The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-11-06
VERMONT NEWS
Items Of Interest From Fourteen
Counties of the State.
THE NORMAL SCHOOL BILL
Should Receive Careful Consideration
BY Appropriations Committee

I ton OF appropriations its most difficult
one to deal with. Bills which have
already been introduced for a great
variety or purposes call for sums of
money, the aggregate of which is far
beyond the resources Of the state. The
! only wise and Just solution viii lie in
| taking q broad view Of the state well
fare and its most pressing needs and
in making special appropriations only
for those purposes which affect our
large and permanent interests Fore
most among these large interests is
that Of education, says the Brattleboro
Phoenix. No other interest, aside
from that Of supplying the actual ply
steal needs Of daily life, affects all our
| people so intimately The legislature
OF 1906 was notable, and even historic,
for the appreciation which II showed
of the needs of the state In this res
pect, and for the measures which It
enacted for meeting these needs. And
the results have abundantly justified
the wisdom and usefulness of these en-
actments.
Those who have given this subject
the most careful study believe that our
( greatest need now for further develop
ment of our educational system Is pro
vision for the proper and adequate
| training of teachers Facts carefully
gathered show, indeed, that In respect
| to such training Vermont is not only
sadly behind the other New England
states, but that she is behind ma
/ iOrity of the states of the Union Our
normal schools as now constituted
and conducted, answered TO a reason
! able degree the demand of the time
! when they were established but In
/ the changed conditions of the last 10
years. they are entirely inadequate.
Under a Joint resolution adopted by
! the legislature Of 1906 a commission
of five members was appointed by
/ Gov Proctor TO consider the present
status and the equipment OF the nor
NAL schools OF the state, TO compare
the same with the normal school fac
ilities Of other states and report TO
the legislature OF 1908. This commits
sion, in It's report submitted at the
opening Of the present session finds,
i'm substance, that our present normal
school buildings three in NUMBER
are entirely inadequate for the pres
ent needs of the state. The state
has no ownership in them they are
unattractiye. deficient In sanitary con
ditlons. poorly lighted and they lack
proper equipment Of apparatus, nat
ural history collections and normal
training material The funds avail
able do not command the services OF
the best teachers. enrichment OF the
course OF study is impossible. the stan
dard OF admission is too low and the
opportunities for the practical train
ing OF teachers by work and observa
tion IN practice schools are lamentab
/ Is poor and inefficient.
To remedy this state of things the
commission recommends that the nor
NAL schools at johnson and Castleton
be continued for the present with an
increased appropriation for eaci
school. and that at some suitable cen
trail point on the East side of the stat,
"a new normal school. with ampl,
buildings and modern equipment be
erected-this school when completed
TO displace the present normal schOo
, az Randolph
A bill for the erection of such ;
school was introduced IN the Hous,
last week, carrying an appropriation
of Sl25.000 For reasons stated at th'
beginning oil this article this sum ma.
look large TO many OF the legislators
but We believe they should Conside
carefully before deciding against thu
measure. whether IL does not repres
ent one OF our leading and most press
ing interests as a state and one Whicl
cannot be- ignored IL Vermont Is d
keep anyv here near In line with m
4 times The whole subject OF our I'D
} ucauonal situation. of our faulty sys
tenn and our pressing needs, Is cover
ed In detail. but comprehensiyely am
forcibly. but the state superintendent
/. of education Mason S Stone, In ht
annual report which is now In III
hands of every member of the legisla
mre His array OF facts in conyinC
ing and his arguments and appeal Il
behalf of out educational needs as
state seem 10 us to be- uuanswerabl'
he shows how with out preSen
, means. facilities and equipment It B
II utterly impossible 90 train In any aC
equate way the teachers who are
exert their influence and leave thei
mark on the boys and girls who are {
d form the next generation of our cit
zenship His most urgent and telun
plea of all IS made for such a reiorI
i'm our present educational system
< and for the introduction of such coul
= SEES In normal and technical trainin
= as shall III our children for the ayoc'
lions of our native Vermont life a
farmers. merchants or manufacturer
give them % square chance In IN
n world and make our higher schools .
> the needs of the children IN their We
mont environment instead Of The chi
dren being forced TO ht the curricl
: lum OF the schools with Il colleg
course as the chief desideratum.
A new normal school II establishe
should be- founded on the broade.
a., lines II should not only tram teac
u ers 10 teach, but Il should be so loca
rs ed that the young folk who seek Il
=. adyantagCs-an the greater part
, these will inevitably be girls an
Young women from the small rur'
communicating be put In touc
- with lie of the world at large and
carry their own broadened outlook
The Young minds that will come und'
~ their direction.
/" one plea TO the legislators is th
re they do not summorily turn down q
proposition for new normal scho
because q calls for an appropriation
$4,000 but that they consider u
question on It's merits. and as It
focts the future development and w
being OF our state And let them
- member that there Is nothing 4
. which the people at large and as
+ whole pay their money so willingly
for good schools,
Konnedys Laxative Cough syrl