Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1894-08-04
COUNTY NoRMALs.
OswKGo, KAN, July II.

BAXTER News: In our last we
wrote you from the capital OF Cher
okee county; this evening we write
you from the capital of Labette
county.
You expect my opinion In regard
to county normnls and you shall
have II, free gratis.
The word normal signifies natu.
raj, but the most unnatural process
of education 1 have ever witnessed
is in the Kansas county normals.
A ssimilation il as essential in edu.
cation as in physical growth from
the food we eat. We observed in
the outline work laid down by the
state board of education a course
sufficiently comprehensive in phys
iology to require six months OF the
hardest work, and Prof Saunders OF
Fort Scott must present that in one
less than twenty lessons; also the
outline work in civil government,
equally as comprehensive-Prof.
Bowman must complete that work
in less than twenty lessons. So with
other subjects, and each teacher is
expected to take from three to six OF
these studies and master them in
less than one month. And now what
is the highest aim in this class OF
200 teachers? Merely to secure a
teachers certificate.
Now, how can we secure profess
sionai teaching from this cramming
process? Every one of my readers
can see that under such conditions
there can be no healthy intellectual
development. Once these institutes
were necessary evils, but in the flu
ture i'm Cherokee and Labette coun-
ties we will have no. use for such
miscalled normals.
We venture the statement that in
the 200 would-bc teachers gathered
at Columbus and the 80 assembled
in Oswego, not one-twentieth of
them know how to use Webster's
Unabridged Dictionary, and yet we
have one in every school. Now
what is more necessary for stu
dent to use properly than diction-
ary! He or she should have some
knowledge of Latin, for the deriva-
ton of the word comes first.
How many of that number know
anything about psychology-the
study of the mind! That part OF
the child which should receive the
most of their time and attention
how little do they know!
Baxter Springs college will fur
nish the best Latin teacher in South
ern Kansas; that college, like the
county high school in Altamont
Labette county, will furnish natu
raj normal course for those who de
sire to honor the teachers profes
sion, and that course will not leave
out the all important work of psy
chology. We are proud of the fact
that Baxter Springs high school
was the first in Southeastern Kan
sas that had a class i'm psychology
and that was ten years ago. Some
of these students were ambitious tC
know more than they could from q
town high school and spent year
or more in college. One of these
girls today, of my personal knowl
edge, is one of the most popular
teachers in the city of Joplin. and d
second has made very enviable
record in the high schools of Cairo
Illinois.
Some will say, we cannot afford to
attend college. Now, my friends
never say that. My father never
gave me a cent with which to GO
through college. Those two lady
teachers to whom we have alluded
and who will ever be the pride OF
Baxter Springs, were not from fam
lilies OF wealth and luxury. Many
can remember Ella when she sold
milk and delivered il with her own
hands. and Ada has been seen with
her mother sitting-we all know
where. Go thou, my young friends
and do likewise! Sincerely,
L. o. NOBLE.