East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-03-10
WHAT LEADING
EDUCATORS SAY

CDR. sheldon's Bulletin, 1906. Uni
versity of Oregon.)
The principal of the Whitewater
normal school, Wisconsin: "A large
central school Is too much OF ma
chine. Pupils have too little contact
with the administration and stronger
members of the faculty. Too much
Of the instruction in such cases Is
done by subordinate and compare
lively cheap instructors. The school
cannot accomplish any such work In
the way of character building and
personal moulding of students as Is
done in smaller schools"
As put by the state superintendent
of Missouri: Several schools, located
in different parts of our state Will
come more directly in contact with
teachers and influence them more.
| The faculty of normal school hav-
ing about twenty counties In Its dis
| trict will in some measure supervise
the schools Of that district, while one
large central school will not reach
the teachers of the outlying counties
and will not exert the same influence
on these counties as upon those near
er its location"
The idea is we'll expressed by the
president of the Madison, South Da-
kota normal: "The great school has
mass of students and educates,
| trains and graduates in mass. The
school of from 200 to 500, graduat-
| ing from 40 to 80 each year knows,
educates and trains every individual
and is sure of it's work; it developes
character and power"
When a central school fails to at
| tract large attendance, it then Is usu-
Ially more expensive proportionally
than a system of local schools. Colo
RADIO is a case in point where the cost
Of training a student for year reach
es the high figure of $24S per year.
a rate higher than that of some OF
the most efficient universities which
have a much more extensive plant.
The first requisite is, in all cases,
i. efficiency What is the smallest ap-
propriat!on which will support a first
class school of from $50 to ESQ stu
dents? This question was included IN
the circular letter sent to the princi-
pals and superintendents above men
toned. The replies varied from $15,-
600 a year at one limit to 100000 at
the other. the great majority, how
ever. placed their estimates between
s25. 900 and $4,000. When we COM
pare these figures with the actual ex-
pense in some of the most successfui
normal school states, such as Wis
consin $4,000; Massachusetts,, 1885,
. 600: New York and California, $685.
600 we can safely conclude that un-
der ordinary conditions no normal
school can be put on an efficient oa-
sis for less than $4,000 for current
4 expenses.
The principal of the Milwaukee
n normal discusses conditions in Michi-
q gan. my native state is Michigan
4 where for years they have had one
large normal school. Investigation
showed that 80 per cent Of its at
2 tendance was drawn from adjacent
\ counties. 1t was not big enough to
e make itself felt throughout the state.
q Within the past eight years, three
e new normal schools were established
t in Michigan. The attendance at the
t central school has materially IN
: creased and the three other schools
e are full. Each one of the schools
I draws largely from its own locality"
e One of the strongest arguments IN
t favor of a system of local schools,
= is the fact that in most states the
students of normal school come
from closely adjacent regions, so that
lin general a system of local schools
|. reaches more students and therefore
I trains more teachers than can sim
. gle central school. All the more
}. populous states having a large per-
Z centage Of normally trained teachers
. like Wisconsin. Massachusetts, and
!. California are states which maintain
!. a system of local schools.
= Just a reasonable number we'll dis
: tributed will reach a much larger STU
= dent body and thus reach the home
4 life of many more. Do not central
: ize."-President Flagstaff. Arizona,
Z Normal.
= "There should be two or more in a
: state if state is too large for one
+ school to get in close touch with all
4 iparts of the te."-President Albion
4 Idaho, Normal.
+ In large states and territories where
Z distances are so great, number OF
+ small ones is best.-State Superin.
Z tendent, Arizona.
+ mo. The smaller normal schools
+ are preferable, because of the great
= er ease of thorough acquaintance o
4 student by teacher, and of providing
+ La proper supply of model and practic'
+ chusetts, Normal.
4 schools. s."-Presiden Salem, Massa
4 "a number of small schools pref
+ erable. Experience OF older states.
+I-State Superintendent, Nebaska.
'yUa have five schools In this stat