Western Oregon University - Yearbook (Monmouth, OR)

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THE NORM feelinls than go to a whole Boston tea party. And that makes me think of the history classes over there, but I was goml to tell you how Lettv looked first. She was a sight: snail back of the left ear, snail back.of the right ear, and a snail right in the middle. And the hat, . you never saw the like. One of them things you cantt hardly see out. A cross between a pancake and a teaecosey, Mrs. Slater: tAnd the, skirt, just like a meal sack. Oh, its just somethindshockmi the way Letty looked. And theyire studyin7 the queerest things over at that Normal School I ever heered of in my life. I surely dont know what this countrys comini to. Letty told me about one thing. they were studyinl, and its Li-Li-Lij-Library-Misery, thatis it, Library Mis- ery; well, that do'nlt sound just like it, but from What Letty said .I should jedge it was misery. And they all have to have fountain pens. Nor I either, Mrs. Slater. But theyire doin, everything backwards over at that Normal School, and where they should read they write, ani where they should write they read, and so I spose theylre writin, in the library, i , Oh, I was gointtotell you about the history classes, Mrsa Slater. Therels a man there that teaches History, sposed to, but from what ' Letty said he talks about the price of land, and the war with Turkey and religion; ath it the beatenest you ever, Mrs Slater. Letty told me so many things about what theyire dolinl over there, but there was one thing that I couldnlt get straight, and its somethin, about a-aea-Nature, something about Natural'Study of Printing. Print- in,, that had soniethinl to do with it. Printiif, but Agriculture, thatts it, and I canit seelor the life of me what printin,s got to do with Ag- riculture; I should think it would be more likely to be plowing. Audit was so strange to me, Mrs. Slater, because we women have been fightin, for our rights, and we donlt want to do any work any more, especially outdoor work, and they,re :vteaohirf plowin, over at that Normal-Sohool. Yes, iVs'dreadful, ainit it? And instead of Study- ini Grammar they have English classes, and course yould naturally think theyld learn how to read correctly and talk proper, but what do you lspose they,re learnini, story tellin. Now think of that, and I had sech a time before Lettyls pa married again, When I was bringint up Letty, and I just had to whip her for tellint stories, and there she is. a grown up lady, or thinks sheis, and learninr to tell stories in school. And they have to learn to write'letters, too. Now you and I knew how to write letters When wewas knee high to a grass hopper, but it seems they have to learn that th ire too. V i - Then thereis some other kind of thing they have Io'ver there that was full of interest, ,peerd like to Letty, and I .canlt makeout what it means, and that wasSi-Si--Psychology,i and every time Letty talked

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THE NORM Well maybe I Will stay, said N ormat, and as she made her way to her; boarding plaee, she cast aside any lingering thoughts of home find mother, and selfishly decided to please herself for once. On reach- , 111g her own room she found a letter waiting to be opened. How well she knew the postmark and the timid, cramped handwritingi Her eyes ran quickly over this beginning: ttMy precious child:-VVe are so glad, so thankful that only nine days now separate you from us that we are nearly crazy with joy. You should see the fat, importantfgobbler strutting in the barnyard at this moment. Little dreams he .of his impending doom. I need scarcely tell you of our efforts to get him. Poor little Janet has had a dreadfully sore throat; and I hated to call in the doctor because even a little money'means so much to Us. She was so brave about' it' tho, and Sewedts'on Mrs. Hodgeis carpet rags until eleven oiclock. every night, so that her dear tNormiei should have turkey'for Thanksgiving. I dislike, dear, to. worry you With 0111' troubles, when I know you study so hard and are overworked anyway; but I had such a deplorable acci- dent last week. We were out of wood and I was So cold that I could notiguide m-y-needle sombhhw,- and it ranithru my left thumb. I have suffered terribly with itethe-thu mb has gathered and i is swollen to twiCe'itis normal size and- ' . I ' ' Norma could go no further.- With a sob she dropped her. head 1' on'sthe table and shed some bitter. scalding tears. i ttHow could 'I be - soheartle'ss, ' so worthless, so utterly goodsfor nothing, she repeated? over- and over again. Rising atslast she'igot Aoutf'her well-Worn suit case hndfpacked it hastily. 'Jhen she picked 'up hrer? motheriss letter, and? nervin'gtherselvfif'ors-the effort, enolosedit; With a. little note of her- own in anenvelope which she hastily addressed'ito'PiofeSSOr Howard; the High School principal. Then she hurriedtan'd boarded the 'night train for-home. ' v ' i 1 ' i i i ' i' i ' Airaminta, GreenVCalls On Her Ffiend. Oh, Mrs. Slater, Pm so glad yer to home. 7 Pm jest so upsot I donit know what to do. I always said 'thereis nothing like havini 'a friend to relieve yer feelin,s on, and I alway s appreciate you so at such' times as this. No, itisnYt that: No, itisnit that. Cousinis Wifeis sick? No, tisnit that; its worse than that. , What did you say? Yes, thatis it, School. Yes, my niece. WelI, my niece Lettyis goini to school; goin, to that Normal School over at Monmouth. Oh, and you never heard such doin,s in all your life, Mrs. Slater. I jest knew there was somethin, the matter With Letty the minute Ilset eyes on her. You shouldhave seen her, Mrs. Slater. M ' ' ' Oh, no, donit go and make any cup of tea, Pd ruther relieve my

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'hl TI-I-E NORM about Psychology she grinned, and I learned that all them classes in Psychology was jest full, and they ,peared to be so interested in Psy- chology, and I couldnt find out why. I wishit you could. tell me, Mrs. Slater, but then I know you cant. And when they have visit- ors over at that school, istead 0f showini iem around the building, and. showini tern how bright the students are in Readint, Writiniand iRith- metic, what do you spose they do? They jest sing, and sing and sing, or else they go and show em what pretty pictures they can draw. Aintt it orful. Butrthen I see they haventt quite thrown arithmetic out yet. Of course a schoolis a school as long as they have ,rithmetic- You know they have what they cail a. trainini. school there; itis where the folks goes to shi' w how well they can teach. Well, and the man thatis sposed to show em he has some kind' of classes too, and from what Letty said I should jedge it wasjest like readint the Sun- day funny paper to be in one of his classes. Now whatis this country comini to when we pay for our young folks to laugh? Well, P11 tell you,itts the men that voted for this school, and When we womenfolks, Mrs. Slater, gets to votilf we won,t have no such schools as this. And they have the queerest faculty there. 'Th-at,s-what they call em now, Mrs. Slater. Course we always'said jest ttteachers. - Wiell; this facul- tyis the queerest you ever heard of. They had a Halloween party the other night, and from' what Letty said even the faculty went, and too, some of iem even allowed them students to pull their hair. Yes, We terrible. . . . Well, I feel that there7s a great load off. my mind, and I must go now, Mrs. Slater, thot I could talkell day, but last night after Letty went home I got down the old dictionary and I looked up that .word ItNormal and I couldnit see as it meant much aceordint to what Letty told about the school, but I did find another word that jest fits it, and thatis ttAb-normul. ' i L Q. Lynn. AUTUMN When the summer days amending .4hd the autumn draweth nigh; When, to all the birds and flowers. For awhile we say good-bye; When the frost ereepsoier the mountain, On a calm, clear autumn day, Then we give a sigh for summer, For sweet summer gone away.