Must Save Normal College

Other Normals Endeavoring to Enchroach Upon It

A MAN FROM WASHTENAW

Should be Named for State Board of Education-Strong Reasons Advanced for This

Is it not about time for Washtenaw county to awaken to a more lively sense of its own interests, relative to the State Normal college, if it expects to protect its own interests in this state educational institution? The fever is on to build up other normal schools, and judging from the drift of things at present, this is likely to be done at the expense, in a greater or less degree, of the State Normal college. Washtenaw should move, and at once, for a local member of the state board of education. She should also see to it that the two members of the lower house of the legislature are men who will be abundantly able to take care of the local interests in this fight. No men should be permitted to get on either ticket who are not thoroughly alive to this great interest. The same course should be pursued in the matter of senatorial candidates.

It was the purpose of the law changing the name of the Ypsilanti institution to the State Normal college to maintain that institution at the head of the normal school system of the state, and the other institutions established and to be established, in a certain sense as feeders thereto. That is to say, it was not thought necessary to equip several more normal schools with as extensive and expensive plants and furnishings as are those of the Normal college. The idea was to thus save the state much money, and yet at the same time take care of every interest in the Normal school line. To this end it was felt that the new normals established and to be established should devote their energies to the courses of study fitting teachers for the work of the rural schools and the lower grades of the village and city schools, white the State Normal college should cover this field also and offer the more extended courses fitting teachers for the higher grades of work in the public schools. Undoubtedly the Normal college, with its fine equipment, could easily take care of all who may desire to take the higher courses. Thus the other normals would become feeders to it, and a large sum of money thus be saved annually to the taxpayers of the state. And the burden of tax has already reached that weight where the taxpayer should be heard in this matter. Besides, there is no necessity whatever for as extensive and expensive plants at each and every normal school established and to be established as the state has at Ypsilanti.

But events have progressed far enough to make it plain that the other normal schools are by no means satisfied with this arrangement. The one at Marquette has already been granted the privilege by the state board of education to confer life diplomas upon its graduates. Mt. Pleasant is moving in the same direction and will ask for a change in the law creating it in this particular at the next session of the legislature. She is very likely to get what she asks for. What is Washtenaw going to do in this matter?

The other two normal schools to all intents and purposes already have local members of the state board. The upper peninsula has a member who is closely identified with the interests of that section. P. .H. Kelley, of Detroit, was a longtime resident of Mt. Pleasant, and for many years superintendent of the city schools there, and that institution will unquestionably have his support in the move it is now entering upon. Supt. Fall's interests are largely with Albion college. Who is going to look out for the welfare of the State Normal college in this scramble? Is it not about time for Ypsilanti and Washtenaw county to get a move on also? It is too late, of course, for Washtenaw to get a candidate on the republican ticket, but one from this county should be named on the democrat ticket. This great interest should be had in mind also when nominations are made for the legislature, both for house and senate. Unless Washtenaw indicates a live interest in this institution, it is certainly destined not to grow any more for years, but to actually retrograde in the point of numbers. And with a falling off in numbers, there will also surely follow a cutting down of appropriations.