N ormal S chool H erald.
P u b l is h e d O c t o b e r , J a n u a r y , A p r i l

and

Ju l y .

S h ip p b n s b u r g , P a .

Von. V.

APRIL,, 1901.

No. 3.

IReaUsm TWUtb a Uengeance.
A L T E R V IV IA N was the euphonious name that plain
George Smith, a reporter on the Philadelphia Press staff,
signed to the stories he from time to time attempted to
contribute to the various magazines of the day. Smith was an
energetic, up-to-date young hustler, and did quite passable work
as a reporter, and although his attempts in the field of literature
were crude, yet occasionally his stories were accepted, for with
all the faulty diction, he was vivid and realistic in the extreme.
His home was in Duncannon— a smalltown on the Susquehanna,
a few miles above Harrisburg. George had ambitions. To in­
vestigate the stock market, grain exchange prices, occasional
fires, strikes, robberies and murders, and to write half-page blood­
curdling accounts, and to see them come out next day in half a
column of the terse, incisive diction of the Assistant City Editor,
may have suited some people, but not George. He longed for
the time when his mannerisms and eccentricities should be mar­
ketable property, and should be sacredly respected. George had
been at his home half of his two weeks’ vacation during the sum­
mer of 189-, before the old life in the little place palled on him.
There was nothing to do, nothing to see, and he tried his usual
diversion for idle hours, namely, a new story. He had an excel­
lent field and excellent material, and for a time things went well
with him, but at last he came to a point in his story where he felt
he was not making of it what he should. He could not be realis­
tic enough. He had never experienced the sensations he was
trying to depict, and he felt that his effort was weak. It was to
be a great story: Hector Moreland, the fair-haired, blue-eyed
young giant of superhuman strength, was to be madly and in­
sanely in love with little Miriam Voredale, a vivacious, snappyeyed brunette, who returned his affection. But the irate pater
had selected a dark-eyed villain of enormous wealth, who was to

W

2

THE NORMAL/ SCHOOL HERALD

be just as madly and insanely in love with Miriam’s step-mother,
a youngish matron of better looks than judgment, though good
and pure withal. Then were to follow rows galore, interspersed
with stolen love scenes and undying vows «a? lib., until at last
Hector should secure the evidence of the villain’s scheme to kill
off the pater and marry the blooming widow. Out of all the rows
Hector was to come with flying colors, either through his super­
human strength or through the devotion and foresight of little
Miriam, until at last, as a grand finale, he should unmask the
villain, marry Miriam and, of course, live happily ever after. He
had pulled Hector through half a dozen tilts with the villain,
arranged in climactic order. Hector had the evidence, and was
on his way back to save the pater, one more rousing clash and
then the triumph ! It was the superhuman-strength turn this
time, as Miriam had had the last innings, and George had a plan
for it that he felt sure, if properly worked up, would make him
famous at a bound— would “ enroll his name far up on Fame’s
undying calendar.”
Up above Dtincannon the Juniata river enters the Susque­
hanna, and the latter is very wide and deep. Just above thé con­
fluence of the two streams a dam has been built across the
Susquehanna, to form the supply for the canal, which skirts the
mountainside on the east bank of the river. A bridge leads across
to a few houses clustered between the canal and the steep slopes
of the mountain, which rises so precipitately as to cast a deep
shade over the canal and houses, and even over part of the river.
The Northern Central Railway winds along the foot of the moun­
tain, and has a flag station near the end of the bridgé, called
Clark’s Ferry. The bridge is a wooden one, covered over, and
not a window from end to end of its mile and a half of length.
In daytime it is not dark within, however, for the bridge is floored
over only half its width, giving room for but one team at a time,
and the light shines up from below. A slight open hand rail
guards the traveler from driving or stepping too far to the lower
side and precipitating himself into the water, thirty feet below.
A t the piers the floor widens out to the full width of the bridge,
and the hand rail, of course, ceases. The water under the bridge
is very deep and the current strong, for scarcely a hundred yards
below the river precipitates itself over the dam, and at high water
makes a thunderous roar that fills the old bridge with echoing,

T HF, NORMAL, SCHOOL, HRRAHD

3

sibilant whispers, and can be heard far out over the surrounding
country. Back in the early days, when the canal was the chief
means of freight transportation through Central Pennsylvania,
this bridge had an unsavory reputation. An old hotel, long since
torn down, was situated on Duncan’s Island, near the west end of
the bridge. This was the rendezvous of a band of cut-throat rob­
bers, and many are the stories that are told of the travelers who
have entered one end of the bridge but have never emerged from
the other. It was such an easy matter to stand in the blackness
at one of the piers, let the traveler, all unsuspicious of danger,
approach within arms’ length, a quick, hard rap on the headj^a
moment to secure the valuables, a push with the foot under the
hand rail, an answering splash from below—»and all was over.
The roar of the dam would drown any cries, as well as the sound
of the splash, and the body might easily float for miles, and weeks
or months might elapse before discovery. George had crossed
and recrossed the bridge, and had many times listened to the tales
that the old men told of the times when Lewis, the Robber, had
lived in the cave in the mountain back of Clark’s Perry, and so
his great plan was to have a bridge just like this one for Hector
to cross when returning with the proofs, to have the villain’s ser­
vants waylay him here, then paint the horrors of that awful
struggle in the dark, the hand rail broken, men tottering on the
verge of the flooring, Hector at last to pick all three— no four,
four would be better— of his assailants up in his arms, one at a
time— he was sorry he could not make it all at once— and hurl
them down into the water below—"it would have made the splash
so much better so— and then swoon away and fall on the very
verge of the floor, there to be found by Miriam, who should grow
impatient and fearful when the light did not appear in his window,
and should slip out of her guarded chamber by means of the bed­
covers tied together. Oh, it was to be a great story ! W ell,
George had got Hector to the little settlement all right, had dis­
posed of his companion, had broken his lantern so that he had to
go through in the dark, had the four hardened wretches in the
villain’s employ waiting at the third pier, and then he stuck. He
could not describe with proper realism Hector’s feelings while in
the dark bridge, nor the struggle. What was he to do ? He
tried again and again, but the waste-basket was only the fuller.
In his difficulty he turned to his friend, Gus Early. After some

4

THE NORMAL, SCHOOL HERALD

discussion, the boys decided that George should go up to Inglenook (two miles above Clark’s Ferry) that afternoon, should wait
there and take the 9.40 train down, get off at Clark s Ferry and
start through the bridge in the dark. Gus would be waiting at
the third pier, would spring out and seize George, struggle with
him until George cried enough, and then they should return to
Duucannon together. Accordingly, that afternoon George walked
up to Inglenook, and when the 9.40 came along a half-hour late,
the conductor saw a slight, dark-eyed, nervous fellow enter the
train. He had scarcely taken a seat, and composed himself to
the contemplation of the dim forms of the trees and telegraph poles
that went whirling by, when the train, after a prolonged shriek
from the locomotive, came to a stop. “ Clark’s Ferry !” called
the conductor, and George got off. The operator spoke to George
when he alighted, and George waited a minute while he closed up
the station, then they together walked up toward the end of the
bridge. When they reached the gate before the little house
where the operator lived, they stopped a moment, the operator
urging George to allow him to take his lantern and show him the
way, and George endeavoring to decline without appearing rude,
then George started on alone. It was a very dark night. The
wind sang through the telegraph wires, and beat the limbs of the
trees about. He paused a moment before passing the dam, and
looked down at the water as it foamed and leaped out as far as he
could see in the darkness. It seemed as though a great horde of
ghoulish sprites, clad in dirty white flying robes, were dancing
and leaping, shaking clenched hands, only to be caught and
whirled down by their fellows, who, in unceasing variety, took
their places and danced and jabbered, shrieked and mocked him,
while the dull roar of the mighty waters drowned all their words
and made out of the chaotic sounds the sullen, snarling roar of
some famished wild beast about to spring out and bury his fangs
in George’s throat. With a shiver George buttoned his coat
aboiit him, and turned to the bridge. It surely was a good night
for experiences. The wind rattled the loose boards, and hurtled
through the bridge, making it tremble at every blast. As George
stepped inside of it he felt each several hair on his head try to
separate itself from its companions and get on end. His scalp
felt sore from their effort, and he had difficulty to keep his hat in
place. It was black as a w o lf’s mouth— so bfack he could

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

5

scarcely see his hand three inches before his face— and his foot­
steps sounded hollow and far off. He walked along, the chills
chasing each other up and down his spine. The wind shrieked
and whistled through the boards, the timbers seemed to bend and
sway and tremble, and through it all he could hear the lap, lap of
the water as it glided in dead blackness beneath him , a sort of
obligato dirge to the all-pervading sullen roar of the dam. Sud­
denly his heart seemed to jump clear up his throat— he caught it
before it made its escape, however— and cease to beat, for he felt
that something— seemingly a club— had grazed his cheek. He
ducked his head and made a quick step forward, and the next in­
stant found himself sitting on the floor holding his head in
both his hands. He had struck his head against one of the beams
at the side of the bridge, and it had retaliated. He groped around
to find his hat, the perspiration trickling down his back, and
standing out on his forehead in beads. He found it over near the
lower side, and started on, keeping a hand on the rail to prevent
a repetition of his former painful experience. Just a dim suspi­
cion of a glimmer came from the water below, and when he came
to the first pier, and the hand rail ceased, this likewise could not
be detected, and the blackness was absolute. He strode doubt­
fully forward, a hand groping about in the darkness before his
face, until he had passed the pier and again had the rail for guid­
ance. He entered the blackness at the second pier. “ One more
and then the struggle, ’ ’ he thought. He wondered how Gus had
enjoyed his enforced wait in the darkness, and whether he would'
really be there to spring out at him. He half-wished he had tired
and had decided to wait for him in the toll-house at the end of
the bridge, instead of fulfilling the program they had arranged.
He whispered to himself, “ One more pier, one more pier and then
the strug— ’ ’ Lean hands clutch his throat and bend him back.
He gasps for breath, a half-stifled cry gurgles from his lips. He
beats his fists into some one’s face and strikes and strikes. He
feels his eyes bursting from their sockets, lights dance and flash
through his brain, which buzzes and roars until the sound of the
dam seems far away and unreal. His chest heaves convulsively.
He is on his back now, with the heavy knee of his assailant hold­
ing him down. He twists and squirms, striking with his knees
and feet. One hand is under his assailant’s knee and the other a
heavy boot is crushing into the planks of the floor. God, he

6

THE NORMAL, SCHOOL HERALD

must have breath ! He wrenches a hand free and seizes the fin­
gers of one of the hands that grasp his throat. His nails sink
into the flesh of his own throat, and he feels the warm blood seep
over his fingers and trickle down his collar, but with the frenzy
of suffocation he tears at the fingers, bending them back until one
hand is taken from his throat, a gasp of a}r, another, another—
what cares he that the hand is seizing his wrist ? He has breath
enough to cry, “ Help! h elp !” before the hand lets drop his
wrist, and a heavy fist is dashed again and again into his face.
And then in a far off way he hears rapid footsteps approaching.
His assailant raises his head, and then springs to his feet with an
oath. A lantern is approaching. George struggles to his knees,
and looks around. He is breathing now in great gasps. Gus
runs up, and setting the lantern down seeks to raise him. An
instant and then the lantern is kicked through the railing, and
falls with a splash into the river below. Both boys spring away
and crouch up against the side of the bridge. They hear their
assailant groping around to find them. He is feeling his way to­
ward them along the side. His heavy hands move over the rough
boards from crack to crack. He is within five feet of them now.
He stops to listen. They both hold their breath. He approaches
again— four feet— three feet— two feet— a foot. Ah ! at last he
stops— a moment’s pause, and then he turns to search the lower
side. Gradually he draws away from the boys, who, as soon as
they dare, start on tiptoe toward the west end of the bridge. As
they near the third pier a loose plank rattles under their feet, and
for an instant they hold their breath, then on again at a run,
caution thrown to the winds, for he has heard them and is run­
ning after them. He is gaining on them. They seem to feel his
hands stretching out of the darkness, they can hear his labored
breathing, they can almost feel his hot breath upon them. Gus
is a few feet ahead of George, when he hears the poor fellow give
a piercing shriek. There follows a fall, a crash, a splash, an in­
articulate, inhuman cry, which grows fainter with each repetition,
until at last it is swallowed up in the roar of the dam.
With tottering knees Gus made his way to the end of the
bridge and rapped on the door of the toll-house. The keeper,
grumbling, came down and opened the door, but the sight of
Gus’s white scared face made him alert at once and he immediately
got his gun and went back with Gus to the scene of the fall. A

THE NORMAL, SCHOOL HERALD

7

broken handrail and George’s limp, apparently lifelessfobody
lying against a post on the edge of the floor, so close to the verge
that one leg hung over the water is what they saw. They lifted him
up and carried him to the toll-house. In a short time, thanks to
their earnest efforts, he regained consciousness and was able to tell
them the particulars of his awful experience. In the morning,
battered and sore, he was still able to walk down to his home. As
he lay on a couch in the sitting room that afternoon, he picked up
a Harrisburg morning paper. His mother saw him read for a while
listlessly, then sit bolt upright with a start. This is what his eye
had seen:
“ LUNATIC ESCAPED.”

“ Harry Mack, the six-foot blacksmith of New Cumberland, who for
the past six months has been confined in the State Lunatic Asylum of
this place, yesterday, about six o’clock in the evening, broke out from
his cell, caught and strangled his keeper and succeeded in escaping over
the wall of the asylum yard. Keepers started out to recapture him at
once and he was followed to the neighborhood of the Pennsylvania
yards, where he eluded his pursuers and it is supposed boarded some
freight train. A man answering his description was seen on a freight
passing through Marysville, but though the asylum authorities have
telegraphed to all points on the line, and have made every effort, noth­
ing has yet been heard of him.”

And the story ? Well, George finished it and sent it to three
magazines in succession. The reply from the last one, after the
usual “ returned with thanks” and “ not without merit” clauses,
was as follows:
“ We would be glad to'use your M M S. and could probably %et it
all into presentable shape with the exception of the place where your
hero is waylaid m the bridge. You have, in your endeavor to be
realistic, gone too fa r and have described quite an impossible scene.
No self-respecting magazine could publish it. ’ ’
M. L. D.

tTbe JBest tbe Simplest.
L ife’s simplest things are love land kindly friends,
Nature’s sweet charm of earth and sea and sky,
Gladness of soul that with right living blends,
Home’s dear content, so cheap that all may buy.
— St. Louis Republic.

8

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

mbat is a practical Education?
L L agree that an education should be practical, but what
constitutes a practical education has always been a sub­
ject of controversy. We cannot proceed very far in the
direction of harmonizing these differences until we can come to
some agreement as to the purpose of education. The various
definitions given to education show a wide difference of opinion
in regard to the meaning of the term. Most of these differences
result naturally from the different standpoints from which educa­
tion is viewed. I f education is intended to adapt man to his en­
vironments, then the meaning of education will vary with the
changes which occur in the civilization of a people. Education
will be an effect rather than a cause, and its influence will be
favorable to the permanency of existing conditions. Other forces
will be at work to modify the present civilization, and education,
instead of interfering with>these forces, will seek to act in har­
mony with them. Viewed from this standpoint, education must
take subordinate rank among the forces tending to promote or
retard civilization. It cannot be held chiefly responsible for the
failure of a nation to improve, nor is it entitled to any special
credit for any advance in civilization a nation may make. The
trouble with this view of education is that history stands in the
way of its acceptance. Improvement in educational standards
has always preceded a rise in civilization. Education has been
the herald of a better civilization and not simply its witness.
Education, to perform its full service for humanity, must be
looked at from the standpoint of an ideal civilization. Education
does not perform its best service for the individual when it simply
fits him into the existing order of things. The educational
standard of the public schools must correspond with a better civi­
lization than the present one. In no other way can education be
made the chief factor in promoting the growth of civilization.
That we shall always be chiefly dependent upon education for
this growth history clearly proves.
Spencer says, “ To prepare us for complete living is the chief
function of education.” This definition is so general that few
persons will be inclined to obj ect to it. So long as we are allowed
to place our own interpretation upon what is meant by complete
living” we can afford to accept the definition as true without any

A

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

9

fear of ignoring the influence of education upon the higher life.
It has been supposed that Spencer included in “ completeliving’ ’
only the present, material life. But so long as this materialistic
idea is not represented in his definition we are under no obligation
to read it into it. We will, therefore, accept Spencer’s thought as
to the “ function of education” and make it the basis of our dis­
cussion.
For “ complete living” there must be a “ sound mind in a
sound body.” Evidently, then, a practical education must give
the best development to the body and the best discipline to the
mind. The health of the child is as much the care of the State as
the training of the mind. Teachers must be charged with the
physical as well as the mental growth of their pupils. Many
parents are ignorant of the laws of health, but the teacher who
does not understand how to care for the child’s body is not fully
competent to discharge his obligation to the children entrusted to
him. A teacher wrote a boy’s father that he was suffering
from astigmatism, and the father wrote the teacher that he should
whip it out of him. I f the teacher were properly informed in re­
ference to the physical needs of the children, the .school would
become a great agency for the improvement of the health condi­
tions of the home.
Every school house in the State should be examined by experts
and condemned if constructed in opposition to the laws of health.
The evil effects of bad air, abnormal temperature and improper
arrangements for the admission of light would startle the nation
if fully known.
No teacher should be employed in the public school whose
physical condition unfits him for the work of teaching, or whose
association with the children is detrimental to their health.
Teachers are to be found in every county who are suffering from
forms of diseases which make their presence in the schoolroom a
menace to the physical welfare of the children under them.
Every child should be removed from public school whose
association with the other children of the school is injurious to
them. This applies not only to contagious diseases, but to chronic
complaints which injuriously affect the other children. . No text­
books should be used, the paper or printing of which is not pleasant
and healthful to the sight of the pupils using them. Reading
or copying from a blackboard, should not be tolerated when the

10

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

distance between the pupil and the blackboard is such as to strain
the eye-sight of the pupil.
Arrangements for indoor and outdoor exercises should be pro­
vided for in every school, and the teacher should see that the
pupils engage in the exercises. Usually the pupils who need
exercise the most take the least. These pupils should be required
to take a proper amount of healthful exercise.
Mother’s meetings should be held in every school district
where instruction should be given as to how the body of the child
should be cared for, and attention called to the dangers to which
the child’s health is exposed. These meetings would not only
cause parents to know more about the health of their children,
but they would also lead them to appreciate more highly the ne­
cessity of their taking more interest in the health of the children.
On the mental side of education, power is the chief thing to be
sought for. The value of an education is not determined by what
a man knows, but by what he has the willingness and ability to
do. Power and habit are the instruments of success in life. In­
tellectual, emotional, volitional power, in connection with the
formation of right habits, is the chief result to be obtained through
education. The child must be given the power to observe care­
fully and accurately, to remember readily and correctly, to idealize
vividly and clearly, and to think logically and forcibly. In the
line of habit the child must be trained to do his best, to be indus­
trious, to be honest, to be obedient and to know the meaning of
responsibility.
From this it will be seen that the method of teaching is of
more value than the subject to be taught, that the teacher is of
more consequence than his method, and that the manliness of the
teacher is to be considered more highly than his skill in teaching.
A practical education recognizes a diversity of gifts, but not
of occupations. The foundations of education must be laid with
all pupils on the same lines. A ll children must be given the
power to see, to remember, to imagine, to think, to feel and to
will. The elements of all general knowledge are necessary for
the development of all the powers of the child.
A course of study should be arranged with a view to the
natural development of the child mind and in harmony with the
principles of successful living. When life and development are
correctly understood, the course of .study which best fits for life

THE NORMAL SCHOOL, HERAED

11

will no doubt correspond with the course of study best suited for
the development of the individual.
In a public school course of study there is no place for the
electives, save possibly in the last two years of an extended high
school course. This does not imply, however, that all pupils
shall maintain the same standing in all departments of knowledge.
We make a great mistake when we fix a high standard of scholar­
ship in the subjects of a course and expect pupils to reach this
standard in all subjects. God for a very wise purpose has made
child-minds to differ in the degrees of talent which they possess
for the study of the various subjects of knowledge. One child
has a talent for language, another for art, another for natural
science and another for mathematics. To expect the pupil who
has no natural talent for mathematics to reach the same standard
of proficiency in the subject which the pupil who has great
natural ability for this branch reaches, is foolishness.
A practical education recognizes the relationships which the
pupil will enter into when he steps out of school into this great
world which awaits his services. Every man sustains a social
relation with the men and women of his community. The true
end of life is not attained when man fails to discharge his social
functions. To qualify men and women for society they must be
trained in the school to be polite. Good manners add a charm
to every life. The influence of the schools should make those
who pass through them unselfish. Society is cursed but never
blessed by the selfish persons who enter it. Society wants true
dignity in the men and women who enter it. Boyishness does
not become the man, nor girlishness the woman. Paul says,
“ When I was a child I spake as a child, I thought as a child, but
when I became a man I put away childish things.” Society has
a royal welcome for those who are lovable and kind. The person
of sweet and sunny disposition is to social life what the oasis is to
the desert. The self-sacrificing men and women in a community
are the only examples of true Christian living. ' “ Though I have
the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and have not
charity I am nothing.”
We are all citizens of the best country on the globe, and we
must be educated in our schools to stand by the flag. We must
know what our country is and in what its greatness consists.
The true sources of the greatness of a nation are not found in its

12

THE) NORMAL, SCHOOL, HERALD

fields or in its mines, or in its great population or extensive ter­
ritory,, but in its homes, its schools and its churches. W e must
know our great men and be taught to respect their memories.
The Greek children were trained at the busts of their fathers, and
we cannot do better than to imitate their example in this respect.
We must know the dangers which lurk in the pathway of freedom
and which dog the footsteps of those who march under the banner
of free government. History tells of great republics that have
fallen, and these examples teach us the necessity of guarding
carefully the fortresses of liberty. W e must be willing to pay the
price of good government. A government that is cheap is uni­
versally weak. We must not court extravagance, but on the
other hand we must not become the advocates of a false economy
in public affairs. The influence of corruption in politics is not
more injurious to the welfare of our State than the cry of the
demagogue for cheap roads, cheap schools and a cheap religion.
The man who boasted that he had been a member of the church
for forty years and it hadn’t cost him a cent was making a boast
of his own shame.
A practical education recognizes religion as an essential ele­
ment in complete living. “ Man cannot live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” The
State compels no special form of belief for the citizen, but it must
not be inferred from this fact that the faith of the child can re­
main undisturbed by the atmosphere of a Godless school. The
State has no right to take the child from a religious home and
place it in an irreligious school. In fact, the State has no right
to take the child from any home and place it in a school where the
spirit of ungodliness hovers like a dark shadow over its spiritual
life. Faith is the link that binds heaven to earth. Faith is the
power that lifts all men up from a lowly life and starts them on
the highway to the gates of the celestial city. It is the solemn
duty of every teacher, in public or private school, to stimulate
faith by giving the child a clearer and fuller knowledge of God.
Both in His word and in His works H,e has revealed Himself unto
us. The faith which comes from the study of His works is beau­
tifully presented to us by the poet, Wordsworth:
“ X have seen
A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract
Of inland ground, applying to his ear

THE NORMAL, SCHOOL, HERALD

13

The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell;
To which, in silence hushed, his very sou|H
Listened intently—and his countenance soon
Brightened with joy; for murmuring» from within
Were heard, sonorous cadences; whereby
To his belief, the monitor expressed
Mysterious union with its native sea.
Even such a shell the universe itself
Is to the ear of faith.”
—G. M. D. E ckbi.S.

3Be (Blab JJou're poor.Be glad you’re poor; the clothes you wear
Won’t look no worse for ’nother tear.
Be thankful that your good corncake
Will never give you pain or ache.
Be glad you’re poor, and save your hairs
From wearing off with business cares,
And fearing banks are going to bust,
And wondering who you dare to trust.
Don’t always worry ’ bout your lot;
Give thanks for what you haven’t got,
And be content with what you get
And let the wealthy fume and fret.
Then when financial blizzards come,
And banks go tumbling round like fun,
And stocks and bonds go galley west—M
Just thank your stars you don’t invest.
Go prop your legs up at the store
And smoke—and then be glad you’re poor.
—

The K in g and the H arper.

Cardinal Manning used to tell this amusing story of his pub­
lishers . He was a man who did not keep his own books in any great
number on his private shelves, and so one day found it necessary
to go to his publishers for a copy of his volume “ Confidence in
God. ’ ’ To his surprise this conversation took place in the loudest
voices between the front and back offices, the men calling to each
other at the top of their lungs: “ Say, you send up some of
Manning’s “ Confidence in God.” “ Can’t do it. Manning’s
“ Confidence in God” is all gone.” — Current Literature.

...THE...

N ormal S chool H erald.
P u b l is h e d O c t o b e r , J a n u a r y , A p r il
S h ip p e n s b u r g , P a .

and

Ju l y .

EDITORS.
G eorge H. E ckels , ’91
M. E- D rum , ’96.
A d a V. H orton , ’88, Personal Editor.
Ch a s . E. B arton , ’91, Business Manager.

Subscription price 2,5 cents per year strictly in advance. Single copies ten cents
Address all communications to T h e N o r m a l Sc h o o l H e r a l d , Shippensburg, Pa.
Alumni and former members of the school will favor us by sending any items that
they may think would be interesting for publication.
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office, Shippensburg, Pa.

APRIL/, 1901.

]£&itorial.
Decennial ot '01.

EN years make a great change in the fortunes of individual
members of a class. Ruthless Time will not be denied,
and when any class meets to celebrate its decennial his
marks will be plainly visible upon its muster-roll. Here one has
passed to his final reward, here another has strayed to foreign
soil and is just as much beyond our present reach, and here is a
third who has disappeared utterly from our sight, of whom we
know absolutely nothing.
The class of ’91 which celebrates its decennial this coming
Commencement will, of course, prove no exception to thé rule.
It would be too much to expect half of its original muster of
eighty to respond to the roll-call at that time, but it is hoped that
all who can possibly come will do so, and that the celebration will
be an unqualified success. Something of the plan of the celebra­
tion is given in another column.
Put your best foot forward, ’91. The world is looking at you.

T

«4k*/

« «1**

Z o Class of ’ 92.

W e will take this opportunity to remind the class of ’92 that
her ten years will soon be up and that she should be making
plans for a reunion during Commencement Week of 1902. These

4

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

H

decennials should be a feature of every Commencement season.
Start early, ’92, and you will be sure to have a successful celebra­
tion and a happy reunion.

H /Memorial Xibrars
ft

T IS not uncommon for great men to have their names pre­
served in memorials of stone. Here and there along the
avenues and in the parks of a great city the traveler may
see statue and column silently speak the record of some noble
life. The statesman and the soldier stand high in public esteem;
but the humble teacher of a district school dies often ‘ ‘unwept, un­
honored and unsung’ ’ save by a few grateful-boys and girls. Happi­
ly there are exceptions and Silver Spring Township, Cumberland
County, is to be congratulated in having the exception. For a
number of years Walter T . Dick, once a student of the Cumber­
land Valley State Normal School, was a successful teacher of this
district. In the spring of 1898, in the midst of life and usefulness,
death claimed him. Murray I,. Dick, ’98, his brother, succeeded
to the school and the following year began the Walter T . Dick
Memorial Library for that school. Through his efforts the library
now numbers seventy volumes and is a fitting memorial to a
faithful teacher and a worthy expression of a brother’s love.
Among the contributors to this library are J. Zeamer, Carlisle;
Mrs. Anna Stambaugh, York; Mrs. Ella Mann, Philadelphia;
Hon. R. L,. Myers, Camp Hill; C. H. Smith, New Cumberland
and Mr. and Mrs. H. A . Dick, Wertzville.

i

©bituari?
/Ibabel Clark dftotrow, ’ 00, bleb april t, 1901

mm

4

I

T IS not yet a year since the class of 1900 was graduated, and
already the “ grim reaper” has cut into its ranks. It is with
great regret that we record the untimely death of Miss Mor­
row and we know that the sad news will cause much sorrow, not
only to her classmates, but to all who were connected with the
school during her attendance.
Miss Morrow, who was not yet 19 years of age, had almost fin­
ished her first term of teaching when the sudden illness that

16

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

caused her death overtook her. She had charge of a school at
Fountaindale, Adams County, and was meeting with great success
in her work. Her illness which at first seemed slight, quickly
developed into acute pneumonia, and almost before her friends
knew of her critical condition she had passed away.
We are glad to be able to pay our tribute to Miss Morrow.
While a student at Shippensburg she impressed every one with
her worth as a young woman of Christian character. She was a
student of unusual ability and had a pleasant manner that won
for her many warm friends.
She is survived by her father and two brothers who live at
Checotah, Indian Territory. To them and to all other relatives
of this noble young girl the H e r a l d extends the hand of sympathy .

3obn 1b. dBgers, '89, ®ieb Hptil 20,1901.

D

R. JOHN H. M YER S, of Middletown, Pa., died in the Jef­
ferson Hospital, Philadelphia, on the above mentioned
day. Six years ago he was successfully operated on for
appendicitis and seemed to have regained his usual health. In­
testinal adhesion resulted however and it was necessary to oper­
ate for this trouble. The patient survived the operation only a
few hours.
Dr. Myers after completing his Normal School course turned
his attention to the study of pharmacy and later of medicine, grad­
uating from the Jefferson Medical College in 1898. In the fall of
that year he began to practice in Middletown and was succeeding
very well in his professsion.
John was one of the brightest and most popular members of
his class while at Shippensburg and his death will be a sad shock
to his classmates. He was a young man of excellent character
and benevolent disposition. A ll who knew him were his friends.
He was born in Mechanicsburg in May, 1872, and was, there­
fore, not quite 29 years of age. He is survived by his father and
sister. They have the heartfelt sympathy af the H e r a l d in this
sore bereavement.

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

17

about Blumtti affairs
R. I. W . H UNTZBRRGER, ’95, is in charge of the depart­
ment of mathematics in the High School at Lebanon, Pa.
Mr. E. Cecil Stover, ’97, is assisting in the Normal School at
Littlestown, Adams county.
Mr. J. Irwin Ruff, ’99, of New Oxford, has gone to Philadelphia
where he has secured a position in a drug store.
Miss Laura Hoch, ’97, is teaching in Penn township, Cumber­
land county.
Invitations are out for the marriage of Miss Lulu Morris, ’00,
to Rev. John Manley Arters, the wedding to take place at Dills burg, Pa., Wednesday, April 24th. W e also notice that cards
have been issued announcing the marriage of Mr. Charles M.
Shulley, ’99, of Fairfield, Pa., to Miss M. Erma Musselman of
the same place.
The Class of ’99 is making preparations for its biennial re­
union at the coming Commencement. It is likely that a memorial
of some kind will be left at the school at that time. It is planned
to have the gift take the form of several complete sets of books
for the School Library.
Mr. D. Ed. Long, ’91, member of the Franklin county bar,
has announced himself as a candidate for District Attorney. Mr.
Long is practicing at Chambersburg. The H e r a l d wishes him
success.
The class of ’91 will hold its decennial celebration this year.
The class president, Prof. W . M. Rife, has sent out letters to the
nearly eighty living members of the class requesting answers to
certain questions relative to the manner of conducting the celebra­
tion . A sufficient number of answers has been received t«>warrant
the statement that the re-union will be a success and that one of
the features of the occasion will be a banquet. This will likely
be held at a hotel in the town, and not only members of the class
but also friends will be admitted. ’91 has had a proud record in
these ten years and she ought to have a splendid reunion.
Mr. Geo. Leslie Omwake, ’93, who will finish his course at
the Yale Divinity School this spring, has been elected to a professor­
ship in Ursinus College, from which institution he was graduated in
1898. This is ahigh compliment to Mr. Omwake and the H e r a l d

18

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

extends congratulations. His work, we understand, will be in tbe
line of pedagogy and his connection with the college dates from
May.
Miss Estelle Hykes, ’94, has finished her term of teaching in
Bucks County and returned to her home in Shippensburg. On
the 6th of May she will sail from San Francisco, bound for China.
Miss Hykes has accepted a position as teacher in Shanghai and has
signed a contract for three years. She will receive twelve hun­
dred dollars a year and her expenses out, and also home, when
she decides to return. She will make her home with her cousin,
Rev. J. R. Hykes, D. D., where her brother, Chas. W . Hykes
’88, is also living.
Miss Lillie Wilbar, ’90, has been elected as a teacher in the
schools of Harrisburg.
Mr. Sol. Smyser, ’91, has given up teaching for the present
on account of failing eyesight and is now traveling through Penn­
sylvania in the interests of a Bible Dictionary published by
Scribner’s, of New York.
It is with great regret that we announce to those of the
Alumni who have not yet heard the sad news, the recent death
of Etta Laidig, (Chestnut), ’96, wife of Supt. Clem Chestnut, ’86,
of Fulton County.

School iFlotes.
N the evening of March 1st Dr. Barton delivered his lecture,
“ Yellowstone Park,” at a joint meeting of the Philo and
Normal Literary Societies. The lecturer had a fund of in­
teresting information concerning this great national reservation,
and this, together with his fine descriptions of the natural beauties
of the park, made the talk intensely interesting. The Doctor
added several amusing anecdotes, and altogether gave the societies
a pleasant and profitable evening.
The Senior, class has elected the following officers and Class
Day performers: President, Owen L. Underwood, Uriah, Adams
county; Vice-President, H . I. Shaeffer, Springet, Y ork county;
Secretary, Mame Shockey, Rouzerville, Franklin county; Treas­
urer, George Bryner, Carlisle, Cumberland county; Gentleman
Presenter, E- Hade Hager, Chambersburg, Franklin county; Lady

O

this n o r m a l sc h o o l h e r a l d

19

Presenter, Lydia B. Detweiler, Middletown, Dauphin county;
Mantle Orator, A . E. Deibler, Killinger, Dauphin county; His­
torian, Susan Fickes, Newport, Perry county; Orator, Roy M.
Taylor, Mowersville, Franklin county; Musical Director, Velva
Pearl Gettel, Shippensbnrg, Cumberland county.
Washington’s Birthday was suitably observed this year, as
usual. A very enjoyable program of recitations, orations and
music suitable to the day was given under the general direction
of Miss Fitch.
The Senior excursion to Washington was held this year dur­
ing the Spring vacation. Examinations were finished Wednes­
day evening, March 27th, and early the next morning the party
started, seventy strong, under the care of Dr. Barton. Arriving
at Washington, they were immediately taken to the Capitol and
shown through the buildings by special guides. The Senate and
House of Representatives were visited, and also the Navy Yard.
In the evening the party inspected the famous Congressional
Eibrary and enjoyed the play, “ The Only W ay,’ ’ a fine dramati­
zation of Charles Dickens’ 1‘Tale of Two Cities, ” at the Lafayette
Square Theatre. On Friday morning the excursionists visited
the Dead Letter Ofiice, Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was as­
sassinated, and the house where he died, State, War and Navy
buildings, White House and Treasury Building. In the afternoon
Mt. Vernon was visited, and in the evening another theatre party
was the attraction. A private reception was given the party by
President McKinley on Saturday morning, and after visiting a
number of other places of interest about the city they left for home
at 3.30 p. m .
The school directors of Cumberland county held their semi­
annual convention in the chapel of our school Saturday, February
23d. The sessions were interesting, and the students availed
themselves of the opportunity to hear some live school subjects
discussed. The directors in turn were interested in our school
and its plant. We should be glad to have them meet with us
again.
The Spring Term began Monday, April 8th. This date is
about two weeks later than the usual date for the opening of this
session. Since our school year has been shortened to forty weeks
this late date is possible. It has the advantage of allowing nearly
all students who are teaching in the public schools to get here on

20

THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

the opening day of the term. This advantage was clearly shown
this spring by the prompt arrival of the new students. Another
advantage is, that we are now enabled to have a vacation between
the Winter and Spring Terms, a time when a rest is eminently
necessary. The attendance of students for the term is in excess
of last spring’s.
Two of the three teachers added to the Faculty for the Spring
Term need no introduction. Prof. Heiges and Miss Quigley have
been with us before, and we are glad to welcome them back. Dr.
James Eldon is the other teacher referred to. This, indeed, is
not his first experience as a teacher in the Shippensburg Normal,
as he was a member of the Faculty here when the school was first
opened, but he has not been connected with the school in recent
years. During the winter Dr. Eldon resigned as Principal of the
Dock Haven Normal School, a position which he had held with
credit for some years, and came to Shippensburg to live. He has
been induced to give us his services during the term, and the
school is truly fortunate in securing for its Faculty so able and
well known an educator as Dr. Eldon.
The first sociable of the Spring Term, held on Saturday night,
April 13th, was quite a pleasant affair. By way of entertain­
ment, lullabies of different peoples were represented in pantomime
and song. The lullabies given were the Dutch, the Indian, the
Japanese, the Gypsy, the Darkey and the American. The lulla­
bies were sung by Miss Katherine Weaver, Miss Myrtle Weaver,
Miss Horton and Mrs. George Eckels, and were represented by
various lady students. This feature of the evening was an entire
success. The rest of the evening was spent in games and danc­
ing. An innovation in the latter amusement was the use of
regular dance programs.
Miss Emma Waite, formerly Principal of our Model School,
visited Shippensburg in the early part of April after an absence of
about five years. Since she left here Miss Waite has taught in
several Normal Schools in Western States, but is now living with
her mother in Potsdam, N. Y . The school received a fair share
of Miss W aite’s time while she was here, and for old times sake
she attended the opening sociable of the Spring Term. Her
many friends gave her a warm welcome.
The Seniors are busily engaged upon their theses for exami-

THE} NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

21

nation. The subjects were all assigned during the Winter Term
and the work is charge of about ten different teachers.
As was announced in the January H e r a ld , the Himes field,
which had been used for athletics for some years, can no longer
be leased for that purpose. For the baseball season the triangular
plot of ground belonging to the Western Maryland railroad, and
adjoining the campus, has been leased and placed in good condi­
tion for ball playing. A t this writing the prospects for a good
team are uncertain, but we hope in the next number to report a
successful season.
The School Library has been growing rapidly and recently the
libraries of the literary societies were removed to the cases in the
chapel to make room for a new order of books. This order con­
sisted of about four hundred books, comprising recent fiction,
history, political economy, natural history; religious and miscel­
laneous books. The leading magazines are also bound regularly
and form a very useful part of the library. Our students are
making more use of the library and reading-room than ever be­
fore.
The Christian Associations continue to prosper and to exert
a helpful influence in the school. The Y . M. C. A . was ad­
dressed at one of its Winter Term meetings by Mr. Harvey,
formerly in charge of the work in the colleges of Pennsylvania,
but now Assistant State Secretary. The Y . M. C. A. and Y . W .
C. A . gave a joint reception to the Spring Term students Satur­
day night, April goth.

Zbc Societies
IRotmal.
(Reported by

/-¡-AH E

E. I. Cook , ’01.)

first meeting of the Spring Term was held in the Large
Chapel, Friday evening, April 12th. A play entitled
“ Hazel K irk” was a decided success.
Invitations to the Normal Anniversary on April 26th have
been sent out. The program prepared is an excellent one. Among
the names of those on the program are Hon. S. W . Kirk, McConnellsburg, Pa. and D. Edward Long, Esq., Chambersburg. An
orchestra has been engaged to furnish the music.
The society has had a brilliant record so far this year. The

22

THE NORMAL, SCHOOL HERALD

meetings have been well attended and the programmes interesting
and profitable. Many new members were added' to the society
at the opening of the term.
Mr. Geo. M. Bryner is now serving as president and. Miss
hiliah Zug as Secretary.
®bilo.
(R ep orted b y S u s a n F ic k e s , ’01.)

H E Philo Xyiterary Society is in a flourishing condition with
Mr. Lynn as President and Miss Byers as Secretary.
“ The Deacon,” a play of five acts, was rendered on
April 19th.
Arrangements are being made for the Philo Reunion to be
held on May 17th. The program will be miscellaneous, and
given mostly by former and present members of Philo.

■

CUppiUQS.
2>aintp SMsbes.
We don’t get anything to eat to our house any more—
There’s never any dainty dish comes through the open door,
Eor ma and all the girls work like they was machines—
A-makin’ “ dainty dishes” from the fashion magazines.
They give us dabs o’ this an’ that, with names we can’t pronounce,
With sprigs 6’ stufE around them all, just like a little flounce.
A stalk or two o’ spinnage takes the place o’ “ mess o’ greens” —
We’re eatin’ “ dainty dishes” from the fashion magazines.
The grocery bill’s a-hummin’ now—I tell you it's a sin.
We got to buy the dainty stuff an’ things to cook it in—
I’m blamed if I’ll call bean soup any “ consummay de beans !”
But it’s in “ dainty dishes” in the fashion magazines.
I want a steak—I want it quick—I’m hungry as a hoss—I want it with thick gravy—no new fangled kind o’ “ sauce,”
A n’ listen kerful an’ you’ll know just what the ol’ man means—
I want no “ dainty dishes” from the fashion magazines !

—Boston Gazette.
“ What’s your definition of satire?”
“ Satire,” said Miss Cayenne, “ is something that compels you
to laugh against your will in order to let it appear that you are
not angry. ’ '— E x .

THE) NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

23

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THE NORMAL SCHOOL HERALD

24

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B

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