The Normal School--a Reminiscence

The doath of Win. M. Fenton lias boen pivvinuslv amioutioed in this paper, lio ï was one of the mombêlB of the first State board of Eduoation íti charge of the Stat ' Normal Sch tol. Of aM the membera of i this Board, uonsistilig of Samuel Barton, Gov. Fentoa, Samuel Newborry, Barry C. ; Whittomore, Isaac E. Crary, James M. Sltinner, Francig W. Shearman, lint one the last aamed. It was the duty of the Board to lócate the land. set apart by the Liegislature for the State Noniuil SohooL Tl; same year an apiropriation of salt spring lands was made 'or the purpose of creating a fund for tho Liunatic Asylum at Kalamazoo. Tho ands for tho Nonjial Scliool wen to be selected by the Board of Education. Those set apart for the Asylum were to io selected by the Commissioncr of the State Land Office. Governor llansoin, a resident of Ktilamazoo, was desirous that the most available of theao should be sut apart for the Asylura, and as the Commissioner had full knowledge of all the valnable lands, it was nnturally uspoctod ty the Board of Bducation that all the available lands would be set apart by the Commissioner for the A.syluin, and thus leave the Normal Snhool whith had many opponent3 or doubtful friends, to the mercy of subsequent legislation. It was an object, fcherefoie, for the friends of the Normal School to be on the alert. The Board instructed the Secretary, theTefore, to obtfiin a list of those lands without enlistinp; the attention of the Commissionor as to the faet. A list was honorably obtninod through the intervention of an cmtside friend, who was an experienced purchaser of school lands. The sclections wero made and filed in the Land Office, while tbe Commissionor was caught napping. An attempt was made to induce the Board to recede from their action, bnt it did not avail. The sale of these lands, ineluding the " Saline lands " of Washtenaw county, a valuable traei, gave the start to the Normal School without which we do not believe it would have afterwards, for years at least, gotitself upon a permanent tooting. The State Normal School owes thus much to the tirst Board of Education all of whom havo gone to their graves with the eioeptkm above mentioned.