Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-07-01
OUR NORMAL SCHOOL.
Commencement Day-Address by superIntend-
ent searing-Alumni Exercises. Bic.


The Seventh Annual Commence.
ment of the Platteville Normal schoo
occurred on Tuesday last, and antici
pating that few items of general in
terest might be noted HERALD rep
resentative was present and ''passed
himself around" for that purpose.
Commencement, occurring as it does
in the freshness of early summer time,
is usually made gala day of, thus
mingling pleasant memories with the
regrets which naturally haunt the
mind of the student at closing his
school life. 1t is the day when the
Senior throws aside the garb of Dig
nifty with which he is mantled, yields
his title to another, aud steps down
from the rostrum an ordinary mortal
A pleasant morning greeted this par
ticular occasion, and induced an at
tendance at the Normal hall which is
simply lovely to reflect upon. Indeed
it overlooked, so to speak, and the
human stream "gushed" out into the
small rooms and halls adjacent. The
room in which the exercises were
held was very tastefully festooned
with green garlands, wreaths of flow
ers, etc. Everything was arranged
in holiday style, as it should have
been. The exercises were Of the
usual character, consisting of essays,
orations, &c, as per the following
0ration-The Power Of Circumstance D. J. Gardner.
Essay-Avenues, Ellen L. Grgsby
Essay-The Top Shelf, Mary A. Haw.
Music.
Jessie Lemon
W. Fred Main
Essay-Mental Growth, Bessie Seeley
Sophia C. Thompson.
Essay-Bud, Blossom and Fruit Leslie /. Wallace.
oration-T The Age of Investigation, w. d. Washburn
- Music.
Address by Hon. Edward Soaring, Superintendent of
Public Instruction.
Presentation of Diplomas.
It will be seen that the class OF rs
included six ladies and three gentle
men. Six of these reside 10 Grant
county, two in La Fayette, and one
in Iowa county. With two excep-
tons it is the smallest class graduated
since the school was organized. The
efforts of the graduates on the rostrum
were uniformly good, and if space
permitted we would like to give at
east synopsis of them. The best
feature of commence vale
omitted. The address
of Hon. E. Soaring, Superintendent
of Public Instruction, was delivered
reference to manuscript or
notes. We submit it in full. After
promising that he had not been able
to prepare as fully as he had wished,
he said:
You have undoubtedly received a sufficient amount
Of technical instruction during the years Of your
course here in the Normal school, you have received
a sufficient amount of instruction in method, also.
The fact that you getting ready to leave the
school possessed OF diploma, proves all this 1t
would therefore be superfous to enlarge upon the
by which TO achieve in the school room
take it for granted that you are amply acquainted
with them. The remarks propose to make lie in
another direction. wish to talk particularly upon
the subject OF teaching profession
Now suppose that those thirty or forty young
men who graduated from the University Law School,
at Madison to enter upon the work of the law
A profession, strictly speaking They have finished
their course of study are about to settle down in
some place. put their signs their doors publish
their cards in the newspapers and enter upon their
life WORK. Evey one ofthose young gen
tIemen who is reasonably Industrious who is sensible
who is prudent, will win at least reasonable success
There is no doubt of it, He may meet with few
failures the start but they will not materially af
feet his in the main. He will be better quail
flied for his work the second year in the place where
he locates than he was the FIRST year, in all proba.
bility and there is reason far he is
ed why he should not settle down and remain in the
place where he hangs oat his sign increasing ninu
ence. honor and wealth. The same thing may be
said Of the graduates who 90 out from the medical
schools They can, if they choose, settle down into
permanent positions. Now these characteristics of
permanence and freedom characteristics OF true
professions. ask you, to day, If the profession Of
teaching has not these characteristics? Let for
consider what this profession is in this State
First ut the head stands State University 1t is
pretty we'll endowed it's professors each receive
larry of about 600 year, its President salary of
something like $1,000 more or less. 1t il somewhat
difficult for to get position in this Universe
ty because the attanments necessary for qualifica
ton are high but when man has once attained it L
think that that position is as much assured to him
the position of the lawyer or doctor to whom
have referred The salary is good the social position
HIGH he is able to live in good aud troubled
with none Of the anxieties which affiict Others in
rfaiu Tha hinty il fr1a
professors in the other colleges of the state Their
salaries not large as those Of the University, in
the majority of cases, but they enabled to live
with comfort. The same remark applies also, am
glad to say to the Normal Schools of the state, of
which there now three and soon will be four in
snecessfsl operation.
NAL Schools that am in truly professional atmos
phere as much as when am IN the State University
or the Of the best colleges of the state The
men who officer these various institutions rank high
rank high. They rank with the better
class of lawyers and doctors, and ministers of the
state This is it should be. But going below the
State University and the Normal School and Colleges
of the state. what is the condition of aairsl Less
satisfactory far CHI aotic; less what it should be
and think what it can be and yet will be. The great
majority of teachers of the public schools Of the state
do not enjoy that permanence of position accorded
professors in our colleges. have no statistics at
hand to enable to tell just how long the aver
age of public school teachers remain in their post
IONS but if had the figures would be surprisingly
low perhaps not more than or two years in any
given position, and perhaps less than one year. taking
the four five thousand public schools of the state
into co nsderation. Now this is wrong-all wrong.
What are some of the drawbacks against which these
teachers have to contendi Let me give you a single
illustration; One of the best of young teachers with
in my acquaintance taught in Of the better class
OF public schools Of the state believe his quahca
lions we're exceptionally high. and his school an
ceptionally good one; believe his true dur
ing the past year has been good. And yet was told
few days ago that this excellent teacher, college
graduate, would not have his position another year
because a majority of one In the District Board had
40 decided. What the reasoug Not that he was
not good the school room; not that he lack ed any
intellectual qualification for the pace-but because
of certain religious differences in which tn Noard
were interested Possibly this young may b. scted
for another year, but what certainty las he .at he
can stay another year, Indeed. the law Of averages
makes it almost certain that at the end OF two years
e must leave and practically sertain that at the end
Of three years he must leave. Now this is all wrong
Teaching cannot be made profession long as nine
teen tweutiaths of public school teachers
subject to this wretched, NEST wretches uncertainty
Is it not to be expected that this young man will
seek TO get out of this profession he can
find something bstteri Is it not TO be expected that
teaching must nineteen out of twenty be and con-
nue 10 be- it long has been in fact but stepping
stone to something higher and more permanently
Again a young man woman may have won most
excellent success may have the characteristics Of the
u k.wt.. 81. ~