Arizona republican., 1899-02-07
NEW NORMAL SCHOOL.
FEdqsfaff Watts si ip Inc Re-
 forEnatorY Building.
The Citizens Want School tfa'dm3 ln- stead of Bad Boys Educated in Their Town and AShu!Sf Pre- Sents Necessary Legislation.

| QGCcu G Dlll III Iu3 nOuSS CItillHS IHt 1 Northern Arizona Normal Seho-l, IS
 ing the building at Flagstaff, origin ally intended for a reformat0ry. IT | connection with this subject the citi-
 zens Of Flagstaff through a committee
 will today present the following u the | legislature:
 At a mass meeting held in Flag
 staff, on the evening Of January 2l,
 1899, the undersigned were appointed
 a committee to report on the best dis position to be made of the buildin 3 ! known as the Territorial Home fer the Insane Our committee discussed the question in all it's phases, with the re- suit that we unanimously recommend that the property be converted into q normal school, with preparatory Ge- partment. We believe that such a use of the property would be to the great advantage of the entire territory; and that you may have an appreciation of our conclusion in this matter, we sub nit the following consideraticng:
 TO begin with. the territory has hcr9 the shell Of q building which has cCs5 approximately, S35,050. We are coE- ffdent that anyone who has examined the building will testify that the money thus far expended upon it ha ; been well spent. Architectu1 ally. b. reason Of it's location, OF account cf excellent workmanship. u is Ly far the finest pubilc cdifcc in tnetecritory. The interior Las not been completed SC that 1t can be conveniently arrcng q for any use to which the building m y be set apart. At present. however, i. is 9 white elephant" CT the hands of the territory, and the question j, what shall be done with it? Under the ex- isting statute, it is designated as a hone for the insane. but We believe that present conditions make t UnWi e to complete 1t for this purpose; Q rc- form school is out of the question; a-d Yuma will not give us the peni e. tiary It has been sugges. ed that tEe building be sold; but as this is the only northern territorial institution 1t cannot be expected that we sh u q consent to it's sale; and there are SC ious objections to selling it if, in5ee5, Q purchaser could be secured, CT i[ l. could be sold under the terms of title, both of which are dOubtful. We can not allow this fine structure to fall into decay, however; and we believe there is need il the educational ays- tem Of the territory to the supplying Of which 1t may well be devoted.
 .Ar examination of the rolls of the territorial university ana normal school, reveals the fact that eighty-iive per cent of the students Cf these inst tutiOns come from Malicopa and Pima counties, while only Occasi i0nal'y y is found a name from the northern ccun- ties Of the territory. This cannot be wholly due to 9 lack of desire on the part of the pupils Cf the northern schools for the advGntagss Of higner
 <~T nat D know it is net due to this cause n a majority of cases, but to many O5Eer causes; among the most important be- ing distance and expense. TEe esJac- Iish.nent of a normal school at Flag staff would help to eliminate these would give an CpDor-un-t -ty to those who desire it, to secure @ bet ter education; and would develop in others the craving for more know ledge. Even with such need as exists at the north, we would not ask the leg islature to build up and equip scncCii for US But, we have this splendid ] building and have sufficient money ap 1 pTODriated to put 1t in condition for use as Q normal school; and if this i5 done, it's privileges will undoubt djy be sought eagerly by the youth Of the | northern counties who are now almost | cut off from the benefits Of advanced | education. We S5el confident that the | attendance at as ch 9 school will be | much larger from the beginning, than | the present normal had in the first | years Of it's existence: and this without | interfering with the older schools con 
 Moreover with 2 preparatory de 9artment which shall cover pTac.ica Y he ground of a high school course,
 
 proper. will soon be much more wide y available and an adequa-e atten lance at the school assured.
 Tn this connection, we should call attention to a fact which $ apparently lot generally appreciated. Unde' present conditions, access to the uni 7ersity and normal school is prsc- ically denied to the youth Of every 3Ounty in the territory. eXtept the of Pima and Maricopa; q his because there are no high schools established in the other counties. Nor s it possible for the other counties to establish high schools under the pres mt statutory provisions, nor COrl1 hey individually afford to support hem. An injustice. UnintentjCnal but lone the less real is thus done to the ntire population Of the territory, out ide of these two cOuntie5-nOL only U lie pupils but the tax payers 2S Well To the pupils, because they cannot vail themselves of the advantag s of he university or normal course, and o the tax payers. because th=y ara ,aying for something from wai il they Ierfve no benefit If, however q nor nal school be established at FlaEst fl with a preparatory department acce5- ible to any graduate from Q grammar chool of the territory, the difficulty would be overcome, and all the pupils # the public schoosl would be placsd practically upon the same footing. AS inc goes on and the counties become bIe to maintain high schools, the pre- ,arat0ry features may be dispensed 7ith # it seems wise: but by that time he attendance upon the normal course roper. will undoubtedly he Iarge nough 10 amply justify the c7ntinu-