Normal Notes

Today ciosèd the third ciüarter óf tht school year and with tomorrow begins the spring vacation of thirtec-n days. It is amusing liow, as vacation draws near, each student makes a desperate effort to be excused from the last few recitations of the last day. No matter how long or how short his vacation is to be he seems to consider it necessary to his future welfare that he leave town a few hours earlier than the faculty had originally intended. When his request, like those of the 80 or 90 who have preceded him, has been politely but firmly refused, how aggrieved he at once becomes and how proud to cali the wrath of the gods down upon the head of the stonyhearted pedagogues who turned a daf ear to his plea. A plan has been suggested, however, which, if put in practice, would uncloubtedly revolutionize matters. If schoei is to close on a Thursday, for instance, let it be announced that the vacation begins Friday noon after the 4th hour classes, and then when Thursday comes along let each teacher who has a morning cl&ss teil each one of his pupils that as a personal and special favor to him he will be excused from his Friday morning's class. In this way everybody would get out a half day arly and yet no one would be ahead of schedule time. Prof. D'Ooge was called home Monday by the illness of his mother. A number of very fine pictares have recently been hung in the library. The young men give a party at the Ladies' library tomorrow evering. The Wednesday recital, which was held in Normal hall this week, was one of the very best of the year. Among the pianists Mrs. Be&rdsley, Mrs. Louden and MiLs Le Furge were especially good, while of the vocalista the laurels feil to the share of Miso Innls, Miss Ayers and Miss Wiard. The past week has been a very successful one for the Normal. The special work has been particularly fine and has been fairly well attended. The students and visitors hardly realized the high degree of excellence of the lectures until they carne to make a eomparison with the work of the Schoolmasters' club which is designed to bring out the. best talent in the country. It has been the remark of many students who were familiar with both. that the general character of the work done at the Normal during the past week was fully up to the more pretentious efforts of the Schoolmasters' club. Of the class lectures at the Normal the work of Dr. Smith, Miss King and Prof. McFarlane especially. deserves mention. The stereopticon lectures delivered by Profs. Strong, 8herzer and D'Ooge were most excellent and proved great favorites among students and visitors. Dr. Boone and Profs. King, Smith, Strong and Lodeman read papers at sessions of the Schoolmasters' club yesterday and today. Most of the teachers and a large number of students attended the meetings of the Schoolmasters' club. Dr. Putnam Jias been detained from school during the past week by illness. The baseball team has begun steady practice for the opening season. Albion is making arrangements to send down a basket ball team next week. C. B. Upton is teaching mathematics in the high school in consequence of the illness of Miss Angeline Wll3on, the regular teacher.