University of Wisconsin Stevens Point - Horizon / Iris Yearbook (Stevens Point, WI)

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THE TALE OF TWENTY YEARS In the heart of the ruined palace I came on an ancient man; He told me a tale of the vanished throng, And this is the way it ran. 'The good old state of Massachusetts, famous for its historic elms and oaks—sent forth an acorn which fell on the hard, unturned soil of the 'Territory of Wisconsin near where the capitol at Madison stands today. 'Though the ground soon proved mellow and rich, the atmosphere remained cold and uninviting, and the acorn lay on the ground, unable to send forth rootlets. One day, however, some hoary-headed bewhiskered men picked up the acorn, and knew it to be one from the 'Tree of Knowledge. 'They planted it carefully in the vicinity of the state house and it grew and flourished. But though its broad branches gave grateful shade to those who came under its kindly shelter, there were many who could not come to the great tree, and as the years passed, there came to be many in our growing commonwealth who called out despairingly, “Send us, a tree also, our fathers, or we faint on the barren wastes, under the blazing shafts of ignorance.” 'Then the Solons shook their heads in disapproval, saying, “We must not let the people die in want of Knowledge. Let us transplant some of the rootlets of our beautiful tree, and employ caretakers to nourish them.” Accordingly, after a few years, five little sprouts had been dug up and replanted in places the most favorable for the growtth and protection of the little shoots. 'These places were Platte-ville, Whitewater, Oshkosh, Milwaukee, and River Falls. Shortly after this the caretakers discovered a sixth rootlet which they wished to transplant. They anxiously looked over all the land in the state “north of the north line of 'Township Number Twenty-four, north.” After careful inspection and thought one of them said: “In my travels I saw a spot where the sunshine in its dazzling brightness, the rains in gentle frequency, and the soil of golden sand as soft as down, seemed to be Mother Nature’s own choice for the bed of our little seedling. ’Tis a point in Portage County where the Wisconsin winds past a stately city. Tell me, worthy Solons, shall wc not decide on Stevens Point?” With one acclaim they all assented, and on July 22, 1893, the city of Stevens Point was made the proud possessor of the sixth normal school, largely through the effort of Judge B. B. Park, one of our legislators. How' great has been its growth, how fondly it has been cherished, how carefully nourished, it is for us now to consider. When the little root reached Stevens Point some of the care-takers were greatly troubled about a suitable habitation for the production of the delicate stalk. Soon, however, a practicable plan for the building was adopted, and on November 3, 1893, the contract was let to E. Bonnett and Son. 'The great railroad strike of 1894 delayed the transportation of materials. Thus it was not until September 17, 1894, that the school opened its doors to students. The dedication took place October 18. The building then occupied a fine site of five acres, fronting on Main Street in the Eastern part of the city. 'The lawn had been leveled and given a finely prepared top and a beginning was made in beautifying the grounds. 'The building is of Black River Falls pressed brick, rising above 3 basement wall of cream-colored sandstone, with light terra-cotta trimmings. In the basement of the building are the fuel and boiler-rooms, janitor’s apartments, and men’s cloak rooms. The basement also contains playgrounds for the children of the Model school, floors of the gymnasium, well-furnished bathrooms and dressing-rooms adjacent to the gymnasium. 'The first floor is almost wholly given up to the Model School, except that portion occupied by the upper portion of the gym- It is written— “The realization shall he greater than the dream. 19

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And the slately palace grew and grew, and more splendid its fame did seem. Here wise men came from many lands with a wealth of wondrous lore. ANNALS nasium. The second floor is occupied by the Normal School proper. The science laboratories occupy most of the third floor. The class-rooms are large and convenient. The system of mechanical ventilation controlled by the Johnson Heat Regulator insures a supply of fresh air of suitable temperature free from sudden extremes. The air of the entire building may be changed from five to six times within an hour. The rooms are abundantly lighted. The finish is of Georgia pine. The library is a light, airy place. This description of the original building is interesting to those who now enjoy the use of the enlarged structure. Before the fourth year of the school’s existence five more acres had been added to the campus, so that it now occupies a sward of ten acres. Then the legislature appropriated money for a new wing, which was finished September 1, 1901. This addition was greatly needed. Owing to the great number of students, the building was not large enough to accommodate them. Peter Kelly and family were driven out of the janitor’s quarters and Prof. Swift, with his psychology and theory, occupied their place. Then practice-classes might have been seen roosting on stairways and in hallways, in a literal representation of “sitting at the feet of the master.” The addition provided another assembly-room, several recitation rooms, on each floor, cloak rooms, janitor’s apartments, men’s bathrooms, and other needed accommodations. It also provided us with an Art Annex which in 1908 and 1909 developed into a historical and scientific museum. The various organizations and societies of the school, such as the Iris and Pointer Staffs, the Forum-Athenaeum, and the Y. W. C. A., were assigned rooms on the third floor. During this time the lawn had been greatly beautified by the addition of trees, and shrubs native to this part of Wisconsin. Sumac, witch-hazel, common hazel, winterberry, hawthorn, and alder are the most conspicuous shrubs, though there are also found prickly ash, elder, bittersweet, snowberry, woodbine, spireas, and several others. Elm, maple, linden, ash, white birch, cherry, white pine, and spruce trees are also to be found on the campus. In 1911 money was again appropriated to us for another addition and cottages for the Domestic Science department. Owing to the rapid growth of the Milwaukee Normal School, it became necessary for the Regents to use our appropriation there. However, we were not forgotten, for in 1913 our Madison friends again set aside money for us—this time most definitely and explicitly. Work on this addition was started Monday, May 18, 1914. All of us are eagerly anticipating sitting in an Auditorium” instead of an over-crowded “assembly-room,” and the Domestic Science people are looking forward to Real Homes” at S. P. N. next year. In referring to the beginning of the excavation the Pointer of May 22 says: The beginning of a new epoch in our school history was made by a worthy member of our institution, named ‘Albert,’ when he tore down the scaffolds and teeters representing the primary playground this morning. This was done between 7:00 and 8:00 a. m. At twenty minutes to eight the first furrow was turned. At 9:45 the first shovel of dirt was removed. According to the plans the excavation will be 180 feet 8 inches long and 80 feet 2 inches wide.” Last fall, through the powerful influence of our present regent, George B. Nelson, and our good President, John F. Sims, the legislature again made an appropriation for Stevens Point Normal. This time it was one hundred thousand dollars for a dormitory to be built as soon as plans and specifications can be made. With the establishment of the Normal Schools the exclusive purposes and objects of each were set forth as follows: “1. There shall be instruction and training of persons, both male and female, in the theory and art of teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a common school education and in all subjects needful to qualify for teaching in the public schools. “2. There shall also be instruction in the fundamental laws of the United States and of this state, in what regards the rights and duties of citizens.” In carrying out these purposes, with the opening of the school we find six courses installed. They were: an elementary course of two years, an English Scientific course of four years, a Latin course of four years, a German course of four years, a one-year professional course and a one-year common school course. The courses for high school graduates consisted then, as now, of the last two years of the English-Scientific, Latin, or German courses. The German course remained a dead letter for some time. There were no separate departments of German, literature, psychology, biology, or geography. In the early days we had no librarian. After the year 1900 we find the number of courses increased to ten, those added being-an English course of four years; special preparation for primary and intermediate grades; an advanced post-graduate course of one year; a Domestic Science course; a Manual Training course. 20