The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-12-26
AN
LEADER OF 1852
Letter Of DIR. Braxfon Craven Nearly
Sixty Years Ago in Regard To
Training OF Teachers

No ma Of his day and generation
in North Carolina ever had a moro
uplifting influence on his eontemoor-
aries and associates than did DR..
BraNton Craven As a leader or edu-
cstional thought he ranks easily with
hurphey. Wiley. Caldwell. Scarbor-
ough. McIver, and the others whose
names are associated with the edu-
cational history OF the State. In
many of the policies that he originated
and advocated he was far ahead OF
his day, and IN the establishment OF
normal schools and the training OF
teachers he was the f~orerunner Of
Mclver himself. The following letter
written by DR.. Craven in 1872 reads
as If IL might have been written by
McIver in 1892. incidentally it throws
some interesting light On educational
conditions in general and on the early
history of trinity College In particu-
lar. The letter was addressed to
David l.. Swain. president OF the Uni
versity Of North Carolina, and the
original is now in the collections Of
the North Carolina Historical Com
mission.
Normal College.
Sept. %, 1852.
Governor Swain,
Dear Sir-As you stand ut the head
of the literature, as well as State
affairs in North Carolina, / hope you
viii take some interest IN a matter
I shall p and advise me AS you
think best.
It is obvio0s that we need one or
more institutions for the education OF
teachers. Sue institutions should be
separate from the University and yet
of a high collegiate order. Normal
College has commenced its career on
hat plan, and is doing as well as any
college in the South has ever done
for the length of time it has been in
operation; but it would do a great
deal better as a real State institution.
Can Normal College be made a
| State institution. standing in the same
relation to teaching and general ECU
cation, that Chapel Hill occupies in
relation to polite literature and states
manship? Or can North Carolina be
induced to establish n Normal Col
lege for the thorough education and
training OF teachers?
The patronage of Normal College
is now sufficient to pay three pro
fessors, and all the State would have
to do would be to expend some S12,-
900 or $4,000 for additional build
ings. This sum might be taken from
the Literary Fund. If One started
with proper buildings, etc. the col
lege could easily sustain itself. mean
while the property would all belong
to the State, managed by trustees.
Massachusetts, has three such inst-
tutions, New York has one or a a
nifcent scale, Pennsylvania has two
or three, and Georgia has one nearly
completed.
/ have thought Of presenting n bill
or having il done, to the bov effect,
and have collected materials and pre-
pared a memorial TO II.
But if you approve the plan, | would
prefer submitting the whole TO your
revision.
II YOU would let the bill go into
the Legislature under your auspices.
it would certainly do better than un-
! der any other mans IN the State.
Thousands Of dollars are expended
every rear in his State upon COM
mon schools, without much effect.
simply for want of We
must az something. I appeal to you
n this matter. knowing that you are
always in the van of every improve
ment. I propose Normal College be
cause it is already in successful opera
ton, and viii! cost the state much less
thar to mnlence a new one-it IL
favorably located-very healthy
very cheap. etc. We sent forth ten
teacher last commencement, and had
applications for at least Two hundred.
We could hav any numbe OF young
men preparing to teach. If we had
room for them.
Please let me hear rroni you at
YOUR earliest convenience.
Yours very respectfully.
3. CRAVEN.