University of Wisconsin Superior - Gitche Gumee Yearbook (Superior, WI)

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'22 GITCHE GUMEE PICTURES IN THE NORMAL SCHOOL. SADIE McMASTER. Among the many beautiful pictures which decorate the walls of the Superior Normal school there are some that are worthy of especial mention. Upon en- tering the assembly hall almost the first picture to attract one's attention is the Frieze of the Prophets which occupies a conspicuous place above the rostrum. This picture is a copy of the frieze in Sargent ltlall in the new public library of Boston, and was painted by john S. Sargent. The whole painting in the hall consists of a lunette, a frieze, and a part of the ceiling and illustrates cer- tain stages of Jewish and Christian his- tory. The subject is the confused strug- gle in the jewish nation between Mono- theism and Polytheism. In the frieze are the Hebrew people scorning the idols of polytheism and looking only to the one and unseen God for their inspira- tion and law. The frieze does more than illustrate the monotheistic and spiritual principles of the jewish religion. It has been fine- ly compared to a Greek chorus inter- preting and supporting the movement of a great drama. In the right hand panel the three extreme prophets are exulting in strong athithesis to the three prophets on the opposite wall, in the sure hope of a Messiah to come and relieve Israel of her Woes, and are pointing in the direction of the panels which Mr. Sar- gent has decorated with a painting of Christ preaching to the nations of the world. The central figure of the frieze is Moses supporting the Tables of the Law. On the right is joshua sheathing his sword, on the left is Elijah-the three forming a group by themselves. In looking at this picture one cannot but note the color-the arrangement of the light and dark in such a marked ways, yet so well balanced are' the colors, that the' harmony is felt throughout. Not only the coloring is so noticeable, but also the simplicity of the lines. This is shown in the arrangement of the straight formal folds of Mose's priestly gowns and the loose robes of the other prophets. . just to the left of tl'1C.,F1'1CZC of the l'rophets hangs Turner's The Fighting Temeraireu obtained as a result of the declamatory contest 1901. Of all Tur- ner's pictures in tl1e National Gallery of England this is perhaps the most noted. john Ruskin says of it: lt is the last picture he ever painted with perfect power. The subject of this picture was sug- gested to Turner by Clarkson Stanlield Qwho himself, had painted a Battle of Trafalgarj. . They were going down the river by boat, when the old ship, being tugged to her last berth at Deptford, came in sight. Therels a fine subject, Turner,U said Staniield. This was in 1838. Next year the picture was ex- hibited at the Academy. In 1902, another picture-one of Corot's beautiful landscapes-was hung upon the wall in the Assembly I-Iall. Carot was a French painter born in 1796. lflis fame was gained chiefly through his landscape paintings. ln the library hang six pictures uni- form in size and mounting, entitled the Evolution of the Booksf' The originals of these pictures, painted by john W. Alexander, hang in the Library of Con- gress. Mr. Alexander is an American artist of note, living in Philadelphia. The first picture, the Cairn, shows a company of men of prehistoric time raising a heap of boulders to commemorate some nota- ble event. Oral Tradition, the second picture, depicts the chieftain of the vil- lage, an Arab, relating his tale to an ab- sorbed group of listeners. In the third picture, entitled Egyptian Hieroglyphics, may be seen an Egyption workingman chiseling an inscription i11 stone over the portals of a temple. By his side, on the scaffold, sits a girl watching his work. in the distance rises a pyramid. The next picture, Picture Writing, shows us an American Indian painting upon a deer skin the story of his tribe, The Manuscript Book then follows. An interior of a monastery is shown of the Middle Ages. A monk is seen seated in the dim light of an arched window inscribing the events of the time in a great book. In the last picture of the series, the

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GITCHE GUMEE 21 which defeated the notorious Blaine basket ball team. VVe were very much grieved by the departure of our beloved lf'resident, dur- ing the spring term. for his new work in Memphis, Tennessee. The class en- deavored to show its appreciation of what he had done for it by giving a banquet in his honor the week before he left. When our new Prexy. Mr. McCaskill. was interviewed and he actually gave permission for a junior-Senior. both classes were in a great state of excite- ment and many disputes arose as to the nature of the affair. At the last the more radical members compromised with those members who had been shut in the ehrysalis of no dancing for so long that they were not able to stand so strange an affair as a junior-Senior in the Su- perior Normal sehool. The result is to be a small and more select affair. These are some of the important items ni the history of the class of '07 up to the time when the Gitche goes to press. but, we still have before us the Regents Exam., Class Day with its play and other exercises and Commencement lfVeek end- ing with Graduation Day after which important event, we shall no longer be members of the student class of '07 but of that steadily increasing organization, the Alumni of the Superior State Nor- mal school. Joicns. . This column is headed Jokes but don't be misled the pure food law does not cover this article. To show that other jokesmiths have troubles, we clip the following from the Ladies' l-Tome Journal: The world isiold, yet likes to laugh: New jokes are hard to find: A whole new editorial staff Can't tickle every mind. So if you meet some ancient joke Decked out n modern guise. Don't frown and call the thing a fake. Just laugh-don't be too wiseq Class l'oet-I left a poem here last The Gallant Fireman. week. entitled u Mr. VVhite-Very realistic poem was it not? Class Poet-Yes, sir, it was. I Mr. White-So I thoughtg I am afraid lt went to the fire. Mr. S-li-e-l-Now that T am graduat- thinks that l am capable ed my father of striking out for myself. Miss L-d-r-He must have seen you playing ball. , Papa-How is our john doing at col- legel Mamma--just splendidg his last letter Says he sings first tenor and plays second base. Members of the observation class have proposed the following for use in a class in beginning reading. lt was accom- panied with a picture of a dog with a piece of tinware attached to his eaudal appendage. See the dog and the can. The dog can go fast. So can the can. Can the dog go as fast as the can can? llc can. Does the dog make the can go? Ask the teacher questions. Mr. l'l-bdt--fAddressing rhetoric classj-I have no vices. I cannot be flattered. lilattery is the praise we hear bestowed on others. Mr. C-d-g-n's great great grandfather had just proposed: Said the fair one: Moike will yez always luv me wid all yer hart. ' Sure onless oi hov hart failure, re- sponded the gallant ancestor of our popu- lar business manager. Smith--Is your son making any prog- ress in college? Brown-Well, I dunno as he's doing a great deal with his booksg but when he gits into trouble he manages to be in company -with the boys of some purty prominent men. Superior has its ups and downs. Yes. Streets torn up and buildings torn down. I

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GITCI-IE GUMEE 23 Printing Press, is shown Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, in his office with an assistant, examining a proof sheet and discussing his great invention. g ,lust opposite the Evolution of the llook in the l.ibrary, hangs Sir Galahad, presented to the school by the Girl's Reading Club in 1904. This picture is a copy of the original painted by George lirederick Watts. It is one of his most popular and represents Sir Galahad, the knight of King Arthur's Round Table, so spotless in his perfect purity that to his sight was revealed the Holy Grail, that mystic chalice which contained the blood of Christ and to him alone was vouchsafed its quest. .Besides the pictures mentioned as deco- rating the library, there is another which demands attention. This is the copy of spring presented by the senior class of 1904. Spring is one of the last large pic- tures painted by Sir Laurence Alma- Tadema. Here are two of the authorls friends, Mr. and Mrs. Henchel, clad as ancient Romans, looking down from an upper story upon the brilliant spectacle of children dressed in summer attire and bedecked with Howers. Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a Dutch painter who devoted himself to depicting the life, cus- toms, and manners of the Greeks and Ro- mans. His work is remarkable 'for its indications of careful research, correct- ness of costumes, and details of the period which he depicts. His pictures are com- petent in execution, nothing carelessly done and they have in addition, the value of trustworthy records of the pastg but they rarily move more than the intellect and the sight. Above the first landing between the first and second floors hangs a photo- graphic reproduction of a cast of Caesar Augusto. The cast is one of the most famous in the Loure in Paris. The em- peror as a senator, wrapped in his toga is prepared to make a speech. It has a noble dignity, which is about the finest thing possible in sculpture. The pictures mentioned in thispaper are but a few of those that adorn the walls of the library and the Assembly Hall. There are many others in the building that are worthy of every students time. attention, and study. Among these are: Ioan of Arc painted by jules Bostien Le Page, the original of which is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, a beautiful water color by Von Weclge. Baby Stuart by Van Dyke, Spring by Anton Mauve, copies of the noted paintings of the Madonna, also of Landseer and M illet's best work, and one of Corot's famous landscapes in the train- ing department. LM- -My , ,K uw, -AIM 33. 'v27f5 -if' J I! ,O 9 ffl r,, fl fi X -twhxx fi!! fl ll Ti K af , V A JI- I 1' 'ff4.Zf4 ' ' I Q r' A, -r .X 1 7 - r - , 3 if urifoiyfljga V ,,ii 5 ' j x .. f Es ff 1 ,zf!f, ', I f, wi , ,V ,uf VHYQM, , V' f, , -in ii Z 1 T , ..-1-if I 1 il' 2 My fig ,I .v ,lv Miz: !il N l px XTR-1 l , 'V 'a lll I ' ,,,,3,.,,,g2 ' X 'Stuart' Girl GTRAVRTE