The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-02-16
THE STATE NORMALS.
Dunn and Marathon County Nor
mails Will Prove Feeders.
GRADUATES TO THE CROSSROADS,

Successful Mr.. FroehlicIl 40 Secretary
of State.
Madison, Wis, Feb. 13.-When the
last legislature was asked TO aDpFo-
pirate money for county normal
schools (since that time Waugau ana
MenOmOnie have established thenl)
there was some fear Oh the part OF the
friends Of the seven state noflhal
schools that this threatened them.
But Major lockwood, the veteran sec
retary of the board Of regents, was
wiser And his prophecy promises 70
come true. For thirty years there mas
been complaint that the graduates or
the state nGrmals did not lind Their
way as teachers to the country
schools. No doubt in the inception u
the nOrmaIS-PlatteVill school was
started in 1&6G-it WIS Thought tnas
the rural school problem was thus 20
be solved But it has worked this
way: The normal graduates have Been
absorbed by the graded and hiSh
schools To be sure, i'll the high
schools university graduates are pre-
ferrcd-it is Il proud boast when
school can say that 2ll Of its teachers
are Madison graduatoS-DUt fc" nor
NAL graduates are obliged 10 resort 30
the crossroads school for g living.
There have been cases Of even Nil
Waukee normal graduates dOin% this,
but they soon attract the attention OF
the county superintendent ard get
Dr0m0tiGn Even at equal pay after
their elaborate schooling i'll the normal
they prefer VILLAGE or city to the coun-
try. Two years and even one year
courses have been added to the courses
of the state normals; yet the cross
road schools continue to be deprived OF
trained teachers in most cases.
The present condition is then that
very many of these country schools
are taught by teachers who are too
young, too inexperienced and too Inef-
ficient 1t is cOnfcSScdIy bad state
of affairs, as the educators of WlscOn-
sin have conceded in reports and pub
lie addresses for many years. 1t
means that the body Of the people are
not being properly educated even III
the few years Of their childhood de-
voted to schooling. This, with the
multiplication Of school districts max
ing the school group often not more
than ten or fifteen pupils, headed by
an inefficient youth armed with poor
equipment, constitutes what is known
us the rural school problem.
1t may be that the county normal is
to be the cure for this evil. The cross
roads teachers Of q county can afford
to so to the county seat normal when
they could not stand even the small
expense Of life at n state normal. The
requirements are not SO great and they
are admitted: They may stay as long
as they please and will be bettered by
it, If these county normals, however
had sufficiently trained teachers to com
pete with the graduates Of state nor
mails, there might be danger that the
legislature would incline so literally
to the county nOrmalS as to limit the
support of the state nOrmalS. 1t is
confidently believed, however, that
while the county nOrmals will no
doubt greatly benefit their rural teach
er-pupils, the latter will not be we'll
enough trained to take higher posi-
tons in many cases And a real bene-
Sit to the state normals through the
founding of the county nOrmals will
be by inspiring the pupils of the latter
20 so to Il state normal with this
double training they should make
splendid teachers for the best Of
schools There are now enrolled in the
seven normal schools 3,4S3 pupils I'M
der 172 instructors. This is a splendid
body of prospective teachers under
good training And though it costs a
quarter Of million dollars q year and
though there are great doubts in the
minds of mny whether our school sys-
tenn. if consolidated, might not do bet
ter work, the outlay cannot be re-
GREETED by those who believe that the
more money spent for education the
better.
Extensive arrangements are under
way at Racine for the entertainment
of hundreds of school teachers who
will assemble in that city April CT to
attend the tenth ANNUAL meeting Of the
Southern Wisconsin Teachers asso
citation. In place of the usually dry
and prosaieIiscourse along some alb
struce line Of pedagOgic thought which
at past educational conventions have
overwhelmed, or, as was Oftener the
case, put to sleep those pedagogues so
guileless as to attend the evening
lecture" President Nattrass has Sc
cured the services of Booker T. Wash
ington. who will deliver his live, pop
ular lecture on 1.-THE Negro Problem
In the south.
Mr. Froehlich, as secretary of state,
is doing excellent work in his depart
ment and a business-like air pervades
the department. Mr. Froehlich is q
German-American of the best type.
conservative. careful, modest, All
who have business to do with this de-
partment report courteous and prompt
treatment. whether in person or by
mail. There are twenty workers un-
der Mr.. FrOehlich and the clerical
tasks alone involve an immense
amount of calculation. Just at present
the department is at work on the esti-
mated revenues and expenditures of
the state for this year with the double
object of finding out tentatively what
monies the next legislature will find
available; and, more important how
much money can be given to the uni
versity, the Predetermined institution
at Chippewa Falls and other sta<S in
situations this year: indeed, it is hoped
to help them out this spring on the ap-
preparations which the legislature
made, but which Governor Scofield