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1-1-1950

Eastern Illinois State College - Fifty Years of Public Service Charles H. Coleman Eastern Illinois University

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EA TERN ILLINOI

~

STATE COLLEGE BULLETIN

E TERN ILLINOIS TATE COLLEGE /

F-ifty Years of Public Servi e ---

-"

.-

Charles H. Coleman

CHAR EST

,ILL TOI

ADLAI

STATE OF ILLINOIS'

E.

STEVENSON,

Governor

EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE COLLE.GE BULLETIN January 1, 1950

No. 189

EASTERN ILLINOIS STATE COLLEGE

Fifty Years of· Public Service

by

Charles H. ·Coleman, Ph.D. Professor of· Social Science

Eastern Illinois State College Bulletin, issued quarterly, by the Eastern Illinois State College, Charleston, Illinois.· . Entered lVlarch 5, 1902, as second-class matter, at the post office at Charleston, Illinois. Act of Congress, August 24, 1912.

~2 (81162)

THE MAIN BUILDING Completed in 1899

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

Foreword ' . 000 .. 0 000 .. 00 .. 000 . 00. 0.00 6 Introduction 0. 0.. 0 00.. 00" . 00 0'.0 0 000.. 0 0000' 8 Chapter I. A Normal S'chool for Eastern Illinois 0.. 0 o. 9 The movem~nt for additional normal schools in Illinois 0 9 A normal school for eastern Illinois '. 0. 0 0 0 11 Charleston versus Mattoon 0 0. 12 The legislature provides for an' Eastern Illinois Normal School 00.. -. . . . . . . 0.. 0 0.. 0 " . .. 14 II. The No'rmal School Comes to Charleston 16 A bidding contest .. 0.... 0... 16 The Board of Trustees receives proposals 0 17 Charleston wins ... 21 Charleston in the 1890's ... '.... 0..... 24 III. The School Is Organized .. 0 00 .. , 0 0 0.. ~ 26 The si te and the building' design 0 0 26 The laying of the corner s~·tone 27 A new Board of Trustees' 29 The building goes up 0 0. 0 '0. 30. The selection of a president " '" 32 Teachers or politicians? .. , 00 0 .0 .' , 0 37 Planning for the school. 40 The school is dedicate,d ~ 0 0 00.. 45 IV. The First Year 0 00 0 00 50 The original faculty 50 The original student body. ~ 59 Teachers meetings " ' 0 65 School organization and courses of study .. I. 69 Saturday classes 0 00.. 0 0 0 72 Community relations 0.. 00 0 74 The Board of Trustees 0.'. 00., 0 '" 76 The close of the first year. 0'... 0 0.. 0 0.. 00.. 78 V. The Growth of the Normal School .. 00 0 ~ . 0.. 0 80 The growing reputation of the Normal School .. 0 0000 80 The Training School of the Normal School ... 0.. 0.. 0 o. 84 The Normal Summer School (1901-1920)'0 00 0 88 Normal School costs, scholarships, and loans .. 00.. 0.. , 91 Placement of Normal School graduates ... 0 0.. '~ .. '93 Teachers' certificates for Normal School students 95 The Eastern Illinois Teachers Association .. 000 000 00 97 The end of free water 00 00000000 000 .. 00 98 The teachers of the Normal School .. 000.0 00 000"0 0102 000 000111 Political. factors. '00 0.. 00. 000. 0...... 00. 0000 o

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VI.

VII.

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IX.

Normal School Construction 117 The first new construction 117 Pemberton Hall. 119 The dancing con troversy 127 The Training School Building 132 Normal School Activities 135 "Chapel" 135 The "pre-Lantz" era of sports and physical education .. 142 The athletic and oratorical meet 150 The entertainment course 152 Normal Scho'ol dramatics 155 Music in the Normal School 157 Class decorations 159 160 . Student publications of the Normal School The spirit of the Normal School. 162 A Period of Transition 164 "Homecoming" 164 Normal School extension teaching 166 Eastern in World War I 169 Five boards or one? 177 From Normal School to Teachers College 185 The Developmen t of the Teachers College 194 Curriculum development in the College 194 The teacher-training program of the College 196 199 College mid-spring and summer terms The summer workshops and short courses 202 The field study program 204 The College extension program 207 The College heal th service 210 The death of Mr. Lord 211 A new president 219 College Activities 223 223 Sports and physical education College dramatics 233 Student publications of the College 235 241 Music in the College College forensics 246 The College radio program 249 Commencemen t 252 253 .The Silver Anniversary observance The Golden Anniversary observance 255 College Construction Progress 257 The ten-year building program of 1920 257 President Buzzard's building program: The Health Education and Science buildings 263 The twenty-five year plan , 268 The Mary J. Booth Library 279 The proposed new Training School Building 284 The campus: then, now, and soon 286 Teachers and Students " 293 The teachers of the College, past and presen t 293 f •••••••.•...

X.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

Faculty preparation and tenure ~ Salary.schedules and retirement plans Student costs, loans, and scholarships The placement of graduates of the College Tea~hers' certificates for College students Eastern's graduates and former students Alumni organizations World War II and After Eastern's record in World War II.' The general college movement ~ In conclusion ; Appendix

, ~

295 299 '.305 310 313 314 ~ 320 323 323 332

338 339

FOREWORD This book is a narrative of the Eastern Illinois State College at Charleston, Illinois. I t does not attempt to interpret Eastern's role in our national educational development. The writer has not used the story of Eastern as a means for expounding educational doctrine, and he hopes that his own pedagogical theories have not ~ntruded themselves in these pages. The book has been written for the former 'students and teachers of Eastern and for the present and future sons and daughters of the school. Those who come to Eastern in the years ahead may find in these pages some hint of the forces and personalities which have made the school and some understanding of the school's traditions. Eastern is a good school and here, at least in part, is why. The organization of the book is topical. In general a distinction has been made between the Normal School period to 1921 and the College period. Some topics, however, do not lend themselves to such a division. The brief section on the Eastern Illinois Teachers Association in chapter five, and the sections on chapel and the entertainment course in chapter seven, carry those accounts through the entire period of the school's history, although they are found in the chapters dealing with the Normal School. The story of sports, also, does not divide logically at 1921. The coming of Charles P. Lantz in 1911 marked the end of one. period and the start of another." Pre-Lantz" sports are in' chapter seven and sports since 1911 are in chapter ten, 01) _College activities. There are two." editions" of this history of Eastern. Early in the writing it became obvious that'the original account as written would be too long for publication. Rather than attempt to "edit his copy" to the required length, the writer wrote without a length restriction, with the purpose of writing a full-length account which later would be reduced to the proper limits.. The unabridged version, giving greater detail but following the same organization as the printed account, has been typed and placed in the .College Library, under the same title as the book. An apology is due to the teachers of the College who prepared accounts of the development of their departments at the request of the writer, and of which he made only fragmentary use. The longer of these departmental histories have been appended to the unabridged account for ·the College Library. Writing this book has been a pleasant task. It ,could.not have been wri tten wi thou t· the assistance of scores of friends, on' and off the campus. Credit is given in notes to .all who have helped by supplying specific information. The friendly criticisms and helpful suggestions of five individuals must be mentioned as major factors in preventing the writer

from straying into profitless bypaths. Dr. Edson H. Taylor, member of the original faculty, read the entire manuscript and made various suggestions, for which the author is very grateful. In addition, Dr. Harry L. Metter, Dr. Howard De F. Widger, Dr. Hobart F. Heller, and Dr. Robert G. Buzzard have contributed generously of their time in reading portions of the manuscript. Among those who in Charleston or from a distance made interesting and valuable contributions from their store of memories the writer is impelled to mention Mrs. Bertha Volentine Ehlers, Miss Orra E. Neal, Professor Clyde W. Park, Mr. Lawrence F. Ashley, Dr. G. B. Dudley, Mrs. Ethel Lord Awty, Mr. Ernest Freeman, Mr. Charles Wallace, Mr. Orvis Jenkins, Dr S. E. Thomas, Mrs. Louise B. Inglis, Miss Gilberta Coffman, Miss Annie L. Weller, Mrs. Martha Josephine Harker Stewart, Mrs. Maude L. Cook, Miss Mary J. Booth, Mr. Henry Johnson, Dr. Thomas H. Briggs, Mr. Albert B. Crowe, Dr. Charles P. Lantz, Dr. Florence G. McAfee, Dr. Widger, and Dr. Taylor. Any attempt to chronicle the history of Eastern must lean heavily, as did this work, on Miss Isabel McKinney's biography of President Livingston C. Lord. A glance at the notes gives some idea of the writer's debt to Mr. Lord (University of Illinois Press, 1937). The numerous quotations from that book are made with Miss McKinney's kind permission. The College Registrar, Miss Blanche C. Thomas; the Business Manager, Mr. Raymond R. Gregg; the Librarian, Dr. Roscoe F. Schaupp, and the Public Relations Director, Mr. Stanley M. Elam, together with their staffs, responded generously to all calls for assistance. The writer had the generous cooperation of his colleagues of the Social Science Department in examining the mass of correspondence relating to the early years of the school. Major assistance in this particular was given by Dr. Glenn H. Seymour. The writer also takes pleasure in acknowledging the assistance of the student typists who prepared the manuscript. Miss Marion Railsback, secretary of the Social Science Department, typed ten of the thirteen chapters of the final revision for the printer. Miss Phyllis Cordes typed two chapters of the final draft. Miss Marjorie Herman typed nine of the thirteen chapters of the unabridged version. Miss Angela Kirnbauer typed four chapters and the Appendix. The work of these young ladies was marked by both intelligence and accuracy. They contributed generously of their time at the expense of their other interests. Particular sections have been read by individuals best in a position to know the facts. For the errors which remain the writer takes full responsibility. His" ingenui ty in error" has at times, he fears, evaded the most careful scrutiny by his friends. July, 1949.

CHARLES

H.

COLEMAN

INTRODUCTION Public interest in education showed a steady growth in Illinois during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. Public school enrollment went from 738,487 in 1880 to 958,911 in 1900, while support of the public schools increased from an annual expenditure of $10.69 per pupil in 1880 to $18.93 in 1900. The number of public high schools. increased from 110 in 1880 to 338 in 1900. Higher education also was expanding. The University of Illinois (founded 1867) had 418 students, and an annual appropriation of $40,075 in 1889, and 2,111 students and $273,700 ten years later. The two state normal schools, at Normal (founded 1857) and at Carbondale (founded 1869), were also growingNormal's enrollment going froin 438 in 1880 to 677 in 1890, and Carbondale going from 227 students in 1885 to 350 ten years later. The interest in teacher training is shown by the creation of the Northern and Eastern Illinois State Normal Schools in 1895, the Chicago Normal School (supported by that city) in 1896, and the Western Illinois State Normal School in 1899. No additional state-supported teacher training institutions have been created in Illinois since 1899.

CHAPTER ONE A NORMAL SCHOOL FOR EASTERN ILLINOIS

The Movement for Additional Normal Schools in Illinois The value of the state normal schools at Normal and Carbondale to the educational system of Illinois, "fine mother of our stoutest virtues,"! was recognized in 1887 by a committee report on those schools to the State Senate. The committee concluded that the state should provide and support normal schools in order to meet the need for more efficient teachers. 2 This report, made eight years before the creation of the normal schools at Charleston and DeKalb, foreshadowed a growing desire for additional state normal schools. Also promoting this sentiment was the fact that in 1887 Illinois, with only two normal schools, was being left behind in the field of teacher training by the nearby states of Wisconsin, with five normal schools, by Minnesota, with four, and by Missouri, with three. The demand for additional normal schools also reflected the increased public interest in secondary education, for the normal schools of fifty years ago admitted students from the eighth grade. The organized teachers of Illinois led the movement for additional teacher training schools. On April 25, 1891, the Northern Illinois Teachers Association meeting at Elgin adopted a resolution calling for a normal school in the northern part of the State, and a commi ttee of five was named to work for that objective. The Northern Teachers Association continued to urge the creation of a northern normal school in its meetings in 1891 and 1892. 3 By December 1892, when the state teachers' association met at Springfield, the need for additional normal schools had been recognized by teachers generally, and that meeting created a normal school committee of seven. This committee reported to the 1893 state meeting that they had prepared a bill, which had been introduced into both houses of the General Assembly, calling for a new normal school in the northern part of the State, which the committee had supported in appearances before the education committees of both houses of the legislature. Although the bill did not pass the legislature in 1893, the committee was not discouraged. On the contrary, the objective of the committee had become wider. The report to the 1893 state meeting stated that "some of us are of the opinion from the experience of this year that instead of one more school in the northern part of the State it would be better to call for three or five more schools located 'Senator T. V. Smith, in Senate Committee Report On the Normal Colleges, State of Illinois, to 1935 Session of General Assembly. Northern Illinois State Teachers College reprint, 1936, p. 12. 'Report of 1887 committee quoted in 1935 Senate Report, supra, pp. 10-11. The chairman of this 1887 committee was D. D. Hunt, Senator from the district which included DeKalb. 'Minutes of meetings of Northern Illinois State Teachers Association, in files of Illinois Educati on Association, Springfield.

9

10 in different parts of the State."4 Thus the normal school horizon widened, and the possibility of an Eastern norn1al school entered the picture. President Joseph H. Freeman of the State Association, assistant . State Superintendent,_ in his 1893 presidential address pointed out that existing normal schools were able to supply only a small portion of the 5,000 new teachers needed in Illinois annually. Freeman expected that the legislature in 1895 would be "much n10re favorably inclined to strengthen, enlarge and increase the number of normal schools as the right hand of the public school system of the state" than 'had been the 1893 session. President John W.Cook of the Illinois State Normal University in his address to the state meeting called for an increased program of state support for teacher training, until state boards could furnish at least four thousand teachers a year. 5 The 1893 meeting provided for the appointment of a comn1ittee of three, headed by Willianl Jenkins, Mendota superintendent, "to organize, a propaganda throughout the State in the interest of establishing teachers seminaries and addi tional normal schools and teachers' classes in :counties."6 Since the legislature would not be in session in 1894, the Jenkins commi ttee was to cen ter its activities on state wide" propaganda," looking forw,ard to legislative action in 1895~ Another evidence of the 'growing interest in better training for teachers was the creation in 1893 ofa chair of pedagogy at the State U niversi ty. The teachers association hailed this step' as a (( recognition of the claims of our profession to a better and higher preparation."7 The 1894 president of the State teachers organizati~n, T. C. Clendenen of Cairo, criticized sharply the state legislature for its treatment of the. problem of teacher tr~ining, due, he said, to "an unnecessary, inexcusable and wholly unaccountable prejudice existing in our state against the State normal schools," with the result that "every' dollar appropriated for their support has been wrung from th~ Legislative Assembly only after the most urgent and eloquent appeals." Clendenen compared the record of Illinois with that of other states in the matter of teacher training institutions. ,(( Every~ where," he concluded, (( more normals are being provided, except in our own state, when at least two or more are. an imperativenecessi ty." In 1894 President Cook of Normal again spoke to ,the state meeting in support of more state normal schools. He called for Illinois to "enter upon an educational career," involving the doubling of the existing abili tyof the State to prepare' trained teachers Jor the public schools. Friends. of educational development could take heart from "the generosity of the las t legislature toward our noble State U niver4Report of the Committee in Papers relating to 1893 meeting in files of the Illinois Education Association, Springfield. The committee consisted of Peleg R. w-alker, Rockford city superintendent, chairman, A. B. Lane, Chicago city superintendent, P. O. Stiver,t{Stephenson County superintendent, T. C. Clendenen, Cairo city superintendent, Lynn Karr, Woodford County superintendent, C. B. Ma'rshall, Rock Island County superintendent, and State Superintendent Raab. N one came from eastern Illinois, which at this time had no sectional teachers' association. , 5Text of the addresses by Freeman and Cook in Papers relating to the 1893 meeting. 6Papers relating to 1893 meeting. 7Ibid.

11 sity, which at last is emerging from her years of trial and comparative obscurity."8 The 1894 meeting responded to the urgings of Clendenen and Cook by adopting a resolution which earnestly recommended" the establish,ment of at least two new State normal schools, one of which shall be in the northern and the other in the western part of the State."9 The county superin.tendents' section 'of the 1894 state meeting did not specify the areas to be served by new normal schools but more generally resolved that the legislature should be asked for" a more adequate provision for the training of our teachers by establishing more normal schools so situated as to be as easily accessible as possible to the largest number of teachers."lo, Although no other formal resolutions concerningnormal schools were adopted by the county superintendents, or by the meeting as a whole, it appears that it was agreed that county superintendents should appoint county committees of three to agitate the question of ad~i tional normal schools. l l

A Normal School jor Eastern Illirjois Although the resolutions 0'[ the state teachers meeting 'had specified the northern and western parts of the state to receive new normal schools, school leaders in eastern Illinois were aware of the possibilities of the situation. County Superintendent John L.Whisnand of Coles County appointed a ~ommittee of three, consisting of Dr. J. T. Montgomery of Charleston, C.E. Watson of Mattoon and Eli Dudley of Ashmore to look into the matter. 12 The agitation for additional schools resulted in action by the General Assembly early in 1895. On January 10, Senator D. D. Hunt of DeKalb introduced a bill for the 'establishment of a state normal school in the northern part of thestate. 13 This action stimulated interest in a normal school for eastern. Illinois. At a county teachers meeting held at Mattoon on January 26, Professor Charles' A.McMurray of Illinois State Normal University discussed the need for additional normal schools. He used a map to emphasize that Mattoon was well located for such a school. On February 2 a meeting to promote the location of an eastern state normal school at Mattoon was called by City Superintendent of Schools B.F. Armitage, former County Super-. intendent C. T. Feagan, and John F.Scott,Mattoon lawyer. At this meeting, held in the city council chamber, \a committee of five was appointed,headed . . bY Mayor C. E. Watson, and including L. L. 8Text of addresses' by Clendenena~d Cook in Papers relating to the 1894 meetirtg. 9Proceedings-, 41st meeting, Illinois Teachers Association, December 26-28, 1894. In Illinois State Historical Library. The writer has seen no material which would.explain why western Illinois was mentioned as the second region for which a state normal school was recommended. Probably the teachers of western Illinois were more active in the meeting than those from eastern Illinois, which at that·:time had no sectional teachers' assoCiation. The Eastern Illinois Teachers Association was organized at a Coles County teachers institute held at Charleston in the fall of 1898. lOIbid. lIThe Proceedings show no such actions nor is there any evidence in the available records of such a proposal being placed formally before Hie' meeting. The Charleston' Daily Courier for. August 29, 1899, surveying the steps leading to the establishment of the school at Charleston, stated that in the 1894' meeting "a resolution was passed for each County Superintendent to appoint a committee of three to agitate the question of more Normal schools." 12Charleston Daily Courier, August 29, 1899; 13Senate Journal, 39th General Assembly (Springfield, 1896), p. 50.

12 Lehman, J. F. 'Scott, J. H. Clark, and J. J. Beall. This committee' got in touch with the Coles County members of the General Assembly, . and on February 7 bills for the creation of an Eastern State Normal School with an .appropriation of $100,000 were introduced by Senator Isaac B~ Craig of Mattoon and Representative W. H. Wallace of Humboldt. 14 The Mattoon Gazette, on February 8, 1895, appeared confident that the school would go to 'Mattoon.t5 "From this time on," observed the Gazette, "the matter should be pushed and with insistent action there is every opportunity of winning." A week later the Galette suggested that the location of the school in Mattoon "would be worth ten dollars to every resident." All who could afford to do so should lend a helpinghand to " the noble proj ect." The first city in the ,district of the proposed normal school to object to its projected location in Mattoorywas, according to the Charleston Scimitar, the city of Paris on the eastern side of the district. In the latter part of February 1895, after the legislation for the school had been introduced in the legislature, at a public meeting held in Paris a committee was appointed to go to Springfield to lobby in the interests of that city.l6

Charleston versus Mattoon At this time, February and M~rch 1895, there was little expectation that the school would go to Charleston, although the' Scimitar, at the time the Paris delegation -went to Springfield, suggested that Charleston was losing a good opportunity for advancement .if she, also, did not enter the contest. The Scimitar also suggested that the hill south of Charleston (where the school finally was located) would be an excellentlocation. 17 A common attitude in Charleston was reflected by the Charleston Herald, which, after noting the efforts being made by the citizens of Mattoon to secure the school, added that if it was not to go to Charleston, "we hope they will succeed. Mattoon is' a part of ColesCounty. "18 I t appeared logical that the school be located in Mattoon if a Coles County city was to be chosen. Mattoon was then as now over one and one-half times the size of Charleston (Mattoon,pepulation 6,833 14Senate Jour.nal, 39th General Assembly, p. 149, House Journal, 39th General Assembly, Springfield, 1896, p. 164. Mattoon Weekly Gazette, February 8, 1895, Charleston Courier, weekly. edition, May 28; 1896. The file of the .Mattoon Gazette (now Journal-Gazette) is complete for the period, but the files of the Charlesto'n papers have been destroyed by fires. A few issues of the Charleston Courier, covering the announcement that Charleston had been selected as,the location of the school in 1895, the laying of the cornerstone of the NormalSchool building in 1896(and the dedication in1899 have been located, as well as two issues of the Charleston Plaindealer, December 21, 1894, and August 29, 1899, and one issue of the Charleston Scimitar, May 29, 1896. I5The writer has not seen the text of the bills introduced by Craig and Wallace. The Charleston Courier for May 28, 1896, stated that the bills as drawn would have insured the school going to Mattoon. The Charleston Scimitar for May 29, 1896", reported that "it was only by the merest accident that the bill was changed at,"the last moment locating it anywhere in the district instead of 'as near the center of the district as possible,' this latter clause being inserted directly in favor of Mattoon, although Charleston would have still been equally eligible." I6Charleston Scimitar, May 29, 1896. I7Charleston Scimitar, May 29, 1896. Surveying the events of the year before, the Scimitar recalled that it had stated that Charleston "could easily afford to p~y $25,000 to $50,000 to secure it and that here was an excellent opportunity for Jack Jeffries to distinguish himself. That Jack took this advice in proper spirit, is shown by hIS work in the great fight that followed thereafter." I8Quoted in Mattoon Weekly Gazette, February 15, 1895.

18 In 1890, 9,622 in 1900; Charleston, population 4,135 in 1890, 5,488 in 1900). Mattoon was the crossing point, of the Illinois Central and Big Four railroads, which provided excellent north and south and east and west rail service. Charleston was the junction point of the Big Four and the Clover Leaf, neither of which ,served northern or southern Illinois. '~One reason for the lack -of an active movement to secure the location of the school in Charleston was the feeling that Mattoon had the inside track politically. Senator Craig of Mattoon, the sponsor of the bill before the General Assembly, was ·of the same political party as Governor Altgeld, and would surely secure the appointment of trustees who would favor Mattoon. 19 Furthermore, Coles County had outgrown its court house, and Mattoon, hoping to secure the removal of the' county seat from Charleston, had opposed the erection of a new county building in Charleston.' In March 1895 the idea was suggested that Charleston aid Mattoon in securing the normal school and that Mattoon, in turn, withdraw its opposition to a new court house for. Charleston. With the ,two leading cities of Coles County united behind the movement to locate the school'at Mattoon it would inevitably win, and the new courthous~ for Charleston would be assured. 20 After a few weeks this 'ide~ was abandoned. Perhaps the citizens of Mattobn, confident of their' ability to, get, the normal school, were unwilling to make a trade, or perhaps the citizens' of Charleston became convinced that they ·had a chance to get both school ana court house. On April 18, 1895, a meeting of the Commercial Club of Charleston was, called to consider the possibility' of securing the normal school. This was followed by a public, meeti-ng the following evening at which J., W. Henninger, superintendent of the city schools, presided and appointed a "normal committee" of five. The five were to select an additional six, to make a committee of eleven. The first five were R. R. Fuller, lumber dealer, Otto Weiss, president of the Weiss Woolen Company, W.E. McCrory,'clothingmerchant, Ben Anderson, "attorney, and R. S. Hodgen, real estate dealer. The other six were Henry A. Neal, attorney, who was chosen as chairman of-the committee of eleven, George H.]effries, real estate dealer, L. R. Schmalhausen, druggist, Dr. W. R. Patton, mayor, Lewis Monroe, merchant, and A.]. Fryer. "Charleston was out to win."21 The committee of eleven lost no time in getting to work, and numerous" normal meetings" were held. At first the comlnittee met with some coldness, due to the widespread belief that ·Mattoon was certain to. get the school. Chairman Neal recalled many years later that "finally everyb