Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1859-01-29

crs and trainers of the minds of the
rising generation, i'll order to fit them
for the different avocatons Of life, should
furnish some evidence Of their capacity
to do SO, before being permitted to un-
dertakc all important duty.
Your Honorable body at it's last seq
sion authorized the establishment of u
Normal School in the city Of New Or
leans. The true friends of education
must hail with delight this initiatory
step in the right direction, and look for
ward with anxiety to the establishment
| of one or more of the same character at
the present session. Experience has
taught the friends of education in the
other States of this Union and in Europe,
that in order for the youth to acquire a
proper knowledge Of the elements, which,
are deemed of paramount Importance, in
laying the foundation upon which q
thorough education is to be built, that it
is necessary for him who undertakes to
impart this knowledge and lay this foun-
dation, to understand thoroughly the art
through the medium of which the same
is to be accomplished. And to this end
schools have been established for the
purpose of training young men and
women in the science and art of teach y
ing, and doing for the profession of teach T.
ers what the judgment Of an intelligence I
public and the laws of many countricsS
require to be done for those who gradu-
ate i'll the learned professions. When
the school-mastcr, by virtue of his me
tai and moral qualifications, shall occl
the position in society which the very
nature of his profession and the intimate
relation which necessarily exists be.
tween him and our offspring requires
him to occupy; when the State, by Leg
islatiyc enactment, shall throw pro-
tectivc armor around his calling, and fix
a standard as high and honorable az
that of every other profession known to
our laws-thcn, and not till then, will
she be enabled to protect the appropria-
tions she annually makcs-tLen the coli
trast between the pedagoguc and the
teacher will be seen and felt; then, from
our midst, will the stumbling stone to
other pursuits in life be forever removed;
and intelligent young men and women
will be found knocking at the door Of our
Normal s sell5eelass fer ffaf adnaiseian, ready to
pledge and prepare themselves to draw
from the fathomless depths Of youthful
minds the noble impulses and brilliant
thought which lie dormant there, and as
they pass along the path Of time, to
write the record of an honorable proics-
sioll-a useful life.
To carry out the good work already
begun, and for which future generations
will bless the Legislature which put the
idea into actual being, no extra taxation
need be resorted to- Of the three hund-
red thousand dollars annually appropri-
ated by the Legislature for the support
of schools, let one hundred thousand
thereof be set apart for the establishment
and support Of four Normal Schools; in
crease the power and extend the privi-
leges Of the one already established in
New Orleans; and on the same basis cs-
tablish one in each Of the other Congress
sional Districts let these schools be
opened for the reception of such young
men and women as are dcsirous Of quail
flying and pledging themselves to be-
come teachers in the public schools Of
the State, and in less than three years
we will have corps Of teachers Of whom
the State will be proud. The profession
will be elevated at once. And there
will be that dignity attached to the call
ing, which will keep at allegiance tho
horde of adventurers from colder cline,
who in many instances, prompted by no
other motive than that Of gain, are an
nually rcaping rich harvest from a
State whose peculiar institutions they
iii their hearts dcspise.
pg~Scandal is a visitor who never