(cover) NEMOSCOPE SUMMER 1951 (page 2) WITH THE COLORS Lt. Robert L. Conner, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Conner, 502 E. Normal, Kirksville, is serving as a pilot on a B-29 bomber in the Korean Theater. Lt. Conner was recalled to active duty last August in the United States Air Force and after receiving five months of training at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas, he was transferred to an Air Base in Pittsburgh, Calif. From the base in California he was sent to Okinawa where he is now stationed at Kadera Air Base. Lt. Conner received his B. S. degree from the College in 1948. Since that time he had been employed with the Continental Air Lines, operating out of El Paso, Texas. Last year he was promoted to sales representative with the company. * * * Sgt. First Class Elmer Holcomb, husband of Billy Marjorie Holcomb, a student in the Teachers College, has been reported killed in action in Korea on May 16. He was previously reported missing. Sgt. Holcomb served four years in World War II and was recalled to service in October, 1950. He was a student in the College a short time before being called back and had been in Korea since January of this year. The Holcombs are the parents of two children, Jacqueline and Joan. Sgt. Holcomb was born June 25, 1918, a son of Rev. and Mrs. B. L. Holcomb, who now serve the Methodist church at Norborne, Mo. Memorial services for Sgt. Holcomb were held August 5 at the Shelbyville, Mo., Methodist Church. * * * Lt. William A. Deskin, son of Mrs. Esther Deskin of 507 E. Illinois, Kirksville, Mo., is attending a Signal Corps School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He received the A. B. and B. S. in Education degrees from the College in 1948. His wife, the former Ruth Milhoan, is also a graduate of the College in 1949. Their address is: 17 Molly Pitcher, Village Court, Red Bank, New Jersey. * * * Pvt. Junius L. Mundell, son of James N. Mundell of Browning, Mo., has recently completed 14 weeks of basic training with the 8th Infantry Division at Fort Jackson, S. C. During his training with the Service Company, 61st Regiment, Pvt. Mundell underwent intensive physical training in preparation for duty as a combat or service unit replacement. (Continued on Page 5) NEMOSCOPE NORTHEAST MISSOURI STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI WALTER H. RYLE, PRESIDENT EDITOR KENNETH C. SYKES ASSISTANT EDITOR ORVILLE E. BOWERS EDITORIAL BOARD WRAY M. RIEGER PAULINE D. KNOBBS BERENICE B. BEGGS C. H. ALLEN Volume V SUMMER QUARTER, 1951 NUMBER 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS SOYBEAN MILL, MEXICO, MO. . . .3 Everett W. Meng KAHOKA NORMAL COLLEGE. . . .6 Pauline Dingle Knobbs ORGANIZING THE FUNCTIONAL SCHOOL MUSEUM. . . .10 Orville E. Bowers and Robert M. Pfaff VIOLETTE MUSEUM. . . .11 ALUMNI NOTES. . . .11 LOST ALUMNI. . . .11 A quarterly publication issued in November, February, May, and August. Subscription rate is $1.00 a year; single copy $.25. Address all communications to Kenneth C. Sykes. Entered as second class mail matter April 29, 1915, at the post office at Kirksville, Missouri, under the Act of Congress of August 24, 1912. Accepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized July 26, 1919. (page 3) SUMMER, 1951 NEMOSCOPE PAGE 3 MISSOURI FARMERS ASSOCIATION SOYBEAN MILL, MEXICO, MO. by Everett W. Meng Commercial Agent of the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Railroad. Mexico, Missouri Author's Note: A. F. Stephens of the G. M. & O. Agricultural Service and Maurice Maze, manager of the mill, contributed valuable information forming the basis of this article. On the evening breezes in Mexico, Missouri, one frequently can detect what seems to be an odor of roasting peanuts. Closer investigation reveals that it comes, instead, from a large elevator and mill located along the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad tracks. Even though this mill is located in the "Heart City of Little Dixie" it is not a peanut roasting plant but a producer of soybean meal and oil. Dedicated in formal ceremonies November 2, 1946, this huge plant was declared to be the culmination of a dream of the late William Hirth, founder of the Missouri Farmers Association. At the dedicatory ceremonies, E. W. Lierheimer, pioneer soybean grower in Audrain County, recalled that William Hirth had once told him that his greatest ambition was to have one of the major Missouri Farmers Association processing plants located in Mexico, Missouri. Originally costing $500,000 this structure at the start consisted of an elevator headhouse 161 feet high, with ten silo type storage facilities, housing thirty-six bins. These silos were 119 feet high and eighteen feet in diameter. Nineteen additional bins were constructed in 1950 making a total of fifty-five bins with a storage capacity of 650,000 bushels. The plant was of the expeller type. Under present conditions it has a daily output of approximately 1200-100 pound bags of soybean meal and 21,000 pounds of crude soybean oil. The total processing capacity of the plant is about 756,000 bushels of soybeans or about 100 bushels per hour of operation. The receiving capacity at the elevator is about 62,000 bushels per day by truck or about ten carloads of 18,000-20,000 bushels per day by rail. The ample storage space of the plant assures a year around operation for the mill. Drawing upon a sixty mile radius from the counties of Audrain, Monroe, Ralls, Pike, Lincoln, Montgomery, Callaway, Boone, Howard, Randolph, Warren, Shelby, Marion and Macon counties this plant has become a great center of supply for soybean products to livestock feeders and poultry raisers of this rich agricultural heartland of Missouri. From these counties the mill also receives a large supply of beans for processing. The table on page 4 shows the production of soybeans in nine of the main counties of the Northeast Missouri area from which the mill draws its supply. All of these counties are in the NEMOSCOPE District. From 1941 until 1950 the figures are given in two year groups in order to conserve space for the table. The following diagram, used through the courtesy of the Missouri Department of Resources and Development reveals the multitude of valuable products made from soybeans. The bene- SOYBEAN PRODUCTS Pasture Green Manure SOYBEAN PLANT FORAGE Ensilage Furfural Hay & fuel SOYBEANS SOYBEAN MEAL Emulsifier Core Binder Fertilizer Glue Plastics FEEDS Livestock, poultry, dog, fish, & rabbit GREEN SOYBEANS Fresh, canned, and frozen DRIED SOYBEANS Soy sauce & soups Breakfast foods Coffee substitute Stock food Baked & Roasted Sprouts SOYBEAN OIL Glycerine Enamels Varnishes Waterproof goods Linoleum Celluliod Rubber substitute Printing ink Lubricating Oils Synthetic Resins Core binders Candles insecticides Disinfectant Electrical insulation Fire extinguisher FOOD PRODUCTS FLOUR Diabetic foods Chocolate Bread Cakes Muffins Biscuits Pastry Pancakes Macaroni Crackers Sausage filler Ice cream powder Grits Beer Seasoning powders Soy sauce Vegetable milk Infant food Bean curd Bean powder Breakfast foods BEAN CURD Fresh & dried Smoked Fermented Canned BOILED BEANS Condensed, canned, fresh or powdered soy milk SOY CASEIN Paints Textile dressing Paper sizing Drugs Synthenic wools Agr dusts & sprays LECITHIN Textile dyes Medicine Margarine Gasoline stabilizer Emulsifier Cocoa Leather lanning Candy FOOD PRODUCTS Dip coatings Margarine Cooking oils Shortening Salad oils Medicinal oils Candy SOAP STOCK Hard & soft liquid Special detergents Diagram Courtesy Missouri Division Resources and Development (page 4) PAGE 4 NEMOSCOPE SUMMER, 1951 BUSHELS OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTION BY NINE NORTHEAST MISSOURI COUNTIES COUNTY STARTER 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1941 Pike. . . . 40,860 121,600 385,700 205,600 143,700 276,400 Ralls. . . .32,500 135,500 185,000 383,200 117,000 600,800 Audrain. . .50,560 226,100 418,100 604,500 905,300 1,409,900 Boone. . . .11,390 29,300 141,500 51,300 59,800 187,400 Callaway. . 11,230 11,000 277,200 105,200 123,900 185,500 Randolph. . 24,090 45,300 84,200 98,400 130,100 265,800 Monroe. . . 26,000 110,200 243,000 301,000 443,400 567,800 Shelby. . . 100,620 253,500 232,400 447,600 448,300 625,800 Macon. . . .63,200 20,700 329,600 303,400 225,200 414,500 fits of the plant to the soil, the products made from the oil and meal, as well as the usages of both green and dried beans, are clearly evident. During the dedicatory ceremony in 1946, L. Mitchell White, editor of the Mexico Ledger, told an interesting story of the beginnings of interest in soybean growing in Audrain County: Said Mr. White, "This occasion makes a most important milestone in the more than 100 years history of Mexico and Audrain County. It sees the materialization of a dream which began many years ago when Earl Rusk, one of Missouri's earliest farm agents began his work in this community. Rusk, shortly after his arrival, began to talk about the benefits of soybeans, what they would mean to the soil, and the farmers of Audrain and adjacent counties. There was a discussion of a soybean mill that would justify such an installation." The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio News published in Mobile, Alabama, in the December 15, 1950, issue tells an interesting story of the part played by the G. M. & O. Agriculture and Forestry Department in the encouragement of soybean growing in Audrain County. A. F. Stephens, of the Alton Railroad, had seen the success of soybean growing in Illinois. He believed that the soil around Mexico was similar to that of the Illinois area and brought in five varieties of beans to be tested in the County. Ten farmers volunteered to help with the experiment. Seed was brought in by the carload and within three years, soybeans were regarded as a good money crop for the area. This seed was distributed to the farmers on credit by the railroad in order to encourage the growth of this "money crop." The University of Missouri Agricultural Extension Service cooperated by advising the farmers of this section as to the agricultural needs and benefits of a soybean growing area. The low fertility of the soil area of Northeast Missouri makes it difficult for soybeans to compete with other established crops. This crop draws heavily on the soils for minerals. A successful bean producing area needs to be limed about six months before planting. Soybeans, as a money crop, grow best where they can follow in successful rotation with other cash crops. This is true in the area of Missouri's Heartland where they have recently developed. During the years from 1944 to 1948 the Alton - Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad awarded yearly three $25.00 Government Bonds and a gold medal for the winner of the first, second and third places in the Soybean Achievement Program. This award was based on good farming practices connected with the production of soybeans. In the years of 1949 and 1950 the Missouri Farmers Association Co-operative Grain and Feed Company awarded cash prizes and a gold cup trophy for the Soybean Achievement Program. The first annual Soybean Festival, [photo caption] CROWNING OF THE SOYBEAN QUEEN AT THE SOYBEAN FESTIVAL, NOVEMBER, 1950 (page 5) SUMMER, 1951 NEMOSCOPE PAGE 5 sponsored by the chamber of commerce of Mexico, was held in that city, November 16, 1950. A queen was crowned and she was given a special tour through the courtesy of the Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad. This tour covered the southern territory of that railroad system. During the festival a young farmer asked to be photographed with his check which he had just received from the processing plant. When asked the "why" of this request he replied, "Well it is not every day that I receive a check for $37,000." The mill is managed by Maurice Maze, who has had a long and enviable record of experience with the Missouri Farmers Association. During the peak of operation it employs forty-eight people. Regularly the staff numbers about thirty-two. The annual payroll is well above $100,000. In the processing of soybeans there are three successive stages: The cleaning process is first, then comes the cracking process, and finally the drying process. After these stages the oil is pressed out by the use of extremely high pressure in the expellers. The compressed cake is cooled, ground into meal, and sacked in 100 pound bags. Meanwhile the soybean oil filters out and is pumped into large storage tanks for shipment by railway tank cars to the place of further usage. The mill itself has an interesting construction. In the headhouse, the top floor houses the elevator motors. Then there is the gallery floor where conveyor distribution of beans to the bins is made. There is the scale floor, where weighing is done; the drier floor; the cooler floor; the work or main floor; and the basement, where the conveyors are located. So effective is the machinery that a carload of beans can be unloaded or loaded every thirty minutes. The drier handles from 500 to 800 bushels per hour. The cooker unit is an interesting sight to observe; as is also the hammer mill, which grinds the cake into soybean meal, and blows it up through a pipe into the packer bin above on the packing floor. The railroad loading dock of the plant is sufficiently large to load three cars at once. All of the machinery of this mill is of the latest design to promote efficiency in production. There are about 100 soybean mills in the United States and eight in Missouri. The mill at Mexico is the only one located in the twenty-five county district of the Northeast Missouri State Teachers College. The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which exclusively serves the mill, the Missouri Farmers Association, and the Agricultural Extension Service of the University of Missouri have combined to develop this valuable industrial plant. It bids fair to continue to be an industry of growing importance for Northeast Missouri. ALUMNI NOTES Mrs. Thelma Jo Christy, 1943, is teaching English and Dramatics in the high school at Callao, Mo. Margaret Taylor, 1946, of Unionville, Mo., is teaching Speech and English in the Fulton High School, Fulton, Mo. Doris Imbler, 1938, formerly of Kirksville, Mo., is returning to Palmyra, Mo., for the sixth year. She is teacher of the sixth grade there. Darold K. Davis, 1950, formerly of Bethany, Mo., is second assistant coach and mechanical drawing teacher at the Senior High School in Hannibal. Mo. Gus G. Sarris, 1951, of St. Joseph, Mo., has been secured as athletic director of the DeKalb High School, DeKalb, Mo., for this year. He will also have charge of the physical education classes. Baxter L. Roe, 1949, whose home town is Moberly, Mo., has been employed as instructor in Industrial Arts and Drivers' Education at Macon, Mo. He has taught Industrial Arts for the past two years at Wentzville, Mo. Virginia Faye Golden, 1932, a social science major from LaBelle, Mo., has been transferred from the Eugene Field Junior High School to the A. D. Stowell Junior High School in Hannibal, Mo. She will teach vocal music and have charge of the library. Mrs. Ada Reynolds, 1945, is Director of Special Education, in a supervisory capacity, at Perry, Iowa. Her work, directed by the State Department of Education, deals with children defective in sight, hearing or speech and those mentally retarded. Before going to Perry, she was Superintendent of Randolph County Schools at Moberly, Mo. WITH THE COLORS--Cont'd Prior to his induction into the Army last April, Pvt. Mundell taught school in Linn County. He attended the State Teachers College where he was last enrolled during the summer quarter of 1950. Alan D. Morse, formerly of Kirksville, Mo., began his second year as high school principal at Palmyra, Mo. He is, also, instructor of Industrial Arts. Mr. Morse received his Master's degree in School Administration in 1949. His wife, the former Marjorie Murfin, also graduated from the College in 1949. [photo caption] SOYBEAN PRODUCTION in NORTHEAST MISSOURI 25,000 bu. of Soybeans. (page 6) PAGE 6 NEMOSCOPE SUMMER, 1951 THE KAHOKA NORMAL COLLEGE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTE KAHOKA, CLARK COUNTY, MISSOURI by Pauline Dingle Knobbs Associate Professor of Social Science Education, Northeast Missouri State Teachers College Author's Note: In the collection of materials concerning Kahoka College, much help has been given the author by interested parties. F. T. Beckett of Kansas City, Missouri; Frank E. Greenlee and Richard St. Clair of Kahoka; and Mrs. R. M. Lapsley, a daughter of Col. Hiller, now residing in Keokuk, Iowa, deserve special mention. Seventeen years after Joseph Baldwin established his North Missouri Normal College and Commercial Institute at Kirksville, Missouri, a group of citizens of Clark County met at the courthouse in Kahoka, Missouri and planned the organization of a similar institution. This college was to be established in or near the town of Kahoka. Difficulties of long distance transportation, rivalry with nearby counties having similar colleges, nearness only to denominational colleges featuring liberal arts programs of classical education, without teachers training or commercial training facilities, the need of trained teachers for local schools, and the rising use of secretarial help in business organizations, seemed to be the motivating factors of interest in organizing this college. At the time of its establishment the school census revealed that about 91 per cent of the white population of school age were in the public schools of Clark County. Few could go further in the attendance of higher institutions. In August of 1884 a meeting of interested citizens of the county was held at the courthouse to plan the organization, location, and financing of a college. The Hon. T. L. Montgomery was selected as chairman of the meeting and Professor J. F. Jameson was made secretary, according to the Clark County history published in 1887. Col. H. M. Hiller then read a previous agreement of interested parties to raise a stock of $2500 value and to take the necessary steps for the incorporation of the institution. This agreement was approved and a paper was ordered circulated for the subscription of stock. By August 28, 1884, this sum had been subscribed and a second meeting was held to elect a board of directors. The original list of stockholders in the Kahoka College was headed by Col. H. M. Hiller, who subscribed $250, paying this with land on which the college was located. Robert S. McKee subscribed $200. Eight prominent citizens of Kahoka subscribed $100 each; many gave $50 each; a large number held $25 shares; and the smallest share was $10. This entitled the holder to one vote. The total stock subscribed was $3,755. Members of the first board of directors included: George S. Stafford,H. M. Hiller, C. S. Callahan, Jacob Trump, George W. Bastic, Adam Lang, R. S. McKee, John Stafford, and T. L. Montgomery. The location of the college building was chosen at Kahoka at the north end of Washington Street. The ground was owned by Col. H. M. Hiller, who gave the tract of land to the college authorities in lieu of his subscription. He further agreed to open a street sixty feet in width all around this tract of land. The site was to be 300 feet east and west and 400 feet north and south. The site joined the city of Kahoka and was directly north of the north end of Washington Street. The original town of Kahoka had been surveyed and established in December of 1856. Soon after the Civil War it became the county seat of Clark County. Kahoka was incorporated in 1869 and later came under the city form of government, as population increased. Following the passage of the new school laws in 1866, educational interests expanded greatly in Clark County as did expenditures for public schools. The establishment of this college may be explained in part as being motivated by a most curious scheme, the ramifications of which are lost in antiquity in the history of Marion, Lewis, and Clark County. William Muldrow, who represents a type of early land speculator in the new west, had induced William Green, Jr., S. B. Hunt, and I. M. Diamond of New York State to place in his hands $28,000 cash and the authority to enter two townships of land in Missouri. According to a suit brought in the Clark County Circuit Court in [photo caption] KAHOKA NORMAL COLLEGE (page 7) SUMMER, 1951 NEMOSCOPE PAGE 7 the year of 1838, the purpose of this scheme of Muldrow's was "the establishment of a magnificent institution of learning in the center of Clark County, Missouri." It seems that the college to he established was to be based on the manual labor plan. The Clark County History has this to say about Muldrow's scheme: ". . .The plan by which Muldrow proposed to render his institutions self-supporting was a novel one. . . In the center of each township was to be laid off 4,000 acres of land, which was to be held by Muldrow and the parties advancing the money as trustees for the benefit of the college, which was to be situated in the center of this tract. . .a belt of land surrounding this college campus was to be laid off in town lots. These lots were to be sold by Muldrow, and the proceeds were to be paid over to the New York parties as profits on their investment, except one-sixth part, and an additional ten per cent of the whole, which was to be reserved by Muldrow as compensation for his services. It was further agreed that Muldrow was to have another tract of the township, 2,800 acres of land, as consideration for his services." In the course of affairs Muldrow entered only one township about the center of Clark County, in size about 2,500 acres. The town of Kahoka was ultimately laid out on this site. When the scheme failed and Muldrow was sued by the eastern financiers, it was some years before clear title could be obtained for this section of Kahoka and ultimately resulted in the courthouse of Clark County being located outside of the original town of Kahoka. Later this section of land was added to the city's area. This idea of a college for the area did not die and was a part of the motivating force inspiring the establishment of the Kahoka Normal College and Commercial Institute. On August 30, 1884, at a meeting of the Board of Directors the following officers were appointed: Robert S. McKee, President of the Board; Adam Long, Vice-President; T. L. Montgomery, Secretary; and George W. Bastic, Treasurer. At the September 13, 1884, meeting of the board, two important committees were appointed. The buildingcommittee consisted of John Stafford, Robert S. McKee and George W. Bastic. The committee on the constitution and by-laws of the college consisted of Col. H. M. Hiller, T. D. Montgomery and G. S. Stafford. Bythe October term of the Clark County Circuit Court, the articles of incorporation were ready. After an examination of these the Court issued an order stating that "The prayer of the petition be granted and that the said Kahoka College be created a body corporate and politic." There were ten articles included in the constitution of Kahoka Normal College and Commercial Institute. The introduction stated the purpose of the founding of Kahoka College to be "promoting the interests of education, and for granting diplomas and other literary degrees, usually conferred by colleges of learning." Another section of the articles provided that the corporate powers of the college were to be vested in a board of nine directors, to be selected by the stockholders. Officers of the board were to be a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. All of the officers were to be selected from the board of directors. The building committee set to work and planned a commodious structure for the period of time. It was completed in the summer of 1885. A two story brick building 30 x 60 feet in size with two and one-half rooms on each floor was constructed. It cost with the grounds about $5,000. Professor J. D. Blanton of the famous Blanton family of educators, became the first president of the Kahoka College. Having been president of Watson Seminary at Ashley, Missouri, from 1881 to 1885, Professor Blanton must have become president of Kahoka College, immediately after leaving the position at Watson Seminary. He was a cousin of Dr. J. P. Blanton who was president of First District Normal School from 1882-1891. David Blanton of St. Louis, Missouri, a son of J. P. Blanton, in a letter to the author dated August 8, 1951, recalls pleasant memories of J. D. Blanton in the following brief sketch of his life: . . . . later on he was president of the Ward-Belmont College at Nashville, Tennessee, where he died, after making quite a success of the college. We referred to him as Cousin Deal, that being his middle name. I remember as a boy visiting my grandparents at Ashley during the summertime, having made a week's horse and buggy trip with him soliciting patrons for the Seminary. (Watson.) He was followed by Prof. R. B. McCollum in the second year 1886-1887, and Profs. W. C. and R. B. McClure had charge of the third year of the college which opened September 5, 1887. Mr. F. J. Beckett of Kansas City, Mo., and his wife, who was then Louise Rex, both attended this college and received diplomas from the same. Copies of these are shown in the picture and since these diplomas are signed by members of the faculty, with the subjects taught, we may get some idea of the nature of the college course. In 1893 Louise Rex was given a diploma conferring upon her the Degree of Bachelor of Science. It is signed by Oval Pirkey, President of the College, Jacob Trump, President [photo caption] KAHOKA COLLEGE TOP ROW (Left to Right)--Frank T. Beckett, Oval Felker, Oscar Ingold. LOWER ROW (Left to Right)--Nellie Frazee, Prof. Pirkey, Annie Spangler, Ed Martin, June, 1894. (page 8) PAGE 8 NEMOSCOPE SUMMER, 1951 of the Board of Trustees, and Adam Lang, Secretary of the Board. Of the faculty members signing this diploma, W. F. Keim signed as a teacher of Grammar and Natural Science. Guy Clinton and Estelle Lutrell also signed for the faculty without designating their field of instruction. Frank T. Beckett's diploma awarded in June of 1894 conferred upon him the degree, Bachelor of Elements. It is signed by the same members of the Board of Trustees, but W. F. Keim had become president of the college. Faculty members signing this diploma were Guy Clinton, Mathematics; L. A. Blezek, Languages and Literature; Eugene Jenkins, Business and Penmanship; W. F. Keim, English and Natural Science. On May 26, 1892, Louise Bartlett Rex was given a diploma from the Department of Commerce of Kahoka College, indicating that she had completed the course in Practical Bookkeeping and Accountantship. This diploma is signed only by Orval Pirkey as President of the college. These diplomas indicate that the two fields of the college were kept separate and evidently it required an extra year of study above the Commercial College preparation to complete the liberal arts course of the college for the Bachelor of Science degree. It is significant also that as a Normal College a Bachelor of Science degree was conferred and not a Bachelor of Arts degree. Also it is significant that the Commercial College designated definitely the field of preparation, such as is true today of certificates of proficiency granted by business colleges of the present time. In Kahoka College also there were present the usual literary societies of colleges of the nineteenth century bearing Greek names. On the 24th day of July, 1893, Louise Rex at the time of her graduation was granted a testimonial certificate by the Zetophotonian Society of Kahoka College bearing this inscription: "Be it known that this testimonial is granted by the Zetophotonian Society of Kahoka College to Louise Rex, a beloved sister, as a tribute of high esteem in which she is held by us, her fellow schoolmates and associates on account of her diligence, accomplishments and other excellencies of character. Signed --Maggie Hess, President and Fannie Miller, Secretary." The Latin motto of this society, "Conamur Antecellere," indicates that this organization was a predecessor of the Honor Fraternities of the present time. Frank T. Beckett, likewise, was granted a similar testimonial certificate in the Philophotonian Society whose Latin motto was "Veritas Omnia Vincit." Is it not interesting that although Kahoka College was a co-educational institution, these honor societies did not include in their membership both of the sexes. The table showing the condition of Kahoka College as reported to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Missouri from 1885 through 1892 is very revealing as to the struggles of this institution to maintain existence. Starting with a faculty of six teachers and an enrollment of sixty-two students in 1885, it had decreased by 1887 to a faculty of two teachers and seventeen pupils. Tuition dropped from $38 per year in 1885 to $25 in 1887. Great must have been the sacrifice and personal hardships of these early instructors for they were paid only a division of tuition fees as a salary. Thus in the year 1885-1886 the six teachers earned an average salary of $393 apiece, unless the president received more than the classroom teachers. In 1887 the average salary was $212.50. Truly the economic epithet of "the poor school teacher" could be applied to their situation. During the next four years there are no reports to show the struggle and hardships of this institution. By 1891 under the leadership of Oval Pirkey the institution's enrollment had reached 103 and the faculty numbered six. There is no report as to the salaries paid at this time. In one year's time the enrollment dropped to seventy-five but the faculty was increased by four. It was in this year that the term Normal University was used to supplant the term college. Then the school enters a period of long silence in so far as state records are concerned. It is a high tribute to the concern for higher education exhibited by the Board of Directors and the instructors of this school that they labored at so great a length to keep the institution alive. Competition with nearby Christian University at Canton, Mo. (now Culver-Stockton College) and LaGrange College at LaGrange, Mo., must have been keen for these two institutions were older in establishment and strongly supported by the Christian and Baptist state organizations, respectively. Examination of a catalogue of Kahoka College for the year of 1896-97 is very revealing of many features of the institution. The faculty consisted of two instructors, Joseph E. McCutchan and Ella B. McCutchan. In the description of the college the statement is made that "Under its present management (it) is meant as an intermediate school between a high school and a university." Today it could be likened to a junior college or preparatory school. The description continues with the remark that a student by examining the curriculum will find subjects, which would enable him to enter the freshman classes of all departments of higher institutions. Considering that the staff consisted of two instructors, the curricular offerings were most extensive. The following courses of study were listed: English Rhetoric and Composition, 2 years; American Literature and English Classics, one-half year each; Latin, 3 years, namely: Beginners Latin, Caesar, and Cicero; Greek, 2 years; German, 2 years; French, 2 years; Mathematics, 4 years, including Arithmetic, First and Second Year Algebra and Plane Geometry; and History, 3 years, covering United States History, General History, and the History of England. The admonitions in regard to discipline are typical of the time. Quoting from the catalogue, it is stated that, "No long list of rules will be made for the intimidation of KAHOKA NORMAL COLLEGE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTE* YEAR PRESIDENT OR NUMBER AMOUNT NO. COST VALUE VALUE VOLS. IN PRINCIPAL TEACHERS PAID TEACHERS PUPILS TUITION BLDG. APPARATUS LIBRARY YEAR GROUND 1885 J. D. Blanton.. 6 Tuition Intake Divided 62 $38 $5,000 . . . . . . . . . . 1886 NO REPORT 2 Tuition Divided. . . . 17 $25 $4,000 $100 19 1887 R.B. McClean 1888 NO REPORT 1889 NO REPORT 1890 NO REPORT 1891 Oval Pirkey. . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . 103 . . . $5,000 . . . . . 100 1892 Oval Pirkey. . . 10 . . . . . . . . . . . 75 . . . $7,000 . . . . . . . . *Note: Statistics compiled from the reports of the State Superintendent of Schools for the period 1885-1892. inclusive. No further reports of this college appear in the section devoted to the reports on private schools to the State Superintendent's Office. (page 9) SUMMER, 1951 NEMOSCOPE PAGE 9 students or the annoyance of teachers in enforcing them. The students are only required to abstain from all immorality and unseemly conduct; and it is enjoined upon them to conduct themselves on every occasion with the propriety and decorum, which characterizes ladies and gentlemen. The school has two general rules: 1. Be a gentleman or a lady. 2. Work. "Should a student persistently violate either of these rules he will be requested to withdraw." A fairly high standard of scholastic attainment was required for graduation with a diploma. A student must make an average numerical grade of 80, although 70 was stated as being a passing grade. Inducement for study consisted of the offer of a free scholarship to any regular student not in the senior class, who made the highest average grade during the year. Tuition for the year 1896-1897 was set at $36, payable per month. Additional fees of one dollar were charged at the beginning of each school term. The length of the academic year was somewhat longer than the present terms of Junior Colleges. In 1896-1897 the first term opened September 6, 1896 and closed December 24, 1896. The second term began on January 6, 1897 and continued until August 22, 1897. A list of forty-eight student names then enrolled in the college appears in this catalogue, most of them having local addresses. The Board of Trustees of the college listed in the catalogue contained many of the "founding fathers." Several new names appear, and the list had been reduced from nine to seven. The following officials are listed: Jacob Trump, President; Adam Lang; B. F. Waggoner; George Baster; T. L. Montgomery; R. S. McKee; and Charles Hiller. The final struggles of the institution are described by Frank E. Greenlee, editor of the Clark County Courier, Kahoka, Missouri in a letter of August 6, 1951, to the author, as follows: I was in the public school grades when the college first started. I was then absent from Kahoka for about five years. When I returned in the fall of 1895, the college had ceased to operate the preceding spring. (1895) In 1897 (fall) I attended a tuition school operated by Joe and Ella McCutchan of Canton, Missouri, in the building. It lasted only a year. As I recall, someone tried to operate a business school there. Thus closed the chapter in Clark County education history of Kahoka Normal College and Commercial Institute. The building was then taken over by the public school system of the city and used as a high school, with an addition to it, for many years. A number of former students of the school are still living and are very proud of their years of attendance at this institution. They prize highly their "sheepskins" received from the college bearing the signatures of favorite teachers. It is a high tribute to the nobility of the teaching profession that these men and women labored under primitive conditions and fearful hardships to light beacon fires of learning on the wilderness of the American frontier. Students of public institutions today are the recipients of this priceless heritage willed to them by these pioneers--whose motto in the case of Kahoka College was "Veritas Omnia Vincit." The truths taught in those halls of learning have conquered all and endure even to the present day. Roy A. Lessly, formerly of Novinger, Mo., is instructor of English in the high school at Plymouth, 111. Mr. Lessly received his Master of Arts degree in English in the summer of 1950. Billy V. Rosser, formerly of New London, Mo., is now Superintendent of Schools at Chandlerville, Ill. Before going to Chandlerville, he was Superintendent at Virginia, Ill. Mr. Rosser received his Master's degree in School Administration in the summer of 1950. (page 10) PAGE 10 NEMOSCOPE SUMMER, 1951 ORGANIZING THE FUNCTIONAL SCHOOL MUSUEM by Orville E. Bowers Director of Bureau of Audio-Visual Education Northeast Missouri State Teachers College and Robert M. Pfaff Former Graduate Student Northeast Missouri State Teachers College Now With the U. S. Army Each year thousands of valuable articles of a people's past progress are either thrown away in trash cans or burned. These irreplaceable articles, had they been properly preserved, could have played an important role in helping the current generation comprehend the manner in which the forebears of present peoples carried on the tasks of everyday life. The prevailing idea that a museum is a storehouse where valueless articles are deposited for posterity's sake, is being abandoned. Educators are becoming increasingly aware that a museum can play an active part in modern education. The new idea of museums being a functional part of student experiences is gaining headway. Basically there are three types of museums: (1) the Scientific Museum, which includes collections of physical, anthropological, archaeological, biological and astronomical materials; (2) the Art Museum, which includes the collections of the fine arts, i.e. sculpture, paintings, architecture, and the finer of man's vocational arts; (3) and the Historical Museum, the type which is discussed in this article. The principal function of the Historical museum is the collection of man's past achievements in order that individuals may have a better understanding of their culture. Through that understanding a better evaluation of present progress, and development may be ascertained. The secondary schools have great opportunities to capitalize upon existing historical materials in their own localities. The larger high schools have the advantage of obtaining articles from lending museums, when they are located near or in a metropolitan area. Small high schools lack this advantage and opportunity and should develop their own resources in the form of a school museum. The project of a school museum involves the proper attitude on the part of students, faculty and administrators of schools as well as an interest on the part of the community. The first step in a formation of a functional museum is selling the school on the idea. After this has been accomplished, an active campaign to interest the community should be developed. Every precaution must be taken to see that misconceptions and critical attitudes are broken down in connection with this school museum. Although the newspapers and other community agents can offer valuable assistance in publicizing the project, the students themselves are the most valuable public relations agents if they are properly orientated. This school-community public relations aspect is very important, primarily because most of the articles for the museum will come from the community. This offers an opportunity for the school and community to work together and therefore helps dissolve existing barriers between the school and the community. The historical museum should have its origin in the social science department. It is in the work of this department that an interest is stimulated for the appreciation of the development of the culture in which the students are now living. Although the social science depart ment is the core of the school museum, there is a splendid opportunity for the coordination of the several other departments of the school. As an example; suppose that an exhibit is being organized that will require the building of a case in which to house it. This is an opportunhy for the industrial arts department. Illustrations and pictorial needs can be contributed and arranged for display by the art department. Other departments can be integrated into the project as a need arises for their particular contributions. As to the collection of items, the public as well as the students should be made to feel that their help is appreciated. The museum can be assembled in two general ways. One, by special drives for museum pieces pertaining to certain periods or events. The other development may come through-collaboration with particular teaching units. In this way the museum items are not only being used as teaching devices but also are being added to the museum collection much as you add a book as reference material in a library. It is agreed by those in charge of school museums that collection of items by one of these two channels would be of more value to the student as an educational device. However, gifts and loans from the community should not be underestimated for they will be of value not only for the growth of the school museum but for closer school-community relations. The building of exhibits and the organization of material, aside from developing a closer relationship between the departments, makes for a VIOLETTE MUSEUM Northeast Missouri State Teachers College Kirksville, Mo., -------------------, 19--- File No.------------Article Case No.------------ Received of--------- Address-------------Condition - Gift Loan CATALOGUING CARD Used in the Violet to Museum, Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, Kirksville, Mo. (page 11) SUMMER, 1951 NEMOSCOPE PACK 11 more desiruble teacher-student relationship and tends to break down formality. It presents a chance for the student to express his needs. It gives the teacher an opportunity to gain further insight into the abilities and originality of the students. The classification and periodization of articles for the museum allows for the real value of the museum in the social sciences. Whether it is a special drive or in connection with a particular teaching unit, this categoring of material presents problems on which the social science class can work. It will be necessary for the class to understand the period in which the articles are to be catalogued. This brings up the project of delving into the history of the articles, or period of time represented in order to catalogue it correctly. The articles might be those dealing with a war, household items, or even materials used by a particular ethnic group, which will present a problem in studying the cultural and living habits of a people. The setting up of displays paves the way for originality on the part of the students. They must develop their ability to associate correctly and to group materials together in their proper setting. Materials gathered can help in clarifying to the students the patterns of a culture. Through the medium of the museum, history is actually as well as vicariously presented. The administrative details of the museum should be as simple as possible in order to prevent the possibility of it becoming a cumbersome process. Each article should be catalogued, i.e., on a small card (3 by 5). On the card it would be best to have a catalogue number, the name of the donor, date received, and if the article has any particular history this should be related on the back. On the card should be designated whether the article is a gift or a loan to the museum. Each article in turn should have the same catalogue number corresponding to the number of its card. Through this simple system, cross filing is possible. All gifts and loans should be acknowledged by a pertinent, courteous letter. This, again, allows for another department to contribute to the school museum, the commerce department. This simple administrative machinery allows for the students to take on the responsibilities of the business function of the museum, as well as the setting up of displays and cataloguing of the articles. The school museum in all of its ramifications is a splendid opportunity for an all school project. With proper initiation and careful guidance it can be an interesting and beneficial project for the student body and faculty. Public relations, indeed, has an important role in the school museum. The locality and community holds much of the interest and the valuable material from which the museum can take shape. The administrative policies of the school museum will have to be formulated by different schools as their own particular problems arise. Simplification should be the theme of administration of any prospective school museum. In the classification and periodization of articles, for display, the basis of the museum is emphasized as a functional part of education in its special and general relationships to the teaching methods being carried on in the school. The school museum has value as a teaching device, as a means of fostering school cooperation, and for the development of responsibilities in the students, an important asset in future life. VIOLETTE MUSEUM The Violette Museum, located in the Kirk Memorial building on the campus of the Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, has had an interesting and varied history. Organized in 1900 by Professor Eugene M. Violette as an aid to teaching, the museum grew rapidly until 1924, when it was partially disbanded. It was reorganized in 1940 and in June 1942 it was reopened in its present location under the directorship of Miss Ethel Hook. The museum collection consists of more than 4,000 separate catalogued items depicting the history of the people of the northeast Missouri area. One of the outstanding individual collections which has been donated to the Violette Museum is the Cassity collection given by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cassity of Purdin, Missouri. The Cassity collection includes over one hundred items of household furnishings, farm implements, and documents related to northeast Missouri's history. Dr. Hans Hagemann, present curator of the museum, is continuing with the plan to build the Violette Museum into one of the finest collections of Missouriana in the state. College students, the faculty, and other teachers make use of the collection in studying history of the midwest. Hundreds of persons visit the museum each year. ALUMNI NOTES James C. Hardy, 1951, of Kirksville, Mo., is teaching speech correction in the Public Schools at Poplar Bluff, Mo. Hex Miller, 1949, a business education major, is an inspector on a state highway construction project near Lancaster, Mo. He lives at 315 S. Marion, Kirksville, Mo. James II. Mahoney, 1942, of Clarence, Mo., is teaching Mechanical Drawing at Hannibal-LaGrange College, Hannibal, Mo. He has his Master's degree from the University of Missouri. Lloyd L. Garrison, 1940, has recently accepted a position as Professor of Business Education in the Oklahoma A. & M. College in Stillwater, Okla. He received his Doctor's degree from the University of Missouri in the spring of 1951. Eva Dale McDaniel, 1932, began her tenth year on the faculty of Bethel High School, Bethel, Mo. this fall. She has served as school principal since 1942 and teaches English, physical education, girls' coach and social science. Charles Meador, 1950, formerly of Huntsville, Mo., has accepted a position the Shelbina, Mo., Public School system as Industrial Arts instructor and Assistant Coach of Athletics. Mr. Meador previously was employed as industrial arts instructor at Macon, Mo. "LOST ALUMNI" Listed below are a number of alumni of the Teachers College, who have become "lost" so far as the Alumni Office is concerned. Mail addressed to these persons at their last known address has been returned marked "undeliverable." If you have information concerning any of these alumni will you please communicate with the Alumni Office. Numerals indicate year graduated. --EDITOR. Susie Sailing (Mrs. S. P. Meadors), 1903 Vera Hickman Salyer (Mrs.), 1930 James M. Sanderson, 1945 Francis Savage, 1911 Mary Morelock Saxon, 1934 Mary Elizabeth Scanland, 1925 Zelma May Scanland, 1925 Maxine Schneider, 1941 E. Lillian Scott, 1906 Elea B. Scott, 1900 Robert A. Scott, 1901 Ruth Scott, 1927 Ida Ellen Seidel, 1922 (page 12)