Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-10-09
Oregon Voter
On the Normal

There should be more than one
normal school in Oregon. Educa-
tors concur in this opinion. 1t is
the duty of the state to educate its
prospective teachers to be teachers,
function which can be performed
thoroughly only in normal schools,
devoted solely to inculcations of the
principles and practice of the teach
ing profession. These normal insti-
tutions should be located with refer
ence to the states needs for teach
ers. We have one in western Ore
gon, at Monmouth, an institution
crowded to its capacity and far be-
yond the capacity of the community
in which it is located to furnish
grade pupils for practice teaching.
There should be a normal school in
eastern Oregon, to help serve that
important part of the state.
A mistake was made by the peo'
pie when they voted the Ashland and
Weston normal schools out of exist
ence. The people were provoked to
this mistake by the scandals attach
ed to former log-rolling by the state
supported educational institutions.
All were guilty, but only the small
est institutions felt the heavy hand
of punishment, because their need
was appreciated by only small per
cent of the states population. New
ertheless, it was a mistake to pun
ish two educational institutions and
cripple the states educational sys-
TEN merely because some greedy pol
iticians misbehaved.
At the coming election an appro-
priation bill will be voted upon, to
establish and maintain an eastern
Oregon normal school at Pendleton.
The location is excellent; it is CEN
tral and convenientso access; clim-
ate and water conditions are
healthy; and there is an ample grade
school attendance to be subjected to
practice teaching. 1t would seem
like the logical thing to do for the
good of the state, to vote for the
Pendleton bill.
The only organized opposition to
the bill is from Weston, the fine lit
tie community in which the Eastern
Oregon Normal School formerly was
conducted. The state owns an ex-
cellent building in Weston, and the
Weston people naturally feel that if
there is to be an eastern Oregon nor
NAL again it should be re-established
IN the states own building in the
community where it formerly flour
ished.
No question about it, Weston was
outraged when the normal school
was taken away from it-left high
and dry, with the local townspeople
paying the salaries of the teachers
so they could complete the terms
instruction to the students. Weston
was wronged, and we connot blame
its people, smarting under a sense
of injustice, for resenting the move
to place the school at Pendleton.
But let's look at the problem fair
ly from the point of view of the edu-
cational welfare of the state. The
people of Oregon have voted the
school at Weston out of existence.
The people of Pendleton think they
can induce the people of Oregon to
vote for establishing the school at
Pendleton. Educators are indiffer-
ent as to whether the school is locat-
ed at Weston, Pendleton or else
where, except that they think Pen
dleton has the advantage in that
there is a large grade school attend
ance for practice teaching. The main
thing is to get a normal established
at some central, accessible location
east of the mountains. All who be-
lieve that is the main question will
vote for the eastern Oregon normal
bill.-oregon Voter.