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| Cortland Normal School. |
Trouble in a Normal School.
(From the Kingston Argus June 17.)
Francis
J. Cheney, late principal of Kingston Academy, and for the past year inspector
of academies, etc., under the Board of Regents at Albany, has been selected by
the Local Board of the Cortland Normal School to succeed Dr. J. H. Hoose, for
twenty years the eminently successful principal of that school, whose
resignation has been requested by a majority of the Local Board, and, with
abundant reason on the part of Dr. Hoose, refused. The change demanded is the
outcome wholly of personal motives originating years ago in matters outside the
school and merging into a quasi-political quarrel mainly between two factions
of the Republican party in Cortland.
The State
Superintendent will do a most unwise and unjust act to yield to the demand of a
bare majority of the Local Board inspired by such motives, and in the absence
of any possible charges affecting the management of the school, which under Dr.
Hoose's control has stood among the foremost of the Normal Schools of the
State, and was never so prosperous and popular as now.
Dr. Hoose
is a man of great executive force; and, in that regard, probably has no
superior among the educators of the State. This local faction tried to drive
him out in 1880, but after a long struggle in the Courts were beaten; the school
in the meantime greatly declining in numbers and standing. The restoration of
Dr. Hoose to his place very soon brought back its prosperity which has
continued in a progressive ratio up to the present time. As the Cortland
Democrat says: "Cheney may be a good man, but he is not Hoose." Dr.
Cheney is a capable educator, but he certainly is not the equal of Dr. Hoose in
all the qualifications which go to make the Cortland Normal School what it now
is.
__________________
(Northern Christian Advocate, June
18,1891.)
The
administration of each of the Normal Schools in this State is not merely a matter
of local interest. The head of these institutions is a State officer, and every
citizen of the State is interested to know what principals [sic] shall be
applied in their administration. We are not, therefore, going beyond our
province when we take notice of the contention over the affairs of the Normal
School at Cortland.
Several years ago an issue was made in that school
involving the retention of Principal Hoose, which was decided finally in his
favor by the Court of Appeals. Since that time the school has prospered, as
indeed it had before, under Dr. Hoose, whose ability and experience have gained
for him recognition as one of the most successful Normal School instructors and
principals in this country, and, so far as the general public is concerned,
nothing has been heard of the old contention or of any dissatisfaction with his
management of the institution under his supervision.
But in
the meantime the personnel of the local board has changed, and the majority now
surprise the community with the request that Dr. Hoose resign. As he refuses to
do this, they apply to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for his summary
removal. The only reason assigned for this procedure is "strained
relations.'' That indeed is a convenient phrase, often used to explain an
unpleasant situation by concealing the truth. "Strained!" It gives to
the public no information, and justifies no inference except this, that the dissatisfied
members of the board find themselves uncomfortable in the position which they
have accepted. It does not seem to have occurred to them that they could
relieve themselves by resigning.
Perhaps
that would not be agreeable, and it may be impertinent to suggest such a remedy.
Seriously, however, we protest in behalf of our Normal Schools against interference
with their administration and the removal of their principals on the ground of
"strained relations."
A Bit of Hypocrisy.
Dr. David
E. Smith, professor of mathematics in the Normal school, last week sent his
formal resignation to the Local Board to take effect at the close of the present
term. Dr. Smith will take the chair of mathematics at the Michigan State Normal School at the opening of the fall term, at
a salary of $2,000—an increase of $500 on what he has been receiving at Cortland—and
with much lighter duties. During his
connection with the Cortland Normal he has gained an enviable reputation as an
instructor of the very first rank, and the work of his department has not been
surpassed, if it has been equaled, by any school in the State. His unvarying courtesy
and dignified and gentlemanly bearing have also made him personally popular
both with students and faculty. It is to be regretted that the opposition to our
Normal schools should keep down annual appropriations to a point where salaries
equal to those offered in other states cannot be paid, and that the schools
should therefore be constantly losing some of their best instructors. Such
parsimony is not economy. So long as our Normal schools are sustained at all it
should be in a way to make them easily the best in the country.—Cortland
Standard.
That portion of the above article commending
Dr. Smith as an instructor, we can heartily subscribe to, but when the editor
[William H. Clark] of the Standard undertakes to put the blame for the
loss of Dr. Smith on the amount of salary paid here, he may possibly succeed in
deceiving himself, but he deceives no one else. No one knows better than the
President of the Local Board, that the size of the salary was not taken into
account when Dr. Smith decided to go to Michigan. He had not found fault with
his salary here and that was not the consideration that induced him to leave. If
his position in the school here had been assured, the increase of salary would
have had no temptations for him, but with Clark in the Local Board he knew that
the tenure of office of every member of the faculty would hang by a very
slender thread. He undoubtedly thought it was better to get inside before the
inevitable storm caught him unawares, and in so doing he proved that he
possessed sound judgment.
Judging from the present outlook, if there
is any opposition to the Normal schools in these parts, the president of the Local
Board [William H. Clark] is at its head.
Normal
Commencement.
Tuesday of next week will begin the customary
examinations and other exercises attending the forty-third commencement forty-fifth
term) at the State Normal and Training school, Cortland. Below is printed the
general programme for the week which will be interesting to the numerous readers
of the DEMOCRAT in common with the friends of the school and participants:
Final examinations will begin at 1:15 P. M.
Tuesday, June 23, continuing until 4:15 P. M. of the following Friday.
Return of Text Books and payment of return
fare to Normal students occurs at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning, 27th inst. At
8 P. M. of same day will occur the first reception by the clubs of the Alumni
of the school. The reception to be at the Normal parlors.
Monday morning 29th inst., the standing will
be read at 9 o'clock. At 2 P. M. will be held the class day exercises. In the Opera
House at 8 P. M. the seventeenth public exercises of the Alumni association will
be listened to.
Tuesday at 10 A. M. will occur the
commencement, the exercises being held at the Opera House. A business meeting
of the Alumni association will take place in room 85 of the Normal at 3
P. M. The annual reunion will open in the Normal parlors at 8 o'clock in the
evening, with a banquet served in the chapel.
There are forty-eight ladies and thirteen gentlemen
in the class of 1891, twenty-one being residents of Cortland county, while the
remaining forty are residents of twelve other counties of the state:
GENTLEMEN.
George
Day Bailey, Etna, Tompkins Co.
Calvin
Guiteau Babcock, Newport, Herkimer Co.
Sanfond
Jay Ellsworth, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Fred Hulse,
Monroe, Orange Co.
Lambert
Lincoln Jackson, Choconut Centre, Broome Co.
Ira Warner
Livermore, Whitney's Point, Broome Co.
Arthur
Ralph Mason, McLean, Tompkins Co.
Orra
Ellsworth Northrop, Etna, Tompkins Co.
John
Probes, Caton, Steuben Co.
George
Arthur Rundlet, Alexandria Bay, Jeff. Co.
Harry
James Stannard, Newark Valley, Tioga Co.
Hermon C
. Woodworth, Trumansburg, Tomp. Co.
Delmer S.
Zimmer, Newark Valley, Tioga Co.
LADIES.
Mary
Bigler Adams, Marathon, Cortland Co.
Anna
Elizabeth Alexander, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Anna
Augusta Allen, Asbury, Tompkins Co.
Mary
Edith Adbit, Jamesville, Onondaga Co.
Mary
Elizabeth Beeman, Tully, Onondaga Co.
Ellen
Beach, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Candace
Maria Beach, Delphi, Onondaga Co.
Minnie
Harriet Brownell, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Anna
Winona Chidsey, Candor, Tioga Co.
Irene May
Clough, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Kathryne
Tracy Cahaley, Elmira, Chemung Co.
Irene
Crandell, Breesport, Chemung Co.
Marv
Agnes Carty, Ithaca, Tompkins Co.
Elizabeth
May Davern, Marathon, Cortland Co.
Grace
Katherine Duffey, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Frances
Anna Ferguson, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Pauline
Mary Freer, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Anna Louise
Gethins, Horseheads, Chemung Co.
Harriet
Churchill Hawley, Broadalbin, Fulton Co.
Ina Helen
Hurlbut, Homer, Cortland Co.
Marian
Alice Hinds, DeRuyter, Madison Co.
Fannie
May Hoffman, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Fanny
Laura Hughes, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Lula
Alberta Legg, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Florence
Irene Lewis, Kattleville, Broome Co.
Florence
Lizabeth Littaye, Constableville, Lewis Co.
Nellie
Janette Littaye, Constablevllle, Lewis Co.
Katherine
Lucy McGinnis, Syracuse, Onondaga Co.
Helen
Veronica Matthews, Cazenovia, Madison Co.
Cora
Belle Niver, Dryden, Tompkins Co.
Maud
Louise Olmstead, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Gertrude
Louise Peckham, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Frederike
Bonhuer Rounds, Vestal, Broome Co.
Elizabeth
Ellen Roberts, Morrisville, Madison Co.
Margaret
Sheridan, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Lena May
Spence, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Mattie E.
Smith, North Chemung, Chemung Co.
Emma
Louise Stickles, Groton, Tompkins Co.
Lena L.
Smith, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Fannie
Ellen Thompson, Cazenovia, Madison Co.
Cara S.
Van Camp, Cortland, Cortland Co.
Lillian
Priscilla Wheeler, Whitney's P't, Broome Co.
Jennie
Dane Wells, Tully, Onondaga Co.
Celona
Cummings Wells, Tully, Onondaga Co.
Etta May
West, Binghamton, Broome Co.
Sara
Julia Weeks, Marcellus, Onondaga Co.
Minnie
Cordelia Wilber, Morrisville, Madison Co.
Leila
Maria Warren, Cortland, Cortland Co.
 |
| Floral Trout Park can be viewed in the upper right side of this 1894 map segment, just west of East Avenue. A small double-arch bridge separated two ponds and there was a pavilion on the west side of the ponds. Today the park site is a junk location near the city D. P. W. building on South Franklin Street. |
Hitchcock
Hose Outing.
The sterling pluck of the several companies which
form the fire department of Cortland
was fully demonstrated on the occasion of Hitchcock Hose outing at the Floral
Trout Park last Saturday. Following close in the wake of Orris Hose successful picnic,
many entertained the fear of failure. Fortunately such a word is omitted from
the department record. The day being fine the attendance was most liberal and
satisfaction universal. Hose racing, dancing and music filled in the time until
a seasonable hour at the close of the day. A grand parade of the department was
a pleasant feature of the evening.
Arriving at the park excitement ran high
over the friendly hose race between Orris and Hitchcock companies for a $50 purse.
Orris ran first, making the requirements in 38 1/2 seconds, while Hitchcock
time was given at 33 1/2, thus giving each team one race—the Orris having won
at the previous contest on the preceding Wednesday. Other companies will be
heard from during the season.
Epworth
League Election.
After an address by the Rev. C. E. Hamilton,
pastor of Homer Avenue M. E. church,
upon the "necessity of organization for Christian work," Wednesday
evening, the Epworth League of that church elected the following officers for
the ensuing semi-annual term:
President.—Miss May Cotton.
Vice Presidents.—Thomas Crozier, Mrs. C. E.
Hamilton, Miss Helena Myers and Miss
Hattie Kelley.
Secretary.—Charles Fenner.
Treasurer.—Clifton Wolcott.
"Dead While Called Living" will be
the topic at the 6 P. M., meeting next Sunday, Mr. S. D. Ballard conductor.
His
Fingers Amputated.
Last Friday, Fred Cowlan, aged 23 years and
an employe [sic] in the Hitchcock Manufacturing Company's shops, had the fingers and
thumb of his left hand badly lacerated by coming in contact with a buzz saw. He
was taken to Dr. Bennett's office and the doctor assisted by Dr. Dana amputated
the fingers and thumb.
Items.
Hitchcock Manufacturing Co. band are engaged to play in Owego,
July 4th.
The result of the examination
for Cornell scholarships was as follows: Milo McDiarmid, Homer, 307 points out of a possible 350; Ray Baum, Marathon,
284; J. W. Jones, Willett, 269; A. L. Bouton, Cortland, 250.
Mr. A. Mahan has been chosen a
director of the Franklin Hatch Library Association in place of the late Hon. R.
Holland Duell.
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