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The Life of A Very Common Man
by Theodore Martin White (1866-1965)
"My maternal grandfather, Theodore Martin White (1866-1965) attended National Normal University from September, 1887, until March, 1888. He became a school teacher, moved to West Texas in 1898 ("for his health"), and lived to the ripe old age of 99. In 1951, he wrote his memoirs entitled "The Life of A Very Common Man," in which he devoted an entire chapter to his days at National Normal University, describing in some detail the curriculum, social life, etc. The experience profoundly influenced him, and he spoke of "President Holbrook" as "one of the greatest, if not the very greatest personalities I have ever known." On the chance that it might be of some interest, I am attaching a copy of the chapter."
COLLEGE
Kentucky had numerous institutions of higher learning, and there was one young college within thirty miles of my own home which had been the Alma Mater of my favorite teacher; but in some way there came to me the catalog of a then noted Ohio institution, the National Normal University located at Lebanon, 28 miles north of Cincinnati, and though I knew no one who had ever attended it I decided to go there. So in early September of 1887, with all my wardrobe in a suitcase (or valise) my father drove me twelve miles to the railroad station and saw me off. The route led through both Louisville and Cincinnati. On the way I fell in with a young fellow from further West in Kentucky, and also met a young lady from Western Kentucky, both of whom were bound for my destination and for the same purpose.
The National Normal University had been founded in the 1850’s by Alfred Holbrook who had come from New England and who had been an associate of Horace Mann, the famous educational reformer of that day. I still think of “President Holbrook” as one of the greatest, if not the very greatest personalities I have ever known. In that day a college education was hardly within the reach of any but the well to do, and hardly at all to young women. Alfred Holbrook had formed the determination to put these advantages within the reach of every ambitious boy or girl in the land, and throughout his life kept this purpose in view. This necessitated many changes in the college curriculum, methods of teaching, length of terms and the expenses involved.
Among these changes was that in the teaching of the dead languages, Latin and Greek. The old-line colleges made both these mandatory, and that the student become so proficient that he could carry on a conversation in either, and so these were carried as major courses throughout the usual four years of college life. Holbrook considered this a waste of time, and that in most walks of life only so much of these languages as was necessary for the proper understanding of our own language was necessary. Hence his classes devoted but one year to each.
Perhaps Holbrook’s most drastic change was that of reducing the college term from four to two years. However, this was brought about by making the college year forty eight (and later, fifty) weeks instead of the usual thirty six; by greatly reducing the number and length of the usual holidays; by increasing the intensity and concentration in both studies and recitations, and by arousing such a spirit of enthusiasm and competition as had never before been known. All this could the more easily be brought about for the reason that the great body of students were of rather mature age and made up of those who were largely making their own way and knew the meaning of both hard work and economy.
Holbrook also made provision for cheap but frugal living. While there were many boarding places throughout the town, which were encouraged by the college authorities, yet to set a standard of charges the school maintained a college dining hall at which meals were served at $1.25 and $1.50 per week. There were also quite a number of dormitories where furnished rooms could be had at Forty cents per week. Those who felt able and preferred to do so were at perfect liberty to room and board elsewhere.
There were many other things peculiar to this school. For one thing, while the authorities were not averse to the usual athletic exercises, and while the student body amounted often to more than a thousand (a large school for that day), it was found impossible to maintain a ball team! They found their exercise and social relaxations in other ways: for instance, the classes in Botany and geology were often scouring the fields for specimens before sunrise, boys and girls going to gether, coming in for breakfast at seven o’clock loaded down with these, and then carrying them at 7:30 to their classes for recitation. The classes themselves were a matter of major interest. There were many Debating Societies with weekly meetings. There was a very strong religious, though strictly non-denominational interest. Both the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. had strong organizations, and in those days the activities of these were strongly evangelical as well as social.
Another feature of this school was that there were no college fraternities or sororities, and that a strong democratic spirit prevailed. Incoming students were met at the train by teachers and older students and made at once to feel at home. Hazing, so popular elsewhere, was unknown; instead, the upper classmen made it their business to help and befriend the freshmen. And there was no snobbery as to dress. The boy who wore a sweater and brogans was respected equally with the one who dressed in broadcloth. It was deportment and application that counted.
Another feature of this school was that while it functioned as a university, carrying courses in engineering, medicine, law, etc., it also served as a secondary school; so that not only graduates of the city high schools, but also students from the country schools could find classes suited to their advancement. Furthermore, the school year was divided into terms of ten weeks each, with a re-organization of all but the regular college classes, so that a student entering at any time could find classes suited to his needs. But the institution was definitely a Normal School, and the larger portion of those entering were either teachers, or those preparing to teach.
While the larger portion of
the students were from Ohio and surrounding states, they came from all parts
of the United States, and even from foreign countries. When I entered, there
were students from Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia; from
Illinois and Michigan; from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas; and also
from far away California and the then Washington Territory. There was also
one young German so raw that he could speak English only with great difficulty.
--- This was the new world which I, a country boy from the backwoods of
Kentucky entered, delicate in physique, timid, diffident, yet with a degree
of confidence. As I had decided upon teaching as my life work,- or at least
for the foreseeable future, my courses were in the main a review of what
I had already had at home, plus a course in School Management, hence little
more than a High School course.
To this I added Latin. During the preceding
year, with an older cousin as companion and fellow student I had made a
private study of Beginning Latin, using a textbook that had been prepared
by the Latin-Greek teacher in this school; so that when I entered I not
only took a review of this, but also overloaded myself by taking on a class
in Caesar, though within a few weeks I had to drop this. This Beginning
class and the few weeks in Caesar was all the Latin I ever had in school;
however, I have never forgotten “Omnia Gallia est divisa en partes
tres”! And I still regard this short study as one of the most valuable
of my life as a key to and appreciation of my own language, and feel that
our modern schools have made a sad mistake in so largely discarding it.
I registered and arranged my courses. I paid for a week’s board in advance at the college dining club, and for ten weeks room rent ($4.00) in one of the dormitories; and here I found more of frugality than I had ever known; At the table I found I was to be served with weak coffee and oatmeal, with fried potatoes and something they called butter, with stale baker’s bread for breakfast; Some sort of meat the size of three fingers, with boiled potatoes and some other vegetable, bread and water for dinner. For supper we had oatmeal with milk, bread, butter and syrup, also with water. This was the $1.25 table. I survived on this for ten weeks, after which I transferred to the $1.50 table where the fare was a little better, being served with a glass of milk at dinner, and syrup, of which I was always very fond, three times a day. Our dormitory room (for two) was furnished with a kerosene lamp, a table, two hard-bottomed straight chairs, and a bed with straw mattress and straw pillows. I survived these also for ten weeks, after which my roommate and I rented a room in town at 50 cents (each) where we were supplied with a rocking chair, carpet on the floor and feather bed and pillows.
The first thing, probably, that I learned was a re-evaluation of my own attainments and capabilities.; for, whereas, I had no difficulty in the home school in maintaining my place near the head of my classes, here I was to meet the very brightest young people from the entire United States! Instead of being an “A grader” in everything, here I came to be happy if I could command an average of “B”,; for while I was by no means the hindmost I was far from being a class leader. For one thing, my timidity was a great handicap. I was so fearful of making a mistake in recitations that I remained discreetly silent unless actually called upon by the teacher. And this was particularly true in the Grammar Class, a very large one, taught by President Holbrook himself, and using Holbrook’s English Grammar as our textbook. This class, for my first term, occupied the largest classroom in the building and was full. I sat as far in the rear as I could get, always fearful of being called upon to recite. President Holbrook used an alphabetical roll in which my name was near the bottom, and sometimes from one class period to the next he forgot where he had left off (he was then Seventy Five) and started over again at the A’s, when I again breathed more easily. At the close of that ten-week term I was so thoroughly discouraged with myself that I thought of withdrawing from school; then I changed my mind. For that length of time I was unknown by name to practically the entire class, and had President Holbrook met me on the street he wouldn’t have known me from Adam’s off ox! I remained in the class for a second term determined upon a complete change. The class was too large now for any one of the recitation rooms and we moved to the main auditorium. Instead of taking a back seat I got as near the front as possible, and whenever I disagreed with any definition, or the parsing of any word I was among the first to let it be known. Instead of merely lifting a hand to be heard, it was the custom in that school to not only lift the hand, but to snap the fingers as loudly as possible until someone’s name was called. In that class for that term there was an enrollment of 136-- something that would now be thought of as impossible, and which it really was to any sluggard or dullard, if there happened to be one in the class. I found I could, and did, snap as often and as loudly as anybody else, and so I was often on my feet. Sometimes my own recitation met with uprorious snapping, but the smell of battle was in my nostrils and I defied all opposers.
Sometimes I met the withering criticisms of Doctor Holbrook himself. In my public school days I had used Butler’s Grammar; I had also known a little about Harvey’s Grammar, another textbook then popular, but we were supposed to follow faithfully the nomenclature of Holbrook. Once when I was reciting, the teacher stopped me with, “That isn’t Holbrook,-- that’s Butler!”; at another, “That isn’t either Holbrook or Butler,-- that’s Harvey!”; at another, “That’s neither Holbrook nor Butler nor Harvey,-- That’s WHITE!” and at still another time, “That’s neither Holbrook, nor Harvey, nor White, - That’s plain GREEN!”. Of course there was a big laugh at my expense, but I was not subdued and continued to be moderately vociferous. Shortly after that I remained behind at close of the class to ask Doctor Holbrook something, and as we walked down the aisle together he laid his hand on my shoulder and said, “Mr. White, I like that critical spirit you have”.! From that day on Doctor Holbrook never failed to recognize me, in the class room or on the street. As for the class as a whole, one member of it later came to be one of the leading teachers in that institution.
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Page created 22 April 2014 and last updated
22 April, 2014
© 2014 Arne H Trelvik
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