The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-18

Educational Ideas of school Architecture
Education in the SOuth-NOrmaI Course of
Study-FiascO-The Spiritual Element of Edu-
cation.
From our OCn Correspondent
TRENTON, N j., Aug. II, 1869.
Morning Session.
Nearly an hour of this mornings session was
consumed by the National Superntendents' AS
socation, with but little profit, although to-day
was properly assigned to the associate Ameri-
can Normal School Association.
On motion of B.. c. Hobbs, State Superinten-
dent, Indiana, it was resolved that the presiding
officers and executive committees be instructed
to confne the business of this association to mat
ters pertaining directly to the educational sys-
TENS of cities and States, to the general educa-
tional policy of the nation, the educational rela
tions of the States to each other and to the
General Government, and of the General Govern
ment to other nations.
After long, rambling and uninteresting dis
cussion upon the propriety or impropriety of
the meeting, the association, by a vote of four
to three, adjourned to meet in the other Normal
School building, at 8 o'clock on Wednesday
morning.
The main business of to-day-the session of
the Normal School Association-then recurred.
This organization constituted ut Spring
field, Massachusetts, in 1857, for mutual consul
untried field of educational effort. Nearly every
Normal School in the United States was repre-
sented at that time, although only six States
Massachusetts,, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New
York, New Jersey, and Michigan-had then
adopted this system, containing ten schools in
all. Now all the Northern States, except Ohio
and Iowa, have one or more in operation,
amounting to forty in ALL while four or five
others are in the Southern States The first
public meeting of the American Normal School
Association was held in August, 1858, in the
same building as used in this session. In the
following year the association met in Buffalo,
\ and all Ne subsequent sessions have occurred in
connection with those of the National Teachers
Association. The statistics of Normal Schools
is as follows:-Maine has two; New Hampshire,
one; Vermont, one; Massachusetts, four; Rhode
Island, one Connecticut, one; New York, six;
New Jersey, one; Pennsylvania; four; Delaware,
one; Maryland, one; Michigan, one; Indiana,
one; Illinois, one; Wisconsin, four; Minnesota,
three; Missouri, one; California, one; Nebraska,
one. Others have been established, but are not
yet in operation.
In the absence of the President, NJ. A. Newell,
of Md, the Secretary, A. L. Barber, of Washing
ton called the Normal Association to order, and
introduced the first Vice-President, John Ogden,
Principal of the Nashville Normal School. Rev.
j. d. King pastor of the Green Street Methodist
Church, opened the proceedings with prayer.
In accordance with the programme, a paper
was read by Rev. Joseph Alden, Ii. D., Pres-
dent of the New York State Normal School at
Albany, upon the topic, "How shall pupils be
taught to teach 2"
In the United States, normal schools are
recent origin, and European experience in such
schools is not available to us. Our work is to
build up institutions to prepare teachers for the
common schools. This is a work worthy of the
best trained minds. How did we learn to teach?
Did we not all learn to teach by teaching, or
trying to teach? At the outset we selected one
or more of our teachers as models, and their
example was our chief instruction. Teaching is
an art, and the teacher is an artist-a professor
of the finest of the fine arts that of giving form
and vigor to the immortal mind.
The first thing we need for the benefit of our
pupils in normal schools is good teachers, model
teachers. The very best educational talent
should be scared. In the next place,
we need to teach our pupils the
branches they will have to teach. 1t is for
this reason, and not because it is an unfortunate
necessity, that the elementary branches should
be taught. We should teach principles as far as
we can, but l apprehend that these pupils will
be best fitted for teachers by close connection
with class instruction as eXemplifed in practical
teaching. If they are taught, as they should be-
by those who know how, they will be apt to go
and do likewise. Practice in the art of teaching
is rightly judged to be of the first Importance;
hence there must be school for practice in the
Normal School. In this department the students
should supervise the teaching of whatever
branches they may respectively design to follow.
A period of ten weeks at least should be
assigned to this course, and the chief attention
of the pupil should be given to it during that
time.
A discussion of considerable length ensued
upon the paper. Prof. William d. Phelps,
Principal of the State Normal School, Mime
sofa, trusted the day would soon come when the
teaching of the common branches in normal
schools should be dispensed with, and the purely
professional work of teaching how to teach
receive its proper attention. In this respect he
differed from the paper read. Though model
schools are good, yet distinct training in the
principles of education, as founded in the laws
of mind and body, is as important
William Barringer, Newark, n. j., agreed
with the essay read The only way of learning
to do thing is to do it. Exactly in proportion
as our schools become teaching schools they be-
come good schools
Professor Brooks Millersyille Pa, believed
normal school instruction and academic training
to be differenti the former being more positively
analytic. Careful instruction upon the princi-
pies of the human mind should be followed by
careful discussion of the principles of schoo
organization, and this supplementary by the actue
practice referred to in the essay.
Mr., Niles, N. Y. Mr., Hoose N Y Mr.