The Escariaba Jdirror declares ther will...

The Escanaba Mirror declares there will be a great bobbery raised in the upper peninsula if the state board of education stands by the rule it recently promulgated relative to the new normal school at Marquette. But the Mirror is evidently ignorant of the fact that the new rule simply carries into effect the state law relative to the new normal school. The law distinctly provides that the new normal schools shall be subordinate to the Ypsilanti institution. In other words, that their purpose shall be the training of teachers for the rural schools and the lower grade work. It was not the intention that these schools should duplicate or be co-ordinate with the Ypsilanti normal. Had such been the intention, the bills for their establishment would never have become law. This question was raised at the time of the establishment of the Mt. Pleasant normal and pledges were given that its promoters did not desire or expect it to be a duplicate of the old normal school. And that these pledges might not be forgotten, a law was enacted to prevent unnecessary duplicating. The recent rule of the state board of education is simply the method of applying the law which the legislature provided for the control of the normal school system of the state. In order that the principles of the law which declares the object had in view in establishing more normal schools might be made more secure, all these schools were placed under the same board. And now the board, with the object of unifying the work of the normal schools and making them a system, has planned to place them all under the presidency of one man. The plan is a wise one, for in no other way can the objects of the law be satisfactorily attained. But for such a plan Michigan would have the blunders of New York and Wisconsin repeated in her normal schools. New York had 11 normal schools each under a different board and all co-ordinate. None of them had the standing of the Ypsilanti normal. In none of them were the courses of study as extended. But each was working the legislature for the largest appropriation. In time it became necessary to make a decided change, and the Albany normal school was made the superior school and designated as the state normal college. The old scheme still exists in Wisconsin and the state is still duplicating expensive plants to do exactly the same work. 

The plan which has been adopted in Michigan insures all the normal schools needed with the state normal college at Ypsilanti offering more extended courses of study than any of the Wisconsin normals, and the whole system will cost the state much less money. Normal schools for the training of rural and lower grade teachers are needed in various sections of the state in order that the schools may be supplied with teachers who have had normal training, but the Ypsilanti normal can take care of all those who wish to pursue the higher courses, and there is no more need of duplicating plants for this higher work than there is for duplicating the university in various parts of the state. The secondary normal schools will grant all grades of teachers certificates except the life certificate and those desiring it can take the higher work required for it at Ypsilanti quite as well as students can come to the university for higher work than is given in the high schools or normal schools. Michigan has advanced to that point educationally where it has become a necessity to think of those who support the schools through taxation and it is not the part of wisdom under such circumstances, or any other circumstances, for that matter, to unnecessarily duplicate institutions. Everybody knows the enormous expense of duplicating the mining department of the university in the school of mines at Houghton. No more such costly duplicating as that should be permitted by the legislature. One experience of that sort should suffice. There should be no more duplicating of schools of any kind on account of political exegiencies.