New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-24
DIScRfMIyATTON AGAINST COLLEGEs.

4 correspondent whose name would carry
great weight in the educational world calls AT
iention through letter which we print in an
other column 10 The discrimination made by The
school law Of this State against college grndu-
atcs as compared with students holding the dl-
plomas Of normal schools. We agree with hun
that this is unfortunate II Is an injustice 20
large body Of the most capable young men and
women IN New-York and we believe II has m
injurious effect on the general educational in
terests Of the State
That the normal schools do n valuable work
there can be no doubt. With the graduation Of
the lnrge number Of persons trained specially
for common school teaching the standard Of
such teaching has been greatly raised, and n
school system responsive In IFS furthest ramiii-
cations to new views and animated by an har
monious purpose has been made possible to IN
extent never dreamed Of when the great major
iIy Of 'he school teachers knew no such centres
Of Influence. But system and methods have
their limitations. and more than ono dis'In-
euished teacher Will say that he believes meth
dds In he technical sense of the normal schools
are likely to be Il positive injury to a young
teacher because Of the tendency 10 regard them
as n fetch and 10 think smatterng Of school
ration for teaching than the four years course
Of college. with all IT'S broadening and rpcn-
Ing influences. The college course. 1t Is true, Is
not aimed directly az making teachers, but for
the training Of mental powers the development
Of such wisdoui-uot mere readiness 10 deal
glibly with arithmetic and erammnr-as may he
reasonably expected of tho young person on
leaving school. certainly The norlnnl work
lxt.hi. oh fa .rnt 10,
prepares students to enter the freshman or soph.
ou1ore class OF our leading colleges Is not 10 be
compared with the college curriculum or the
college experience And surely the wise man
oven though he have only the wisdom of The
new bachelor Of arts. Is a better tonchor than
the man Of less wisdom but more "methol"
The intelligent coegian can learn method or
better still, develop his own. which will DO the
better method the less method there is in il
We would by no means underestimate the really
great value Of the normal schools But for
them the great majority Of our common schools
would be t01ght by people Of still more limited
training, uninilucnoed by modern pefacorIc
science II Is useless to expect that all the vii
lage and country schools will be taught by col
lcge graduates. and the normal schools ore
useful source Of supply for this need. and many
who are the equals Of any graduates Of any
college. il Is not the normal school that is To
BE- objected TO. hut the tendency of Interested
people TO cxaggeraie It's value, and instead Of
accepting IL for what il Is to seek to persuade
its students that they really better educated
than If they went TO college.
When the law discounts college trimming. Der
lnlts the college graduate to teach only on tho
same terms as academy graduates who have
covered normal course minus methods" and
then gives a far more liberal teachers cer,if-
cate TO the person who takes The normal course
II tends 10 tench the normal graduate TINT bs
training Is better than n college training and
that his comparatively mcagre general educn.
ton Is made all that It should be by the mn gic
methods" This Is 10 exalt form above sub
stance, to insist the letter and miss the spirt
OF the qualifications for teaching The wrong
this inilcts on the colleges Is a small matter
compared with the wrong 1t nHicts on the
teachers who nre projected on the world with a
false standard OF Judgment concerning their
own attachments. and on their pupils, who are