Bedford inquirer and chronicle. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1854-1857, 1857-04-24

} lie confidence, SO bat almost from the PAS
! sage Of the act, the plan will be found pro-
ductive. Four such schools in Operation
Will 90 much good.
Mother is il supposed .hat the Boards or
: Sehao! Directors throughout the State viii
J soon or largely send students, as tho bill
provides they may, On pubic account. Nor
is i iR@esFensshla, although xess -des;ras,less
that they should. It Is ,laimed as the e.
peelal merit Of this bill that The plan it en-
bodies. avaiIs itself Of private enterprise
and Is designed 10 be self supporting
Judging from the patronage now received
BY the numerous small and incomplete
schools scattered over the State, the num-
Der OF outside students viii be quite suii-
cient 20 gil ;hem all But when Directors
do begin to send, II will be found 10 be one
OF the best means, in tho opinion of YOUR
Committee, not only TO increase the num-
Der OF good teachers, but to vryify and
stimulate every school in the State.
! Should the bill pass, and twelve schools
be ultimately brought ilto operation, the
number of graduates will never be found too
great for the wants Of the community. The
course Of study will probably be three years.
This would graduate one third, or twelve
hundred of the whole number annually on
the supposition that each school shall have
three hundred students or this number
probably not more than one third or four
hundred, II SO many, will permanently be-
come teachers Deaths. removal from the
otate, d'sIhciination fol the profession, and
unttness, will take off large. numbers, so
that the annnal supply viii probably fall
short OF the annual demand. But even if
all should continue in tie profession, our
State can retain the oest, and the rest find
employment elsewhere.
0ne great merit of this bill to which the
committee would invite tue attention of the
Legislature is, that it establishes these
Schools upon basis worthy OF its iinpor-
tant ohiegfs HoEaser. .ohvious -nsay- be the
Policy OF Shaping the means for the training
of teachers, to suit the Indications of edu-
cational sentiment aud action oyer the
State, at this time, tie chief danger to be
guarded against is that of bwerin.g the
standardized qualification and sizs in these
institutions down TO that of the hundreds OF
small and insufficient schools which will de-
sire to be included. Ia the opinion Of your
committee, years of total inaclioa on the
subject would be far preferable TO policy
SO total
In concluding their general remarks upon
the bill now before them, your Committee
would urge it's passage, because in their
view, now is The time to give form aud direc-
ton TO the Nornial School movement
Prominent aud enterprising professors and
educational men, have been long waiting for
! the State TO establish Normal Sehaols. de-
string naturally ami properly, a place in
| them. They are impressed with the be-
lief that the State will no. do 50, ami they
are operating on men of capital and liberal
ity to start private institutions At this
moment the State, by the passage of such
an act as the enc under Consideration, may
without cost unite, control and render thor
oughiy effective all such feelings and en-
terprises.
Your committee do not deem il necessary
or proper III this report to remark at length
upon the details of the ILL. But few OBJ
servations upon the 9th Article Of the 9th
Section will not be cut of place. Il pro
vides that the SclioOl Directors of any Dis
trIct may-send, aud the proper Normal
School shall receive Que student annually,
alternately, male aud female, at cost Of !
not more than i've dollars each per quarter, |
to be paid BY the said School Directors. the !
males not less than sixteen, and the females
net less than fourteen years of age; and |
the l2th Section provides that the students |
SO educated shall be liable 10 devote the |
next three years after their graduation TO I
teaching in the Common Schools of the |
Distric which defrayed the expense of their |
instruc ton, at tie medium raie of compen-
sation in such District; and if not so requi- |
red by their proper District, they shall de- |
vote the same period of time TO tcaching in |
some other Districts in ibe State
These provisions most directly connect
the plan of the bill with the Common School |
system aud they deserve espeeial care and !
attention. their object is two-fold, frst'
to provide a supply ofStsacherS for aud from |
/ our Common Schools, and second, to stim-
ulate and improve all those schaols BY ex- |
/ tending the prospect of this mark Of distinc-
ton 10 every pupil.
! The cost fer instruction is low, 1920 per |
annum) but low as it il, its payment is puro-
y voluntary, thus relieving the whole scope |
Of onr system from all unnecessary compus-
1