With best wishes for the Magazine and the school which is its inspiration, I remain, very sincerely yours, FLORENCE L. C. BRIGGS. My Dear Sir: Charlevoix, Michigan. Your favor of recent date received and same has had careful consideration. A statement of the following facts may be necessary to enable you to appreciate my position. I graduated from Potsdam in 1876. During these years, outside of our mutual friend Wagner, I have exchanged letters with only three or four of the boys and none of the girls, for which sins of omission I hope to receive full forgiveness. I presume six or eight letters would cover my entire correspondence, with the boys, excepting Wagner. During all this time I have met none of the alumni or undergraduates, excepting during the reunion of our class in Potsdam in 1901. At that time I met but few of my old acquaintance, possibly a dozen. The Normal Magazine has been the only medium through which I have kept in touch with our Alma Mater, outside of the correspondence to which I have referred. Judging from my own case, our Magazine occupies a somewhat unique position. We do not go to it for current events, politics, religion, or literature. We peruse its columns hastily and "hungrily" for news of the doings of our Alma Mater, the success of her students in books and in athletics, also their social life-in brief, for everything which may keep us in sympathy with the school life. We also read its columns anxiously to learn of the success in life of its "scholars', and to ascertain the whereabouts and doings of former friends. You will readily see that I am not in a position to make the Magazine readable along the lines above suggested. I entertain certain views upon life insurance, municipal graft, the divorce evil and numerous other questions in which the public is interested. Also I am interested in foot ball, base-ball, and other forms of athletics, but I apprehend the readers of the Magazine generally would not be interested in knowing my views. I except a few personal friends. In thus explaining the situation, I make no mention of my own unfitness nor that my time is fully occupied. I realize the honor that my friends would confer; but really, without any desire to shirk my fair share of responsibility for the Magazine, I feel that I must decline, and knowing that those who are guiding the destiny of the Magazine are reasonable people, I have hope that my reasons for declining are appreciated and that they will be received in the same spirit in which they are given. Wishing the "management" every success, personally as well as in their representative capacity, I remain, FREDERICK W. MAYNE. Very truly yours, Christmas comes but once a year. We want a note from you. New York Stag Dinner. The annual stag dinner for the St. Lawrence County Boys will be held at Hotel Albert, 11th Street and University Place, Saturday evening, November 25th, at 7:30 o'clock. Those who have been fortunate enough to attend those dinners in the past need no urging, as they know what an enjoyable thing it is to grasp the hand of their brother from the good old north country and to join with him in singing some of the old time songs The committee in charge is determined to make this an event that will eclipse anything that has yet gone on the records in the way of a St. Lawrence County Stag Dinner. Some of the best material the country has ever turned out have been slated for toasts for the occasion, and many have employed experts to write their speeches. The musical end of the program is under the direction of Mr. Howard Bryant, who reports great progress Special selections, appropriate for the occasion, are being prepared and the boys will be led in singing them by a quartet composed of Quigley, Merrithew, Wilbur and Bryant. All that now remains to make this the event that the committee desires is to get all of the fellows out on that evening. The married men are requested to remember that "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and to try to break away from their entangling alliances for just that evening. It is suggested that the names of any new comers to the vicinity of New York be sent to Humphrey J. Lynch, 12 Church St., White Plains, N. Y., chairman of the committee, at an early date, so that invitations may be sent to all. PAUL B. MANN, CHARLES B. DULLEA, You owe us one letter. Make it for the December issue and have it Christmas-sy. Ohio, Attention, Cincinnati, O., Oct. 30, 1905. To the Alumni who reside in the vicinity of Cincinnati: Doubtless there are some whose names and addresses I have not been able to obtain, and consequently to whom I have not written for a letter or other contribution to the January issue of the Normal Magazine; if so, consider that this is such an appeal and write me at once something for publication at that time. We want to hear from every one in this vicinity in the pages of the paper in the January issue. Sit down and write at once, and all interested in the Magazine will be grateful. Very sincerely yours, FRANK W. BALLOU, '02, Univ. of Cincinnati, Technical School. 10 A Carload of Teachers. We note from the Brooklyn Eagle of recent date the visit of Dr. Frank Boynton, Superintendent of the Ithaca schools, to the New York City schools. Dr. Boynton is as usual looking out for the best in his line and went to the Metropolis to find it. He was recently one of the guests of the Brooklyn Principals Association. The Eagle says: "Dr. Boynton is president of the State Teachers' Association. He has made a name for himself as a strong and progressive school master and superintendent. Dr. Boynton has an idea that teachers can receive more valuable information by seeing others at work than they can by conning text books or essays, and he received the consent of the Board of Education of Ithaca to bring his sixty-five teachers to New York to inspect the schools and study the methods of teachers. The schools of Ithaca were closed on Thursday and Friday, and the Superintendent and his teachers obtained permission to visit the New York schools and classes. They were divided into groups and each group was assigned to a different school each day. Dr. Boynton, as the head of the schools in Ithaca holds an exalted position. He is conducting admirable schools from kindergarten to high." We might add that we are in receipt of a copy of "The New York State Teacher" a monthly published at Ithaca and of which Dr. Boynton is editor. It is published in the interests of the New York State Educational organizations. We also notice that Messrs Ginn & Co. advertise the School Civics with the Civics of New York State by Frank David Boynton. Your Xmas greeting is expected for the next issue. 11 An Xmas greeting from you will do us all good. Send it early. CORRESPONDENCE * Babylon, N. Y., Oct. 13, 1905. Editor of Normal Magazine: The P. N. S. was well represented at a meeting of the teachers of the second commissioner district of Suf folk County, held during October, at Port Jefferson, L. I. At a special meeting of the Potsdam Alumni, called by S. B. Carey, '94, now teaching at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, the following responded: Charles R. Shaver, conductor; J. Rockwell; Florence Bell, '04, Babylon, L. I.; Charlotte Lance, '04, Belport, L. I.; Maude Lamson '04, Islip, L. I.; G. M. Perry, Belport, L. I.; Almeda Thurber, '98, Centreport, L. I.; Mae Haley, '00, Sayville, L. I.; Jessie E. Ware, '94, North Port, L. I.; Esther Thurber, '04, North Port, L. I.; Nellie E. Bailey, '00, Cold Spring, L. I.; Mabel Haven, '99, Babylon, L. I. Committee, Florence Bell, Mabel Haven. Dear Magazine: Tottenville, S. I. Enclosed please find my subscription to the Normai Magazine. I regret my long neglect of this small matter but I wanted to write a letter, and every time I would think about it I would decide that I had nothing of interest to write, and so put it off. I appreciate the Magazine very much and always wish that I might see the names of more of my friends in its columns. With best wishes for the continued success of the Normal Magazine, I remain, yours sincerely, ELSA E. EVANS. Dear Editor: Benton, Mono Co., Cal. It took six days to make the trip from the Thousand 18 |