Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-01-17
GOV. SHAW'S MESSAGE.

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! thereby invariably increased and the at
| tendance has been more regular; better
| teachers have been employed, with cor
rspondingly improved scholarship, and in
addition the expenses have been very
considerably reduced. This is the expe-
| rience also of other States where the
practice has become quite general. L
| think this plan should be encouraged by
specific legislation. am not prepared TO
| advise that. at present, ii be mnde uni
versal. 1t is probable that the erection
of no more single room subdistrict school
| houses should be permitted. Some en-
couraging legislation should, think, be
enacted looking toward the establishment
| of graded schools within easy access of
every farm in Iowa. The vocation OF
| the farmer, which is so admirably adapt
| ed for rearing industrious and therefore
1 self-supporting children, must not become
/ offensive because of the want of school
privileges.
Normal Schools.
The foregoing observations naturally
lead to the question of normal schools.
Iowa possesses one such institution under
State control and. management. This
has facilities to reasonably accommodate
six hundred pupils. During the last year
the attendance has averaged over one
thousand. A better class of students
never congregated. They are not sent to
the State Normal School in the fond hope
that they may develop into something,
ut some time, hut they come voluntarily
and many of them Mt their own expense
with the settled purpose to make men and
women of themselves, to take their places
in the battle of life, and to bear their
share of-the worlds burdens. The school
is grossly overcrowded. / do not believe
tts, trl,t To, he tnrtol lt,s
creased. There is II limit in number over
which an Instructor can exercise a per-
sonal influence. From seven to eight hun
bred pupils is. in my opinion, the maxi
mum for any one normal school. j should
be glad to see State normal establish
of Iowa. think it would be better to
locate them thus than to follow geograph-
ical divisions, for the reason that dis
| lance is not so important n factor as nc
feasibility. Five normal schools will not
be an. oversupply for Iowa. Massachu-
sets has ten, New York twelve, Penn
| sylvania thirteen, Wisconsin, with a less
population than Iowa, has four. and Hi
nois is building her fifth.
i In the absence of some affirmative leg
islation looking to the speedy establish
ment of more normal schools under State
control, / think some encouragement
should be extended to private and de-
nominational colleges that are now main
tanning. or that may elect TO maintain, a
normal department the equivalent in
grade to that established by the State.
My contention is that the rural districts
1 require, and are entitled to the services
of, as good teachers AS towns and cities.
Ii this demand shall be even partially
met, increased facilities of some kind are
imperative.
State University.
The Genera! Assembly will. of course.
| carefully examine the report and rec
concentrations of the board of regents of
the State University. Here substantial
appropriations are also asked, and are
much needed. l think it can be safely
said that no university has ever accom-
! pished more with such limited means.
4 Certainly, no money has been squander-
ed, and the results have been phenome-
nal. In view of the existence OF large
number of UNCONVENTIONAL institutions in
the State. most of them furnishing excel
lent opportunities for the acquisition of
what may be called collegiate education,
it would seem to me unwise to leave our
State university university in name
only, but college in fact. Professional
departments do not differentiate col
lege and n university. The State shsuld
provide, that which private enterprise and
sity should be made the center around
which all public and denominational
schools and colleges should cluster, and
| it should be able to furnish the gradu-
ates from all these institutions university
advantages. The people of Iowa are pre-
pared, in my opinion, to welcome new
era OF university influence. This can be
brought about only by more liberal pol
icy, which will be found conservatively
4 outlined in the report of the board of re-
gents.
i Nebraska expends annually over $780,
n0l in nf IFS mi
. sofa and Illinois each expends over $780,
I 900: Wisconsin over $4OO, 900; and Mich
igan over $500, 900; while the annual in
come of the State University of Iowa is
S15O,O3S. Iowa cannot compete with
other States without fearlessly meeting
the conditions.
College of Agriculture.
From information received from the
4 highest authority, nun convinced that
the College of Agriculture and Mechanic
I, Arts of Iowa comes nearer conforming
TO the purposes contemplated in the act
Of Congress, appropriating land in aid
thereof. than any similar institution in
the United States. 1t is not easy to over
/ estimate its value to the State and ma
ton. The art of farming is quite well
understood and practiced, but the science
of agriculture is yet in its infancy. Mod
ern Invention has revOlutionized methods,
nut it has not modified or affected the
puiiOSOpuy VI uuiIiui Ut punt llle i ueFe
are thousands of men in the State who
have learned from observation and ex-
perience how to feed steer, or a pig,
SO as to produce beef and pork at a profit
] of from ten TO twenty-five per cent; a
somewhat less number have learned in
similar ways to feed COW so as to pro-
4 duce milk and butter at a profit of from
twenty to fifty per cent: but there are
comparatively few who scientifically un-
derstand the essential elements required
for the production of bone and muscle
and fat and milk and butter; and fewer
still who know how to feed the rich soils
| of Iowa SO as to afford 100 per Mt of
profit on the cost of fertilization. these
4 subjects are. all taught and practically
demonstrated Mt our College of Agricul-
ture and Mechanic Arts. The future of
agriculture, therefore the future of Iowa,
is most promising; Theory is not always
teal is philosophcally correct, and What
ever is scientifically true must of neces-
sity be practical. An experiment sta
1 ton is maintained at our College of Ag-
4 ricnlture and Mechanic Arts, where the
cries are put to practical tests, and the
results are published for the information
of the farmers of our State; thus bene.
fitting not only the pupils, but all who will
take the trouble to rend the bulletins.
! think the recommendations of the
board of trustees are conservative, and
that special tax OF one-tcnth of a mill
per annum for five years for improve
ments can be safely granted. have no
! question as to the wisdom of Il special
} tax of three-tenths OF u mill for purposes
of advanced education. One-tenth of a
mill each for normal schools, for the
university and for the College of Agri-
culture and Mechanic Arts, will place
! these schools in greatly improved condi-
ton at the end of FIVE years. and will
avoid appropriations in anticipation of
revenues.
recommend that legislative grant
be made of all the lake-beds that have,
or that may hereafter. become dry, eth
err 10 the State University or to the State
College of Agriculture and Mechanic
Arts; or perhaps better still to both these
institutions jointly; and that commits
sion be appointed to make selection from
time to time, and report the same to the
executive council for confirmation, UNI
der such provisions for hearing and APP
peal as may be deemed wise in the prem
iSes.