The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-03-10
WHERE WILL IT STOP?

That was a splendid tribute which the
House of Representatives paid to Mr..
Newland, of Caldwell, yesterday when
it made an appropriation for a building
for a normal school at Boone, with an
annual appropriation to help maintain
the same. He is justly one of the most
popular members of the House and what
ever he wants all the members feel in
clined to support.
A few years ago Hon. Walter
E Moore, of Jackson county, Sc
cured a small appropriation to help
the Cullowhee High School in Jack
son county. His popularity put the
measure through and two years ago.
when he was Speaker of the House, he
secured an appropriation of $1,000 to erect
a building for that institution. 1t was
found that S., 900 was not sufficient to
now Mr.. Cowan has a bill to appropriate
an additional 1000 for the Cullowhee
High School building fund.
Where is this thing to stop? Two years
ago, the people of Wilson came to Raj
eigh with a most inviting proposition to
take the magnificent buildings of Wilson
College and establish there a normal
school for the people Of Eastern North
Carolina. It was a proposition that was
we'll backed and had as much merit as
either the Cullowee or the Boone propo-
sitions, with the difference that already
a $4,000 building was ready, and the
State had no Normal College east of
Greensboro. But-wisely, we think-the
General Assembly took the ground that
it was not wise for the State to under-
take too many such institutions. Since
then the Disciples church has purchased
the elegant building in Wilson and is
conducting a successful and fourishing
college at that centre of education.
There is merit in Mr.. NeWland's bill;
there is merit in Cullowhee High School
bill; there was merit in the Wilson prop
osition. But-and that is the git of the
whole matter-what is going to be the
policy of the State with reference to
normal instruction? Fifteen years ago
there were eight summer normal schools
held in different sections of the State.
They were wisely abolished, and the
wisest men in North Carolina decided that
the States best policy was to build a
great normal and Industrial college in
the centre Of the State for women and to
establish a chair Of pedagogy at the Uni
versity for normal instruction, to make
them strong, and to put an end to the
policy of division and weakness.
If the State ought to establish a nor
NAL school or assist in the establish
ment of one in the Eleventh district at
Cullowhee and in the Eighth district at
Boone, it cannot refuse to establish one
in each of the other eight districts I'M
supplied. When that is done, what will
be the result? We will have eleven
weak and struggling institutions, and
the State will have reversed it's wise
policy, established fifteen years ago.
We have now enough higher institutions
of learning and for normal instruction in
North Carolina. The correct policy would
be to strengthen and enlarge them in
stead of establishing small ones here
and there. Cullowhee was an unwise de-
p%arture, excellent as that school is, and
the Boone school will be another unwise
departure. 1t can mean nothing but
eight more such institutions within the
next half dozen years. Can North Caro-
lima maintain eleven Normal Colleges :?
Can it maintain eleven A. and NJ. Col
leges? Ought it to try to put a Univer-
sity in every Congressional district?
The part of wisdom for the State is to
stop right thar It support, enlarge.
equip its three great educational institu-
tions, without multiplying the number
to give all that it can to making the
public schools more efficient-and to
leave to the private institutions the
academic work such as is done at Cullo-
whee and will be done at Boone.
We would advise this policy if there
was a surplus in the treasury. With a
deficit in the treasury, sit is a condition
and not a theory that confronts US
No new enterprise is wise at this time.