The Indianapolis journal., 1899-12-19
NORIIAL SCHOOLS.
Contrast of Methods Employed I'm In
diana and i'm New York.

10 the EDITOR or the Indianapolis journal.
A few days ago the Journal edltorially ad-
vised the authorities of Iowa, who seem
to be investigating the normal school ques-
tion with an eye to possible notifications
of their present system, to conform theirs
TO ours by building one monster school and
bestowing all State favors upon it, and it
referred to the success of our State Normal.
Let me help those investigators by pre-
senting a few facts and figures which
ought to be taken into account. First of
all is the fact that we have in our state
school a most excellent institution; good
buildings, good library and other appoint
ments and an able faculty of forty-four ac-
complished teachers, who give instruction
all the way from geography through all the
branches usually taught in colleges of the
liberal arts as we'll as lessons in the science
of teaching, music. drawing and the like,
and no institution does it's work better;
hence We will not blush when Iowa comes
to investigate. That the State had appro-
priated s1,O n up to Jan. 1, 1897, and
that it has appropriated s229,O3763 since is
no matter if we ought to maintain normal
school at public expense, for we are abund-
antly able to spend twice as much If nec-
there are some collateral facts that Iowa
should know before determining to follow
after us. For instance, there were en-
rolled In the normal schools of Indiana in
the school year 1S9s-99 6,992 students. only
LBS of whom were in the State Normal.
1t could have accommodated 1000 more in
Its ample buildings and with its splendid
library and other appointments. but for
reasons not necessary to menllon in detail
less than one in six of those seeking normal
school, and of those that did more
than half were from twenty counties
convenient to Terre Haute, 1S9 being from
Vigo county alone. approximately one in
six of the whole patronage. That this was
not an exceptional year is seen in the fact
that in the 1881 that have been enrolled
from the beginning 1854 have been from
Vigo county: Ought we advise Iowa to
build local school at such an expense?
1t Is a good thing to have, but is it the
best way to meet the demand for normal
instruction? The plea of free tuition is mis-
leading, for by the time contingent ex-
boarding are taken into account 1T proves
even more expensive TO the student than
the expenses at equally good private
schools in the State, not to take into ac-
count the cost -of transportation to so re-
mote a part of the State; and yet the State
has appropriated for the year 1899 the neat
little sum of 71.0S396 for current expenses
alone being 1928 per student, and yet, on
an average, not relieving the student $40
in the year, so say nothing of the 1854
other normal students who receive no state
aid whatever.
After all, is not the New York system
better? That State has no pet normal
school on which it lavishes millions for
the benefit of few. 1t provides that any
college or university may establish nor
NAL department, or any town or city may
build and equip normal school, authoriz-
ing a special tax for that purpose; or any
individual may; and whenever any such
department or school is put under the gen.
eral control of the board of regents as to
its curriculum and methods the State rem
ders aid alike TO all. and that aid inures
to the benefit of the student. not to the
corporation, and only indirectly to the local
school. Under this regime there are twelve
normal schools i'm the State. all sharing
equitably i'm the funds of the State There
are dozen or more other local
in small way, but receive no
state aid because they do not meet the
requirements of the law. After all, is not
this system better than ours. and would 1t
not be wise for us, as well as Iowa, TO
adopt 1t and to help the 6,992 students all
alike instead Of spending II all upon l,13S
and after all relieving only part of them
from any appreciable burden? In fact the
Indianapolis Normal School is the only one
in the State that furnishes free tuition. 1t
is small and unpretentious, but it does
good work as the best Of them, and its
graduates hold no second rank among
enrolled in 1S9S-99, but there were more In
regular attendance in proportion to en-
rollment than in any other normal school
In the State These were taught at an ex-
pense of 81 $50 05-a fraction less than $40
per student. While thus supplying its own
normal indianapolis contributed to the sup
port of the State Normal s5043.20. and had
but four students in it at a cost of 81. .260S0
per student, and those four could have re-
ceived as good instruction at home without
putting the city to dollars additional ex-
pense and to the saving by each of them
of $22.50 and railroad fare TO and from
Terre Haute two or more times.
II is hardly necessary to add that the
graduates of the State Normal are in no
sense superior to the graduates of the
other normal schools OF the State; they
command no better places and do no better
work. Among the best educators in the
State are the graduates of these private
schools our able state superintendent be-
ing one of them and none of these schools
has ever asked that its graduates be ex-
cused from examination on applying for
a teachers license. the State Normal
did. / would advise the Iowa authorities
TO not venture upon so expensive a luxury
as one mammoth normal school to the neg
lect of five-sixths of the students equally
entitled TO aid, and even Indiana can afford
TO study the situation in the light OF the
facts and figures in the case. l.. l.. SEE.
Indianapolis, Dec. Is