The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-08-30

general disgust for Normal Schools, is the fact
tnat they have ground through the machine Of
TWO years revolution these little boys and
glrls possessing immature minds and imma-
lule Judgement, having to learn first, the
suDstance ana then how to teach it, or rather,
could he done perfectly, and then sent them
OUT IS accomplished teachers. These childish
Puplls thus fed on such an educational pot
Ro o.s Tor two years, have hardly learned how
Iittle tney 40 Know: What wonder is it that
tney put on airs" They would have spent
good grammar school, and then as much more.
at least, IN good high school, before attempt.
| ing to study "psychOlogy' and stnedapooits',
| in Normal School. Now we are in favor Of
trained teachers" but Of that class Of men
and women after whom we would BE- glad to
have our children copy.
As we've got our hand in, we might M we'll
express Of r surprise at the singular leffino-
alone you have given the appropriations maae
| your Legislature, OF last winter Upon what
principle of economy, or good taste, or good
craftsmanship, can you account for appropri-
atlng w. OOO, for the support of the insane:
with $50, 900 more for buildings;) $50. COO for
our State prison, with nearly $57 600 more for
repairing); and only S3l 600 for the Normals:
$27 900 for our Reform school, containing
some forty bo, S, and then s., 900 more for Az
artesian well, ana only $31 900 for Normal
Schools; or nearly $50 900 for judges and courts.
and only $4,000 for all educational purposes;
or "a ,OOO year to our judges and only 50. 600
to the principals of our Normal schools. and
but 81 500 to our State Superintendent Of pub
| lc instruction. l know think your ansWerto
the tirst OF these questions. ! will admit the
most OF il, Il presume,) but pray tell us what
there IS about q judge, who is occupied probably
less than six months out of the twelve, in the
discharge OF his duties, what Is there SO pecu
liar about suclla man, say, that should en-
title him to draw salary of $4,000. while
principal OF our Normals or professor in our
state University, who works ten months of the
twelve, and more hours day, at that, gets
only - 600. think there's monopoly RIGHT
there that must be corrected. Where and
when do these judges acquire this unusual
Importance, before or after they leave the col
leges and universities. To whom do they owe
their peculiar merit, their teachers or the polt-
ical party that lifted them into powerf To
whom must this country look for an assurance
OF its future welfare and prosperity-to our
supreme judges or to the schools? To which
must we look for the incubation of the nrinc;-
pies oftruth and virtue amongthe masses Of the
people, to the courts or the schools, where
ana only where, we can make intelligent
judges, intelligent Legislators and INTELLIGENT
voters The sum of money Appropriated by
the legislature OF this yourg State, last winter,
nearly 1864 600, an excess of over 9l43. 900
above the previous years expenditure, looks
much as though the schools, or some power
ought to tome to our relief, to make intelligent
legislators and intelligent voters.
There can be no Disgusting the fact that the
hope Of America, as Of every republic, lies in
her teachers and her common schools Neither
the tongue of eloquence nor the sword of the
warrior ever saved nation tottering to its
rnin. We have far surer hope in every intelli
gent school ma'am, whether she was made in
Normal school or not To know we'll how to
cast ballot in free country, is OF far more
importance than to know how to cast spear.
For proof, we need only to look at the condi-
ton Of beggard South, where the masses are
ignorant; to the bribery and purchase at the
polls OF almost every election precinct. sus-
tanned only by an ignorant populace and made
the avenues to places of trust and merit; to the
grasping uf all power of almost every character.
without resistance, by allowing gigantic cor
porations. And these same millions Of ignor-
ant voters whose ballots permitted this con-
dition OF things, to-day reduced to beggary
See the great city of our nation, robbed of its
millions by knaves, put and kept in power by
| the votes OF an ignorant populace.
l do not mean to be understood that the Nor
NAL school is the only remedy for all this, but
do mean to say that the only hope is. in the
virtue and intelligence Of the people And
how are we to arrive at this without proper
| teachers But legislation which saws to In.
people that it takes ichOle man to be Judge
| and only halt man to be principal of a
State Normal School, a State Superintendent of
Public instruction, or a professor in State
University, is ignorant and pernicious legisla-
ton, and will eventually deter all men of brains
and culture, from entering the ranks of the
| professional teacher Moreover, such men.
are not going to enter upon a profession In
which they must become paupers, no matter
how much soever they may desire to become
benefactors.
| If the improvement Of the virtue and intelli-
gence Of our people fail to keep pace with the
rapid increase OF our population and physical
| advancement, either anarchy must inevitably
over take us az a nation, or we must be held
together by a government 30 strong as to be
utterly incompatible with constitutional liberty.
Such is the lesson Of history.
| Excuse this long letter When COM
menced, intended to write but a few
words; bnt, unwittingly, touched upon cub
ject familiar to every reader of the AsrI-Mo-
NoPoLIsr, and not finding soon good place to
| stop, shortly began to feel somewhat as the
! boy said about the molasses-sfLetter rum
and 80 here am. If this possesses anything
of interest, possibly sometime I'll write again.
An RETEREyDUN.
LOCAL NOTICES.