The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-08-06

England States. but it did not succeed ut that
time. Connecticut discussed the question sixty
years ago, but the first school in that State was
opened i'll 1850. In Massachusetts was organized
the first Normal School in the United States,
which was in 1889, or forty years ago. Now they
are to be found in all the Northern States. per-
haps. AS yet thcr are not common in the South.
They arc n part OF the common school system.
and wherever We find the latter working well We
find the former.
There arc nov in the United States about $50
Normal Schools, with 1000 instructors and more
than 5n.un0 pupils. OHIO and Pennsylvania have
each IL Normal Schools, while New York, Massa-
chnsct:s. Indiana. Illinois, Missouri have each
from six to ten. In some of the States tllor are
State schools. established and supported and con-
tro!icd by the State. In some places they nrc
city or county or even individual enterprises.
In some States, Teachers Institutes, in addition
to the Norma! Schools are provided for by law
State Institutes, county Institutes, and even
township Institutes, the first to be held annually.
or semi-anrually, and the la4t to be held monthly
or even, in some eases, scini-mOnthly. An APP
preparation Is made for the expenses of these In
~stitutcs out OF the State treasury, and all teach
crs Of common schools are required to attend
them, or pay q fine amounting to onc-ffth of
their weekly salary for each days absence.
In some cases separate schools arc established
for gentlemen and ladies. In other cases one
school is made to answer for both sexes. In Mas
sachrsctts they have 3 for both sexes and two
for women only. There are none for gentlemen
exclusively, and it is worthy Of note that OF the
900 pupils in the s Normal Schools in that State
over 800 Of them Mt tho date OF tho last report
that We have seen, were Of the gcntlcr sex. They
seem to be popular with the women and this. by
the way, is no mean argument i'll their favor, for
women arc always ready to discover and ready to
adopt that which il good and useful.
Sometimes Normal Schools are attached to the
common schools and are so mixed with them that
it is difficult to draw tho line Of distinction. Pupils
in these schools are taken in ciildhood and tanght
from y = G up. They are taught hero the very
rrdimcnts of education, and thence carried for
ward to the graduation day. In tho latter part
Of their course they arc trained in the art of
teaching. In other cases pupils enter the Normal
School after they have completed their education
and they 90 ut once to the work Of learning hOw
To teach what they already know. This is the true
idea of q Normal School.
In some of the States the advantages Of the
State Normal Schools are offered to all who de-
sire them, without any reference to their future
career. This is the case III New York. In other
States. rs in Indiana. We believe, before entering
the school the pupil! is required to give r pledge Of
an intention to spend q term Of years in teaching
in that State.
ADVANTAGES.
The advantages of Normal Schools arc supposed
to he various.
First, and chiefly, in them pupils are taught
how to teach. Here, as in other things, there
are, az we SUPPOSE, two extremes to bc avoided.
The first is tho idea that old methods are worth
less, and the opposite is that the new methods
arc perfect. There have been thousands of good
teachers who never saw n Normal School, and,
on the other hand, VIC have no doubt many a
Ounce has enjoyed the best advantages of a Nor
NAL School and then went away utterly lncompe-
tent to teach. The best of teachers cannot make
brains, and the poorest Of teachers may, by
chance. do something towards drawing out the
minds OF the pupils. Harm is always done by a
zeal that is not founded on know}e lGe. But good
things are not to be rejected because they have
unworthy advocates.
The true idea of 4 Normal School is . school
where the instructors are the best and where the
best methods are used. 1t Is Il model school,
where teachinS is done III the best way. We can
not conceive how any ono who has taught, or ex-
meets to teach, can witness such al exhibition
without being benefited. Now, if we put such q
person into the school and let them become, IN
stead ofSilent spectators. active workers, learners
and teachers at the same time, the Eenciit must
be vastly increased. 1t must, Ill that case, be
decided and permanent.
A man who undertakes to lean q trade, it mat
tiers not how simple it may be, will be bcneGtted
by the experience Of those that have gone before
him. He may learn it by himself, without i'll
s~truction, but he will consume unnecessary time
and will waste material III the process that might
have been saved under more favorable circum-
stances. He would have learned his trade quicker
and better under the tuition of al adept.
SO with the art Of teaching, 1t may be learned
bv experience in tho school room without a.v,
other teacher than conln!in sense and necessity
which is said to be the mother Of invention. Eit
much precious time will be wasted there will be
u fearful wear aud tear OF temper ard feeling
. A.. n -.-.,y ,,,-,,. ,pIl " .iI,,t f
that will have to he corrected and, wurSc stu,
MANY precious and immortal minds may he dis,
tortcd and twisted and ruined By tho want oil
skilifui handling.
In no profession, perhaps, except in the preach
ing Of the Gospel, Is the responsibility so great
as in teaching. In none is greater tact and skill
necessary than in drawing out and developing the
powers OF the mind and at no period are tlc;.
required more than in the carly and formative
period, for '.juSt as the twig is bent, the tree l.
inclined"
The Normal School proposes to help teacher;
in their work ly teaching them how 10 use then
tools in the est possible way. just rs young
! myers are hc'pcd by most courts, and young
d 1ctors are aided by clinical and hospital prac'
tice.
Second. Normal Schools nrc helpful. i'll estab'
l.hing a uniformity in the methods Of teaching
and managing schools in 4 given State. Ordliia
rilv, q Thousand teachers in q State. having beer
| educated in different schools, will adopt each hI'
own method, and children III passing from one
schoo! to another, as from the primary to thu
high school, and from the high school to the col!
lcgc, will first have to unlcaru il one what h&
has learned in the other before he is ready tc
make any progress in the new field. This il a Gu
iamity. Normal Schools propose to remove it,
for there arc only q few Of these schools IN &
State aud they aro supposed to follow tho SAINT
methods, 80 that their pupils will all work after
J II .. ..>l I ,-l iii o1,nt4 Elm ,t,,, p,tfh,l-
THIS Is al Incidental benefit, but teachers know
that it Is one Of no small magnitude.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
In this enlightened age, and with the expert.
ence of the most enlightened States and comni,l'
mites before us, it seems unnecessary to discuss
the advantages OF training schools for teachers,
But o duty may be plain and YET there may b'
room for diversity OF opinion as 10 how that duty
should dc performed. What eau We do, and VIVA;
ought We to do, are practical questions for us in
Carolina. Suppose We admit that VIC ought to
have a Normal School, or Normal Schools, in this
Slate-Eow many shall We have? and where
shall they be located? If We have one, we must
have two-olc for the whites and one for the
blacks. Snail we have one Of each for both sexes
or shall We have one for each color and one for
each sex? Shall they be established by the State
and supported by annual appropriations? VI
! shall they be supported by setting OF TO that par
licular Use q part OF the amount annually collected
for educational purposes? Would thi', or would
! it not be o legitimate use of o portion OF this
fund? Could We not utilize our colleges, male
and female, by converting them, by q request Oh
the legislature and with the consent OF the col.
lcgc authorities, for y portion of the year, say six
weeks of their vacation. Into Normal Schools, the
cxpense of teaching and other incidental ex.
pciscs to be paid out Of the State treasury or ont
of the school fund? Or, i'll the event that the
state fails to do anything for slich schools, ~ 1t
not Ill the reach OF every county il the State TO
establish within her own borders, and for tho
benefit of her OWN teachers, n Normal School of
good grade, to be- continued, say, for three
months, or six months, or nine months of the
year-the county paying the teachers of said Nor
'mal School out of a fund raised by q special tax
for that specific purpose?
Professor Morton
Of Grccnvillc, delivered an exceedingly in
tcrcSting address ON the subject of Graded
Schools. The Association passed Il resolution
requesting him to write out n copy Of his
speech Tor publication in the village papers,
and we will not anticipate the address by
any remarks which could give only an i'm
perfect idea of its merits.
Maj. Hugh S. Thompson,
state Superintendent Of Education, maur IN
clnuurnt speech. which VIC would have been
-ltd to haVc published, but must forcgo that
pleasure. He spoke very pleasantly Of the
ucoplr OF .Abl,ryillc County and the manage
,,.., ~ tl,, rIlt I,,Ii In hnI 81 hirll