Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-03-03
Normal Schools and Normal School
Regents.

NOruaI SCHOOLS ana N normal School
Regents.
The following, from the Milacuukee
Free Democrat, is so we'll timed, truth
full and important, that we are willing
to adopt every word of it, and trust
that our Senators will give the subject
careful consideration. The system
of UNCONVENTIONAL schools-where one
portion of the students is afflicted with
modern forced piety, and passing con-
siderable share of their time in study
ing musty creeds and dogmas, and the
other portion taking the opposite ex-
treme and committing all sorts of petty
depredations-is a nuisance to the COM
monwealth and ruinous to the student
whose whole aim is to learn Truth.
| Our readers have not forgotten that
our State Senate a few days ago, got
INTO a sort OF muss on the question of
confirming the nominations made BY
Gov. Bashtord, of regents, under the
law Of last winter providing for Normal
Institutes, and that the whole batch was
sent back TO Gov. Randall, with i'm
piled instructions to make nominations
on geographical rules. This fact natu-
rally brings the whole subject of this
Normal School question before us. and
we propose to say word with refer
ence to it.
In the first place, the whole bill
should be repealed, without unnecessa-
ry delay. What is the propriety or
necessity of any portion of the school
fund being used to educate teachers :?
Teaching is profession, pursued, as
any other profession, for the advantage
of those pursuing it. Men qualify
themselves for it, as they do for any
other profession, and the same induce
!, ments to attain excellence and superb
ority, exist i'll that profession as in any
other. Why not the State as well ed
ucate lawyers, editors, doctors, preach
ers, &C.?
But if the Legislature persists in the
idea that it is a legitimate use of the
school fund to first pay for educating
teachers, and then pay these teachers
:: for using their education, let it estab-
fish Normal School, or schools in
good faith. 1t gets no such thing un-
der its present bill, and that it does is
mere pretence, as we believe. None
OF the established colleges or academies
IN the State, we venture to say, will de-
part from the purposes of their organi-
!, zation-the we'll settled plans of their
whole eXlstence-to establish Normal
departments, and have special profess
sors for the science and art of teaching,
to obtain the pittance which this law of:
fers for each scholar in that department.
Instead OF that, the brief experience al
ready obtained under the law, leads to
the belief that simple, ordinary studies
of the academic course, will be pre-
scribed to constitute a scholar in the
Normal School department, and the
whole college will thus be resolved into
a Normal School, the State paying a
sum for each student. It becomes sim
ply plan for endowing determinations
al institutions thingl which the con
stitution, in disposing Of the school fund
was very particular to guard against
An institute to nut the final to men al
ready educated, to fit them for teach
ers, might be useful, and the money
thus spent would not be entirely thrown
away nor obtained under false preten-
ces. But nothing Of the kind, we fear,
can be said for these suddenly extern,
ported Normal departments, in the
several UNCONVENTIONAL colleges of the
State.
But if the legislature still persists in
the idea that The mode adopted by law
is the true way OF establishing Normal
Schools, then the High, Schools under
the common school law should be emit
tied to the benefits Of it, for wa venture
the opinion that they turn out more
good teachers every year, than the n
situations thus provided for. The COM
mon school teaches all which the teach
er of the common school needs, and no
necessity exists for sending the student
to pursue college studies to qualify him
for that duty. If there is to be a spe-
cial endowment for this purpose, we
submit that the High School depart
ment of our common schools is Just the
place to bestow it.
But if, after all, the legislature pro-
poses to keep the matter in the shape
in which it now stands, we suggest to
the appointing power, that the men
connected with the institutes which get
this money, are not the men to make
regents of, who are to prescribe the
course of studies necessary to consti-
tute Normal School student and vote
away the money. We have not so
poor an opinion Of the Senate Of the
State as to believe that it would object
to appointments Of this character solely
on geographical grounds, but have a
shrewd suspicion that difficulties among
the regents, growing out of the appoint
ment of men who have an interest in
getting as much of the fund as possible
with the smallest degree of compliance
with the law, constitute the 7ooaes asi,eo-
a',tna in the case. And our opinion is
! STRENGTHENED by the fact that others