isa-normaladvance-1909-00217

Description:	TII E NORMAL ADVANCE217After the presentation of the program, officers were elected for the spring term. MissManion was chosen President Miss HalcieFair, Vice President Miss Chloe Houghton,Secretary, Miss Eleanor Stoy, Treasurer, andMiss Minnie Parson, Editor.The Society held its first meeting of the termApril 10, in the literary rooms. No particularprogram had been arranged so the time wasgiven to business. Names were voted on fornew members and the following will be askedto join the society: Miss Lydia Grabbe, MissAdda Allen, Mrs. Jackson, Miss Hall, MissSwihart, Miss Bickhart, Miss Meehen, MissVognild, Miss Black, Miss Applegate, MissRogers, and Miss Stallings.The program committee brought before themembers for discussion plans for the work ofthe term. Debating is to be the theme of thework and each member is sincerely hoping bythe end of twelve weeks of training to be able todebate easily and forcibly before any audience.The program committee, of which Miss HalcieFair, Miss Lena Wilson, and Miss Tichenor,.are members, will have the work planned andorganized so that the first debate will be on thethird Saturday of the term, April 24. The society is very anxious to make arrangementswith the Philomatheans for joint rebates—perhaps each society will have the opportunity toshow its courage and power in real live debating. With the success of the preceding workfresh in their minds, the Alethenai membersare enthusiastic and earnest in their desires tomake this terms work more interesting andprofitable than any before.With the close of the winter term the Alethenai Literary Society concluded a most successful and profitable term of work. The entireprogram which was carefully planned and organized by a special committee, was one of unusual interest and strength. The opera waschosen as the theme for the terms work andeach meeting was spent in the discussion ofsome phase of the opera. Interest was shownfrom the beginning and those who presentedthe work inspired their hearers with the enthusiasm they had gathered in the preparationof their papers. At the close of the term eachmember felt that she had gained somethingreally worth while.In order that the opera might be viewed fromall sides, and put in its proper setting, twopapers were read giving the historical movements of its growth and development. MissEva Davis discussed the history of the operain the eighteenth century, and Miss ChloeHoughton the history of the opera in the nineteenth century, comparing and contrasting thecondition of the opera in the latter century withthat of the former. The operas studied werethose which are most popular or the compositions of the greatest and best known composers.Verdis II Travatore was the first work presented and at the same time a biography wasread of the composers life emphasizing especially the circumstances under which II Travatore was written. Thus each opera was studied.Often piano and vocal solos were given bysome friend or member of the society to illustrate the particular style of the composer andthe typical parts of the particular opera.Saturday, March 13, the society held an openmeeting to all friends who were interested inmusic and the work of the society. A specialprogram was arranged by which the visitorscould become acquainted with what the societyhad been doing. One of the most successfulnumbers on the program was given through theingenious efforts of Miss Marian Sammis. MissSammis related in a delightfully interestingmanner the story of the Mikado, a Japaneselove story in English Opera. To make theopera more real to the audience, different partswere acted and sung. Miss Sammis was assisted with the music by Miss Marie Davis, MissJolley, Miss Edington, Mr. Allan Grimes, withMiss Amelia Myers of the Terre Haute Conservatory of Music at the piano. The partswere sung and acted with energy and the expression was true and artistic. It is an interesting fact, and probably many remember that
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34247
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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