THE OF THE STATE OF NEW-YORK. VOL. X.] ALBANY, DECEMBER, 1849. [No. IX. The District School Journal, ART. III. The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, two Vice Presidents, a Recording Secre is published monthly, and is devoted exclusively to the promo- tary, a Corresponding Secretary, and a Treasurer. tion of Popular Education. In accordance with previous arrangements, a large number of the graduates and former members of the State Normal School assembled in the spacious halls of that Institution, on the morning of Wednesday, the 26th of September last; and on being called to order by the Principal, Prof. PERKINS, 152 graduates answered to their names. On motion of Mr. E. Wright, of Putnam, JAMES LE ROY FAY, of Madison, was temporarily called to the chair; and on motion of Mr. Morgan, of Chautauque, JAMES JOHON NOT, of Onondaga, was appointed secretary pro tem. ART. IV. The Recording Secretary, and the Corresponding Secretary shall be chosen from the Faculty of the Normal School. ART. V. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Association, and also to prepare and deliver an address before the Association, the next regular meeting succeeding his election. ART. VI. It shall be the duty of the Vice-Presidents, in their order, to discharge all the duties of the President, in case of the absence or inability of that officer; they shall, moreover, each prepare an essay, or poem, to be read before the Association, and placed at its disposal. ART. VII. It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to enter on his record a copy of this Constitution, and also all By-Laws of the Society; to keep a register of all the officers and members; to record all proceedings of the Association, and to make a full report of the same at the next meeting of the Association. ART. VIII. It shall be the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to conduct, under the direction of the Faculty of the State Normal School, all the general correspondence of the Association, and also to use the informa tion which he, as Secretary, may possess, so as to promote the interests of the members of the Association, as well as those of the schools of the State. ART. IX The Recording Secretary shall be, ex officio, Treasurer of the Association, It shall be his duty to receive and disburse the funds of the Association, under On motion of Mr. Blanchard, of Tioga, a committee its direction; and to report to the Society, at the close of three persons, consisting of Messrs. Winchell of of the term for which he shall have been elected, the condition and resources of the same, with such other Onondaga, Campbell of Orange, and Waterbury of Co-matter, in connection therewith, as he may deem nelumbia, was appointed by the chair to draft a Constitu- cessary. tion for the Association, who reported the following,tute a board for the transaction of business, in the intewhich, after some discussion, was unanimously adopted, and signed by the members: CONSTITUTION. PREAMBLE: We, whose names are hereunto affixed, desiring to effect a more thorough community of interest, and to promote a more extended, intimate, and friendly intercourse among ourselves; believing, also. that the wants of the people at large demand it, and that the promotion of our own interests will be thereby more perfectly secured, do hereby form ourselves into an Association, and adopt the following Constitution, for the purpose of accomplishing these objects: ART. I. This Association shall be called "The Association of Graduates of the New-York State Normal School," and shall hold its meetings biennially, at the Normal School, at Albany. ART. II. All persons who have received the diploma of the State Normal School, or who are members of its Faculty, may become members of this society, and enjoy all its privileges, by subscribing this Constitution, or expressing in writing a desire to do so, and paying, (if males) the sum of fifty cents into the treasury of the Association. ART X. The officers of the Association shall consti terim between the meetings of the Society. They shall have power to call special meetings of the Association, whenever circumstances may seem to demand; and in all cases they shall call such meeting upon the application of one-third of the members. ART. XI. At each meeting of the Association there shall be elected from among the female members, three persons, each of whom shall prepare a poem, or an essay, to be read before the Society, and placed at its disposal. ART. XII. It shall be the duty of every member to report himself to the Corresponding Secretary, at least once each year, stating in full whether he is teaching, and if so, where, and with what success; also what compensation he is receiving, with such other matter as he may think proper. ART. XIII. The officers of the Association shall be elected at each regular meeting of the Association. They shall be elected by ballot, a majority of all the votes cast being necessary to a choice. ART. XIV. This Association shall have power to-elect persons who are not graduates of the Normal School as honorary members, which election shall entitle such persons to all the privileges of the Association, except that of voting, on their paying the usual initiation fee. ART. XV. This Constitution may be revised or amended, at any of the regular meetings of the Association, by a vote of two-thirds of the members present. On motion of Mr. Scism, of Columbia, Resolved, That a committee, to consist of one gentleman and one lady from each of the graduating classes, be appointed by the chair, to nominate permanent officers of the Association, and writers of Essays aud Poems. The chair accordingly named as such committee the following persons: Misses Edna Lapham, Julia B. Clarke, Nancy A. Turner, Phebe A. Barnard, Martha S. Clapp, Ann J. Hawley, Harriet A. Bushnell, Sarah A. Clute. Messrs, E. Miller, H. J. Sherrill, J. I. Foot, C. McGregor, L. L Smith, A. M. Gregory, G. C. Mott, J. R. Webb and L. B. Corey. The committee, atter retiring, reported to the Association the names of the following persons as suitable candidates to be supported for officers, &c., who were, accordingly, duly elected: For President, EZRA D. BARKER, of Genesee. For 1st Vice-President, JAMES M. WINCHELL, of Onondaga. For 2d Vice-President, DANIEL WATERBURY, of Columbia. For Corresponding Secretary, WILLIAM F. PHELPS, of Albany. For Recording Secretary, WILLIAM W. CLARK, of Albany. Writers of Essays and Poems, Miss SARAH A. CLUTE, of Wyoming; Miss ANN J. HAWLEY of Warren; Miss LURANCY J. WILCOX, of Herkimer. The Association then adjourned until 3 o'clock P. M., to attend the public exercises of the day. At three o'clock P. M., the spacious lecture room of the Institution was densely filled by the pupils and graduates of the school, and a large number of citizens. After an appropriate and impressive prayer, from the Rev. Dr. BEECHER of the Pearl-street Baptist Church, the following Ode, written by WILLIS G. ABBOTT, a member of the graduating class of the term, was sung: "WELCOME! welcome! once more welcome To these lovely halls again; All are waiting to receive you. With a merry, joyful strain. Time has fled since last we parted- But we're glad once more to greet you, One and all, come join our singing, Nought must quell our merry strain." The following Poem, by Miss SARAH A. SHERMAN, of the class of 1847, was then read by the President of the Association: The Spirit of Beauty. The first bright morning broke upon the world, And there were troops of white-winged angels then They loved so well? In terror and affright "Where dwellest thou, Spirit of Beauty, O where! In the blue depths of ocean, on earth, or in air? Dost thou watch o'er the spot where the gifted have dwelt, Or fast by the shrine where the holy have knelt? led? Hast thou dwelt in the bright sunny south for long, A gentle murmur rose, as something stirred "Think not O thou aspiring child of earth! The infinite would grasp, and tear aside The veil that dims thine eye of sense and thought, Into the boundless, viewless, fathomless, To these, who are as thou, created things, He reigns where piles of mountains lift their heads And of the jagged gorges gaping wide "Whene'er this high and most majestic one, And soars afar, where blackest clouds his path What recks he all their maddening strife? He knows "I have not told thee where I dwell,- As there I stood in wonder lost, the form A glowing path among the stars have left, scenes Of beauty mirrored once upon the soul Remain forever glossed upon its deeps, Though beauty's form Came not again, e'er yet she took her flight A loftier beauty of the intellect, A sweeter, purer beauty of the heart, She bade me seek. And in that sunny vale A blest abode was this, where grateful hearts, The bard's high song has thrilled my soul, but Oh ! My sainted mother's hallowed memory, My brother's deep blue eye of innocence, His silver curls, and bright bewitching smile, Are things more precious far to me. They lie Close folded like the flower germ on my heart. I ne'er will wish to wander more; 'tis joy, Enough of joy, to live among the hearts I love, Thus And walk beside them to a happier home. And very many are the hearts like hers Whose every chord most delicately strung, ibrates forever to the slightest touch To love. When summer eve steals o'er the earth, The night is still-How wondrous fair! Is yon white cloud some snowy wing? Oh, come ye now! calm beauty bright And stars are watching in the sky. The pathway of some wandering dream. To crown these fairy queens of grace That loftier beauty of the inner world, Keep watch. It beams where Ilion's towers arose And starbeams have a radiance more divine. The gorgeous wings that flit from bough to bough When beauty beams upon the intellect To pour its light upon the glowing page, And phantom shapes that wander through the brain. As these, e'er stoop to soil its snowy wing The beauty of the earth Or pile on high a glorious monument Of deathless thoughts, whereon the name he bore Upon his ear, save those transcendant beams, The shepherd sages saw, who watched their flocks Alone can high and holy beauty give, E'en such as lives on the Archangel's brow! The following Ode, written by DANIEL WATERBURY, of the class of 1847, and adapted to the national air of "Hail Columbia," was then sung: "HAIL the day of jubilee! Swell the anthem loud and free! To join the choral song again. See the sun of Science shine! Ours to urge the noble deed, To train the tender thought is ours To check the thorns that choke the flowers. Win the wreath and wear the crown. Mingling in our melody Bidding each be strong of heart Firmly, bravely act his part. Stand we here a mighty band, Pledged in heart and joined in hand, Press we on to holy war, Shout we still, 'Excelsior!'" The following Address was then delivered by REU of the State Normal School: In ancient times a peculiar people were wont at stated seasons to gather themselves together, for the performance of certain rites and ceremonies commemorative of past trials, sufferings and mighty deliverances, and typical of future greatness, holiness and blessedness. They were wont to assemble in their splendidly beautiful temple, at Jerusalem, and rehearse their wonderful history. They offered thanksgiving and praise to Him who had sustained them in deep affliction; who had given hope to their despairing hearts; who had brought them out of the house of bondage, and established them in a goodly land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and whose promises had never been known to fail. In like manner, we come to our Jerusalem to worship, in this our Normal Temple. We come here from the hills and the valleys of the Empire State; we come from the city, the village, and the rustic hamlet, for a purpose worthy of us and the age in which we live. We come here to rehearse briefly the past; to rejoice together in the wonderful success of our enterprise; to review our past trials, afflictions, and deliverances, and perchance to drop the tear of affectionate remembrance for those whose faces we may no more behold, whose warm congratulations and salutary advice we may no more hear, whose hands in friendship we may no more grasp. We come here to offer our thanks to Him who hath guided and guarded our footsteps in the path of duty, and blessed our feeble efforts to make the world somewhat better for our having lived in it. And this is a fitting time for us to meet for a Normal jubilee. With this term of the Normal School ends the five years allotted by our State Legislature for the ex periment. Permit me in a few words to turn back the shadow on the dial-plate of memory, and then go over again the path that time has worn. Permit me for a few moments to review the history of this enterprise, in which all of us have had so large a share. No one, On the morning of the 18th December, 1844. in an upper room of the old railroad station, on State-street, less than twenty-five individuals, from various parts of the State, assembled for the purpose of better fitting themselves for the arduous and responsible duties of instructors of youth. Then and there the New-York Normal School was organised. Days and weeks brought new accessions,. until, at the close of the first term, ninety-eight pupils had registered their names. not present during that term, can appreciate the difficulties encountered, and by almost superhuman efforts surmounted. While the "experiment" had staunch friends, it also met the bitter opposition of the enemies of our State School system. A single instance will show something of the spirit manifested: A member of the Legislature, when urged not to condemn the Normal School, unseen, is said to have declared, that he did not want to know anything about it, he would oppose it anyhow. has risen a noble edifice for the education of teachers. Through the munificence of the State, on this spot Within these walls, dedicated to the theory and practice of teaching, shall assemble those whose most ardent desires will be, to arm themselves for the warfare which we are waging. We will welcome them to our teachers' band, in the spirit of the true teacher, and bid profession; we will welcome all who would join the them God speed. May this institution increase in usefulness and efficiency; may its directors ever be men true to the interests of the common school-true to the cause of general education; may its teachers never forget their high responsibility to send out as worthy graduates only those whose moral and intellectual qualifications will render them safe guides to the young. Then shall this institution be the pride of the Empire State, and long continue to dispense its blessings to its walls continue to be sought by those who in earnest every part of our beloved commonwealth. Then shall are trying to prepare themselves for the duties of the school-room. Thus shall the name of Normal Graduate continue to be a passport to extensive usefulness. But while we rejoice in the prosperity of our bandat the general faithfulness of its members in redeeming their solemn pledges to exert themselves for the elevation and increased usefulness of the common school, let us not forget the memory of those who have fallen, with their armor on, in the midst of the battle against ignorance. Yes, friends, Death has selected his victims from among us, and it is meet that we should pause a moment in affectionate remembrance of those who have gone to their reward. Who of the first graduating class does not remember the modest and unassuming, yet talented EZRA NEWLAND? He fell suddenly in the midst of usefulness, and tears of childhood distilled like dews upon his grave. Who would forget the studious and inquiring DELOS FITCH; the generous, noble hearted CYRENIUS C. GUNN; the too sensitive DE WITT C. MARSH; the man, ly and devoted JOEL B. CONKLIN, and that sweet spirited child of song, Miss MARY L. MALLORY? are others too, good and true, whom I know not, but long will their memories be green with their associates and friends. There They have exchanged the trials and labors of this life for an immortality most blessed. They may bask forever in the sunshine of the countenance of the great Teacher of Righteousness, and hang their harps no more on the willows of grief. But how can I properly touch upon the sad theme, which not one of us would bury in oblivion, though every remembrance may cause the cheek to pale, the heart to labor in its beatings, and the eye to grow dim with the gushing waters of the soul? Go back with me to the holidays of '47. While mirth and gayety filled the bosoms, and shone in the countenances of the people of city and country, there was one great heart struggling with the arch enemy of life. As the word, "no hope," passed from quivering lips, and spoke through eyes dry with anguish, who can imagine the "blackness of darkness" which fell upon the hearts of the anxious inquirers? And when the new year dawn Yet, notwithstanding the coldness and opposition it received, and the jealousy it excited, the school increased during the second term, to one hundred and eightyfive pupils. Since that time no man has doubted the ultimate success of the Normal School; and we may now claim, without boasting, that its usefulness and efficiency have been constantly increasing, so that, standing as we now do, at the close of the fifth year, the limited, swift sped the dreaded tidings, that he, our counof the "experiment," we may wonder at its success, and by a late act of the Legislature regard it as a fixed fact. Like the strong oak on the mountain height, it has grown stronger in the opposing elements which strove in vain to destroy, till it has become a landmark in the educational history of the Empire State. It has sent out all over the State, spirits good and true, who He spent his new-year's day in heaven. His eulogy have labored, are laboring, and expect to labor for the has been pronounced by abler tongues than mine; I carr advancement of the young mind in virtne and know-I say nothing which shall half equal the remembrance sellor, teacher and friend, was gone. The chained lightning told the sorrowful tale to friends through this and other States, and bleeding hearts testified to the deep anguish of many souls. A cold mass of inanimate clay was all that remained on earth of the great teacher and devoted christian, DAVID PERKINS PAGE. |