Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-08-25
For the SPIRIT of Jefferson.l
The late Meeting of the Teachers and
Prominent Friends of Education at
Clarksburg.

Clarksburg.
There are no meetings held in which the
zeal interests-not of parties bat of the whole
people, are SO deeply concerned as in those for
the proper moral and intellectual culture of
the rising race. A body of men. such as
those likely to compose these assemblies. meet
ing annually for a re>survey of the field, and
the comparison of notes, in order to ascertain
upon considering the time which the youth of
the State will have to spend in school (Which
| with the working olasses-who are the great
msjority-cannot be lopg,)-how this time
shall be most skillfully employed. what is
most important and in what order it shall
come and how best to teach it. say body
of such men in annual consultation upon such
subjects cannot we'll fail to be the States
greatest benefactors In attendance upon the
late meeting, there seemed to be evidence of
several facts which it is of interest to have
| known:
1. That while the State in point of morals
| is probably in advance of most of its fellows
in the Union, it is behind most of them in
| Education.
2. That the Association itself has yet much
to learn, being as yet but in the infancy of its
| noble endeavOrs.
5 That the practical turn which things
took at the meeting gives promise of sure i'm
provement
4. That the Legislature, while liberal in the
general amount appropriated to Education,
which is more than three quarters of million,
has yet much to learn as to the judicious dis
driGution of this sum.
The great want now, ascertained and
acknowledged, is the want of competent
teachers. Any number of facts might be
|
tonish your readers. Not one in twenty of
are really qualified for the Office. In many,
vc,y many cases, the choice is between incom>
petent, ignorant teachers or none at ALL
And it Normal Schunls- training schools
that is schools for fenching teachers hOto to
teach, have been tourd necessity in the most
enlightened States of Europe-in England,
France. Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Bel
GUM, Prussia and the smaller States of Ger
many, as also in most of the States of America,
is it at all likely that West Virginia has no
such necessity
The Withholding by the last Legislature of
the trifiing sum of Sl2, 900 for all of its Nor
NAL Schools (six in numbcr) which were es-
tablishcd to prepare those for their work on
whom the State expends eli ght hundred thou
sand annually, exctcs the establishment of all
who have any adequate knowledge Of our
school system.
A word about the conduct of this State AS
ISOLATION: trust its time will not be irittered
away in mere routine business or rambling de
bates, or in listening to dull essays. or
"papers," as they called. upon pet notions
of members, in the Iste National Associa
ton at Detroit. where brain building" seems
to have been one Of the principal topics. and
the setting up of an American Sorbonne, in
which I suppose the philosophers of New
| England would be the principal performers
Most of those at CIarksburg seemed to he
enquiries of a sensible turn of mind Ofthe
essays read the most practical was that by the
Principal of the Normal School at Shepherd
College His enquiry with respect to
rh0t should be taught-the reasons WIN
things are. as often but dryIy stated in the
text books aud ho.c teaching should be con-
Quoted. May this and such like endeavors
lead to emancip patton from the old slavery to
text books. And here let me say. what is in
fair way to he generally known. that this
| Normal School is inferior 20 none in the coun
try, notwithstanding its having had to live in
part upon borrowed money, educating above
thirty of the States students, for which the
State has as yet paid nothing, A very moder
ate appropriation would enable it in few
years to have its witnesses 10 most of the
school districts in this part of the State
Yours truly,
| q w