The Republican journal., 1899-01-26
Legislative Jottings.

AUGUSTA, Jan. n 1899. Every Tuesday
evening those interested in agriculture meet
in the Board of Agriculture room. These
meetings have been christened by some wag
as the "Buttermilk Social" and are presid-
ed over by the genial secretary, McKeene
who has the happy faculty of keeping every
one good natured and well entertained. He
calls on those present fer remarks and oc-
casionaly tells story himself Poultry
ralsers will be interested IN the story of
the man who added oak sawdust to his hen
feed and increased the proportion until it
was all sawdust He then set hen on
dozen eggs of her own laying, and in the us
usal time she Matched out eleven woodpeck-
ers and one chicken with wooden leg. At
the last meeting members of the State Board
of Agriculture were present and spoke.
The fish and game laws are occupying a
great deal of attention now. 1t is probable
that game in Waldo county will have to
take its chances with that in other counties
hereafter.
The last Legislature appointed commit
tee to consider the question of establishing
one or more additional Normal Schools
also the claims of the different sections of
the State for such schools. and report to this
Legislature. That committe has reported
! IN favor of three new Normal school, to cost
the State not more than $4,000 each 1t
would look as though the contest on loca-
| tion was such that the committee did not
wish to discriminate in favor of one and so
recommended three and dumped the whole
fight into the Legislature 1t is to be ex-
pected that any place favorably located for
Normal School would spare no effort to Sc
cure it. 1t is, of course a great advantage
to any town to have such school within its
limits; but haven't we all the Normal
Schools now that the State can afford, or
| really needs? Twenty years ago there was
a much larger field for teachers in the State
than now. The young men could get coun-
try schools to teach, and so patronized the
Normal schools. How is it now? School
teaching for young men, except in city
schools, is almost thing of the past. Visit
/ any Normal School in the State and you
Will find from ten to twenty young men,
! most Of then residents of the vicinity and
the remainder of the school, one to two hun
dred ladies'. This is simply because young
man wishing to teach school as business,
or engage in any profession with success,
must have a college education, and Nor
mai hool is not fitting school. Normal
Schools are of but very little use to the
young men of Maine. Ten years ago but
few young ladies were found in cur colleges
Examine the catalogues of the last five
years and note the rapid increase in the
number of ladies taking college course. In
few years many girls as boys will be
found in our colleges; to such the Normal
School means nothing. The time is coming,
indeed has already come in some cities,
when ladies must be college graduates to
| secure position teacher in even the low
er grades. The population of the rural towns
| is steadily decreasing, and all over the State
| can be seen schoolhouses. many of them III
| good condition, most of which were hum
| ming like bee hives only few years ago, but
| now closed, to be reopened, alas when? In
| view of all this, is this the time for the State
to double the number of its Normal Schools ?
| While they would convene some sections,
We say that the State does not need them,
and the people cannot afford them. Seven
ty-fve thousand to start the project is bad
enough but the past history of our present
| Normal Schools shows us that this would be
but the beginning of an outlay which would
| far exceed that amount
| People say that this or that measure ought
not to pass and that the peoples money
ought not to be spent for such and such
things; but did it ever occur to you that the
people who want measures passed are on
hand with petitions, arguments and in
fuence, and leave no stone unturned, while
| the mass of the people who may be opposed
make no showing whatever If you are
opposed to any bill now pending before this
| legislature, get remonstrance signed by as
many well known people as possible and
send it to your representatives who will in
| troduce it. If you do not take enough in
terest to do this, do not blame any one for
what happens.