The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-12-09

slate senator, and Hon. Jacob Stotler
member of the Honse, very willingly
acceded to the request, and authorized
the board of directors to construct q
edifice at the states expense.
This was done. The building was ar
ranged with special reference to the
wants of teachers school, and has
proved well adapted to the purpose for
which it was designed. Utility and
economy of construction were before
the minds of the board of directors,
rather than beauty and architectural fin
ish still the latter were not ignored.
The architects plan and specifications,
were made out by T. III. Lescher, Esq,
of Lawrence; Mr.. John Hammond, of
Emporia, was the builder.
From the Principals report for 1866,
is taken the following passage, as brief
exposition of the essential eharacteris-
tics of the school: SIN the Normal
School the same means are employ
ed in the education of its students, as
in other institutions of learning. The
same kinds of textbooks are used,
classes are formed in the same way, and
Rotations conducted as is usual. There
is this important difference. however:
in other schools the end to be attained in
each recitation is a knowledge, on the
part of the student, of the principles
under consideration. In the Normal
School this thorough understanding of
the lesson is but the means the end is
the ability TO teach the same principles
to others. In the Normal classroom
the student is required to analytic each
mental process by which he arrives at
conclusions; and the question is ever
before him, how can the demonstration
be divided into parts, so that each shall
be within reach of the child's mind !; and
then what is the logical order of ar-
rangement by which these may be put
together so that the pupil may be able
to grasp the whole, and also be able to
trace the relations of the parts, each to
the others. The art of teaching every
branch of study pursued, may therefore,
be mentioned as distinctive feature OF
the teachers school,"
Extracts are also presented from the
report of H. u. Fisher, of Lawrence
Judge Aiken, of Council Grove and S.
S. Prouty, of the Burlington Patriot,
Board of Visitors for 1866, to show the
management and condition of the school
at the time of the official visit, which
was in December of that year, during
one of the ordinary working days OF
the term: "One of your committee has
visited the school on previous occasions
and can speak from actual observation
when asserting that it is in better condi.
ton now than at any former time. The
number of pupils enrolled for the pres.
ent term is seventy-five. Now, as here.
tofore, the order and discipline of the
school is above all criticism. The ut
most quiet and decorum prevailed
throughout. Teachers and pupils ap
peared thoroughly in earnest. All things
moved with absolute, mechanical pre-
cision. There was no trace of the spiri
Of mischief disorder and Incidence
which SO mars and belittles the grea
majority of our educational institutions
Regarded merely as model for othel
schools of the State, means for incit
ing other teachers to like triumphs il
order and educational excellence, ou
Normal School is worth, ten times over
all it has cost US. It is now approach
ing the close of its second year. Man!
pupils have been in attendance during
this period. The effect of these year
of training is shown in the steady de-
velopment of the elements of scholarl,
excellence. There was greater free
dom of speech than formerly; keene
and subtler appreciation of obscure ant
difficult topics more vigorous and orig
inal thoughts; a better mastery of ey
and hand in all the departments o
graphical illustration"
Another extract from the same report
will show something of the conduct
Rotations, and the class drill so charac
teristic of Normal Schools, and sc nee
essary to the teacher. The instructo
must learn to talk, and to illustrate.
zone of the most Immediately notice
able points, was the rigid persistenc
with which the topical system of recita
ton wa enforced. The old stereotype
system of questions and answers wa
utterly discarded. Topics, aften con
sisting of single word, were assignee
to pupils; and each, without the slight
est reference to text book or memor
anda, was required to rise, and develo
the leading points of it in his own Ian
guage, and in proper consecutive order
with constant and copious blackboar
) illustrations. For example, the topi
assigned to the pupil might be eth
Andes He was required to sketc
upon the board a complete map of this
system of mountains, with all their i'm
portant ramifications, the valleys, plat
eaus and lakes they enclose, and river
| flowing from them; to describe tn
height of all the different chains, an
principal peaks, to give the local names
latitude and longitude, altitude, climat
and special characteristics of all the dill
ferent points of the map. When a
i. this has been done, the topography G
the region in question is fixed in boil
and indelible relief upon the mind G
: the pupil"
The dedication of the Normal SchoC
building, was on the I'd day of January
1867, at the opening of the second teri
of that school year. S15,65O.O0 wa
the entire cost of the building to tn
State. One paragraph is quoted froI
the address of President Horner, &
Baker University, at the dedication:
SIN the erection of these massiv
walls, in the completion of this fair fat
ric, this ornate temple of learning, tn
| intelligence of our people, and the wi:
} dom of our Legislators have forge
) another, and the brightest, link in on
; educational system. Intimately con
nected as it is, with the welfar
{ and success of our common schools
: the grand basis upon which rest
the superstructnre of our education
: al system, and the browning glor
of our civilization, it is, and mus
ever continue to be, the pride and glor