The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1905-06-28
THE SUMTER NORMAL
Attendance Increasing and wsrk of High
Character Being Done.

| went out to the University yes-
terday to watch the workings of the
summer normal in session there. I
am glad | went for ! am sure | saw
the biggest thing of the kind in
| Texas. I got there before time for
class work and found the corridors
full of young men and women at
work-as busy as bees. But there
was an air of cheerfufness about it
all that told me the work was real
pleasure to them. AS I would pass
them they would bow and smile and
resume their studies. Such happy,
sunny people, and these are the fu-
ture citizen makers Of our common
wealth. But we are safe The
school teacher is in the land and as
long as she is we are impregnable.
| walked right in Oh the faculty
just as they had wound up an ex-
ecutive session and told them | had
come TO write them up. They said
write away. DR.. Hornbeak acted as
spokesman and gave out the follow
ing:
Yes, the normal this year is a
success in every way. We have the
greatest number ever enrolled at any
previous normal held in the county
We have 123 on our roll now from
all sections of the state and expect
several more next week. The nor
NAL will be half out this week and
all teachers who desire TO take the
examination must matriculate next
week as the law now requires an at
tendance of twenty days in order to
entitle one to take the examination.
The student body this year is very
high and the work done has been
of the highest grade The pupils
who are here mean strictly business
and we as the faculty are proud OF
them and their record.
Especially would I call the at
tention of the public to the instruc-
tion in primary work that is being
done by Miss Curtin and Miss Gee.
They have the little fellows 10 come
here and they give actual lessons.
In other words they teach to do by
doing.
Il may be optimistic concerning
our normal here, but I feel sure the
time is not far in the future when
we will enroll hundreds whore we
now only have scores. Another fea-
ture of our summer work here is
DR. Turner's lectures on professional
topics. The can't be beat and the
teachers over the state are finding
it out anu coming to as in order
to get the best in that line. Here
the gong rang and the doctor went
away TO his class in physics.
/ went to Prof. VIM class in
United States history. They were
discussing the causes that led up
to the Civil war, secession, etc. II
Is an interesting subject and 1t seem
ed to me that every pupil knew all
about il.
The professor has a way of get
ting his pupils TO bring up good les
sons in Sunday School too. He is
enthusiastic and they say 'enthusi-
asm is catching
Prof Coghlan was giving an ex-
planation of complex fractions in al
zebra He had up one of these "dou-
bled and twisted sraked and rider
ed fractions. but he made the way
OF solving it so plain that |, thick
headed as | am. worked ii out after
| got back TO the office and / actu-
ally got Buie to see into ii too.
Prof. Barnett took me through the
workshop where he gives instruction
in manual training. This was some
thing new TO me and by the way,
this il the only normal Ia the state
that gives instruction in thai line
free of any extra charges. He gives
instruction in Venetian iron work,
hard and soft wood work. and me-
chanicai drawing The pupils are
taught to use the saw. chisel and
plane He explained 20 me that the
object of this work was not TO make
mechanics or artisans of the pupils,
but TO develop the sense OF touch
and sight and also TO give him cor
rect idea of proportion and symme-
try The work is purely education
al and not archaeological. There were
several teachers in the snop az worN
while | was there. and one Young
lady who especially attracted my
attention. was deftiy handling
paint brush and nor one speck OF
paint did she get on her pretty taper
ing fingers. God bless the school
marm.' she has ms support and u
we're a trustee / would give her a
thousand dollars a month.