True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-03-17
Normal Schools.

This isa question which, Rt the present
time, is attracting considerable amounrof
interest INCUR State. and throughout the
entire naliOn it is therefore to be expec.
ted, that as the conductor OF a public
journslve say something upon it. We
are free to confess that, when the plan
was first proposed for the State to take
these institutions under its care, and
assume the pecuniary responsibility Of
their maintenance, we entertained strong
doubts ofthe propriety of such course.
The common objection, "that it is not
the province of the State to provide for
the education Ci Teachers that it is the
business Of those who choose to enter this
profession, to qualify themselves for the
discharges Of its duties," and that there
is no more prOpriety in the support Of
Normal Schools, at the expense of the
State, than there would be in establishing
and sustaining Theological Seminaries,
Medical Colleges or Law Schools, in the
same manner, are considerations, which,
for a time, bore with weight upon our
mind. Now, if it were true, that the
State had assumed the responsibility to
carly on the practice Of Medicine, Of
Law or Theology, there would be truth
in this consideration. Teachers Of com.
mon Schools are the servants of the State
and are subject to its requirements, in a
very different sense, and to much greater
extent than are Clergymen, Doctors or
Lawyers.
It is not doubted by any, that it is a
wise arrangement Of our National Gov
ernmenl to establish and sustain Naval
and Military schools, for the proper
training Of young men for the command
Of armies, on the field Of battle ; and for
the proper management Of our ships Of
war. Upon the same principle. and for
the accomplishment Of higher and a
nobler object. we now say that, we believe
it is the duty, and the interest of the
State to educate Teachers, tor the greater
work of moulding the human mind and
expanding the human intellect.
Whatever is essential 10 the carrying
of State Schools into successful operation,
should either be supplied at the expense
of the State, or, the whole project aban-
doned at once.
That there is a crying necessity for a
greater number Of competent Teachers in
the State to supply the demand, is a fact
"known and read by all men,"
According to the report Of the Com,
missioner of Common Schools, the cost
to the State, during the year 1857, for
the Teachers under the employ OF the
Board, amounted to the snug little sum of
two millions, three hundred thousand
dollars. This is too vast an amount of
money to be wasted upon incompetent
Teachers.
We have good cause for the belief,
that in many instances, the Board of
examiners have been compelled to give
certificates to incompetent Teachers on
account Of the demand being so much
greater than the supply. Il is this fact
which has brought our common. schools
into disrepute in many localities; and it
will continue to operate as an incubus
upon them, so long as inexperienced
persons are relied upon as Teachers.
There is now proposition submitted to
the Senate Of our State, by the chairman
of the Senate Committee on Schools, to
accept an offer made by Cyrus McNEELY,
of Hopedale, Harrison county, to donate
TO the State, for the purpose of establish
ing Normal School, property valued
at $4,000.
SAMUEL LEWIS, ,Sthe first Superintend-
ent Of Common Schools for the State Of
Ohio, made a report on this subject in
February, 1889, from which The following
extracts are taken, which are as applica-
bic now. as they were then:
with the experience of other nations
aud other States, as well as the success
which has attended individual experiments
in our own State, before me, | have made
up my mind, that with teachers educated
for the business. sufficient TO supply all
the districts in our State, we should with
the same money now expended, secure
70 our children an education far exceed.
ing in amount and far superior in quality
TO what is generally furnished.
It's proper that one objection should
be anticipated and answered. I. may be
said that il there are thousand teacher.
required, and the want still increasing
the establishment Of Normal Schools viii
fall far short Of supplying the demand tc
justify the expense. We answer, tba
the benefit of these schools will not b,
limited to the number directly taught il
them. The instruction Of some eighty o
n hundred teachers, if confined in fact t
the furnishing of that number, woul'
render the expediency Of the measure
doubtful, but it should be Iecollecled tha
every one who should go out from thi
Institution will Uo nrenared IN koach n,