The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-12-27
THE PRESS.
MONDAY MORNING. DEC. 27. 1875
Normal Schools.

by close vote decided 10 establish two nor
NAL schools for the preparation of class of
trained teachers. We have not the results of
those two schools before us in figures, but in
the ten or twelve years which have inter-
vened between the time of their establish
ment and the present, these schools have af-
forded our district schools the advantage of
from twelve to fifteen hundred teachers more
or less thoroughly instructed in the science
of teaching, The schools of the State have
not contained so large number of these
teachers as that given above in any one year,
hut there must have been between two and
three hundred of those who have received
instruction at the normal schools, engaged in
teaching in the district schools of Maine the
past six or eight years.
The fact that the graduates of the normal
schools, or those who have received instruc-
tion in them, are preferred by experienced
school officials to such teachers as have even
had the advantages of a wider general cul-
ture, indicates the worth of such an institu-
tion. In general way, people learn very
slowly respecting the best methods of instruc-
tion in our public schools. Within three
years Maine editor published column edi-
toral TO prove that the methods of teaching
forty years since were quite as good as the
present. Nevertheless, the greater part of
our people acknowledge that special training
is advantageous to an instructor of children.
for the same reason that it is for machinist,
lawyer or a physician. In the next few
years the good results of special training for
teachers of our public schools will become so
generally conceded that normal school teach.
ers will be sought for all common schools
where people of average intelligence are
charged with their management.
In our own State we have tried both the
normal school and the teachers institute.
The latter has undoubtedly accomplished
some good, but has not been a success. The
attendance was so small and the interest 50
feeble that the last Legislature acted wisely
in doing away with the teachers institute.
On the other hand the normal schools have
furnished the State large number of skill
ful teachers, and their healthy influence has
been worth many times the money expended.
If we had several more of these schools their
good results would be still more apparent in
better schools, greater interest and more
practical instruction.
One question which will come before the
next Legislature is: "Shall we have more
normal schools ?" There is one in the CEN
trail part of the State and one in the east.
Shall the west have one? Acknowledging in
genernl terms the usefulness of the two we
have, shall we refuse to make provision for
more when those we have cannot supply the
schools with all the normal teachers re-
quired9 Certainly this would not be the part
of wisdom, or fair sense even.
Last year the trustees and friends of Bridg-
ton Academy made proposition to turn over
to the State the extensive grounds of that ir-
stitution with its fund of about $4,000, in all
about $4,000 worth of property, for a nor
NAL school. The Educational Committee re-
ported favorably, but the Legislature was not
ripe for the question and it went over. We
understand that the same favorable offer will
be made to the next Legislature. A great
many enterprises have failed because their
management was entrusted to unskiled and
untaught men. Maine wastes thousands of
dollars every year through the employment
OF inexperienced and uninstructed teachers
enough to support a normal school in every
county. 1t seems, therefore, that we should
apply the same common sense to this matter
of providing for supply of skilled teachers
that we do in other affairs, namely, to offer
every possible facility for the practical educa-
tion of school teachers, on the score of econ
omy, and if the Legislature does not feel like
making an independent appropriation to es-
tablish normal school at Bridgten, let it set
apart portion of the mill tax or revenue de-
rived from the savings bank tax for this pur-
pose.
The trustees of the normal schools have
visited Bridgton and carefully inspected the
property held by the Academy, and will re-
commend the establishment of third normal
school at that point. The location is an ex.
cellent one, and the offer so favorable that il
the state proposes to carry out the normal
school policy, the Legislature cannot do a
wiser act than to accept it and comply with
the profered conditions. The appropriation
required to carry out the project will be very
small.