Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1878 — Normal Schools. [ARTICLE]

Normal Schools.

The first Normal School was founded in 1681 by the Abbe de la Salle, Canon of the cathedral at Reims, and, sixteen years later, a teachers’ class was opened in connection with an orphan school at Halle, the pupil-teachers receiving two years’ training under the head-master, August Hermann Francke, under whom the system developed surprisingly, and soon received the invaluable support of Frederick the Great. Other Normal Schools were opened in Hanover, Austria, Switzerland* France, Holland, Belgium and. about forty years ago, in Great Britain, whence they have extended into nearly every civilized country. The aims of the schools are well expressed in the following extract of the Prussian law: “The directors of teachers’ seminaries shall rather seek to conduct the pupil-teachers by their own experience to simple and clear !>rinciples, than to give them theories qr their guidance; and, with this end in view, primary schools shall be joined to all teachers’ seminaries where the pupil-teachers may be,practiced in the art, of teaching.” There are now about 850 Normal Schools in Europe, the latter having 104.

Massachusetts was the first State in the American Union to establish Normal Schools, of which there now are 187, with over 29,000 pupils and over 1,000 instructors, Ohio and Pennsylvania each having twelve schools, whilu New York State has nino, Illinois and Missouri eight each, and Massachusetts seven. The largest number of pupils are in New York, however, where there are 4,158. The necessity of such schools needs no other enforcement than a few statistics relating to education in the United States. Nearly 9,000.000 scholars are enrolled in the public schools. Nearlys,ooo,ooo are in attendance daily, and about 231,000 teachers arc employed, including 188,000 women. The amourft expended annnally upon this vast scheme, which seems almost fabulous, is about $82,000,000, and the imagination is carried away by the tremendous suggest! veness of the figures.— Wm. //. Ritleing, in Harper's Magazine for April.