The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-12-03
THE TEACHERS TRAINING SCHOOL.

| function which education has to discharge; and
| the only rational mode OF Judging OF any
| educational course IL, to judge in what degree
| IL discharges such function.
The training OF children---physicial moral,
and intellectual is dreadfully defective And
| In great measure IL II so because parents are
| devoid OF that knowledge by which this train
| ing can alone be rightly guided. what IL TO be
expected when one Of the most intricate OF
| problems il undertaken by those who have
| given scarcely a thought to the principles on
! which its solution depends For Shoe-maklng
or house-buildng, for the management OF a
| ship or "A locomotive Of n ship or a locomotive
| engine "A long apprenticeship 10 needful. Is 1t
then, that the unfolding of a human being in
| body and mind IL so comparatively simple
| process that any one may superinted ana re-
guate 1t with no preparation whatever If
| not If the process Il with one exception
| more complex than any in Nature, and the
| task OF adm nistering to IL one OF surprising
| difficulty: il ii not madness to make no pro-
vision for such task: Better sacrifice ac.
complishments than omit this all assented
| instruction.
HERBERT SPENCER
1t took long while for the world to
arrive at point where such conclu-
sion ~ the above was made possible.
1t has taken the world long while
since to wake up to anything like n
realization of what such ~ conclusion
means. And AZ matter of fact the
world is not yet fully awake to the
crying need of better and a more
special training for those who are to
train its young Even now the engross
ing subjects Of conversation end thought
and pursuit. in most communities OF
any size are anything but the subject
hx,, -, tha h,u nj nf tha children
Politics, theoretical religion, finance
and business, the theatre, the race track
all occupy the vast bulk Of the atten-
ton while the care of the young and
Of those who are preparing to care for
| the young is rs rule left very much to
chance Wherever there IL an institu-
ton the avowed purpose of which is the
scientific preparation OF primary
teachers it is, as general thing, very
apt to be little heard Of and less thought
about.
A great deal is said nowadays about
higher education. The value of a
university training is discussed pro and
con IN almost every home in the land.
| The comparative merits of the colleges
both ut home and abroad, the question
Of whether it is better TO send the boy
! to q small institution or n large one, of
whether trip to Oxford or Cambridge
or Heidelberg or Leipsic il more add
yantageOus than a season spent at home,
the question regarding co education in
! the larger institutions these are all
absorbing topics in families where edu
cation is discussed at all But the
question Of what is just the best train
ing for the Young man or young woman
who expects to take charge OF pri-
mary school occupies very little of the
discussion or the thought
1t comes therefore almost ~ a surprise
to many to learn that there are places
some right near home where this is
the one topic and where all others are
subordinate 1t comes almost ~ n
surprise to learn that in some localities
there are buildings devoted to just this
purpose and men and women to whom
this is the one object. 1t is almost sur
prising, despite the long ago uttered
words which we have quoted above,
that there are actually people who are
devoting there lives to the scientific
mastering of the training of those who
are to teach the children.
1t IL not the purpose of this editorial
to enter into discussion o. the ire
mendous importance Of such II work nor
to enter into n detailed explanation Of
which ia actually being done. 1t Is
simply to call attention ~ earnestly as
possible to the fact that there is right in
our midst IN institution not especially
well provided for, not, certainly, an OBJ
iect of particular attention we must ad
mit-in which the work is being carried
on.
Recently the alumni of the institution
had reunion, on account Of which
Will be found in the news columns OF
this paper The reunion was grand
success II WAS not much talked about,
it was Guheralded many Of the com
munlty are today unaware that it has
taken place But it was nevertheless a
grand success II was n success simply
because it accomplished its object and
its object was u good one. 1t brought
together those who after having gone
through the same general training have
already had occasion TO apply its princi
pes II gave opportunity for discus
sion aud suggestion, for experience
telling and advice 1t helped to send
those who participated in it back to
their several fields of work even better
fitted than they were before. II helped
give the the undergraduates Of the in
stitution an insight into the working
ont of the principles they have been abb
sorbing
II occurs 10 ia that, while the com