Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1895 (Creation)
Extent
6 pages
Name of creator
Biographical history
Model School student and Thencanic member and censor, ca. 1894. Currently no further information.
Name of creator
Administrative history
A literary and debate club at the Model School from 1882 to 1917. The members (only young men) focused on improving their oratory skills, personal appearance, and general comportment, with one member serving as "Critic" to evaluate the boys' behavior during each meeting. The literary aspects of the Society led to the publication of "The Signal" in 1885--while it started as a literary magazine through the Thencanic, it quickly escaped the Society's control and became a general Normal/Model School periodical. This club ended when the Model School closed in 1917. This version of the Thencanic should not be confused with the later revival in the 1930s with college students.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
John T. Drake, the Thencanic President for the first half of 1895, provided this written message to the membership as recompense for his absence at the group's final meeting. Drake summarizes the activities and challenges of the last several months, from the "dark clouds of dissention" in January 1895 to the "entertainment" the Society held. Before offering his sincere thanks for voting him President, Drake suggests the Thencanic occasionally hold public meetings, to allow the members to debate before an open audience. This message is numbered "2"; if a "Message 1" ever existed, it has since been lost. Transcription included.