The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-08-13

- @+NS NNSH 9AN III .
removed the legal disabilities of mar
RED wcmen; first adopted measures Il
restrict negro suffrage; first built {
great college and Industrial institute
for the young women OF the common
wealth and made adequate provisions
for its support and enlargement
Therefore it Is highly appropriate thai
the most original and unique normal
school for the training OF primary
teachers ever held in the Southern
States should have been projected by
MississippiS able and energetic State
superintendent. Henry l.. Whitfield
and peculiarly fitting that its first SEES.
sion should have been held at the
Industrial Institute and College at Co
iumbus.
A normal school was held at Oxford,
Miss, in the summer of 1908, at which
nearly 1000 teachers were enrolled.
While the work done there was of the
highest order of excellence, yet II was
felt by Superintendent Whitfield that
there ought to be a great normal for
the primary teachers alone. Primary
work is rapidly coming into proper
and intelligent recognition as the one
department in which our educational
work has been weakest. So backward
are we In this work that the wonder
full science and practical skill of the
kindergarten are almost unknown in
our State save as a name and theory.
Superintendent Whitfield, with far
seeing mind, conceived that II his
great scheme of primary and second
airy education is to reach its destined
development stress must be laid upon
the part played by the primary teach
er in our comprehensive system. 1t is
a waste of time for the primary teach
er to be compelled to attend all or
even a part of the lectures given at
the average summer school for teach.
ers. On the other hand, sufficient
time cannot be given for thorough and
adequate preparation of primary teach
ers alone. Hence the necessity OF the
normal for primary teachers.
lnasmuch as 1t is something new in
the Southern States, it is deemed
worthy of special note in these col
umns. There are some features at
tached to 1t that ought to be of in
terest in Southern educational circles,
as this is their first introduction in
the South. The course was confined
to primary work, including grades
from the kindergarten to the sixth.
There were two daily sessions, one
in the morning and one in the after.
noon. The morning session constitute
ed a sort OF laboratory, there being a
model school of about fifty children,
the classes being conducted by the
instructors, under the observation of
the teachers, who were attending in
the capacity of students. The after.
noon session consisted in lectures on
the various branches of instruction
taught.
The session was held in the Indus.
trial Institute and College buildings,
which are large and commodious, we'll
fitted for the work, and capable of &C.
h'Atih4pdatAAA5 " WY icl sC htiItbCI vi
attendants, Large and wellfurnished
dOrmitories, surrounded by extensive
and beautiful grounds, added very ma
terially to the pleasure and comfort
Of the teachers. II is the testimony of ;
the visitors and instructors that they ,
never saw a gathering of its size at &,
which there was such complete ina .
unity in the expressions of satisfac. ,
ton and delight on the part Of those :
who attended. There was something =
better and of more practical and last. I;
ing advantage than this. There are
very few schools in Mississippi thor.
oughly fitted with necessary apparatus
for primary work in language, geog .
raphy, reading, physiology, manual L
training, etc, and thousands of honest, v
earnest and ambitious teachers in the Il
rural schools never saw such appara- Il
tus. Knowing that it would be impos- Il
sible for Mississippi at present to fur Vt
nish such apparatus, since she has no :,
normal school for the training Of her II
teachers, Miss Ward, whom Superin- G
tendent Whitfield selected to manage II
the school, borrowed all kinds of up
to-date and expensive apparatus from "
the Chicago schools. brought it to n
Mississippi and set up q model school IL
and our rural teachers received an OBJ ty
Ject lesson which they could have 10
learned nowhere else save in the m
North. This was of untold value and Il
benefit. The scheme was to have al
model classes, taught by model teach. OF
ers in a model schoolroom under the d.
most favorable conditions. and it sue CT
ceeded in a most wonderful way, as d.
every one OF the $50 teachers will d.
gladly testify. Not only this, but pub &c
sent beautiful works ON nature pl
study, language work; supply houses te
furnished samples and materials for NJ
manual training: music houses sent st
school music and song books, while pi
art supply houses gave costly and eX
complete collections of pictures, paint In
lngs, models, etc, and with all Of these
actual work was done by real children oV
and observed by rural teachers who
could not have seer the same a V at
great expense and long travel, both en-.
llrely beyond reach. All this, how be
ever, would have been as dead mate
nal had there not been accomplished
and skillful teachers to breathe into
the spirit Of life and power. What
nay be said of the instructors Is not
meant to disparage any member Of
our own magnificent body Of teachers.
tod bless them all; they are doing the ed
work IN o,Ir co,nmon wealth an