Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-04-25
The Infamy of 1t.

After a hard fight against the &C
horJs of boodlery, who are ever on tn
alert for State appropriations, the bil
establishing three additional Norma
Schools has been happily defeated
| There is no call for more schools G
that class in this State; in fact, the in
terests of education and the tax paye
| would be better subserved by th
abolishment of those now in operation
| They are needless expense to tn
State, and there never was any war
rant in justice for their establishment
1t is no more right TO tax the people 70
the teaching of school-teachers than j
would be to make them pay for th'
educating of lawyers or ministers o.
doctors; for the apprenticeship o
blacksmiths, carpenters or printers
In fact, there would be greater reason
judging from results, for fitting men Al
public expense to follow the latter call
ings, since their neophytes nearly al
ways propose to make the trade ol
profession chosen life-calling; this
at least, is the rule, while with school
teaching it is the exception. A peda'
gogue, in nineteen cases out of twenty
is ever on the lookout for "somethiDe
better" tnan his present calling. This
fact is recognized by the laws govern
ing admission to the Normal, since
they require pledge that the pupil
shall teach for 1.-TWO years" only, after
graduating.
Again, District Normal School is
founded on false pretense: that it en-
ables the children of people in poor
circumstances to obtain an education
otherwise beyond their reach. The
father or mother who is able to send
son or daughter from an interior county
to Cape Girardeau or Warrensburg or
Kirksville, and pay board, clothing
and incidental expenses, could easily
meet the additional pittance required
for tuition. In nine cases out of ten,
for this reason, it is the children of
well-to-do parents who attend these
schools-if we except the attendance
from the favored localities of the Nor
mails. The people living in Normal
School town are all right. however;
the whole State pays tribute to them,
and it is here that the "infamy" we
speak of comes in.
When the bill establishing three new
Normal Schools was under considera-
ton, members of the House had their
daily mails bnrdened with letters from
the faculties and "friends" of the Nor
mails now in operation, beseeching
them to favor it--not because the new
schools were needed, o, 10! but because
eff you don't favor them, the Repre-
sentatives from the sections where it is
proposed to locate the schools will
take umbrage and seek revenge by op-
posing appropriations for our school"
Could anything more clearly demon
strate that the Normal is a local
"pium" rather than general blessing,
and recognized as such by its bene-
ficiaries? Col. Kneisley, of Boone.
was warned by these disinterested
champions of "education" that if he
opposed the bill the State University
might suffer from decreased appro-
pria tions, if indeed, it was not cut off
entirely. II don't care a DID," said
the sturdy memb Der. II don't believe
the bill ought to pass and l shall op-
pose it," Could anything be more
humilitatipg, more deserving of repro
ton, than this evidence of an Educa-
ton Trust, managed, as all trusts are,
by the few, for the few, at the expense
of the many?
There is no warrant in the spirit of
institutions-the very anti
theses of parentalism-for this "higher
education" at the cost of the taxpayer.
1t is all wrong, and takes thousands of
dollars yearly from the Common
Schools of the State. These embrace
in their curriculum, properly restricted
to the "three r." all that is necessary
for the State to teach the rising gener-
alton, and all that common right
and justice warrant. Take the money
required to run these Normals, and
expend it where it will do the most
good-in the district schools. One
months lengthening of the term of
these schools would be of greater bene-
fit to the educational interests of the
people at large than the building and
{ equipment of dozen Normals.
We consider that the people of Iron
county have cause for self-copgratula-
ton in knowing that their Represent
ative, Mr.. Rngo, more than any other
one man, perhaps, contributed to the
defeat of the late educational" raid
upon the pockets of the taxpayer.
He is a school-teacher and glories in
the pedagogic art, but he is not crank.
We cannot believe the painful re-
mort that the entire force of servants
brought from England by Lord Sack
Vile is to be transferred to the White
=,