The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-05-05
For THE NEWS.
The Normal school and High.
eI- Education.

much canIbe said either affirma-
lively or negatively. Distin-
guished names among educators
can be adfuced in support of OPP
posing views upon this subject
Every citizen having voice or vote
in shaping the educational policy OF
the state, should understand the
leading principles involved in this
discu ssionI AS the State of Kan
sas has established a State Univer-
sity, an Agricultural College, and
still has one State Normal School,
together with several High Schools,
she may be regarded as having &C
cepted Theoretically and practically
the doctrine of the right and duty
of the State to impart higher ed
ucation. This view accords with
the general sentiment of the land
and the age, and with the general
action of the northern and western
states. 1t rests for It's vindicstion
upon the American idea of what
constitutes a state, and what is its
highest end. This regards the State
as the aggregate of its citizens, ex-
listing for them, and it's highest end
is to promote the general good.
The people are the sovereigns, the
state the servant. 1t becomes,
the duty OF the state to achieve, by
its combined wisdom and power,
what the individual cannot accom-
plish by his unaided energies.
"Universal intelligence" says q re-
cent writer upon this subject, sis a
matter of such vital importance to
the prosperity and perpetuity of q
free state, that the system through
which it ID to be obtained must be
such as to operate, age after age,
with uufailing results. Such sys-
TEN cannot be left to individual eff
fort and caprice. The work TO be
done is too vast and difficult ever
to be accomplished by such puny
means" Among the many reasons
which enforce the duty Of the
state to provide for higher educa-
ton, we select aud emphasize
the following as especially applica'
BILE to the maintenance of Nor.
NAL School with its subsidiary
Training schools. lst The necessity
for securi ling skilled labor in the
school room. It has been truthfully
said that the "exigencies of to-day
demand q style of work in the COM
mon school for which the vast ma
jority of our unframed common
school teachers are utterly incom
petent. Iuasmuch as the common
schools are largely taught by young
women, a. nd will doubtless contin'
tinue to be thus taught, a great eff
fort must be made to educate this
class and render them competent t.
handle this vast public iHthrest
But the majority of young wOmei
who desire to become CONNER
school teachers cannot afford thu
expense Of thorough academica
education and multitudes of GU
young men are practically shut on
from such higher educational op
portuuitie s. The fact is, our mos
valuable teachers of children ar
young W omen who must Deepen,
upon the state for their outfit.
Again, "eYery clever young school
mistress, well educated in a norma
or training school, becomes o centeI
of civilization to the country. The
first thing done by such girl is
ordinarily, to lift up her own family
to better position in life. Thu
permanent elevation of a family il
the socia scale, by legitimate means
is one OF the most valuable servi
ces rendered to the state. Ever
boy or girl, well educated, pays tn
state a high interest on the invest
ment." Again, "the whole objec
ton to higher education by the stat
practically asserts that the state ha
a right to build up its own citizen
ship only IN its crudest and mos
primitive regions of development
and should have no care to produc
the finer elements of success. Blu
public education must aim at qua
ity as well as quantity in citizen
ship. One skilled mechanic, on
extraordinary teacher, one accom-
plished man of affairs, one highl
gifted and cultivated woman, thu
developed, may become the cente
of public and social influence thu
no man can estimate, even in ordi
nary times: aud in critical period
T may b., under God, the salvs
ton of a community" Further
"the sta to constantly acts upon tn
principle that it has power to cor
struct the instrHmentallties for or
Grating any great national interes
1t establishes navy yards, militar
arsenala and builds, ships and in
thousan DIS ways assumes the rigl
to manu- facture the implements of
great public service. Now, Il
preparation of common scho
teachers is one of those delicate an
critical kinds of work that cannt
safely be INSTRUCTED to private Ell
terprise. If the state uGdertak,
to tax the people for education
is bound to use the money to Il
best advantage. To demand Il
education of 6,OOO,Oc0 children
the United States in commC
schools, to tax the people for th
work the sum of $6O.oG0.00O, al
then to leave the supply of teacher
. the very soul of the whole ente
, prise, to private caprice, is one
those practical absurdities that 8
ways fiOw from political ultrais