Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-07
MAIZE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from page 81
Orders Of the Day.
Special ASSIGNMENT.

Resolve in favor of the Pennington
State normal school.
Mr. Plummer, of Dexter, said that the
State had established three normal schools,
one at Gorham, one at Pennington ana
one as Castine. This leaves a great sec
ton of this State, composed of the coun-
ties of Penobscot, Aroostook and eastern
Somerset, with a population of $50, 0O0,
no portion Of which is within less than 30
miles, and nearly all of which
is from 90 to 200 and $50 miles
distant from any normal schools, yet
established. 1t is not just to the people
and teachers of that vast section. What
does a majority of the committee on edu-
cation propose TO do to correct this in
equality of normal school privileges for
the different sections of the State? Do
they propose to provide for the location OF
a new normal school in this vast territory
at such place as commission appointed
for the purpose shall say is most advanta-
eeous. No they cannot do that this year
1t will cost $50, 900, and the public must
wait for new normal school. Is it pro-
posed to rebuild the burned dormitory at
Gorham and thus discharge moral obi
CATION to the State and the citizens OF
Gorham? No, that will cost $50, 600, and
the State cannot, this year, afford that,
so the committee on education have de-
cided. A majority of the committee on
education reported in favor of going up
to Pennington and tearing down fairly
good and useful building there, in order
that they may erect upon its foundations
n larger and more ornate building at a
cost of $50, 900.
Now, if you must do something for
Pennington, if you must expend large
sum of money up there, you should
provide for the purchase of more land
The lot up there of about half an acre is
altogether too small. There is no room
on it for out door exercise and athletic
sports The building which they pro-
pose to erect will extend from few feet
from the street, across the lot to within
10 feet of the line of another lot running
parallel with this street. l submit that
with the appropriations already made,
running into figures larger than we can
! Justify to our own CONSEQUENCES or our
constituents, this is not the year
| for the State to tear down
fairly good building and invest
$50, 900 in erecting a more ornate struc-
ture. / submit that it would be folly to
build building for school purposes any
where on so small a lot. and that 1t Is
greater folly to pull down good building
and build a new building on such lot.
submit you should first make an inves-
tigation as to whether additional land can
be purchased to enlarge the lot, and what
| it will COST and that no appropriation
should be made for this purpose until that
fact has been ascertained. l say, if you
appropriate this money for this expensive
building there, after it is erected it will
be followed up by the sponsors OF this
school with the proposition to buy addl-
tional land to make the lot large enough
to carry such fine building, and / say to
YOU that the State will then be constrained
by the circumstances of the situation to
purchase it whether it can be bought for
a reasonable price or not.
Gentlemen say they are overcrowed at
Pennington say there is room enough
| in the normal schools of this SGate to &C
commodate all the pupils who desire
that sort of instruction, and more, too
There is room enough at Gorham and
Castine to accommodate this excess, and
more, too These pupils have been drawn
to Pennington by persistent and enter
prisng advertising, and by the winning
qualities and personal popularity of a
| gifted principal; and against him have
not one word of criticism. But / say
that those pupils can get just as good in
straetfon at Gorham and Castine as they
can at Pennington, and should the State
encourage them to crowd in at Pennington
at the expense of Gorham and Castine? l
am opposed to any such policy Ii 1t Is
really necessary to provide more room at
Pennington to take care of this surplus
which ought to be distributed in the other
normal schools, it can be done by adding
80 feet on the end of the main building in
the direction in which this proposed new
building would principally extend That
would cost, putting the building in good
! repair, less than $4,000, and would result
| in a saving to the people
of this State from $4,000
to s25, 600 Now is not this $24, 1000 or
s25, 900 worth saving to the tax payers of
| this State, if you do not sacrifice any real
educational interests in so doing? Again,
that building at Pennington, built only
30 years ago. is too good'a building under
any circumstances and under any consid-
Grafton to be torn down. 1t would be a
wanton and unauthorized and unwar-
ranted destruction of valuable and useful
property of the State to do so. l say that
these old, substantial brick buildings
are not by the wise men torn
down. They are preserved for their as
sociations and repaired and made useful.
Who would have been so destitute of SEN
timent and sense as to have proposed, a
few years ago, to tear down old Massa-
chusetts hall at Bowdoin college, with
its associations OF 100 years? They re-
| paired it and made it one of the best and
most useful buildings on the college
campus This old building at Farming
ton is not without useful and valuable
associations 1t was the first normal
school building built in this State 1t
marks new and wise departure in
education. Within its walls, for 15years,
Professor C. G. Rounds, the ablest normal
school man, and one Of the best educators
which this State has produced, did his
faithful work There. Professor Puring-
ton, his accomplished successor, has spent
II of the best years of his life. The
graduates of this institution, scattered all
over this and other states, hold in loving
remembrance this old and familiar tower
and they would regret to see it unneces- |