The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-01-12

tue opposing interests Ia tue House, bu
The scale was turned 10 favor of Law
renee by vote of the presiding officer.
The bill locating the university at Law.
renee became law. 80
l. was now made known to the Lsgis
lature that the interests of the State de-
mapded The organization of Normal
School. Hon. c. Y. Eskridse iptroduc
ed bill pro viding for The endowment OF
such school, and its establishments at
Emporia, conditioned that the citizens
should provide suitabls building place.
The sight was to contain twenty acres. of
land and adjoin the town. There was little
opposition TO the measure. The bill be
came law. For several months. however,
thereseemed little prospect that the school
would have an existence outside of iegis-
lative enactment; but, finally, the bust
ness partner of the gentleman who intro :
duced tie Normal School Bill in the Leg
islature, n ade donation TO the SAFE of
the required twenty acres. The site was
not very good Que for the purpose, for a
somewhat irregular raVine passes through
it, aud other disadvantages might. per
hap, be named. But it was contiguous
to the town, aud contained twenty acres,
and so met the requirements of the law.
An appropriation of Que thousauI dol.
lars was made for the payment of teach
ers' salaries. With this the teachers
school was to begin.
am not thinking of these small bs
ginnings as in any sense implying dis
paragementt, the friends Of the Normal
School at Emporia, or elsewhere in the
S ate. On the contrary, so great is the
interest manifested in the school, and so
cheerfully and heartily given has been its
support from the State, that fear what
ought to be said in tleir favor will seem
10 you in part the language of exagger
alton. And especially is this true of the
efficient lsbors of Hon. c. V. Eskridge
and Hon.. Stotler 10 the Legislature. and
elsewhere, 10 promote the best intere SITS
of the school. Noble and self sacrificing
have been their efforts. The coming days
will return good gifts for their lab1r5 now.
| understand that in nearly all States
that now have normal schools, the move
ment had at the beginning but handful
of friends, small band of workers con
secraled 10 their labor by an earnest de
sire for the upbuilding of the common
schools, and great army of opposers.
And l know how the chosen few, panop
lied in ever enduring armor. fought on.
realizing the prophets word. "a lIule one
shall become thousand" until the VIE
tory was theirs and the normal schools
called into existence. In q newspaper
article, the good and reverend Mr.. Brooks,
with troop of ragged school masters
and school-lnisstresses was sent marching
10 the clouds to find the Massachusetts
Normal Schools. Blu. to day, Bridgewa-
ter. West6eld. birmingham, and Salem
attest the substantial bases, on which they
rest; and State finds it satisfactory in
vestment to pay $4,000 annually for their
maintenance.
In New York, Mr.. Page an 1 other
friends of these schools were allo wed to
experiment for FIVE years. tits now known
that the great school At Albany is no ex
pertinent, bu: living success. La 1864,
at the end of its goth year, a summing up
of results was made, by which it was
shown that 613 young men, and 825
young women had been honorably grdu
ated making in all al army of one thous-
aud four hundred aud thirty eight teach
ers 10 the Empire State fully armed aud
battling the darkness and ignorance that
else would have brooded over that com
monweallh. But this is not ALL In 1865
an additional State Normal and Training
school at Oswego was duly incorporated
with liberal provi.ion fer its support.
And at the last session of the Legislature.
a law was enacted making provision for
the establishment of Jour other State
Normal Schools, each with large endJW-
ments; and the eageEness with which
different localities are competing for their
location and the large donations they are
willing to give Cor the attaiomenl of their
wishes, show in what high estimation
such institutions are there held
In the Safe of Illinois, the early days
of the Normal University we're no ex
ception to the general ruls of small be-
ginning in face of great opposition. But
the golden present there, the rich harvest
of good things already garr cred, cause
the first days of gloom and doubt and
positive disaster to disappear from our
lhoughts-il the remembrance be there
the rugged outlines are sottened aud
tinted by the CHEEKY light evolved by The
present working of that school. The no.
BILE edi6ee at Normal, costing the STATE
over two hundred thousand dollars, is The
| fitting center from which to radate
those nerve lines of influence that stoI
not until the remotest district school il
tie State has been quickened to highe
life. Thirteen thousand dollars annually
is the ap preparation for the current ex
penses of that school.
4 With US here, in Kansas, there SCENE,
little public sentiment ia favor Of tn
Normal School. aud none in opposition
Il had no friends and no enemle5.
should have said before coming here, aaC
} understood the position. that it was
bad one: Better face opposition ard re
move prejudice than attempt to igh
against indifference aud apathy. thint
l see now that, upon the whole, it va
quite favorable. Much was done TO Sci
: the people OF Emporia and vicinity {
thinking about normal schools by th,
, earnest Iabors of Rev. G.. G. Morse,
! gentleman familiar with the working G
[ the Massachusetts, normal school system
? He commenced writing for the local pa
, per, talking with the citizsns, and lectur
ing on The subject whenever and wheEeYe
audiences could be obtained. The vii