The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-07-24
IMPROVE STATE N0RnALs
Advanced Education to be offered in
These Schools Even Though Plan is
Opposed by Some of the Leaders in
Fight for the State University.

connection with educational problems
in the state is as to how fan the higher
educational system of the state shall
be centralized in the University of
Wisconsin and as to how far there
shall be a division Of the higher edu-
cational forces. The question was an
issue before this legislature and did
not receive SO very much recognition
so far as votes are concerned.
1t is, however, coming up biennially
before the legislature for some time to
come and will have eventually to be
settled one way or another. In way
lit is the old question of the uni
versity against the normal schools, and
while on the face that question was
not brought prominently before the
Legislature at this time and the uni
versity and normal school bills were
hitched together, so as to give both
strength before the legislature, still the
question is in issue and one which is
worthy Of serious and careful legis-
latiVe attention.
Just how far it is an issue can be
seen when it is said that one Of the
strongest recognized friends of the
university, on the night the appropria-
alton bills were pending, standing in
the corridor and discussing the APP
preparation bills for the university APP
preparation made the public remark
that the state Of Wisconsin had made
great educational mistake when it
incorporated normal schools in it's edu-
cational system and that real progress
in higher education could be obtained
only through the university.
There is a broad division Of opinion
on this subject and there are many
who are of the opinion that instead sOf
being curtailed the functions of the
normal school will in the near future
be broadened. There is no question
but there is demand for the smaller
college. Large educators are now look
ing over the question in connection
with other big universities and only
recently educational writer's of prom
inence have openly made the state
ment that they We're coming more and
more to the belief that the education
of the future should at least provide
for the freshman and sophomore years
Of the student being spent in smaller
colleges and allow the large universe,
ty to care for the junior and senior
work and become postgraduate
school.
There are even educators in Wiscon-
sin who are predicting that the time
is not far off when the university
itself will desire that the students of
the freshman and sophomore years
have their training in secondary schools
and that the university give its en-
tire time to higher educational work.
There have been many in the universe
ty faculty themselves who have openly
advocated that the real work Of the
university was in the postgraduate
school and have strongly intimated
that the university should not be COM
PEELED to give any instruction to per-
sons pursuing undergraduate courses.
AS time goes on, too, it is seemingly
becoming settled that the University
Of Wisconsin will have to either change
its course and return to more strict
" undergraduate school or allow the
undergraduate courses to be taken by
students in other institutions.
Even now the state normal schools
offer opportunity for students to pur-
sue the freshman and sophomore years
in university work at the normal
schools. There was an attempt made
before this legislature to do away with
these two years Of college work in
the state normal schools, but the at
tempt failed. Asselnblyman Merlin
Hull wanted to 90 even farther and to-
give the right to the normal school to
put in full college courses. In this he,
also, was unsuccessful, but he brought
the question to such point that it
is recognized now by the faculty of
the university and they We're opposed
to the proposition. On the other hand,
while the plan did not receive many
votes, members Of the legislature in
priyate talks claimed to see much mer-
it in the scheme and it is more than
probable that before another legisla-
ture the plan viii have far more
support than it had before this
Legislature.
The feature Of the plan to place full
four year courses in the normal schools
of the state that appealed most en-
phaticaIly to the members is the fact
that it would bring the college nearer