PAGE FOUR shortlidge Term Short, Troubled Joseph Shortlidge, sixth presi dent of the University, served for only nine months, but he faced as serious problems as any of the presidents who served for longer terms. A few months before Short lidge took over in July, 1880, a legislative investigating commit tee turned in an adverse report on the University (then College). A resolution for the state to stop payment of money t 6 the College had barely failed to pass the Gen eral Assembly. Programa Under Firs The institution's training pro grams in agriculture and the me chanic arts were under fire from State groups. "We are the laugh ing-Mak of the State," a faculty member wrote to the president of the Board of Trustees. Shortlidge's experiences had not been of a type to fit him for the presidency. He had been a high school teacher and head of a small school he.had founded, but he had !lever been forced to resolve the conflicting interest of politicians, farmers, industrialists, and news- PaX em t the time he took office, the College's curriculum differed little from that of the liberal arts schools of the day. Shortlidge, in his sole report to the trustees, said the College had to introduce in engineering and re tellm subjects to make its program Conform with the goals of the Morrill Act. Criticised Itisreetigettait - He also criticized the legislative invesilgation of the College. At the same time, members of the faculty initiated a reform movement. Their program was ac cepted in principle by the trus tees. It provided for two general courses, the scientific and the classical, and f out technical courses in agriculture, natural history, chemistry and physics, and civil engineering. Shortlidge felt the faculty mem hers, bypresenting their pro gram to individual trustees before the meeting, were guilty of in subordination. Therefore, he sub mitted his , resignation to the trus tees and it was accepted. Trouble with Students The president didn't get along Weil with students, either. Having dealt with younger. students all his life, he attempted to enforce the same type of discipline at the College that he had enforced at his -own school, the Maplewood Institute at Concordville. Thus, he was plagued with whath should have been mere rilinor disciplinary problenis, • After resigning, he returned to Maplewood Institute an d re mained its head until his death in 1911. McElwain Hall Honors Early Lady Principal By 00(11, PHILIPS McElwain Hall, a womens resi dence building constructed in 1949, was named in honor of liar-, riet Aurelia McElwain, former lady principal and professor r the University. Born in BeCcet. Mass., Miss M Elwain was graduated from Mi. Holy°lze Seminary in 1881 and mcsived her master of arts de gree at the University in 1885 J Before corning to the University I (then College) in 1833, she taught and served as principal for two yCan.; at a 'rest Springfield, Mass.,; grE.mr. - .ar. srhool. being lady principal i 4nd proN , s2or of history, Miss Mo.! 1.11v. - ain's duties included teaching', Latin an d mathematics... She served ad secretary of thevfactilty, registrar, and in later years was; the conf'dential secretary to Dr.!, George W. Atherton, president of the University. it tval througit Miss McElwain's efes - ntg ti:at scJlnen students were t a!; , .11 from their unattractive sit tLr3 in a portion of the westl wing in Old Main. She personally ! visited the legislature and secured! appropriations fo:' the Ladies Cot-; tage, or Woman's Building as it' is ,now t cl rcslgn . -,d In 1901; Poster Night Precedes Customs A lively aspect of freshman sophomore rival* and a fore runner of today's customs in Penn State's middle years was Poster Night. The posters were printed procla mations about 3 feet by 6 feet fiving rules for the conduct of reshmen. They were written in the most flowery language at the command of the sophomores and carried drawings showing the dire things that would happen to a freshman who violated the rules. 'Know Your Masters' A 1914 poster addressed the first-year students: "Freshmen, know your masters by the sign of the four." The "sign of the four" consisted of drawings of a paddle, a bowl of molasses, a paste bucket, and a pair of hair clippers. Then the rules in impressive language were given: 'Be not wise in your own con ceits, for now that you have be come a near man, put away child lath things, such as prep school pins and flaring adornments for on thy breast, and let them not Korner 'Hub' Sold Nlnn's Apparel in 1928 - The Hetzel Union Building isn't the only "HUB" to be known by University students. The Hub, in 1928, was a men's apparel shop in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows building on E. College avenue. Prices listed in an ad in the Penn State Collegian .at the time Salute to a Century of ALLIS-CHALMERS CORP. TkfE DAILY CPI- 11 %W ST4TE MlSTOrifr" adorn thy persons, for now though te see clearly, yet shall ye see hrough molasses and feathers darkly, 'lnto the Dust' "Also, dig not thy digits into thy jeans, lest the sophomores en • comps& thee round about and drag thy frame down into the dust. "Let it not be noised abroad throughout the land that thou halt defiled the greensward by tres passing thereon. For 'should this come to pass, the sophomore will arise in their wrath, gird up their loins, and go forth and smite thee hip and thighs Yea, even unto the nether part thereof; and thou shalt partake of thy daily sub stance from the mantle-piece." Fresh in Nightshirts Poster Night began with the sophomores, bearing class numer als, routing freshmen from theit rooms. The oppressed, in early years wearing nightshirts and later pajamas, were marched lock step through town, calling cadence at the top of their voices. Freshmen 9 ()ideas At the turn of the century, freshmen were not allowed to be out after 9 p.m. unless accom panied by an upperclassman. were: new tuxedos, $22.50; men's trench coats, $9.86; "men's sawyer slickers, $5.45"; men's 16-inc "hi-top" shoes, $7.45; and oxford cloth shirts, $1.95. Education and Progress Along the line of march, indi viduals were called upon to dance, sing, recite, and perform other feats of entertainment. Then at midnight a huge bonfire was built and the freshmen were given paste and brushes and ordered to plaster town buildings and barns for miles around with the posters. BEST WISHES on your CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Peoples National Bank State College, Pa. Member of recter - al Deposit Insurance Corporation 20.00P04i0 :$4:40**.4. '4 .04S 1925 First illiovs-up Day Th'.. first Moire-up Day in the history of the Universa il was Ob served, May 15, 1925 . seniors blosschred out in white 1 on jack eta, the juniors in blazers, and sophomore and freshmen sta their big step up in customs a lter the , undereleds tug-of-war. In the 1890'a the number of women students ranged between six and 18 each ear. at the PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers