West Chester University - Serpentine Yearbook (West Chester, PA)

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Pages SERPENTINE 1914

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1914 SERPENTIN E Page 7 England, France, Cierniany, Switzerland. Italy, all ciMUriliiitcd tu the depth of the iiiipressinn. i ' .iit (Jreece. sunny, beautiful Greece, with its roots of human progress, was the country that fascinated him most. To one so sensitive to the past of man, the finest flower of his development, painting, sculpture, architecture, ap- pealed in strongest fashion. To his deiiartment in the school. Professor Burnhani brought back the triple treasure of a well-stored mind, an enlarged library of history and art, and a set of tilms that still develops into lantern slides which enrich and clarify his teaching. The great teacher is never quite satisfied that his debt to society is paiil until he has put the best of himself into a book. This crown has been added to Professor Burnham ' s work. It is most natural that one possessed of his civic ideals should feel impelled to stimulate PennsyUania boys and girls to a deeper love for, and admiration of, their own State. Professor Burnham ' s History of Pennsylvania is full of vivid, clear, gripping pictures of the glory of the Keystone State. Many a future citizen will owe his first and real appreciatinu nf the greatness of his State tu this convincing book. Of all the cpialities that make Professor Burnhani a successful teacher of history, it is here almost su|)erfluous to speak. The life of a people grows out of the stock from which it descends and the surroundings in which it is placed. History with Professor Burriham is no chrouDlogical table of events. It is a coordinated whole, linked to the soil from v hich it sprung, and fm-nishing in each period the seeds which are to sprout into later activity, h ' illed as he is with an intense admiration for Iniman strength and endeavor, the dramatic li -es of the leaders of history are always intensely at- tractive to Professor Burnhani, and he makes the great characters of the past live before his classes. He holds his history to the earth by constantly teaching from the map, to show the conditions under which human activity has worked itself out. A teacher may bless his pui)ils from three entirely different directions. In the first jilace he may be a fountain of in- formation, a reservoir of knowledge from which his students may drink their fill, . gain, he may himself be so eager and delighted a student that he infects his pupils with a longing for, and is to them a stimulus to, the actpiisition of sch(jl- arship for themselves. Lastly, and most important of all, he may be a man of such commanding integrity of life, such earnest uprightness of purpose, such vigorous reaction with the trend of life around him. that he is to his pupils a con- stant example of, and unending stimulus to, nobility of life and earnestness of citizenship. It is hard to tell in which of these directions Professor Burnhanrs influence is strongest. His acquaintance with history seems to be unemling; his ability to stimulate his pupils to thoughtful study is remarkable. But. after all, his strongest trait is undoubtedly the wholesome power of his vigorous manhood. The courage of his si)irit, the reverence of his mind, and his devotion to the service of his fellows, make him the fit guide of growing youth. The absolute sanity and the unremitting helpfulness of Professor Burnham ' s life are amongst the most -aluable and valued influences with which the young people who are growing into manhood and womanhood at West Chester come in contact. S. C. Schmucker.

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1914 SERPENTINE Page 9 iFnrnunrb L ' R work is finislied! With humble patient steps have we climbed the rugged sides of the mountain, and now with anxious hearts we send this little book upon its way. A fore- word to those about to pass from Normal School life, and to our friends : We wish this book to portray something of our real lives among ' each other, and upon future reference to recall the pleasant and humorous reminiscences of 1914. This volume, however, is just what we have made it; it has been the product of many minds and hands, for ere it reached ciimpletion. the artistic hand of some, the quick, alert brain of others, and the general interest of all were interwoven to fashion it into an expression of that all-prevailing love for our school, faculty and classmates. Mav it mission be ever to entertain, recall fond memories of our happy school days, and inspire us, each and every one, to honor our Alma Mater and look TO HIGHER THINGS.