Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-11-10

We publish to-day two communications
relating TO our normal schools. In the arti
Gle referred to by "Normal" we were not
perhaps sufficiently explicit in designating
as "pupils the 147 graduates from the first
and 80 from the second course. We design.
eddy used the number of pupils they have
graduated in two years from the normal
course as measure of the normal work,
their legitimate field, which these schools
are turning out. Normal says that dur
ing one year ending with July last four hun
bred and eighty-four persons were students
in those schools" The fact seems patent,
from the low ratio of graduates to the num-
Der of pupils attending these schools that
they are in fact little more than ordinary
academies, differing from other similar in
situations in the state only in the fact that
they take the name of normal schools and
give a smattering of normal instruction.
For this they received during the last two
years $4,000 from the state. A normal
school is not an academy, nor can an academy
be made an efficient normal school. At an
an academy subjects are taught; at a normal
school methods should be ught,--methods
of teaching the subjects pupils study in our
common schools. In the normal school, sub
jects are of course taught, but chiefly as
vehicle for the conveyance of normal instruc-
ton. A thorough knowledge of subjects
should be possessed by the pupil before en-
trance into the normal school, and the whole
force OF the latter instruction should be ex-
pended on methods. Good normal instruc-
ton cannot be had in our academies or
graded schools. A poor substitute can be
had in these schools, but it is not their bust
ness and they cannot supply meritorious
article in the normal line, however we'll
you want barrel, you go to a cooper for it
if you want house, you go to a carpenter.
Now the cooper, by dint of effort and extra
cost, might build an Indifferent house, but
householder would construct. So the acad-
emies and graded schools may do some very
indifferent normal work, but it is not their
business, and their success as compared with
genuine normal schools must be as imper-
feet as the cooper's when he essays house
building. The academical feature in these
normal schools seems to be more conspicuous
than the normal. To the consolidation of
the normal school element, having separated
1t entirely from the academical, and left the
latter to shift for itself as our other acade.
mics do the friends of education in the state
and in the legislature should address them
selves. When these institutions have as
sumed this form we believe our legislature
will respond cheerfully and literally to the
demands for more money for their support.
1t is too customary to upbraid the legislature
for its parsimony in these and similar mat
tiers. We believe the trouble exists more fire.
quently in the want of confidence in the OBJ
ject, either from the plan of organization or
the character Of the management. 1t can
not be shown that large increase in the APP
preparations for these three normal schools,
which are little more than academies, would
yield satisfactory results; while it is demon
strable, in fact as well as in theory, that
reasonable sum appropriated for one exclu-
sively normal school would, under able and
judicious management, be productive of
splendid results. When the friends of edu-
cation in this state get round to this plan of
establishing and conducting a normal school,
we believe the money from the state will be
forthcoming. And we trust some decided
advance will be made at this session toward
a contamination so desirable.