the goings on, but since no principle was violated, I went along with the gang. I was one of the chief mourners and I made the loudest noise, too. I get from this whole story: Stand up for what you think is right and best, but if the majority is against you and no principle is violated, go with the crowd. (Footnote) - The two Orlandos - Janes and Runkel - and others, reenacted the Old Trig story at a banquet in the Christian Church basement in Shelbyville about 35 years ago. Henrj ' really enjoyed it. H. O. Janes
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A Business Is Born It has often been said that the strength and purpose of an institution are the shadow of some individual. During the last year of his service as principal of the Madison, Indiana, High School, Mr. Sparks dreamed night and day of the establishment and promotion of an institution of learning that, while it would be private and personal, yet would serve future generations. He had in mind a school of training for young men and young women for better positions in business. Three words were signal posts on this highway of thought, modern, practical, and thorough. During the spring monthsof 1908, he wrote many letters to various cities throughout the United States inquiring about the feasibility of such a school, . fter high-school graduation exercises were over, he saw Shelbyville, Illinois, for the first time on June 11, 1908. The first three people that he met were Reverend R. H. Robertson, Minister of the Christian Church, Mayor Edwin R. Knecht, and City Attorney, Judge A. J. Steidley. None of these men overurged or even tried very hard to sell Shelbyville as a proper place for the school. They didn ' t discourage him, but were cautious. The most important visits, perhaps, that he made were to the prayer meetings of the various churches. He found them well attended and sincere in their programs. The Chamber of Commerce was inactive, but friendly. He was pleased with the citizenry of Shelbyville. He liked the public schools. One thing that always stood out in his mind was a little woman dwarfed in stature who stood up in the seat and talked to people all around about her as he came on the train from Mattoon to Shelbyville. Later on, he found out that really the first citizen of Shelbyville he ever saw was the sainted Winifred Douthit. God bless her memory. After considerable questioning and think- ing, counting his pennies, he decided on the twenty-first day of June to start a school. Mr. Sparks supervised the opening of the quarters on the third-floor-back room of what was then known as the Syndicate Building. Several years later, there was a fire in the building, and this top story was removed. This building is the one now occupied by the Reisacher Drug Store. Thinking that it would be wise to call particular attention to the opening of the school on the morning of the first Monday in September, 1908, he had a large sign painted, which was stretched across Main Street between the buildings now occupied by Richardson Clothes and the Reisacher Drug Store. A very few minutes before time to start the enrollment, a friend came to him and said, Sparks, how do you spell ' business ' . Why, he answered very promptly, b-u-s-i-n-e-s-s. The informer replied, That isn ' t the way it is spelled on the sign. Mr. Sparks hustled downstairs and, to his amazement, in great large letters he found B-u-i-s-n-e-s-s. It was too late to correct the sign, but it came down faster than it went up. Thirteen students answered the roll call and made arrangements to cast their lot with this new venture, named Shelby Business College. The first student to enroll in the school was Miss Lulu Andes, who was famil- iarly known as Rosebud. She is now Mrs. B. C. Gennette. The first student to work in the office was Miss Ildna Marguerite South, who is now Mrs. Henry Pauschert, living in Alhambra, California . The original thirteen students who enrolled that first morning were Miss Lulu Andes, Mr. George A. Bowman, Mr. George Heinz, Mr. John Huffman, Miss Alta Jenkins, Mr. Glen Miller, Mr. Harry L. Pauschert, Miss Edna Marguerite South, Mr. Clair I. Storm. Mr. Leslie R. Tallman, Miss Grace Thom, Miss Mary Thomas, and Miss Martha E. Ulmer. Of these original thirteen, at the time of this writing, only one has- answered the Final Roll Call, and that one was the president of the class, Mr. George Bowman, who passed to the Great Beyond very recently. On the first evening, a night course was started. It was not ever the intention of the management to conduct a night school per- manently, but he felt that, of those students who might come for the night school in the beginning, some would eventually enter the day school, and others would drop out. It worked that way. Those entering the night school were as follows: Mr. W. F. Aichele, Mr. Vance Courtright, Miss Ora Cullison, Miss Pearl Cullison, Miss Grace Davis, Mr. Jesse Donaldson, Mr. Rennie Frazier, Mr. Orville Moore, Mr. Ben Parish, Mr. I. S. Storm, Mr. Orville Storm, Miss Nell Thornton, Mr. Charles Waggoner, and Miss Ada Weakly. MISS I.ULU ANDES MISS MARGUKiniK SnUTH
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