Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-02-26

TEACHERS INSTITUTE.

As means Of educational improvements in
this State, teachers institutes have been unfor.
tlnate. The have often fallen into the charge
OF incompetent persons; they have always
lacked the means necessary TO their support;
and they have never been placed upon the basis
OF systematic and substantial organization.-
The consequence has been, that they have often
proved depIorable failures
Nor IS this surprising. The only wonder il,
that amidst public 50 apathetic on the subject
OF education, and profession so unorganized as
that Of the teacher, they did not, with such a
constitution. prove an unmitigated breakdown.
According 10 the ordinary laws of things. they
should have done so That they did not, is it.
self proof of their merit and of our need Of tbcr
Now 1t Is fact, that rightly conducted thew
have real merit and situated as we are We
cannot do without them. They ca.lnot do every
thing but there is a work which they can do.
and which 10 other agency can do as we'll
And the accomplishment of that work is lust as
necessary to the growth and Improvement ofour
educational sy stem, as tie performance of any
other work
For suppose we have in our State twelve thou
sand schools We must have for these some
fifteen or eighteen thousand different teachers ?
1t would be TO the advantage of our system
were there not so large portion of them tran
STORY. But We cannot avoid the evil and must
shape our efforts to meet the wants of things rs
find them.
And how are we TO meet the wants of all, or
even half fthese teachers They want a svs
tematic knowledge of the branches to be taught
This the most must obtain as they best can, in
the common schools and academies. There is
no other accessible source
Besides this, they want as much of profes
slonal training as may be had. How much of
this our academies and our normal schools. as
we are row supplied, Zone to an Empire STATE y
VIII he able TO afford may be too easily esti-
mated. For the most, the former can do but
little, and the latter, directly nothing And it
viii be SO until the people are more interes-
ted, and the teachers are stronger and the State
more liberal. When that Will be- heaven only
knows
But since that professional training cannot be
had, there is that which for this very fact these
teachers want more than ever. They want such
means of improvement as will enlarge their
views generally. rs viii increase their kncwI-
edge Of the ART of teaching. and will enable the
calling IN their estimation, sad Will awaken a
strong tellow-feeling towards and for 3ch other,
as members of the profession
And all this can be done bv these local and
temporary conventions or institutes They are
expressly adapted for the work, and rightly es-
tabIsEed and conducted, they can do it better
than any other agency. Organized upon a svs-
iematlc basis, under competent officer provi-
ded with a proper board of instructors, and sus-
tanned lntiuentially and materially by the COM
bined effort of the local interest and the State
authority, they would do all that reunions, dis
cussions, eNpositions and addresses could do. or
could be demanded to do. And empowered
by this notion to penetrate every section. and
to adapt themselves to all circumstances, their
usefulness would be as widespread as The State
itself
And further, they would not act upon the
teachers alone. The public would be inaocn-
eed, the masses would be in the way of being
gradually aroused to deeper and stronger in
ieTest III behalf Of popular education Insti-
tutcs and conventions VIII do that rs no schools
higher or lower do They are essentially
popular in their character and mode of action
and only need to be made what they may be,
and they viii demonstrate their own efficien-
ey IN that direction fully as in the other
Now then, look at these agencies in their true
light not as limited, specific and precise, but as
extensive, general and Adaptable; not as 4
means of elevating and perfecting the few, but
as gradually enligldening and influencing the
mass ; not as 4 power upheaving a majestic
mountain range, but agency slowly and
lifting above the ooze and brine
a WHOLE great continent. Look at them in this
light. and say whether we do not want them,
and Will not have them.-N J. TEACHER