The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-06-04
TEACHING COUNTRY
TEACHERS.

WORK, Walter A. Dyer has IN enlhuS-
iaStic article Ou The l. st Tennessee
Normal at Johnson City and the
splendid work that is being done there
by President Sidney G Gilbreath and
his corps of capable instructors. He
says: "Perhaps they do not realize
that they are doing their particular
work any better than most normal
schools, but they are"
The history of the campaign for bet
ter schools and school facilities in Ten.
nessee is recounted, with especial credit
TO Messrs. Mynders, Claxton, Gilbreath
and Jones, for preserving until one
third of the gross revenues of the state
are automatically appropriated for
school purposes OF the beginning of
the normal system the article says:
CDR. Claxton kept his rural school
propaganda so vigorously alive that
the new normal schools naturally as
sumed a character almost unique
among the normal schools of the
United States.
"They are organized about the central
idea of practical service to the country
districts, which comprise more than
- per cent of the total population of
Tennessee. The Tennessee state nor
NAL schools did not wait for pre-
cedent. The sheer logic of the move
ment and the need that brought them
into existence have shaped their cha--
acter and made them perhaps unique.
They preach the gospel OF service in
the home counties; they radiate the
missionary spirit.
"In none of them is this spirit so
noticeable as at the East Tennessee
State Normal school Situated at
johnson City, Washington county,
surrounded by noble mountains, this
school offers an object lesson in direct
ness and efficiency to all who are in
terested in the rural school problem
and this school is not yet four years
Old.
"When Washington county was
selected for the school, the county
court at once appropriated $40, 900 in
bonds, and johnson City gave $75, 000
in bonds, free lights and free water,
and provided granolithic walks to the
school grounds, which are about a
mile from the heart of the town. The
site, comprising about 12O acres on
beautiful hill and worth about $50, 900,
was donated by Mr.. George l.. Garter.
The Johnson City Traction company
extended its line to the school.
"The buildings now include main
or academic building, dormitory for
women, dining hail. including kitch-
en- and laundry, heating plant and. a
residence for the president-alI slightly,
well equipped buildings of brick and
marble. A dormitory for the male
students is contemplated. The cam
pus has been beautified, bluegrass
sown, $500 trees and shrubs planted,
and mile of macadamiZed road bnilt.
"More than 1000 students every
year now avail themselves of the ad.
vantages of the institution. OF these
600 attend the summer school. Last
fall 154 prospective teachers matricu
lated. In the winter 1874 more stu
dents were added, part of them Tennes
see school teachers who came for the
shortterm course. In the spring there
were 400 more, chiefly teachers in the
search of advanced training. The eX-
penses of one student for one term range
from S34 to $50"
While this is not primarily voca
tional school, number of ways are
enumerated in which the courses of.
fered are tied up to school and COM
munity life, indicating their practical
character. A general idea of this work
may be had from the fact that "the en-
tire area of l20 acres is conducted as a
farm, and combination dairy and
feed barn of modern design and equip
ment has been erected Thoroughbred
Jersey cows and Duroc-Jer sey swine
are used in demonstration of modern
methods of farm management. Three
and one-tourth acres are divided into
demonstration pIats."
A demonstration orchard has been
planted and on the demonstration
plats practical instruction in farm
practice is given. The manual train
ing departments, occupying more than
1000 square feet, offers courses in ell
ementary and advanced work Refer
ring to the courses of study the article
declares.
"They are we'll planned and well con-
Quoted, but it is the method, the point
of view, that counts. Always, in this
instruction of teacher RS, there is kept
clearly in the foreground the vision of
what it IS for all: the ultimate aim of
rural uplift. In this all the courses,
Latin and agriculture, chemistry and
domestic science, profess one object and
cooperate to one end"
OF course, the faculty gives instruc-