St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-30
THE NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Presidents Hold a Meeting to Sys
tematize Admission.

Presidents Hold a Meeting to Sys-
tematize Admission.
President Edward Soaring, of the
Mankato Normal school; President [.
Shepard, OF the Winona normal school;
President ]. Carhart, of the st. Cloud
normal school, and President Lie. Lord,
of the Moorhead normal school, closed
last night two days session at the
Windsor hotel systematizing the matter
of admitting pupils to the various
classes. Heretofore each normal school
has had system of Its own, and
generally at variance with the
system of the other three normal
schools. The result was that if the re-
qulrements of one school as TO qualifi-
cations were too rigid to suit the appli-
cant, he simply went to one or other
of the other three schools and Sc
cured admission. Another result was
that the diploma of one school
had not the same significance of that of
another. The students of the normal
schools are made up of the high school
graduates, aud it so happens that a
good many Of the high schools of the
state have not very high standard.
The normal schools have three courses
the four years advanced course, the
three years. elementary course and the
one years professional course. In
some of the normal schools the appli-
cants must have had a course in the
high schools of civil government in
order to be admitted to the four years.
advanced course, while in others of the
normal schools this is not required.
Only about one-fourth of the high
schools include civil government in
their course. The civil government
requirement is only one instance of sew
eral studies IN which the normal schools
have been at variance with each other,
and in which the high schools differ in
their courses. The number of high
school graduates has grown from year
to year until they are now very uumer-
Gus. this year numbering 100 who apply
for admission to normal courses.
Naturally the normal school, least
rigid in requirements for admission,
has been the one most literally patron
lied. and has become overcrowded. The
state normal board has at last taken the
matter in hand and appointed the presi-
dents of the four normal schools COM
mlttee to meet each year, after the APP
plicationS for admission are all in and
the qualifications submitted by the ap-
plicants, and examine the papers to-
gether, making the qualifications for
admission to the three classes uniform
in all four schools. The result is that
all applicants for admission to the ad-
vanced four years course must have
had. for instance, a course in civil gov
eminent, and, if they have not had this
course, they will be eligible for admisL
sion only to three years elementary
course.
These four presidents are also COM
mittee of the state public school library
commission, and as such met yesterday
afternoon at the capitol with Prof. PEN
dergast, who is the president of the
commission, to consider the selection
of books for the district school Ii brary.
AT this meeting some twenty books
were laid out to be examined. A meet
ing of the commission will be held some
time during the holidays, and then Sc
lections will be made from the twenty