The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-02-13
MORE NORMAL
SCHOOL NEEDED
Here are a Few Arguments
For Their Building
In This State
NORTHERN JERSEY NEEDS ONE

| In May last the New Jersey Council of
Education, consisting of seventy-t1ve OF
the most prominent school men of the en-
tire State, unanimously passed resolutions
stating the urgent need of an additional
State Normal School. which they felt
should be in the northern part of the
State. A committee was appointed to
present these resolutions to the State
| Board of Education.
| This committee consisted of Vernon L..
| Dayey, chairman; Supt. Henry Snyder,
of Jersey City; Supt. Randall Spanlding,
of Montclair; Supt. William E. Chancel-
lor. of Bloomfield, and DR.. James M.
Green, principal of the State Normal
School at Trenton.
The four first named members of the
com mittee, acting as individuals, have
thought best to offer the summaries which
follow to the public through the news /,
papers In Mr.. Davey's communication
to the Chronicle he says:
1.-The leading school men of the State
without respect to locality, are united in
this matter and feel that educational con-
ditions in New Jersey are such as to
urgently demand the erection Of an ad
ditional school,"
The following abstract was prepared by
chairman Davey, of East Orange. 1t con-
tains valuable statistics and is interesting
whether you favor the project or not.
THE graduating classes of the New
Jersey State Normal School for the last
three years have been respectively 1911, III
and 2l9, an average of 1856. OF these mum
bers the eight northern counties furnished
as follows, taking the average for the
three years: Bergen 6, Essex IL q last
Year,, Hudson Is, Morris ID, Passaic g.
Sussex 8. Union g. Warren 3, total of 81
Or 80 6 per cent of the number graduated
1T is:respectfully submitted that por-
tiop of the State containing Ga per cent. of
the people, paying 65 per cent. of the cost
of the training of the teachers of the Sta te
and requiring the services of 60 per cen e.
of the teaching force of the State, shoul d
have more than 1926 per cent. of the ad-
vantsges afforded by State training
schools; and it may be reasonably de-
inanded that the State place adequate
facilities for training teachers within easy
reach of these localities, and in every
reasonable way invite the best talent of
these localities to become teachers This
demand does not come from this locality
alone, but from the educators of the en-
tire State.
"The providing of such additional train
ing facilities would relieve the growing
pressure on the present school and would
thus greatly benefit the localities now
supplying most of the students. The
most important part of teachers train
ing is the practice in teaching under
skilled critics. Class work alone Is the
least valuable part of teachers prepare
tion. The present school is unable to pro.
vide this training, except to limited
amount, and the rapid increase in the
number of students from localities near
Trenton is rapidly making the matter
worse Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer,
Middlesex and Monmouth counties last
year furnished 104 of the graduating class,
against GA two years ago.
lit has been asserted that the opening of
another school in the northern part of the
State would injure the present school by
depriving it of its most desirable students
the graduates of high schools This is
an error. Only few of the numerous
high school graduates of northern COUNTIES
have entered State Normal school, and
nearly third of these have gone to other
States OF the average Normal Schoo-
graduating class of 1856, only 40 were gradu-
ates of high schools in the eight northern
counties. Among these high schools
which are on the approved list are those of