The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-02-22

berry to vitalize and improve ou
school system. Nature has an exceed
ingly limited supply of self.furnishin.
and safeguarding teaching ability; O.
she is very chary Of it. II Is sadl,
evident that the great majority o
teachers do not come from her hand
fully endowed and panoplied for thei
work, as Minerva IS fabled to hav,
sprung from the brain of Jupiter.
am carried by the force of an ir
resistible logic, and by the plain teach
ings OF experience one step farther
The State of Onion must provide specia
agencies for the training of competen
teachers for the schools under. it's con
troll. This is the practical conclu
sion." --.a+'s-
He proposes, then, three agencies tc
secure this competent training: L
County Teachers Institutes. 2. Dis.
trict Normal Institutes. 8. State Nor,
NAL School. The great utility Of the
two former are dWelt upon at some
length, but he insists above all on the
imperative necessity of the latter. &c
says: I ldo7 l"T1 eI b.il9lHr -7
mo system Of institutes, however
complete and thorough, can alone &c.
complish what is needed. The length
of their sessions rs, at best, too limited
and the course Of training TOO partial
to raise up such q class of model teach
ers as arc neededto lift common school
instruction out of the deep ruts of rou
tine, and to impart to it vitality and
power. We need teachers trained by
superior methods, that they, in turn,
may become the teachers Of teachers,
and both by example and precept lift
up the profession to a higher and truer
standard. In short, we need normal
school that shall be able to 90 beyond
mere scholastic training and model ex-
amplcs of skillful teaching; that shall
unfold thoroughly aud systematically
the rhy as we'll ms the ho,0 of education
shall teach it's history, its philoso.
ply, its methods. s.og7Ii Ym H'0 aHaU
The annual expense Of maintaining
a Normal School of high, character,
when once established, will be about
$4,000. The current expenses of the
Illinois Normal University. Michigan
State Normal School. New Jersey State
Normal School, and tho New York
State Normal School at Albany, are re-
respectively about $4,000 year. This
sum will be needed ia this State.
Any attempt to present a complete
course of study and training for the
proposed Normal School, or to give the
details of it's organization, would car.
ry me beyond the proper limits Of this
report. I would recommend that the
organization and management Of the
entiro Normal system, including the
Normal Institutes, and the County In
stitutes, be intrusted to "A Board of
Trustees, or Regents, toeonsist of the
Governor and Commissioner of Com
mon Schools, as er o6icio members, and
three other persons, to be appointed
by the Governor, and confirmed by the
Senate, the same to be known as the
State Board of Normal Regents, 1" with
full authority to appoint general In,
stitute Superintendent, 10 act in con-
junction with the Commissioner Of
Common Schools, and to employ Insti
tute instructors theamount expended
each year being limited to the State
appropriation for the purpose. In
those counties which may have eff
cient local Institute associations, the
management of the County Institutes
should be left as now, to such associa-
tions, the State instructors rendering
needed assistance But forbcar en-
teiing further into details. Should the
plan recommended receive the appro-
baton of the General Assembly, / shall
be happy to render any assistance in
my power in determining the practical
detail of the system"