Swarthmore College - Halcyon Yearbook (Swarthmore, PA)

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Swaitbmore College. ITS ORIGIN AND SOME NOTES UPON ITS EARLY HISTORY. By Edward H. Magill, LL. D. CHAPTER V. HE work of the College was resumed at the beginning of the tenth collegiate year (1878-9) without any change in the members of the Faculty, except that the President, in addition to his other duties, was made Professor of the Latin Language. A considerable reduction in the price of board and tuition was made for the present year, to be made especially applicable to Friends ' children and all others who were preparing to become teachers. The result of this reduction was a largely increased attendance, and the income, even at the lower rate, increased faster than the expenses. From 105 College students and 106 in the Preparatory School for the previous year, the number advanced to 1 13 College students and 149 in the Preparatory School, or a total increase of about 25 per cent., though most of this was in the Preparatory School. A very considerable part of the increase in numbers here noted is to be ascribed to the establishment at this time of a Normal Department for the special training of those desiring to teach, to which department students were admitted as an experiment at a greatly reduced rate. Lectures were given to these students on the Theory and Practice of Teaching, and opportunity was offered for practical experience in teaching, under competent professors, by using the classes of the Preparatory School as Practice Classes. A Normal Diploma was also offered for a full course of study in this department, and for those who had partly completed such course First or Second Certificates were given. 12

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1897. Ninth Month 22D, Examination for Admission. Ninth Month 23D, Regular Exercises Begin. Eleventh Month 24TH-29TH, Thianksgiving Recess. Twelfth Month 22D, Winter Recess Begins. 1898. First Month 3D, Students Return. First Month 29TH, First Semester Ends. SeconO Semester. First Month 31ST Second Semester Begins. Second Month I2TH Shaliespeare Evening. Second Month 230, College Oratorical Contest. Third Month i8th, Literary Society Contest. Third Month 26th, Spring Recess Begins. Fourth Month 4TH, . . . Students Return. Fourth Month gTii, . . Somerville Reuni. n. Fourth Month I2TH, . Sophomore- Freshman Oratorical Contest. Fifth Month 230, Senior Examinations Begin. Fifth Month 30TH, . , . i-enior Examinations Completed and the Results Annourced. Sixth Month 6th, Final Examinations Begin. Sixth Month 13TH, Class-Day Exercises. Sixth Month 14TI-1, Commencement. II

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This combination of Normal School and College work was entered upon with some misgivings as to the result. The attempt to make Practice Classes of our Preparatory students caused dissatisfaction, as their instruction was placed under the care of inexperienced teachers, and the apparent necessity of introducing younger students for these classes discouraged those who looked forward to making Swarthmore a College of equal standing with the best colleges in the country. After a few years ' trial the experiment was abandoned as unsatisfactory with the material at our command. The later introduction of the study of Pedagogics, as a part of the College course in the upper classes, has accomplished the end intended in the introduction of the Normal Department, without the objections that were earlier urged against it. No new buildings were erected during this tenth year of the College, but a new impetus was given to improvement in the neighborhood by the erection of several houses on adjoining property, among which were those of our Superintendent and our Professor of Civil Engineering. It was also during this tenth y ear that a material improvement to our grounds was effected by a change in the direction of the road in front of the College. The whole number of students who attended the College and Preparatory School during the first ten years was 1,335. At the opening of the College for the eleventh year (1879-80) there were 266 names upon the roll, a greater number than on any previous year. About one-half of these were children of members of the religious society of Friends. The tendency toward making Swarthmore a College began now to be more and more obvious, from the advance made in its courses of study, and the greater maturity of those seeking admission. Of the 266 students present this year, just 200 were either in the College classes or in Class A of the Preparatory School. There was one important change made in the Department of Instruction the present year. After ten jears of faithful and efficient service, since the opening of the College, as teacher and Professor of History, Maria L. Sanford resigned her place, and accepted a similar position in the University of Minnesota, at Minneapolis. The objection made to the use of Preparatory students as Practice Classes in the Normal Department was partly removed this year by using for this purpose only Classes C and D, the lowest in the Preparatory School. The Library now began to claim the serious attention of the friends of the College, as being one of our valuable auxiliaries in the great work of education in which we are engaged. The Friends ' Historical Library was also materially increased this year by the gift of one hundred volumes, relating to the early history and literature of Friends, donated by our friend, Charles Thompson, of Manchester, England, in commemoration of his visit to the College during the Centennial year. 13