The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-02-05
The wcrnan. school.

Wednesday Of last week, to consider the
matter of the establishment of a Normal
School in this locality. has given an impetus
to the work which is truly encouraging.
Enough has been learned to establish the
fact, that if the work is perseycringly
pushed failure in the matter will not be
within the reach of peradventure. Sub
scription papers have been circulated, and 1t
is already apparent that there Is money
here and will here, and that all that is
needed to convince the holders of these is
that such an institution will work for good,
TO place us in situation to demand Of the
State the aid which the law accords to us
In proof of this are the facts that in Strouds-
burg some $4,000, and in East Strouds
burg sl2, 1000, have been subscribed towards
the project, and the subscriptive resources
not by any means exhausted. The two
towns being thus in apparent rivalry will
prove no drawback to the success of the
effort, for the interests Of each are the inter
csts Of both in common, and what Will prove
advantageous to the one cannot fail, to an
equal extent. to add to the glory Of the other,
and this considered, with mere sectional carp
ing laid aside, cannot fail to bring about uni
ted effort and, consequently, the desired
success.
OF the advantages to be derived from the
location Of such an institution in our midst,
there is no possible room for doubt. With
our magnificent surroundings, our pure water
Al. i..., 3, Il
and our exemption from all the major ills
that flesh is heir to-epidemies never obtain
ing foothold hcre-the success which has
ATTENDED similar institutions in other places
could not fail to be ours even to greater
degree. The fame Of our section, which has
been spread abroad by the thousands who
annually and successfully seek here recupera-
ton of health and strength, would bring
hundreds, first to look and then to settle
down to the pur: uit of that knowledge so
necessary to success whether as the profes
sional teacher, the man of business, the
skilled mechanic, the succ 9ssful farmer or The
gentlemen Of elegant leisure. In well
CONDUCTED Normal School all these can be
than in any other educational institution
;nl thqt school which has the best facilities
and the Lest surroundings cannot fail to reap
the reward due to the best show in the race
for patronage. Is there any reason why q
Normal School here should be behind simi-
lar institutions in other localities? Is there
not every reason, open before cur eyes every
day, why such an institution here should not
be ahead of all others?
Professor Hcuck, in his excellent address
before the Normal School meeting, or We'd
nesday evening of last week, did not hesitate
10 forshadow his preference of Stroudsburg
for the location of Normal School over all
other localities in the district; and he doubt
less spoke only that of which be was posi-
tive when he assured US that what the State
had done for other sections in this particular,
it would also do for Normal School here.
He also only spoke what he knew when he
assured US that but very few good high
schools existed in this northeastern portion
of tie State, and, by inference, that good
Normal School here, by reason Of this fact
alone, would secure most liberal support
And the figures support him in the inference
There are sixteen hundred schools in this
normal district, would it be promising too
much to say that the average number in at
tendance here would be one pupil for every
six of these schools? Would it not be a
safe estimate to pat the attendance at one
in four, which would give us 400 pupils
And who can doubt but that this number
will come from this source alone, while that
those coming from other sources would more
than double the number is not by any
means beyond the range OF possibility And
these students must be fed anI clothed; not
for nothing, but at a cost of thousands OF
dollars, which would circulate right here in
our midst, thus creating a cash home market
and building up wealth far surprising any
thing that can be calculated without the
school as a resource Besides this influx Of
cash there would be the saving Of the out
fux in the thousands Of dollars which are
now expended abroad in the education OF
our youth Add the two sums together,
and yoa have the idea exactly as to what a
good Normal School would positively do for
as. The experience of Millersvie and
Kutztown. with but few of the natural ad
vantages that we possess, leaves no room fol
doubt on this point.
There are other and even more important
considerations growing out of the establish
ment of Normal School in this vicinity
but we are reluctantly compelled to defer
aotice of them until next week In the
meantime we would suggest continuance O
active canyassing work. A good and noble
cause should not suffer for want of vim.
sa~ HoN- JAMES THOMPSON, late Chief