The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-07-03

not all secure 1t 10 II reasonable extent |
whence the necessity Of these public |
measures
After giving a statistical account Of the |
number of persons in Illinois who cannot |
wrlio their own names-ihe number |
being lS3,5si-Prof Edwards continued |
Who shall say that some power is not |
necessary to overcome this cloud Of dark |
ness Who tails 10 sec that wo need IA |
culture with vital force in it,
In response to this necessity--in apprc- |
citation of this great want, the state Of |
illinois, In 1857, established IL school for |
teachers. THE was in tho time Of intense |
restiessncsS, ANNE of schemes--of grand |
ana lar reaching r-oiects. Everybody |
had plan for utilizing VA nphIic rc. |
sources the public domain, t.. nnblic |
funds, public improvements, canals, 81. |
roAd-, had been proposed and attempted !
And this great state will hayo everlasting
cause of gratitude to those teachers, who
In those days when fotcas were crystal
i1ing, when Institutions wero forming,
demanded for popular education q reason
able share Of tbs states resources, and
persisted in the demand until IL was
granted. By their persistence aud the
wisdom that directed 1t, the Illinois tate
Normal University was established net r
Bloomington.
How tha, Institution has dono it. 40. /,
how valuable its influence upon tho W rk
| Of education has been ;whothcr il has bo1n
| faithful to its trust or not, aro questions
| that do not concern us hero and now
| But we may note that II could not per
| form impossibilitics. 1t could not ami.
histe the long stretches Of distances be.
tween Cairo and tho Wisconsin border
! No skill could make II convenient for
/ young men and women to travel from the
Ohio river to Central Illinois, distance
sometimes Of three hundred mios,-six
tunes Ia year, to attend school And 60 IL
came 20 pass that men saw the necessity
Of ~ institution for Southern Illinois.
y W that the Southern Normal Uni
yers,sy is established, what shall II aim
to 90 To Whist special limo OF work
shan it bend its energies By what
practical rule shall it bo guilol2
1t il impossible to answer this question
in any fulnoss of detail. No man can
tell before hand Just what school Of this
kind ought to do in all PARTICULARS But
the friends will excuse me for throwing
out certain general hints-for marking
out Fort Of slight oAtlino Of tho work "
be accomplished, and Of the means of doing
Il.
Ard, fret, the Normal University
should meet tho present educational wait.
OF Southern Illinois. The great question
10 DO asked and answered il, "What help
DO tho teachers Of this part Of the state
need 81 render them moro useful, more
efficient, than they now are Tho Nor
nal University il means and not an cnd
I - Lor l1ss d
Normal school. Tho best is that which
most helps tho mass OF teachers within it-
influence Wa. this grand building
erected for the sake Of illustrating the
Dry? Are the members Of tho faculty
appointed and paid simply that precon.
ceived system shall be carried out
W nat tho state wants is not systems OF
theories Ia, deeds l. wants to SEQ tn,
teachers strengthened, ennobled, enlarged
in thought and feeling, made better mel
and women. made worth more In theil
work. II cares nothing about systen
or theories And il seems to me that FOL
} the accomplishment of this work, nothin,
b should ~ 80 a. --, .,oS Tor ga monrns,
or want Of formal dignity. The bum6ies
work must be earnestly and zeAlousl
performed
To accomplish this result the schoo
. must form the character Of its pupils
And here w6 see the necessity Of teaching
, something besides methods q instruction
or even the science Of education u. il !
now known. To learn how 70 adiu,
-, classes in school, to master the details q
organization, TO ASCERTAIN the wAv Il
which promotion ought 20 be- made anon
l tho pupils Of 81 ordinary schoOl-All thi
D.. II very necessary, but hs needs, before en-
tering upon thIs technical matter Of stIl $
this slight OF hand performance, this mat
ter of practical deTtetity before enterin
: upon this, he needs sound, ihoroug
mastery Of enough positive knowledge t
. give him a little mental strength, positiv
mental muscle. This is principle q
a general application. II is true Of all sp'
ciAl studies. The physician, tho lawyer, tn
/ clergymen, they all need some genera
ment. gymnastics, in ordor 10 deyelo
? their powers Of soul, IN order TO Civ
:. them mental and moral character. An
, OF the teacher this Is more emphsticsll
true The man who attempts to build u
a robust mental constitution on the nour
4 ishmont afforded by what is pedlle /
this country as tho science of education
a will not get mentally fat. There ia NO
: enough of ii, and what there il has no
a been sufficiently well defined TO make
n at all satisfactory IA hn oIclu
i sive mental papulum. Tho scienc
of education differs, too, fror
that Of law, medicine and the0l
8 ogy, in that it deals more largely in meth
D ods than they. The study Of law is
u study of positive principles. Tho sam
2 is true of medicine, or Mt least wO suDsid
d ers have thought so, though ! believe th
!, n,o fasaiou ttaof has iaLterlV bepn OWuin
!, up 20 n good desl Of guess-work.
9 am not, therefore, among those VIII
i regard it as misfortune that the NormG
a School is compelled to give academic in
i structions Because IL these scholars ar
t TO exert any great influence in formin
u the characters Of tho teachers OF the lane
! they must impart that sort OF instruction
Y Let this new institution then do II
o worn,
j lat By tho culture 1t impsrts to i,
o pupils,
+ %, BY its contributions to tho scion c
i OF Cducations.
q 81, BY kindling the enthusiasm of tn
= students.
1 4!h, By each ones becoming a centre Q
= int dence wherever he goes.
Prof Edwards continued his remark
Pointing out tho many and difficult triA
: that would overtako President Allyn an
= his associates in tho discharge of tho
duties us the faculty OF tho univorsit,
, concluding his address in very boau!if'
+. and appropriate language.
1 At the conclusion Of Prof. Edwards AZ
dross, Hon. rhos =. Ridgoway presento