Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 August 1881 — NORMAL ITEMS. [ARTICLE]

NORMAL ITEMS.

The Fourth Session of the County Normal has come and gone. While this term was not as prosperous as could have beeu desired, or as it ought to have been, it was far from being a failure. A goodly number of the teachers of the county, a half a hundred, took advantage of the opportunity offered to brush up in the common branches, to learn something new and receive a new inspiration, for it is a fact that teachers do get stirred up to better thought and action in these annual gatherings after a year’s isolated work in their school rooms, and all feel we have been amply repaid for the time and money spent in attending the Normal this summer. The interest was kept up to the last and notwithstanding the oppressive heat a great amount of thorough, practical work was done.

The debating sections held good meetings this week. The question of erantieg suffrage to the women of Indiana was discussed in one section. The argument of one speaker was that the women are as good as the negroes, the negroes can vote, therefore the women ought to vote. Another argument advanced was that if women were allowed to vote the whiskey trafle would be soon abolish* ed. In reply to this last point a speaker on the negative said it would bank ruptthe farmers of corn-raising oounties, like Newton county for instance, because it would lower the price of corn ten cents per bushel as there would be no demand for it to manufacture into “sour mash”, and the said farmers would be unable, there by, to pay off the mortgages on their farms. Ponderous arguments, these The Philosophy class during the week gave the methods of study a thorough discussion and found much in the old memorizing and book methods to condemn.

George Antrim, Tillie Cason, Alice Irwin and‘Lee Glazebrook made some severe yet merited criticisms in their remarks upon these old collegiate methods of study showing that our common school teachers of to-day are wiser than were the old masters? The Physiology class evidently be lieYe that curiosity should be aroused before presenting a fact to the mind in order that it might grasp and retain the fact more- readily. Ask ihem about their “hop-toad"jexperimen t. Hi sses Mattie Lane, Laura Bath* lui . Melissa Mitchell and Mary Hil-

ton were the last arrivals at the Nor. mal. Next week, daring the Institute, we expect to see the “refrigerator” filled to its utmost capacity by a perspiring, good-natured crowd. Come on! We who have been here know how to sympathize With you. and extend you a warm welcome. Nobmalite.