Critic's Report, 28 October 1898

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.

Model School student and Thencanic Society member, ca. 1890s. Later a member and president of the Trenton Board of Education. Brother of Trenton historian and librarian Mary J. Messler, and of fellow Thencanic member Benjamin E. Messler, all children of the prominent Trenton merchant Robert A. Messler. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156998369/james-stevens-messler