The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-06-27
ADDRESS OF HON. T. D. THACHER
Delivered al the Dedication Of the
State Normal School at Emp0ria.

L. ID. Thachrr, of the Lawrene
Journal, at the dedication of tn
State Normal School, on the lot
inst. 1t will be found full {
pointed and useful suggestions:
Judge Thacher commenced hi
address by abiding to the pleas
ant features connected with til
dedication of so beautiful a ten
pie of learning as our new Norma
Building. Its spacious rooms AM
systemetrical proportions were be
fore US as decided mark of def
1 mite progress in our educationa
work in the State. 1t was a though
of peculiar pleasure to associate
the dedicatory exercises with thos,
which had preceded. In view OF
these facts it might seem a little
strange that he should select sucl
a subject as ''The Deficiencies o
of Education in our State"
He believed the time had come
when this question should bt
thoroughly Investigated in all it:
bearings, in order that we might
be prepared to remove every oh
stacle in the way of our greatest
success. In this matter we have s
great many natural advantages
arising from the important con
sideration that our State is as yet
comparatively new. We can, there
fore, build up just such institu-
tons as the advanced wisdom of
this age demands. We can lay the
foundations of our future educa-
tional work broad and deep. In
this work we are not like many of
our sister States. They must be
gin to remove their deficiencies by
tearing down before they can
build up. And to increase the diff
ticulty they have long series of
precedences to clog their progress.
With us this is not the case. We
begin our work without being un
trammelled by these obstacles.
The fact is that We have already
gone far beyond some of our
States in various essential elements
of education. While the New
England States are discussing the
question whether young men and
young ladies shall attend the same
institution with equal privileges,
we are already graduating them
from our Institutions Of learning.
In this respect, surely, we can
teach them Il lesson. We do not
stop to discuss the question in re-
ference to the comparative superior
ity of the male sex, but allow
equal educational facilities to
both and are willing to award the
prize to the most worthy whether
male or female.
However, there is marked diff
ference between the thoroughness
of our Western and Eastern
schools. This arises very consid
erably from the fact that we have
no academies or high schools.
This great deficiency is manifest
in all parts of our State. There
is no connecting link between our
common district schools and our
colleges, so that many students
are admitted into these institu-
tions without being properly pre-
pared. Hence it is that out of
$50 or 200 students only a very
small number is annually gradua-
ted. Here in the Normal School
there are only 3, in Lawrence there
were only who graduated. In
consequence of these facts our
Professors are obliged to do pre-
paratory work instead of their
own proper advanced instruction.
This evil should be removed, so
that this preparatory work might
be done in its proper place. We
have good example of the man
ner in which this is accomplished
in New York State. All over that
State academies are established
which are yearly sending out stu
dents fully prepared to enter their
colleges. We need just such a
system of schools in order that
our children may prepared to en-
ter our more advanced institu
tiods. There should be at least
one of these schools at each cOun
ty seat, so as to make these advan
tages generally available. 1t is
true that we have our graded pub
lie schools, and this want is to
some extent provided for in them,
but this is true chiefly in cities.
Away from our larger towns no
such advantages exist.
laal- IL ha axTa.nn1saaa
qehich ,ciW reach the masses. We
cannot all become professional
men, yet the great tendency am ong
those who seek to be educated is
to choose some profession. Our
educational facilities encourage
this inasmuch as they provide for
the professions chiefly. We have
no schools which provide for the
various branches of more practi-
cal work. We must go to Europe
for our artists, for our master me-
chanics and such special depart
ments, because we have no schools
in which these are thoroughly
taught. We should have such a
system OF education as will teach
3 boy whatever trade he wishes to
learn. Our Agricultural College,
therefore, should not be a secon d
edition of the university, 1t
should he entirely devoted to the
agricultural and mechanical en-
! Payments. This would soon fill
our schools with men seeking spe-
cial departments, and we would
not have so many young men
looking forward to the professions
which are already LIore than filed.
What we need is a system of
schools such as will drill our child
rem for whatever position they are
best adapted. In these respects
we are not thorough enough; we
need more proficiency.
Besides we do not have CAREFUL
and intelligent officers to. inspect
our education. In England there
is kind of educational secretary
who arranges the entire interests
OF education in such 4 manner
that they are all connected from
the lowest TO the highest. All its
various departments are rigidly
inspected. But how is it with us?
We have school here under the
control of a board of directors
and a school there under the con-
troll of an entirely different set OF
men. Thus it is all over our State.
! Each institution is entirely indie
nendent of all the others. Now
our Superintendent of Public In
struction should be the very best
man in the State. He should be