Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-01-31
A NORMAL
SCHOOL AT
LA GRANDE
OLIVER ADVOCATES
THIS AND ADVANCES SOME
URGENT REASONS WHY ONE
SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED AND
MAINTAINED THERE.

your Fridays issue that you take a
narrow view Of the normal school
question, and leave the inference that
Monmouth should have the only
normal school In the state.
l am much interested in the pas
sage of Senate Bill No 14S, which
introduced seeking to establish the
Eastern Oregon State Normal College
at La Grande.
In introducing this bill, am
prompted only by the desire to fulfill
a great public need, and l have no
desire to belittle the institution at
Monmouth
am not at present concerned with
the controversy as to whether there
ought to be also a normal college in
Southern oregon. Two years ago, 1
voted for all three Of the normal
schools which we had at that time,
and believed then that the state
should sustain all three in the places
where they were then located and give
them sufficient appropriations that
they might raise the grade Of the
Institutions so that they would be in
fact what they we're in theory-train-
Ing schools for teachers; but the
criticism was made then that the
school at Weston was not centrally
located in Eastern Oregon and that
idea seemed to prevail in the last
election.
There was no where any expression
of opposition to the Eastern Oregon
Normal school because It was in East
ern Oregon, but many expressions of
opposition because of what the critics
called its unfortunate location, and
In introducing my bill to establish
the Eastern oregon Normal College
at La Grande, am taking at their
word those critics who opposed Wes-
ton, because II was not located CEN
trally In Eastern Oregon.
In Union County we have four high
schools, each giving the twelve year
course laid down by our State Board
of Education, and in these four high
schools there are now over 500 stu
dents taking the regular high school
work.
La Grande has just completed a
splendid high school building, at a
cost of $4,000 to that school district,
and now has nearly three hundred
high school students. This building
ia thoroughly equipped, and that city
Is very proud Of its high school facili-
ties, but there is a shortage of COM
petent teachers all over Eastern Ore
gon, and many of the country schools
are compelled TO employ incompetent
teachers, because we have no train
ing school for teachers in that part
Of the state.
II is true that Idaho has an excel
lent normal school at Lewiston, and
the State of Washington has several
excellent normal schools, but when
the graduates of high schools go to
either of these they must agree to
teach in the state furnishing the
normal training; the result of which
is that our best equipped students
wanting to make teaching profes
sion take up this profession in the
nelghborlng states. Our policy is
certainly shortsighted in this regard,
and we ought to keep at home the
talent which now finds permanent
employment In our nelghhoring states
to their great advantage.
La Grande is located in the center
OF the population of Eastern Oregon,
in healthy climate, with an abunl-
ant supply Of pure mountain watcr-
piped from the snow-1apped noun
tains twenty miles away. surrounded
NY the sri.c grandeL' whlca SHOULD
inspire any student, The city ia
large enough to furnish good homes
for the students. and with 14OO pupils
in our public school an opportunity
for testing teachers by actual prac-
tloe
Because Of this excellent high
school, which is absolutely free to
any student in Union county, there
could be no incentive to make OF the
normal college a local high school,
but there would be every incentive to
turn out the best equipped teachers
IN the state, who will find employ
ment in the schools OF Eastern Ore
son, and the demand for high grade
teachers cannot be supplied for
many years in this state, even II we |
had three normal colleges instead OF |
two.
ie Is a melancholy fact that at pres
ent a small portion of the willamette |
Valley has every institution Of higher
education in the state. Within
radius of fifty miles there are more
than twenty colleges, yet in all the
rest Of the state there is but one
college or institution OF higher educa-
tion, except the local high schools |
Because OF the lack OF competent
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