The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-02-16

Prof. WherreIl for Kansas. His four
SCHOOLS ne estimates. will need an annual
appropriation OF S32, O09. But we have
seen that to make this system compiete
TOT the pres eat elementary work OF the
State, Is schools are demanded at an ag-
sreSate annual expense OF $lzS,uO As
stunning that this would supply one-half
OF the habitable portion of the state. the
Inture demands woui6 he for S2 schools IT
| an annual cost OF $3.50. 600! surely our
legislature will hesitate 10 place such f.
nanclai burden upon the State. especially
10 the light Of the fact that the system of
Normal Schools for which ir Is asked. is
oete detective 10 principle and insde-
quate In scope.
But here enter further objection to
| this scheme that il Is gros-y dishonest,
and involves, IL adopted o., the part OF
the state, giaTing violation Ut most So
cred obligations 1 refer TO that feature
/ of the plan which proposes % take the
poria and divide its proceeos among an
IndehDi'e number of Normal Schools
| throughout the State. That the designa-
| ton given to this phase OF the scheme, is
| none too strong will be seen bay the terms
OF e original contract, by which the
citizens OF Elnporia gave to the School
| twenty acres of land aud $10, 600 in bonds
and the State, on it's part, guaranteed the
permanency OF the Normal School at EN-
| poria, and the inslienable character of its
| endowment.
| In the laws of Kansas Of 1863, under an
"Act TO establish, locate, and endow
State Normal SCHOOL, section 2d, after
/ arranging for selecting the plot of twenty
| acres donated by Emporia. declares that
on the site thus selected by the commits
sioners aforesaid. the state Normal School
| shall be forever located Section Sd. de-
clares. 9 That all lands granted to the
| State Of Kansas and selected by said State
| adjoining or as contiguous as NAV be to
each Of the salt springs Of the said State,
! and granted by tue fourth subdivision OF
the third section OF an act of Congress
| entitled An act for the admission of
Kansas into the Uaion,' approved Jan.
q, 1861, save and except the salt springs
and the section OF land upon which each
Of the salt springs is located, and one ad-
ditionat section, are hereby set apart and
| reserved as perpetual endowment for
the support and maintenance Of the Nor
NAL school, established and located by
| this act" Sector 4, after providing for
The inVestm ent of moneys derived from
the sale, rent or lease OF these lands, de-
ciares, g That the Moneys invested shall
constitute permanent fund, the princi-
pal OF which shall remain forever I'M
diminished, and the interest of which
shall be inviolably appropriated by the
legislature of the state Of Kansas to the
support and maintenance of the Normal
school, established and located by the
provisions of this actv Section 8. pro-
Viding for the amendment or repeal OF
this act, declares, - but such alteration.
amendment or repeal shall not eau 20 a
removal OF said Normal school, or oper-
ate as diversion or dImlnution of the
fund herein provided for" Relying upon
this solemn ptlghted faith of the iegisla-
ture, when provision was made in 1872,
for the erection of the new Normal School
building, Emporia gave its bonds for S10.-
200 TO aid in erecting and furnishing said
building. 1t also issued bonds to the
amount of ST, 600 to erect two boarding
houses for the use of the students.
In the light of these facts, IL is manifest
that the State of Kansas cannot remove
the Normal School from Emporia. or di
vert or adminish its endowment without
v1oiation OF q sacred compact; and the
scheme which openly proposes toI affect
this violation OF faith is dishonest, and
should be indignantly regulated.
Finally. it might De further urged IN
the light of the legislative history of 9TH
or states, and emphatically in the light Of
Kansas legislation the past winter, anG
facts connected with the present scheme,
hat such system would induce combi-
nations by parties interested. which
might unjustly and iDjuriously control
legislative action. The sacred cause of
education should be removed as far as
pos .ible from even the temptation to bar
gain and sell infu ence or votes. Every
educational Institution and e, cry system
Of education. seeking State support,
should rely upon its naked merits, aud
favors. local or personal, should neither
be asked nor granted. We oppose the
system Of "Unt1orm Elementary schools
rs advocated by Prof. %herrel in his
pamphlet, for the weighty and conclu-
stVe reasons assigned. 1t is condemned
by the experience of all states that have
tried 1t, and by the judgment of the
leading Normal educators of the land. |
It's financial policy regarding Normal
endowment fund is more than bIunder:
1t is a proposal to accomplish q gross i'm
morality and crime
We close this article by quoting
from late letter from Prof. Wick
ersham, State superintendent of
Pennsylvania, and the father of the !
Uniform Graded Schools of that
State. Mr.. Wherrell justly calls
him "one of the most eminent and |
practical of living educators"
Speaking of Kansas, Decembe Ist,
1876, he says:
"For q State like yours, one
strong, well equipped and well en-
lowed Normal School is better than |
several weaker ones, or ones with |
less facilities for imparting instruc.
ton. Indeed, if were organizing
4 system Of Normal Schools in any |
One of our States, l would begin by |
establishing a Central School and |
strengthening it in every possible
way"