The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-03-11
nti-aYallupolist.
from the ST. Paul Dispatch.
HORSE LEECHES COME AGAIN

from the ST. Paul Dispatch.]
HORSE LEECHEs COME AGAIN.
The annual raid Of the Normal School
house lceches is in progress and the DILL
has already passed the Senate. 1t IS
under consideration in the House and
will probably result as usual-a fight to
cut down the appropriations ending with
their retention as adopted by the Senate.
In these annual controversies the salient
points are often overlooked in the discus
sion. and on the pie: that the schools !
must be maintained the appropriations
go through. The true purpose OF Nor
NAL School is not to educate young men
and women but to take them
after they are in measure
educated and train them in the aptltudes
and theories of teaching. The work
should be professional, not academic.
These professional schools should not
waste their power upon those who can
vet be proftably sent to good grammar
school, or upon those who have no aptl-
tude either for learning or teaching nor
upon those who are in years and attain
ments so immature as not to know 1or
what class of labor they are mentally and
physically adapted. Yet an examination
Of the pupils and the standard Of scholar
shin in the Normal Schools of this State
Will disclose the fact that, until the last
year of the course, these schools rank
little above the grade of the grammar
1eDartuent of u weU organized graded
school. The most of the present work
Of these schools is that of giving their
rupils almost the rudiments of an educa-
ton in place of training them as teachers.
In the absence of other convenient schools
they furnish free, yet to the State
costly education to few am
bilious youths who reside
IN their immediate neighborhood.
Their doors are thrown invitingly open to
resident pupils, to attend and pay tuition,
without obliging themselves to teach, and
also to those who become mitfed at the
healthy discipline of the city graded
schools or whose natures and sentiments
are too tender and refined for contact
With the rough rabble of the mixed
public schools" Such pupils these State
nurseries give loving care and coddllng.
From their lofty position Of State Instt.
tutioms they look down upon the local
CITY schools with a lordly and patronizng
air. while the laborers in the city schools
Justly knowing the intrinsic superiority
B Of their own educational work, quietly
! laugh at the shoddy aristocracy of their
neiehbors. These resident tuition paying
pupils, by reason of their irregularities,
4 and those who by low standard Of adj
| mission are coaxed at the expense OF the
State ito come in and fill up the seats,
8are a continual drawback to the school
They are fitted for academic instruction
8only and they occupy the time and atten'
sion of teachers to the disgust and hind
rance Of more advanced pupils. Could
Yhese be removed the professional work Of
Me school would be largely increased
The s.total enrolment" and annual show
ing of the schools, under the present
policy, will not admit OF II
But the loss Of time which
the imperfec,ly prepared pupils cause in
Ahe professional work is not the only IL
result. The unity of purpose, the pro
Sessonal work which should characterize
Normal instruction, is broken IN upon
and it's efficiency impaired. The we'll anc
the lily prepared must be grouped ane
Instructed together.
N Further, these young and lily prepared
= pupils are led by the snortness and char
acter Of the course to regard Nttl
knowledge, and a good deal Of ability t
show that little to advantage, as the CRANE
desiderata of teacher. They go foril
arrogating everything to themselves an,
are able to learn nothing, and their worl
and influence, like themselves, is shallow
limited rnd unfruitful Of good. Thus, a
the figures hereafter given disclose, tn
work aud influence of these schools i
waning, and the glorious, monopollzn
influence that their friends declared thel
creation would have over the cducatlona
agencies Of the State. is now seen to h"v
been ideal and illusory.
Yet, with all the above named induce
mcnts. after, in two schools six years, an
in one ten years, Of experimenting. thel
full seating and working capaclt
hus never been tested. Til
standard Of admission can ne
be raised, for even as now fixed. Mimi,
fill the one school at Winona. The r,
ports made by the principals OF thes
several schools (for Winona report I
1870. page 90; Mankato. page III; S
Cloud report Of 1875, page 35l indica
that the Winona school. when fully fu
nished and equipped, will accommodate
from 500 to 900 pupils; the Manka'
school over 500, anu the St. Cloud scho
500. The reports for the year endiI
Nov. 30th, 1874, shows the total enrol
ment and average attendance for Il
year to have been as follows
Ninons, including children OF the Or
phan's Home, enrolled - s
Average daily attendance, IS per cent or
Average daily attendance, So per cent or.
st. Cloud, enrolled -. -. ...... l
Average daily attendance, IS per cent. OF.
Total average daily attendancei in three
SCHOOLS ...... ...... 1890.
OF these 447, the same reports sh'
500 to have been pupils Of the Moo
Schools and Orphans Home-(M ankat'
average in the Model School unreports
from st. Clouds figures, is supposed
have been 30). 1t is to be remember
xl.o~n ..,r.lp of thn Modal Crhn1