Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-04
Professor Buchanan's Reply.


Professor Buchanan has sent the follow
ing reply to the letter, in which he takes Il
decided stand for the public school system
as a whole. of which he regards state nor
NAL schools a necessary part:
My Dear -: | have yours of January
50. There are forty-tive teachers in the
Central high school and ten of them, in
addition to their college training, have re-
celved instruction in state normal schools.
My opinion is that state normal schools are
worth ten times what they have cost the
training or the facilities of a denomina-
tional school that is superior to the same
in state normal schools Normal schools
are an absolute necessity in a system of
public schools. An argument against nor
NAL schools is an argument against the
whole public school system, and l am sur
prised that intelligent gentlemen in this
state take positions in favor of the Ayde-
lott resolution. Mr.. Aydelott himself may
be honest in presenting the resolution. But
the spirit back of the whole thing is to
down the public schools and rear private
and sectarian ones in their place: and, in
my estimation, nothing more deplorable
could come to pass for the school interests
of our state.
Private schools cannot compete with
public schools. 1t requires brains. train
ing, heart culture. laboratory facilities, and
nineteenth century equipment to compete
with the great public school system. Pri-
Vate schools cannot furnish these require
ments, and 1t is not surprising that the
various private institutions in this state,
especially the private normals, raise the
hue and cry of economy at this time. Mis-
souri, does not rank first in her educational
facilities, but she is making rapid strides in
that direction, and 1t would be a great
wrong to her if this blow-so ominOus-
should not be parried at this time. If our
present normal schools could be made prof
liable under private ownership, and be
kept up to the same standard of excel
lence, why couldn't they be made just as
profitable under state ownership? You
know as well as 1 do that the private in
stitutions of this state, even the one that
you and attended do not and cannot Of
ford the facilities that the state institu
tions give. And you also know or ought to
know that these resolutions are in the in
terest of private and sectarian schools and
are a blow at the whole public school sys-
tenn.
Make such use of what have said in
this letter as You wish. / nave no private
opinions on matters of education in this
state. / am first, last and all the time in
favor of the public school system COM
plete. Publish this in the county paper if
you like and destroy the little 6x9 circular
letter that you expect to father and cir
culate. and get out of the old two wheeled
cart of the seventeenth century into the
vestibuled palace car of the nineteenth
century, and do something to keep the
car of progress moving. The policy that
you outline in your circular wouldn't do
credit even to a mossback in the back
woods district of the Indian Territory.
You can scarcely imagine my surprise on
reading your letter-a letter from a gen.
tleman in whom have the greatest con-
fidenCe for honesty and integrity-to find
that instead of advanced opinions on
school questions you entertain those you
do.
There have been $50 graduates from the
advance course of our normal schools,
there have been 1852 elementary graduates
The state normal schools have had an en-
rollment of over 20, 600. and at least 10 600 of
these have been trained for teaching. A
large percent of them have taught from
sixteen to twenty years State normals
are controlled by state officers and are di-
rected for the best interests of the state.
Private normals are controlled by individ-
ualS for private gain tenough to damn
them). State normals have the best IA
CilitieS in the way of libraries, laborato-
ries and teachers that the state can af-
ford. Private normals have poor facilities
III the way of libraries. laboratories and
teachers.
THE state normals devote every energy
to preparing students to become teachers
only. Private EormalS advertise to pre-
pare students TO become everything. The
state normalS arrange courses of study in
accord with the best educational thought
of the age. Private normals arrange
courses, iS at ALL to suit the whims of a
narrow district. You know as well as I
DO that these schools are frauds and ad-
vertise facilities which they do not pos
sess and which would put Harvard uni
versity in the background. Like medical
quackS, their circulars are like circus bills
or patent medicine almanacS.
Now, my dear -, get away from these
fellows; this crowd of little two-by-fours
fellows that wear No. hats and No. %
collars, fellows whose foreheads sIope in
such way that tears falling from the
eyes will drop down the back of the neck
and get where you belong, among the
thinking, intelligent. progressive men of
this state. Very sincerely your friend
JOHN 7. BUCHANAN"