OCR Text |
Show K0KMAL SCHOOLS. i It is doubtless true that the opinions of men axe often controlled ty an educational bias. Inrluenced by a veneration of what has been, and finding it easier to follow a beaten path than to Btrike out a new one, mn are largely influenced by precedent. prece-dent. Thus, conservatism is a natural nat-ural habit of mind, and within normal limits is an indispensible element in human progress. In the future lies the inspiration of every soul which weeps over the ills of the present, and longs for the triumph of truth and right. We leve the past, yet it would misrepresent our most profound convictions to assume that we do not look with eagerness to the unfolding of a better future. Iam convinced that the minds of the people of Utah are not confined within the thick walla of the traditional prejudice against every thing but what has existed ex-isted with us, but rather that thev are progressive. Expressions like the following, which come in from different parts of the territory, indicate indi-cate that the people want education i and that the supply of teachers is not ! equal to the demand. "There must be a radical change if we would have our children atuiu even the rudiments of an ordinary education." " We need better tea'ch-ers." tea'ch-ers." " The greatneedof ourschools is thoroughly qualified teachers. ' ' " We lack well qualified teachers." "Should not the teachers have better qualifications?" etc. The teacher does not need to be a Plato in learning, learn-ing, nor a Sampson in physical strength; neither a Gesar controlling by fear, nor a Cicero captivating by eloquence; but he needs special qualifications. quali-fications. There is a wide-spread and growing conviction throughout the country that in the careful special preparation of the great mass ot our teachers we must find the key to success suc-cess in the work of universal education. educa-tion. The greatly augmented interest inter-est in the normal; school problem ia Bhown from the fact, that but a few years eince, the subject was only occasionally oc-casionally alluded to in a few of the journals devoted to education. To-diy To-diy it forms so conspicuous topic that scarcely a monthly issue appears in any part of the country that does not give more or less emphasis to the sentiment that this is not only the turning point, but the viUd point, in all our efforts for the education of j the people. The cry has gone j forth, aud is taking last hold of the public mind, th.it, as a nation, I "we must educate, or perish." Co-, Co-, incidentally with this, wo must pro-; pro-; claim, if need be from the housetops, that unless we can raise up whole generations of able, skillful, devoted teachers, we cannot educate. Tiie teacher, the teacher, is the primum mobile in the work of educating the people. The history of education in every land demonstrates no truth more conclusively then this. Let us take heed thereunto and be wise. One more historical fact connected with this subject cannot well be overlooked. over-looked. We refer to the unprecedented unpreceden-ted growth of the normal school system sys-tem in the United States, as compared with professional schools of every other class. It is only a single generation gener-ation since their advent upon our soil, under the noble commonwealth ol Massachusetts, alike the mother of American education and the mother of states the mother of states because the mother of popular education I on this continent. The world renowned re-nowned Horace Mann says, "I believe that normal schools are a new in-1 in-1 1. 1 m mou t;i hty iu the advancement of the race. I believe that without them free schools themselves will be shorn of their strength and their healing power, and will at length become mere charity schools, and thus die out in fact and iu form. Neither the art of printing, nor the trial by jury, nor a free press, nor free suffrage, can long exist to any beno'icial and salutary purpose without schools for the training of teachers; for, if the, character and qualifications of teachers teach-ers be allowed tj degenerate, the free schools will become pauper schools, and the pauper schools will produce pauper souls; and the free press wiil become a false and licentious press, and ignorant voters will become venal voters; and, through the medium med-ium and guise of republican form, an oligarchy of profligate and ilag-itious ilag-itious men will govern the laud; nay, the universal dhfusion and ultimate triumph of allglorious Christianity itself it-self must await the iime when knowledge know-ledge shall be diffused among meu through the instrumentality of good schools. Coiled up in this institution as in a spring, there is a vigor whoee uncoiling may wheel the spheres." With such championship by a man inspired with ideas and gifted with such matchless eloquence, there could be no such word as fail. With bU prophetic eye, Mr. Mann fortsiw that the success of this experiment would be the triumph of a great and vital principle of educational policy on the American contiucnt, and that, a new era would dawn upon the cause of American popular education. With the known substantially good1 fruit that is borne by the Normal schools, wherever they are established, , and with the known fact that the demand de-mand for quilifki teachers can not be met with the supply, wo can but anticipate that Utah will ere lone move in that direction, and establish; an institution for the home inanulao-!1 ture for our own teachers. O. H. Rma?, Ter. Supt. of Com. Schools. |