The Chanute times., 1899-06-23
OUR WEEK AT THE NORMAL
I TE had the pleasure of spending
w last week at Emporia attend

ing the commencement exercises
of the State Normal school. These
exercises were of very high literary
character and speak well for the
thoroughness of the work beirg done
at that institution.
This normal school has grown
gradually into mammoth instltut,
ion and is doing a wonderful work
IN the state of Kansas, 1t now ranks
second to no similar school in the
United States, or in the world fol
that matter
Its faculty is composed of a corps
of the strongest men and women
known in the educational field. They
are men and women of broad cul-
ture and pure character who exert a
wonderful influence for good over
the minds and hearts of the young
people who come under their charge.
The Kansas State normal and its
instructors have a nadonal reputat-
ion as was demonstrated by the re-
cent election of member of its
faculty to an important position IN
New York City at an elegant salary,
so far beyond anything that coSld
be offered here, that he had to be
given up to the regret of the board
and the great sorrow of the rest of
the faculty and students and every
friend of the institution.
The work being done at this in
stitution is not alone in the line of
intellectual development, but careful
attention is given to systematic ply
sical training, and above all to char
acter building. a wonderful in
1uence is brought to bear on the
young people in the line of morality
and elevation of character.
No young man or woman can
minole with the students of this in
stltution and come in contact with
the noble men and women who have
charge of it, any length of time,
without being made better thereby
and placed on a higher plane of
thought and action. When we think
of the many thousands of the chill
dren of our state that this institution
reaches through the throughly train
ed teachers it senus out every year,
we can begin to realize to some ex-
tent the vast influence it exerts for
the bctterment of the coming gener-
alton
When schoolboards come to more
fully realize the necessity of special
training tor the work of teaching and
would be teachers awake to the fact
that they are very poorly equipped
for their work without this special
and patrons Of the
schools learn to demand of boards
the employment Of the best possible
talent instead of some relative or per-
sonal friend, then will teaching be
more in the line of a profession
and not Simplya make shift
till something better offers, and
teachers can demandand get
salary commensurate to tn cir
CullulC anu ldIClll. uC lllllC
is coming and coming speedily when
the people are going to demand of
the teachers a higher standard of
culture and ability, and those teach
ers who are progressive and earnest
in their effort to thoroughly equip
themselves for the work will find
themselves in demand at increased
salaries while those who are content
with barely sufficient arithmetic and
grammar, etc, to secure a certificate
and barely standing enough to secure
a place by offering their services at
starvation wages, will be invited to
engage in other work and turn
over their places to their more
thoroughly equipped competitors.