Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/490

 430 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI training, one of art, and one of music. All these departments have thoroughly organized courses and are fully equipped to earrj' on the work in their various subjects. The present condition of the Normal school as attested by its buildings and groimds, which are now valued at more than $600,000, by its faculty of forty-four teachers, by its attendance of students, which for the school year 1911-1912 was 1,001, is most encourag- ing to the friends of public education in Southeast Missouri. During the thirty-nine years of the school's history it has graduated more than 600 stud- ents and has enrolled more than 14,000. Its students are foimd in the greater number of teaching positions throughout this part of the state and are exerting constantly a wider and deeper influence upon the course of education here. Within a short time after the organization of the school, literary societies were formed by the students. The first of these, which seemed to have been organized in 1875, were the Union Literary, the Humboldt and the Arion. They were imder faculty supervision, but were conducted almost entirely by the students themselves, ilembership was open to both boys and girls and the programs were of a general literary character. For a good many years the societies were advertised in the catalogue as one of the means of general culture. In 1876 the three old societies were disor- ganized and two new ones were formed ; these were the Adelphi and the Zenonian. They were patterned after the former societies and continued to be the only ones of the school until 1879 when a third society called the Philomathean was organized. In 1888 a fourth society called the Van Guard came into existence. These societies held their meetings usually in the afternoon and there was no special place provided for their meetings; they usually occupied some one or other of the various class rooms of the school and they seem to have exerted no great influence on student life. In 1892 it was determined by the students to organize societies on a slightly different pattern. The initiative in the movement was taken by the members of the class of 1893. It was felt by many of the students that so- cieties would prosper more greatly if only men or only women were admitted to mem- bership. Accordingly, there was organized as the first of the new societies, the Webster. One reason for the change was that it might be made possible for evening meetings to be held; it was felt that the society would have a more distinct character and a greater influ- ence if it became possible to hold meetings in the evening. After the organization of the Webster Society its meetings for a time were held on Saturday evenings in a room rented in the ilasonic Temple, which had just been completed. In the same year the first of the girls' societies, the Sorosis, was organized. The following year the Bentons came into ex- istence and a little later the Clio was formed. Even after the organization of the new societies it was found necessary, during the greater part of the time, to hold their meet- ings in the class rooms of the Normal school. In 1894 there were built for the use of the societies, four halls. They were in the form of additions to the chapel, were well fur- nished, and well suited to the purpose for which they were intended. They were occu- pied imtil the destruction of the building in 1902. On the completion of Academic Hall, rooms were set aside for the use of these so- cieties, which they still continue to occupy. It was not until after the organization of