Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-12-22
A state Normal School.


The committee on education has perfected
a bill establishing a state normal school
The necessity Of training school for teach
ers has been recognized by the general assem-
blies of the state in the subsidies they hav,
hitherto granted to private academies which
have undertaken to supply this need. The
intentions OF the state in this direction have
been better than its methods. We hav,
previously discussed this matter at consid
cradle length. We find no reasons fol
changing our previously-expressed views a;
to the advisability Of the states discardine
its former impolicy of scattering its support
among three private institutions which dis
pense quasi normal instruction. We believe
in adopting the policy of uniting that sup
port upon one school so remodeled and re-
established as 10 embody the essential fea
lures of school truly normal in its organi-
cation and course of instruction. House
bill No. 456 aims to accomplish this desira-
BILE end. The governor is empowered to ap.
point two persons from each congressional
| hinuiOb VIM, bOktthtl Wibh thb obdOt super
intendent of education, shall constitute a
board of seven trustees for the establish
ment and management of state normal
school for the better training of teachers
for the common schools of Vermont" The
trustees are directed to advertise for pro-
posals for lands, buildings, or funds and
select locality which in their judgment
will best servethe ends of the school and the
state, provided that no proposals shall be
accepted from towns, corporations or individ-
uals which are not backed by bonds to
furnish gratuitously such means as with
state support are deemed sufficient to meet
the wants of the school. If the state shall
neglect to maintain normal school for two
consecutive years, the property thus donated
shall revert to the donor. Provisions are
made for offering the school by the trustees,
and for arranging two courses of study, and
for controlling the examinations for admis-
sion and graduation, under the supervision
of a board consisting of one prominent edu-
Gator appointed by the governor, the princi
pal Of the school, and the state superntend-
ent Of education. The first course of study
completed in one and one-half years, shall
include the branches required by law to be
taught in the common schools of the state.
The second course, completed in three years,
includes all the branches in the first and
such higher branches as the board shall de-
termine.
Each town in the state is entitled to the
free tuition of not more than FIVE students
in the normal school. This gratuity is
hedged about by the proviso that it shall
not be extended to any student under six
teen years of age, and that such student
shall declare in writing his purpose to com
plete one full course of study, and shall hold
himself in readiness to teach in the public
schools Of this state for two years after
graduation. The sum of three thousand
dollars is appropriated for the establishment
of this school, to be used for this purpose in
connection with the funds which the act
provides that the trustees shall require at the
hands of the town, corporation or individual
in the accepted locality of the school. Five
thousand dollars annually are appropriated
for the aid of the school. Provision is made
for continuing in force all laws relating to
our normal schools till the first day of July,
1882, If this bill becomes law. Minor de-
tails seem to be amply provided for in the
various sections of the bill. As whole, this
measure seems to embody well-matured
plan for the establishment of a state normal
school on basis that ensures efficiency
combined with ecocomy in administration,
and, what is more, complete utilization OF
state aid. The question presented to the
legislature by this bill has three-fold bear
ing: whether Vermont will abolish normal
schools altogether and thus take the back
track in educational progress while her sis
ter states, by means of similar schools, are
rapidly advancing whether it will con-
tinue to fritter away its money by subsidiz-
ing these private academies, which impart a
smattering only of normal instruction or
whether it will mass its support upon one
essentially normal school and thus give every
dollar of its aid three-fold the efficiency it
has had under the old system. Every
business man knows that certain leading
items of expense in doing a small business
are not proportionally increased if the bust
ness is doubled or trebled, and if the bust
ness is only one-third of the capacity of his
facilities he is very likely losing money.
Five thousand dollars, divided between three
small schools, will yield vastly more salts
factory results if consolidated on one school,
under one management and one corps of in
structors and when it is taken into the &C.
count that all the normal students in the
three schools will make no more than enough
for one fair sized school, the folly of support
ing three is too apparent to require long de.
liberation as to the wisdom of the proposed
consolidation. The economic argument is
the least of many that appeal for the pas
sage of this bill. The friends of education
in the state at large sincerely pray that it
may not be allowed to fail in the closing
hours of this session.