NEW YORK STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS. 
 
 REPORT 
 
 Special Committee oe the Assembly 
 
 ON THI 
 
 STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS. 
 
 TRANSMITTED TO THE ASSEMBLY, MAY 19 1879. 
 
 ALBANY: 
 
 WEED, PARSONS ASTD COMPANY, PRINTERS. 
 
 1879. 
 
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 NEW YORK STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS. 
 
 REPORT 
 
 OP THB 
 
 Special Committee of the Assembly 
 
 ON THE 
 
 STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS. 
 
 TRANSMITTED TO THE ASSEMBLY, MAY 19, 1879. 
 
 ( BstsQ Assembly Docukeitt No. 152. ) 
 
 ALBANY: 
 
 WEED, PARSONS AKD C0HPA2TY, PRIITTERS. 
 1879. 
 
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EEPORT. 
 
 To THE Assembly : 
 
 The undersigned, the special committee appointed pursuant to a 
 resolution passed January 28, 1878, to consider and report whether 
 the State normal schools are fulfilling their original purpose, and 
 what, if any, further legislation is necessary to increase their useful- 
 ness, and concerning the equities which the localities where the nor- 
 mal schools are situated claim to have, in regard to academic depart- 
 ments connected with such schools, submit the following report : 
 
 The purpose for which the normal schools were established, is 
 shown in their name ; in the acts under which they were established, 
 and by that part of the history of education in this State, which has 
 a bearing upon the subject. 
 
 Whatever may have been the original significance of the name 
 normal school, it had come to have a well-defined meaning long 
 before it was first used in our State legislature. A normal school 
 was then and is now understood to mean one designed to prepare 
 teachers for the profession of teaching. Such schools are based upon 
 the fact that special preparatory training for teachers is essential 
 in order to secure the best results from common schools. 
 
 The schools under consideration are not only normal schools, but 
 State normal schools, thereby indicating that they constitute a part 
 of our State system of public instruction ; that they are supported 
 by the State in order to promote the efficiency of the State schools ; 
 and that they are intended to furnish better teachers, more enlight- 
 ened methods of instruction, and results more in keeping with the 
 progress made in other forms of social and industrial life. 
 
 The first of our State normal schools was established under an 
 act, passed May 7, 1844, entitled, " An act for the establishment of 
 a normal school." The purpose for which this was done is ex- 
 pressed in the first section of that act, in the following words : 
 
" For the instruction and practice of teachers of common schools 
 in the science of education and in the art of teaching." 
 
 This school was to he located in the county of Albany, and to be 
 under the supervision of the superintendent of common schools, 
 and the regents of the university. By this act provision was made 
 for the annual payment of ten thousand dollars during a period of 
 &ye years for the maintenance of the school. Afterward the ap- 
 propriation was continued and increased. The need of more nor- 
 mal schools was soon felt, and in 1866 (chapter 4:Q6), an act was 
 passed providing for the establishment of four other " normal and 
 training schools for the education and discipline of teachers for the 
 common schools of this State." Under this act the Brockport, Cort- 
 land, Fredonia and Potsdam normal schools came into existence. 
 Subsequently and under the general provisions of the same act, three 
 others were added, namely, those at Buffalo, Geneseo and Oswego. 
 The school at Oswego grew out of one founded in 1861, by the city 
 of Oswego, for the training of primary teachers for that city. In 
 1863 the legislature provided for an annual appropriation of three 
 thousand dollars during ten years, for that school, conditioned upon 
 the free tuition of not less than fifty teachers for the common schools 
 of the State at large. In 1865 this sum was doubled on condition 
 that the city of Oswego should provide a suitable building for the 
 school. In 1867 this school also became to the full extent a State 
 normal school, under the provisions of the act of 1866 above referred 
 to. These eight are all the State normal schools yet established. 
 
 The mind or purpose of the State in respect to them is evident 
 also from the history of the process which resulted in their 
 establishment. From a very early period in the history of the 
 State, our governors and others, especially those having educa- 
 tional interests in charge, have had great solicitude in respect to 
 the qualification of teachers for the common schools. They 
 have seen the deficiency, and the necessity for some remedy. 
 It is worth while to note the development of the normal school 
 idea as indicated by annual messages of our State governors, to the 
 legislature. In nothing have these governors better vindicated the 
 wisdom of the people in their election, than by their noble and 
 statesmanlike utterances in behalf of popular education. We shall 
 observe continued progress both toward a clear conception of the 
 , evils to be corrected and the remedy to be applied. What was at 
 first scarcely more than a feeling of want was in time developed 
 into a comprehensive plan for meeting the necessities of the case. 
 
Beginning with the present century, we find Governor John Jay, 
 in his annual message to the legislature in 1800, earnestly recom- 
 mending to the " notice and patronage " of the legislature, " our 
 institutions for the education of youth." He then adds : " The 
 importance of common schools is best estimated by the good effects 
 of them where they most abound and are lest regulated ^ 
 
 In 1804 Governor Morgan Lewis says : ''" Common schools, under 
 the guidance of resjpectahle teachers^ should be established in every 
 village." 
 
 In 1818 Governor DeWitt Clinton recommended the establish- 
 ment of Lancasterian schools for the education of teachers for the 
 common schools^ as " combination of economy in expense and rapid- 
 ity of instruction." This system, he says, operates in education 
 as "labor-saving machines in the useful arts," by enabling the 
 teacher to do more and better work in a given time. 
 
 This Lancasterian system was founded by one Joseph Lancaster, a 
 Quaker from England, who had a genius for teaching as Governor 
 DeWitt Clinton had for statesmanship. After seeing his schools estab- 
 lished in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, and in parts of 
 Asia and Africa, Lancaster came to this country for the purpose of in- 
 troducing them. Suffice it to say in this connection that his ideas con- 
 tained the germs of what are now known as normal schools, as may 
 appear from the following quotation from a little book written by 
 himself. ^'Teachers," he says, "need first a knowledge of the 
 theory of the system ; secondly, asocial, firm, kind manner of acting 
 upon it, including the operation of their own good principles and 
 character ; thirdly, a practical acquaintance with the system, so as to 
 have all its parts ready at the moment of application. Now the 
 theory may be soon acquired from its great simplicity," (a fuller de- 
 velopment of the theory has shown that even this is both complex 
 and difficult), " but is the acquisition of theory sufficient for the 
 attainment of any art or science ? Do men learn to be good 
 mechanics, designers, engineers or chemists by mere theory or six 
 weeks' observation ? If not, why is the most important office of 
 teacher to be filled by men who spend less time in acquiring the prin- 
 ciples of tuition than women spend in learning to make straw 
 bonnets ? " He also recognized the fact that instruction is sometime 
 given in a manner " against the very grain of nature " and sought 
 to adapt the manner of instruction to the grain of nature. These 
 are the germinal principles of normal schools. To secure the ben- 
 
efits of a system founded upon those principles was the object of 
 the foregoing recommendation by Governor Clinton. 
 
 Again in 1825, Governor Clinton in his annual message to the 
 legislature recommended " the education of competent teachers on 
 the monitorial (or Lancasterian)plan." Again in his annual message 
 to the legislature in 1826, he recommended that ''a seminary for the 
 education of teachers be established for the purpose of providing 
 qualified teachers for the schools." In his annual message in 1827, 
 after speaking of the condition of education, he says : " It is, how- 
 ever, too palpable that our system (of education) is surrounded by 
 imperfections. In the first place there is no provision made for the 
 education of competent instructors. Of the 8,000 now employed 
 in this State, too many are destitute of the requisite qualifications. 
 Perhaps one-fourth of our population is annually instructed in our 
 common schools ; and should the minds and morals of the rising, 
 and perhaps the destiny of all coming generations, be intrusted to 
 the guardianship of incompetency ? The scale of instruction must 
 be elevated ; the standard of education ought to be raised, and a 
 central school on the monitorial plan ought to be established in 
 each county fo'r the education of teachers^ and as exemplars for 
 other momentous purposes connected with the improvement of the 
 human mind." 
 
 Again, in 1828, in his last annual message to the legislature, 
 Governor Clinton speaks of the common school system as being 
 " without those improvements which are requisite to raise the 
 standard of instruction, to enlarge its objects, and to elevate the 
 talents and qualifications of the teachers." In the same connection 
 he says : "It may be taken for granted that the education of 
 the body of the people can never attain the requisite perfec- 
 tion without competent instructors, well acquainted with the 
 outlines of literature and the elements of science." He then 
 recommends a law " authorizing the supervisors of each county 
 to raise a sum not exceeding $2,000, provided the same sum 
 is subscribed by individuals, for the erection of a suitable edifice • 
 for a monitorial high school in the county town," and says, ' ' I can 
 conceive no reasonable objection to the adoption of a measure so 
 well calculated to raise the character of our school-masters, and to 
 double the power of our artisans, by giving them a scientific edu- 
 cation." 
 
 In 1830 Governor Throop, in his annual message, says : " The 
 want of competent teachers is one that has always been experienced, 
 
and still exists. To devise a remedy is well worthy of further 
 efforts. The course of education might be advantageously varied 
 under competent teachers by introducing among the early studies of 
 children those elements of natural science which are easily appre- 
 hended by means of sensible illustrations, and which impart a 
 knowledge of things useful in agricultural and mechanical pur- 
 suits." Here is a valuable suggestion as to the proper scope of 
 common-school education, and one which the normal schools are 
 acting upon. 
 
 In 1833 Governor Marcy says : " One of the most obvious im- 
 provements in relation to common schools would be a plan for sup- 
 plying them with competent teachers." Again, in 1835, he 
 mentions first among the special subjects in relation to common 
 schools to which he was anxious that the attention of the legislature 
 should be particularly directed, " A provision for supplying com- 
 petent teachers, and improvements in the method of instruction." 
 In 1836 he says : " The difficulty of supplying the common 
 schools with competent teachers has presented the greatest obsta^e 
 to the complete success of our system" (of public instruction). 
 In 183Y he says : " The importance of providing competent 
 teachers, and the embarrassments under which the system has 
 hitherto labored for the want of them, must, I think, commend to 
 your favorable regard the suggestion of devoting a part of this 
 income to institutions designed to supply this deficiency." 
 
 In his next and last annual message Governor Marcy says : " Our 
 common school system still labors under embarrassments arising 
 from an inadequate supply of well-qualified teachers ; our colleges 
 and academies have heretofore been relied on to supply, to a con- 
 siderable extent, this deficiency, but it has been quite evident for 
 some time that further provision ought to be made by legislative 
 authority to satisfy the public wants in this respect." " The depart- 
 ment, for educating common-school teachers, erected under the 
 patronage of the State, in eight of the academies, have been in 
 operation about two years, and the last reports from them pre- 
 sent favorable results. The number of students attending them 
 is steadily increasing ; they are resorted to as sources for supplying 
 the demand for teachers, and the services of those instructed in 
 them are on that account considered more valuable, and readily 
 command a high rate of compensation. But no success attending 
 those already established will make them competent to supply 
 in any considerable degree the demand for teachers ; it has 
 
8 
 
 therefore been proposed to increase the number of such depart- 
 ments in each senate district of the State, by devoting to that 
 purpose a portion of the income to be derived from the 
 deposits of the public moneys. It is well worthy your con- 
 sideration, whether still letter results might not he obtained hy 
 county normal schools established and maintained on principles 
 analogous to those on which our system of common schools is 
 founded. If the people were fully sensible how much the useful- 
 ness of our common schools would be increased by being generally 
 furnished with competent instructors, it is presumed they would 
 cheerfully contribute the means required to secure this advantage. 
 Though there are conceded difficulties in the way of procuring an 
 adequate supply of those instructors, yet the cause of education is 
 so deeply interested in having it done to the utmost practicable 
 extent, that you will doubtless regard it as an object every way 
 deserving of your consideration." The above is the first reference 
 to normal schools under that name, so far as the committee have 
 observed. 
 
 This recommendation of county normal schools embraced two 
 elements that must enter into any successful effort to provide quali- 
 fied teachers for the common schools. The first is the establish- 
 ment of schools devoted to the culture and training of teachers — 
 professional schools. The second is the general diffusion of them 
 throughout the State. Both of those ideas were involved, also, in 
 the recommendation made by Governor Clinton in 1827. Each 
 sought to place professional schools within the reach of all. In 
 the following year Gov. Seward, after setting forth in words to be 
 quoted hereafter, the true spirit and scope and legitimate results of 
 the education to be sought in all our schools, even the lowest, recom- 
 mends the adoption of such further legislation as might be necessary 
 in order to engraft the normal school system upon the academies. 
 
 It was not, however, until 1844 that ]S"ew York established her 
 first normal school. So far as the committee are aware, this was 
 the first purely professional school for teachers established by the 
 State upon any thing like a reliable and efficient basis. It had 
 already been done by Massachusetts and many European countries, 
 especially Germany. For forty years the State of New York had 
 been urged by men of her own choice — a long line of illustrious 
 chief magistrates — to make provision for this fundamental necessity 
 of her school system, namely, a supply of qualified teachers. To 
 make this beginning even, required the wide wisdom and persistent 
 
9 
 
 energy of Geo. Clinton, John Jay, Morgan Lewis, Daniel D. 
 Tompkins, DeWitt Clinton, Enos T. Throop, William L. Marcy, 
 William H. Seward and others. During these forty years they, 
 with others, had been engaged in carrying forward a policy of 
 internal improvements whereby the material resources of the State 
 were to be developed. They saw that a policy of internal improve- 
 ment, that did not include the people themselves, was radically and 
 fatally defective. Hence, while improving the means of inter- 
 communication, they were also solicitous about securing means of 
 developing the infinitely higher wealth of intelligence and character. 
 
 Although successive legislatures had been urged to establish pro- 
 fessional schools under different names, " Lancasterian schools for 
 teachers," " seminaries for the instruction of teachers," and "county 
 normal schools, " yet they seemed very slow to see the necessity of 
 doing so. They tried to find some shorter road, some more economi- 
 cal way to reach the same result. Hence, $150,000 was added 
 to the literature fund in order to increase the efficiency of the 
 academies. For the purposes of- general education this was wisely 
 done, but it did not meet the specific want. In 1835 another experi- 
 ment was tried, provision being made for engrafting a teachers' 
 department upon one academy in each of the Senate districts, then 
 eight in number, afterward twice as many, and with increased appro- 
 priations. This was doubtless a step in the right direction, and 
 benefit resulted from it. Here was more than a teachers' class 
 taught during one-third of a year. It was a department maintained 
 throughout the year. Some foresaw and foretold the result of this 
 effort to solve the problem, but it was considered worthy at least 
 of a fair trial. It seemed to be economical. Its advantages could 
 be diffused throughout the State. Upon the tria], however, these 
 teachers' departments proved to be subordinate to the general 
 scheme of academic instruction. They were an incident. They 
 seem never to have become a vital, governing force in the acade- 
 mies to which they were attached. 
 
 Yery.much good was undoubtedly accomplished by them, and 
 yet as a substitute for professional schools they seem not to have 
 been successful. Hence the necessity of beginning again upon the 
 more substantial basis which had been specifically recommended by 
 Governors Clinton and Marcy, and which was in harmony with the 
 other recommendations which we have cited, and in opposition to 
 which we found no recommendation or suggestion. This first nor- 
 2 
 
10 
 
 mal school was soon found to be but the beginning and not the 
 completion of the normal-school system. The work of raising the 
 standard of teaching in the common schools of the State was aided 
 from time to time by teachers' classes, teachers' institutes and teach- 
 ers' associations ; all helping to awaken an interest in the subject, 
 and to improve the methods of teaching. These auxiliaries were 
 useful for inspiration and suggestion, but inadequate to meet the 
 demand for patient, sustained and continued discipline and training. 
 
 The committee desire very briefly to indicate the line of thought 
 and effort leading to the establishment of other State normal schools, 
 in order to ascertain more fully the purpose for which these schools 
 are maintained, and to show the vitality and gradual development 
 of that purpose. 
 
 In 1847 Governor Young says: "The State normal school con- 
 tinues to advance in public estimation and public usefulness. Its 
 only object is to improve the teachers of the common schools." In 
 1848 he says : " The practical importance of the State normal school 
 for the education of teachers is beginning to be felt." 
 
 In 1849 Governor Fish, speaking of the normal school, says : 
 " This school is doing a great and good work. It has ceased to be 
 an experiment." In 1850 he says : " The benefits resulting from 
 this institution are fully justifying the warmest anticipations of its 
 friends, and are making themselves manifest in the improvement 
 already effected among the teachers of the common schools." In 
 1851, Governor Hunt says : " It is contributing largely to the 
 progress of popular education," and " it is of the highest importance 
 that this institution should continue to receive an ample support." 
 
 The value of this normal school having been demonstrated by 
 experience, the need of more of them in the great State of 'New 
 York was naturally felt and hence in 1865 Governor Fen ton says : 
 " The propriety of making more ample provisions for an annual 
 supply of more thoroughly qualified teachers is suggested. Credit- 
 able provision for this purpose has already been made in the normal 
 school teachers' classes, in the academies, teachers' institutes and the 
 Oswego training school for primary teachers ; but these as now sup- 
 ported are manifestly inadequate to supply so great a demand." 
 Again in 1866, speaking of the above agencies, he says : " It is 
 suggested that the institutions are not adequate to the wants of the 
 schools, which require more than 20,000 teachers annually and that 
 their increase is demanded by considerations of economy and of 
 duty to those whose love of knowledge and progress in virtue are 
 
11 
 
 so largely dependent upon the zeal, ability and training of their in- 
 structors. I thereforq suggest to you the propriety of establishing 
 other normal and training schools, and of giving additional facili- 
 ties and support to those already in operation." 
 
 In 1867 he says : " The advantages drawn from the two normal 
 schools already established and the conceded want of a greater num- 
 ber of thoroughly qualified teachers induced the last legislature to 
 appoint a commission to invite proposals for the establishment of 
 four more such schools. The commission received applications from 
 various localities, making most liberal offers of land, buildings, all 
 necessary furniture and apparatus, or their equivalent in money, 
 and upon full consideration, Potsdam, Cortland, Brockport and 
 Fredonia were selected. The commission being impressed by the 
 public spirit manifested in generous offers from so many places, and 
 by the interest so generally felt in the special preparation of teach- 
 ers for their work, adopted the following preamble and resolution : 
 
 " "Whereas, It is manifest to this commission that the number of 
 the normal schools authorized by chapter 4:QQ, of the Laws of 1866, 
 is entirely inadequate to the public requirement ; and whereas, 
 liberal proposals have been made in various portions of the State 
 for a number of schools more nearly adequate to the public wants, 
 therefore, 
 
 Besolved, That we earnestly recommend to the legislature to au- 
 thorize the designation of location of six additional schools, on the 
 same terms and conditions as in the act above cited." 
 
 In the following year he says : " The establishment of two 
 additional normal schools has been authorized by law, one at Buf- 
 falo and one at Geneseo. The liberality and public spirit of the 
 people of these places will not fail to consummate an enterprise of 
 so much local and general importance." 
 
 What, therefore, ISTew York expects from her normal schools is 
 apparent from their name, from the acts under which they were 
 established, and from an outline of the educational movement lead- 
 ing to their establishment. JS^ew Tork recognized the fact that 
 her schools are what the teachers make them ; that no expen- 
 ditures however liberal for school-houses and all the appurtenances 
 thereunto belonging can make a good school ; that the supreme 
 need is that of knowledge, culture and skill in her teachers. For 
 the purpose of securing this the normal schools were created and 
 are maintained. 
 
 The foregoing shows not only what the purpose is, but 
 
12 
 
 also how deeply rooted it is in the policy of the State. It also 
 shows that the present normal schools are the fruitage of a growth 
 running back to the beginning of the century. No present discussion 
 in regard to these schools can properly leave out of account this his- 
 toric development. 
 The next inquiry is : 
 
 ARE THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS FULFILLINa THE PURPOSE 
 FOR WHICH THEY WERE CREATED ? 
 
 This question could be intelligently answered only by a personal 
 inspection of the schools. The committee have therefore visited 
 each of the normal schools of the State ; they also accepted an 
 invitation to visit the JSTormal College of the City of New York. 
 The committee sought to ascertain both what is common to them 
 all and the individual character and distinguishing features of each. 
 In making their examinations they exercised the utmost freedom, 
 bringing themselves so far as possible into personal contact with 
 teachers and pupils, in order to understand the spirit and purpose 
 of their work as well as its results. They observed the schools both 
 when assembled in chapel and then distributed into classes, observ- 
 ing the bearing of each and the manner of conducting the exercises, 
 and at the close of the day they met the faculties and in most cases 
 the local boards, in order that the fullest opportunity for question- 
 ing and conference might be afforded. At these interviews every 
 teacher and department were subjected to the test involved in the 
 pm-pose for which they were established. In the examination the 
 question kept constantly in view was not merely are they good 
 schools ; but are they good normal schools ? Are they honestly 
 and intelligently devoting themselves to the culture and training of 
 teachers for the public schools ? This has been the principle guid- 
 ing the committee in all its examinations. The work was greatly 
 facilitated by the readiness with which all concerned responded to, 
 and aided their efforts, none shrinking from the most severe and 
 searching inquiries which the committee were able to make. 
 
 Each of the normal schools has very much in common with all 
 the rest. They are conducted according to the same general ideas, 
 and upon very similar plans, and though there are diversities of opera- 
 tion in some respects, unity of spirit and general method prevails. 
 This general agreement enabled the committee to arrive at more sat- 
 isfactory conclusions, because the examination of each shed addi- 
 tional light upon all the others. 
 
13 
 
 The committee were everywhere impressed with the excellent 
 demeanor of the pupils ; all seem to have learned the first essential 
 to good teaching, viz.: how to govern themselves. The high 
 moral sense of the pupils seems to have secured good order and 
 earnest work. In all the schools, except that at Albany, the pupils, 
 when not otherwise engaged, sit in the chapel with no teacher 
 in attendance merely to maintain order. A pupil who cannot 
 be trusted, ought not to be and is not tolerated in any of the 
 schools, and so far as the committee could see, and they had good 
 opportunity to observe, the pupils in all the schools, without ex- 
 ception, are characterized by high self-respect and earnest fidelity. 
 The deportment of pupils, in every exercise, evinced the same 
 spirit. 
 
 All the principals and faculties of the several schools impressed 
 us as being faithful and competent teachers, earnestly devoting 
 their energies to the improvement of the public schools. That they 
 are doing an exceedingly valuable work for the State, we think 
 admits of no doubt. 
 
 The general purpose of the schools involves four specific objects, 
 viz. : 
 
 First. Culture of pupils — physical, intellectual and moral. 
 
 Second, Knowledge of subjects. 
 
 Third. Instruction in methods of teaching. 
 
 Fourth. Actual practice in methods taught. 
 
 With these things in mind, the " Departments," so-called, and 
 operation of the schools, may be easily understood. In them all 
 are what correspond to the following, viz. : 
 
 Normal Departments. 
 
 Intermediate Departments. 
 
 Primary Departments. 
 
 As the term normal school is equivalent in our educational par- 
 lance to what has been called a " seminary for the instruction of 
 teachers, ' ' we think it unfortunate, because misleading, to designate 
 any part of the school as a "normal department," implying, as it 
 seemingly does, that the other departments do not legitimately 
 belong to the school ; that they are, to some extent, foreign to it, 
 instead of being, as they actually are, proper and efficient parts of 
 it, as necessary as practice is to the learning of any art. This will 
 more fully appear after calling attention to the various kinds of 
 work done in the schools. 
 
 In some of the rooms the committee found the teachers engaged 
 
14: 
 
 in hearing classes in the subjects commonly taught in our public 
 schools, and in those designed to give the pupils general culture and 
 lay the foundation for special professional training. In others, 
 instruction was being given in the science of teaching and in all 
 that pertains to the proper organization, government and conduct 
 of a school. All this belongs to what has been called the ]S"ormal 
 Department. The ends there sought being knowledge of subjects, 
 general culture, and a correct theory of teaching ; that is, one that 
 is both philosophical and practical, in the highest sense practical be- 
 cause in the truest sense philosophical. 
 
 In this department, however, there is no opportunity to test theo- 
 ries, to illustrate, vivify and really appropriate correct methods of 
 school work. Hence the need of a training department which is 
 simply a place for putting in practice and more fully developing the 
 theories that have been taught. The practice or training depart- 
 ment is usually divided into the primary and intermediate depart- 
 ments according to the age and advancement of the pupils. These 
 pupils come in from localities where the schools are situated. 
 Their ages range, say from six to sixteen years. They are repre- 
 sentatives of the various grades which the normal pupils will be 
 called upon to teach when they go out into the public schools of 
 the State. These primary and intermediate pupils are classified 
 by, or under, the direction of the expert teachers, and when so 
 classified they are instructed by the normal pupils, under the same 
 supervision. 
 
 In all the schools we found normal scholars teaching these pri- 
 mary and more advanced or intermediate classes, thus putting into 
 practical operation the theories of teaching under the supervision 
 of the normal teachers and critics. Sometimes other normal 
 pupils observe the teaching as done by one of their own number, 
 and in this way we found recitations going on at the same time in 
 different rooms in reading, spelling, arithmetic, grammar and geog- 
 raphy, some of the normal scholars having charge for the time 
 being of each class. After that, and usually near the close of the 
 day, these pupils who have been acting as teachers, as well as those 
 who have been *' observing," meet, and one of the normal critics 
 who has been watching their work duriug the day, reviews it, point- 
 ing out and explaining not only the errors, but the excellencies 
 observed. In addition the pupil-teachers question and are ques- 
 tioned as to what is well or ill done, and suggestions are made by 
 way of improvement. 
 
15 
 
 The committee were very deeply impressed with the great value 
 of this exercise, affording an opportunity as it does for looking at 
 the matter in hand from a variety of standpoints; for the correc- 
 tion of errors before they harden into habits. By it, also, excellen- 
 cies are ascertained and developed, and professional zeal is awak- 
 ened, given principles of teaching are tested, corrected and 
 exemplified. Without it the abstract instruction elsewhere given 
 in the *' Science of Education and the Art of Teaching," would 
 necessarily lose much of its value. 'No one would think of learn- 
 ing any other art without trying to practice it, and that, too, with 
 one who had already learned it. In all the schools except that at 
 Albany we found ample material afforded for this work in the large 
 attendance of scholars in the intermediate and primary divisions, 
 from the respective localities, and at Albany we were glad to see 
 that, recognizing its importance, efforts were being made by the 
 teachers having this matter in charge for increasing the number in 
 these divisions. 
 
 The foregoing statements will perhaps make it sufficiently evi- 
 dent that these different departments, so-called, are all essential to 
 the completeness of any scheme of Normal school instruction. The 
 committee are of the opinion that no part of the same can be wisely 
 dispensed with. The same normal school system under somewhat 
 different names is adopted in other States. 
 
 In all their departments, the work seems to be carried on under 
 the influence of one governing purpose, namely, that of preparing 
 the students to teach well. That these schools derive their forma- 
 tive and distinctive character from that purpose, cannot be doubted. 
 It is reasonable to expect that they will be increasingly successful 
 in accomplishing it. 
 
 If the normal schools could find the req^uisite number of pupils 
 who had already attained the first two objects sought, viz. : general 
 culture and knowledge of subjects, before entering the normal 
 school, they might, and doubtless would, devote themselves more 
 fully to the directly professional work expressed in the last two 
 objects above named, viz., instruction in methods and actual prac- 
 tice in methods taught. The testimony of all the schools, however, 
 is that 'the pupils seeking admission do not possess such thorough- 
 ness of knowledge and such a degree of culture as would justify 
 the exclusion of all but purely professional work. It may well be 
 doubted whether such exclusion would be practicable under any 
 circumstances. It will be borne in mind that those pupils only are 
 
16 
 
 admitted who have been appointed by the State superintendent of 
 public instruction, upon the recommendation of the several school 
 commissioners, or city superintendents of the localities where they 
 reside. Hence it will be seen that the State and the several cities 
 and counties, through their proper representatives, decide who shall 
 be admitted to these Stal^ schools, subject to an examination by 
 the normal faculties. It is designed to admit only those who have 
 " good health, good moral character, average ability, and who are 
 able to pass a fair examination in reading, spelling, geography, 
 arithmetic (as far as the roots), and be able to analyze and parse 
 simple sentences." But it is found impracticable to adhere strictly 
 even to this standard. It is undoubtedly true that the pupils who 
 actually come for admission require much thorough instruction in 
 the subjects themselves, as well as in the way to teach them. There 
 must be much more discipline than the pupil generally has before 
 entering upon the normal course, in order to enable him to com- 
 prehend the principles of the science and art of teaching, and, above 
 all, to become in himself what the teacher, especially of children, 
 ought to be. 
 
 We have had and shall have much to say about the art of teach- 
 ing. To avoid misunderstanding we wish to add that we do not 
 mean the learning of any set rules, nor any amount of mere facility > 
 in going through the round of school duties, although there are 
 ways of doing some things which are so obviously the correct ones 
 that they come to have the force of rules. Teaching doubtless has 
 its technics. At the same time it must never be forgotten that it 
 is one human spirit working upon other human spirits, awakening 
 and directing thought, evolving power, forming habits, shaping 
 character, and helping to determine the motive and the result of all 
 subsequent life. 
 
 The committee sought to ascertain whether or not the prelimi- 
 nary work is so conducted as to be also instruction in teaching. 
 They found that here as elsewhere, the pupil is considered as the 
 future teacher ; that " every teacher in the normal school is ex- 
 pected to be by example and precept a teacher of didactics.' ' 
 
 By law each county of the State is entitled to twice as many 
 pupils in each of the normal and training schools as it has* repre- 
 sentatives in the assembly. The committee could not learn that 
 any county had been refused its due representation in any of the 
 schools. Of course the number in attendance from the several 
 counties in any given school is determined mainly by the relative 
 
17 
 
 distance. For example, many of the remote counties would be 
 likely to be unrepresented at the Buffalo or Potsdam schools, while 
 the counties of Erie and St. Lawrence, and those adjacent would 
 send pupils to fill the vacancies. The representation of counties 
 in the several schools was found to correspond very nearly with 
 what might be expected from their geographical positions, both 
 with reference to each other and to the State at large. The fol- 
 lowing is the number of counties represented in each of the schools 
 at the time of the committee's visit, viz : 
 
 Albany 40 Fredonia 8 
 
 Brockport 33 Geneseo 17 
 
 Buffalo 6 Potsdam 10 
 
 Cortland 21 Oswego 32 
 
 The committee also found that all pupils on entering the normal 
 schools are required to sign a declaration in writing that their ob- 
 ject in coming to the school is to prepare themselves to teach in 
 the public schools of the State, and that they intend to teach in 
 those schools. 
 
 On the part of the pupils, there is a manifest earnestness in their 
 work and every indication that they are faithfully fulfilling and in- 
 tending to fulfill " their part of the contract." We think no one 
 could visit these schools in their various branches and departments, 
 examine the work and those who do it, conversing with teachers 
 and pupils in regard to what they are doing and the purpose for 
 which they are doing it, without coming to the conclusion that they 
 are in full sympathy with the State in this effort to secure compe- 
 tent teachers for the public schools. We used all the means at 
 command for ascertaining the facts bearing on this matter, and were 
 led to believe that upward of ninety per cent of the pupils, who 
 have gone out from the normal schools of the State, have engaged 
 in teaching ; that some of the remainder have been prevented by 
 sufficient reasons, and instances of intentional violation of the obli- 
 gation assumed on entering the schools are very rare indeed. 
 
 Our examination showed that a large number of students now in 
 the normal schools had already entered upon the profession of 
 teaching and had thus practically discovered deficiencies in their 
 qualifications which they sought to remedy at the normal schools. 
 Yery many also, who had never taught previous to their entrance 
 as pupils at the normal schools, have alternated teaching in the 
 schools outside with study and training at the normals, using the 
 3 
 
18 
 
 one to furnish means for the continued prosecution of the other. 
 We incline to recommend such alternation, even if it were not a 
 necessity. These pupils have an earnest enthusiasm in their work, 
 and we believe the State has much to gain from its liberality in 
 aiding them thus to qualify for the profession of teaching. The 
 examination of the several normal schools developed the following 
 additional facts : Each of the normal schools has a classical course 
 of study except that at Albany. These courses embrace Latin, 
 Greek, German and French in most of the schools. While it is 
 deemed desirable by the faculties that eack graduate should have 
 some acquaintance with them, yet in respect to most of those 
 languages, their pursuit is optional, rather than obligatory. , About 
 thirty-five per cent of the pupils avail themselves of the opportun- 
 ity to study one or more of those languages. 
 
 Since their organization the schools have been growing in im- 
 portance and influence, and in the attendance upon them. The 
 average attendance upon each of them during the first five years 
 since the organization was two hundred and nine (209). Dur- 
 ing the last five years it was two hundred and ninety-one (291.) 
 When we consider that the first five years were during a period 
 of business prosperity and that the last five years have been times 
 of depression in every branch of industry, the committee believe 
 that the condition and prospects of the normal schools are decidedly 
 encouraging. From twenty-five to thirty per cent of all the nor- 
 mal pupils complete the prescribed course and graduate. The 
 remainder pursue from one-half to three-fourths of the pre- 
 scribed course, according to their necessities or peculiar circum- 
 stances. While it is desirable that every student should complete 
 the course, the committee are glad to be able to state that the 
 schools are so conducted that every portion of their instruction is 
 of benefit to the pupil in preparing for teaching, increasingly so in 
 proportion as opportunity is extended. 
 
 At the time of the examination of the schools there was an aggre- 
 gate attendance of about seventeen hundred and fifty normal pupils, 
 in addition to two hundred and sixteen pupils termed " Aca- 
 demic," These normal pupils all make a declaration of intention to 
 teach, and though the academic scholars do not, it is a fact that 
 very many of them, also, become so imbued with the professional 
 spirit as to enter the list as teachers. The committee are informed 
 that many of them, after pursuing the academic course for a time, 
 
19 
 
 enter the normal classes and make the required declaration of their 
 determination to teach. 
 
 In speaking of academic departments, we deem it necessary to 
 make a further explanation less we may be misunderstood. While 
 there are academic scholars in all of the normal schools except Albany 
 and Oswego, there is no specific academic department in any except 
 Brockport and Fredonia, and in these the teachers employed as 
 academic teachers do much normal work. All the schools having 
 academic scholars in attendance do so by virtue of the equities 
 and rights under which the schools were organized, as more fully 
 appeared by our report made to the legislature upon that subject 
 bearing date May 14, 1878. These academic pupils are admitted 
 free of tuition at Cortland and Fredonia, provided they reside 
 within the limits of the respective villages. All the academic scholars 
 at the other schools pay tuition . With the exception of Brock- 
 port, Geneseo and Fredonia, no additional classes are required 
 for the accommodation of these academic pupils. At Geneseo 
 there is but one additional recitation daily, occupying forty minutes. 
 The academic pupils are subject to the same general discipline 
 and government as the normal scholars. At several of the schools 
 a considerable revenue is derived from these academic pupils, nota- 
 bly at Brockport, where the entire expense of that department is 
 borne from its receipts, and leaving an average yearly surplus of 
 seven hundred and sixty dollars to be applied toward the payment 
 of the general expenses of the school. So, too, at Geneseo ; the 
 academic students pay from $24.00 to $32.00 per year, yielding a 
 revenue to the school of an average of $1,400.00 per year, which is 
 applied to incidental expenses, and the purchase of apparatus, etc., 
 not strictly provided for by the law authorizing the school, but still 
 important and necessary. At the time of the visit of the committee 
 there were in attendance at the schools named, academic pupils as 
 follows : 
 
 Brockport 74 Geneseo 62 
 
 Cortland." 13 Potsdam 20 
 
 Fredonia 41 Buffalo 6 
 
 This gives an aggregate attendance of 216 academic pupils. These 
 schools were not established for the benefit of this class of pupils, 
 but the State loses nothing financially by allowing their at- 
 tendance. The only question is whether* or not their presence 
 interferes with the proper work of the schools. This is certainly 
 
20 
 
 a liability against which the schools should constantly guard. 
 As at present conducted the committee were unable to discover 
 that they operated as a disturbing force, or that these pupils divert 
 the school from its proper work or impair their professional vigor. 
 "Whatever incidental benefit accrues to the locality to that extent < 
 contributes to the general welfare. 
 
 So far as the committee can ascertain the normal pupils are gen- 
 erally sought after as teachers, especially where they have been tried. 
 In some instances local prejudices exist, which have prevented the 
 State from realizing the full measure of benefit which it would 
 otherwise have derived. These prejudices, however, seem to have 
 largely given way, as the system of normal schools and their results 
 become better known. In many places an entirely new character 
 seems to have been given to the public schools, by teachers from 
 the normal schools, and a new interest taken in them by the commu- 
 nities in which they are situated. 
 
 Of course some fail in this profession as there are failures in all 
 other professions. The exception does not disprove the rule. These 
 failures the. normal schools seek to prevent by withholding its diplo- 
 mas from those who show in the practicing school that they lack 
 ability to conduct a school successfully. 
 
 While all the schools are doing excellent work, it is proper that 
 we should report more particularly concerning some of them. 
 The Faculty and Local Board of the Buffalo School feel that they 
 have, and from the first have had peculiar difficulties to contend with. 
 The school itself compares favorably with the other schools of the 
 State. But the committee are satisfied that its usefulness is greatly 
 impaired by unfriendly local influences. These influences have worked 
 against the normal school almost, if not quite, from its organization. 
 
 There is a lack of harmony between it and the city schools. 
 Without attempting to decide whether the opposition arises from 
 personal or political influences, or both, we are clearly of the opin- 
 ion that they spring from causes altogether apart from the merits of 
 the normal school itself. One of the results of this opposition is, 
 as the committee are informed, that normal graduates, in many 
 cases, are refused positions in the public schools of the city, 
 while others are employed who have had no professional train- 
 ing. This has operated to discourage ambitious pupils from 
 entering the school and prevented the State from deriving the 
 full measure of benefit from those who have entered and gradu- 
 ated. Here is certainly a condition of things which cannot be 
 
21 
 
 permanently tolerated. It is also an unnatural state of affairs. 
 The city itself, with the county of Erie, expended $90,000 for 
 the erection of the building. The State annually appropriates about 
 $18,000 for its support. It was intended to benefit the State at 
 large by helping to educate all the children of one of its most 
 important cities. It sought to do this by placing within its reach 
 the means of training the teachers for its public schools. Of course 
 it was intended to benefit other localities. But this particular 
 school would properly be expected to be of especial service to 
 this city, which owes its greatness to the liberal policy of the State 
 in other matters, and which has now come to be the third city of 
 the State, nearly half as large as some of the smaller States of the 
 Union. The State has a right to expect that this, with other 
 localities, will co-operate with it in accomplishing the ends sought. 
 While we do not recommend any immediate action in regard to 
 this school, we deem it our duty to call the attention of the State 
 to matters there as they are represented to us. 
 
 The committee believe that the difficulty may be removed, pro- 
 vided the people of the city will take the matter into their own 
 hands, with the determination that the school authorities of the 
 city shall not refuse trained, skilled instructors for the schools, 
 when such can be obtained. These school officers derive their 
 authority from the people, and should properly represent them in 
 a hearty appreciation and thorough appropriation of the benefits of 
 professionally trained and qualified teachers. 
 
 Special notice should be made of the school at Fredonia. It 
 was opened in 1868 and continued for one year under the manage- 
 ment of the superintendent of public instruction and of a local 
 board. In 1863 the school came under the exclusive control of the 
 superintendent and so continued until 1874. Since that time it has 
 had a local board. This anomalous condition from 1869 to 1874 
 seems to have grown out of certain antagonisms,which the committee 
 believe have now nearly passed away, and which need not be enum- 
 erated here, except so far as it may be necessary in order to under- 
 stand the present condition and prospects of the school. 
 
 The village of Fredonia, with a population of less than 3,000 
 inhabitants, expended $100,000 for the purchase and improvement 
 of a site " and for erecting school buildings thereon for said normal 
 and training school with departments for academical, experimental 
 and practicing schools, and for furnishing the same with all needful 
 school furniture, apparatus and books," (see Laws of 1867, chapter 
 
22 
 
 223). To do this evinced a most commendable appreciation of the 
 value of education. They had long maintained an academy of a high 
 order. Under these circumstances, in addition to the assurances said 
 to have been given by the then superintendent, it is not surprising that 
 there should have been some difficulty in harmonizing the claims of 
 the State with those of the locality. We think, however, that this 
 would have been done long ago had it not been for other condi- 
 tions, which, in the past, have impaired the usefulness of the school, 
 and to some extent rendered it a disappointment and an embarrass- 
 ment to the friends of normal schools. 
 
 Prof. Palmer became principal of the school in IN^ovember, 1878, so 
 that at the time of the committee's visit he had been principal only 
 about three months. Not enough time had been given to enable the 
 school under present conditions to fully develop its capacity for use- 
 fulness as a normal school. The committee, however, believe that the 
 future will justify the expectation that it will soon take its place in 
 line with the other normal schools of the State. There seemed to be a 
 united and earnest purpose on the part of the faculty and local board to 
 make the school all that the State expects of it. It has an able and 
 faithful body of teachers. Complaint has been made that the aca- 
 demic department has been allowed to encroach upon the normal 
 and training departments. However this may have been in the 
 past, the committee believe that there is now a common determin- 
 ation on the part of the citizens, officers and teachers, to give the 
 academic department its proper subordinate place. It is only just 
 to add, that the school is now doing excellent work, we think it has 
 all the elements of still higher success, and that they are working 
 together with the prospect of attaining it. 
 
 The Albany normal school has but one course, and that for two 
 years only. In addition to this we think there should be a more 
 extended course ; it is desirable that those who can should enjoy for 
 a longer time the benefits of the school, and so prepare themselves 
 for still better work as instructors. We think the effort now mak- 
 ing to secure a greater number of pupils for the practicing school 
 should be encouraged and aided. At present the number of young 
 pupils for the normal scholars to instruct while serving their 
 apprenticeship is altogether too small. It does not represent the 
 schools they will hereafter teach ; at present these primary pupils 
 pay tuition. We think that the advantage to the State resulting 
 from an increased number of these primary pupils would far more 
 than compensate for the loss of the tuition fees. It is to be regretted 
 
23 
 
 that the school buildiDg is not better adapted to its uses. Both here 
 and at Brockport there is too much climbing of stairs, especially for 
 the young women, since this is believed to impair their health and 
 thereby cause a loss of effective vigor, which neither the State nor 
 the individual can afford. We noticed, however, that the arrange- 
 ment of the classes is such as to make the best of the situation. 
 Except as above indicated, the rooms seemed fairly well adapted to 
 the wants of the school. We desire to add that here, as elsewhere, 
 a high degree of professional intelligence and zeal pervades the 
 school ; and that the teachers had evidently been selected with great 
 care, and are doing work of a high order. We think more time in 
 the practicing department and attention to methods is desirable. 
 
 • Text-Booes. 
 
 Another matter intrusted to the committee was in pursuance of 
 a resolution adopted by the assembly, March 19, 1878, by which 
 the committee were instructed " to investigate and report whether 
 any teachers or officials of the State normal schools in the employ 
 and service of the State, have been or are, directly or indirectly, 
 interested, pecuniarily, in any school books, or school apparatus 
 used in them and the common schools of the State." 
 
 The committee has pursued its investigation in view of the above 
 resolution, so far as the normal schools are concerned, and would 
 state the following as the result : 
 
 Albany. — Dr. J; Alden, the principal, is the author, and inter- 
 ested in the following books, viz. : 
 
 1. A work on "Intellectual Philosophy." 2. A work on "The 
 Science of Government." 3. A book of extracts for Reading, 
 Thought Analyses, and exercises in Hhetoric. These books are 
 used as text-books at the Albany Normal School, approved by Dr. 
 Wool worth, secretary of the Board of Regents, and chairman 
 of the committee on text-books, and purchased by him. All 
 have been in use ten or twelve years, the first two at least 
 written and published before Dr. A.'s connection with the school. 
 
 Buffalo. — The teacher of drawing is preparing a set of drawing 
 books for the use of graded schools. As far as completed, they are 
 by authority of the city department of education in use in the 
 school of practice at that place. They are not in use in the nor- 
 mal school and will not be, not being adapted to such use. The 
 principal has published a blank form for spelling lessons, and for 
 
24 
 
 composition lessons. Tlie former is used in classes in the normal 
 schools, and practice schools. 
 
 Brockport. — Prof. C. D. McLean, the principal, is the owner of 
 three-eighths of the copyright of McYicar's Arithmetic. 
 
 Cortland. — The principal of this school. Dr. J. H. Hoose, pub- 
 lished in 1876, a small volume entitled '^ Studies in Articulation^^ 
 a book needed for use in drilling in reading and elocution, and 
 adopted as a text-book at this school. In 187Y Miss Martha Roe, 
 teacher of methods and superintendent of the schools of practice, 
 published a small text-book entitled, ''A Worh on Numher^'^ for 
 the junior classes in schools of practice. She began to prepare 
 the work before her connection with the school during her previous 
 years of teaching. This is used as a text-book as above indicated. 
 Prof. Stowell has been at work for some time preparing a " 8yl- 
 l hus in Zoology,^'' not yet, however, ready for the press. A few 
 pages have been published by request of principals of normal 
 schools, in order to supply a basis for uniform work upon the sub- 
 ject in the normal schools. 
 
 In November and December, 18T8, the principal completed 
 a book, entitled '^ On the Province of Methods of Teaching, a Pro- 
 fessional Study." This is now in press. This is designed as a text- 
 book for normal schools, and is strictly professional in its charac- 
 ter, embodying the author' s study and reading for years. It enters 
 into discussions which are purely professional, and supplies a press- 
 ing need, there being but very little of this literature in English 
 for students. He has another professional book well begun, 
 '' On the Theory and Practice of School Government," being 
 an investigation of the subject, which he expects to bring out as a 
 text-book for the profession at large. He has also written a large 
 number of professional essays and lectures, which are believed to 
 have contributed to the advantage of the profession, and to the im- 
 provement not only of the normal schools, but of the entire common- 
 school system. 
 
 Fredonia. — No teacher of this school, or member of the board of 
 control, is in any manner interested pecuniarily in the publication 
 of any text-books for schools. 
 
 Geneseo. — Prof. Wm. J. Milne, principal of this school, wrote and 
 is interested pecuniarily in the sale of a series of mathematical text- 
 books for use in schools. Jerome Allen, professor of natural science, 
 is interested in the sale of some works on " Geography." Mrs. Sarah 
 
25 
 
 F, Fletcher, teacher of English grammar and elementary methods, 
 is interested in the sale of a work on '' Primary Arithmetic." 
 
 Oswego. — Prof. Herman Krusi is the author of a work on the 
 " Philosophy and History of Education," referring especially to the 
 new method. He is also the author of a series of drawing books. 
 Mary Y. Lee, M. D., teacher of anatomy, etc., is the author of a gram- 
 mar. Dr. Edward. A. Sheldon, the principal, is the author of three 
 manuals for teachers, on the " Principles of Education and Methods 
 of Teaching." Also a series of "Reading books" and " Spellers." 
 Each of the teachers and the principal above named hold copy- 
 rights of the books so written and published by them. A number 
 of these books were prepared before the authors had any connection 
 with the school. 
 
 Potsdam. — Dr. M. McYicar, the principal, is the author of 
 six books prepared for use in schools. He is the owner of one- third 
 of the copyright of these books. The treasurer of the local board of 
 trustees owns two-ninths of the copyright of these books. So far as 
 the committee have been able to ascertain no other teachers or 
 members of the local board are interested in the publication of text- 
 books or their sale. The committee are informed that in no case is 
 there any attempt to force these books upon the several schools. 
 They compete with those presented by others for examination, and 
 are adopted because of their superior fitness to supply the wants 
 of the schools. The sale of the books is not made by the au- 
 thors. They are generally placed on sale at the book stores where 
 the schools are situated as other text-books are. 
 
 The importance of good text-books is second only to that of good 
 teachers. They should be written by experts in teaching, with 
 great care, and be the result of well matured thought and experience. 
 It may be reasonably expected therefore of normal school faculties 
 that they will contribute to the improvement of the text-books for the 
 public schools. While advancing and disseminating the science of 
 teaching, they should also increase the facilities for conducting the 
 work of the schools. If our text -books had in all cases been pre- 
 pared by more competent hands and with greater care, there would 
 have been less reason to complain of frequent changes. The poor 
 text-book from the first invites change. What we have said is, of 
 course, with the implied understanding that neither the writing of 
 text-books nor any thing else should be allowed to interfere with 
 the direct work for which the teachers are employed. Furthermore, 
 it is the making of many books " of which there is no end." We 
 4 
 
26 
 
 are rather speaking of books that grow out of the thoughtful ex- 
 perience of the teacher. So far as we have been able to ascertain 
 these books have grown up in the way above indicated, and 'have 
 been prepared without neglect of duty on the part of teachers, 
 and were, as we are informed, compiled and perfected from mate- 
 rials already prepared for their own class and school work. 
 
 The JS'ew York Kokmal College 
 is a notably excellent school, not only in the magnificence and ex- 
 tent of its appointments, but in the system and perfectneps of its 
 management. It is fitted to awaken something much higher than 
 mere personal or local pride, for it cannot fail to inspire a high 
 degree of hopefulness for the future of the city of New York. In 
 various ways its influence will be felt beyond its limits. Great credit 
 is due to the distinguished board of education and to the faculty, 
 especially the president. Dr. Thomas Hunter, under whose 
 supervision and counsel the college was founded and has reached 
 its present high position. 
 
 In Regaed to the Equities 
 
 referred to in the resolution under which the committee were ap- 
 pointed, it is sufficient here to say, that the essential facts in the 
 case could be ascertained without a personal visitation to the schools ; 
 that they accordingly made the examination and submitted their 
 report on this point to the assembly, on the fourteenth day of May, 
 18Y8, accompanied by a resolution instructing the superintendent to 
 annul the order of June 11, 1877, which directed the discontinu- 
 ance of the academic department in the several normal schools. 
 The resolution was unanimously adopted and immediately acted 
 upon by the superintendent. 
 
 The report was substantially as follows : At the Fredonia school 
 the committee find that an academic department is maintained by 
 express authority of a special law passed in 1867. 
 
 At Brockport, at the time of the establishment of the normal 
 school, a large, well-established and prosperous academy, known as 
 the Brockport Collegiate Institute, was in successful operation. The 
 large and commodious buildings erected by the people of Brock- 
 port for an academy, which, with the grounds, was valued at 
 $72,000, were deeded to the State and given up for normal school 
 purposes upon the express assurance of the superintendent of pub- 
 lic instruction, that an academic department would be established 
 
27 
 
 and maintained in the school. Upon like assurance the village 
 raised by tax in addition thereto the sum of $40,000, for the ex- 
 pense of the alterations and improvements that the superintendent 
 of public instruction required. On the completion of the improve- 
 ments and the transfer of the property to the State, an academic 
 department was established and has been maintained, except during 
 a brief interval. 
 
 Potsdam for fifty years had had an academy known as the St. 
 Lawrence academy. In 1866 the lot, building and apparatus, esti- 
 mated to be worth $13,000, was donated to the State on assurances 
 substantially the same as those given by the State in the case of 
 Brockport. In addition to this and upon the same understanding 
 there was assessed and collected from the village and town of Pots- 
 dam and the county of St. Lawrence, the sum of $70,000 for the 
 purpose of erecting the necessary school buildings under the direc- 
 tion of the superintendent of public instruction. The people of 
 Potsdam and St. Lawrence county acted in this matter upon the 
 understanding that the academic department would be maintained 
 in connection with the normal school. 
 
 Cortland also at this time had a prosperous and flourishing 
 academy. The trustees of the village, in pursuance of notice, 
 offered to give $50,000 and a site for a normal school, if one would 
 be located at that place. The State authorities authorized the trus- 
 tees of the village to announce that if the amount was increased to 
 $75,000 and a site, the offer would be accepted, and an academic 
 department would be established and maintained in the school. 
 This assurance was communicated to the citizens and tax payers, and 
 by a vote of 231 to 12 the corporation was bonded for the purpose. 
 In addition to this, the trustees of the academy surrendered their 
 academy lot for a portion of the normal school site, and by resolu- 
 tion donated to the State their library, furniture, chemical apparatus 
 and geological collection, with a condition in the deed of convey- 
 ance that upon the failure of the State to maintain an academic 
 department in the school, the lot and property should revert to the 
 trustees of the academy. On the part of the remaining schools, it 
 is claimed that the equities are equally strong and clear, and substan- 
 tially the same. The inhabitants of these localities would never 
 have consented to be taxed for the establishment of normal schools 
 had they supposed that they would thereby have endangered the 
 existence of their academies. The academic department in these 
 schools, practically necessitates no additional expense to the State, 
 
28 
 
 and in some cases they have been more than self-sustaining. Under 
 the circumstances detailed the committee report that in their opin- 
 ion the academic departments attached to these schools cannot be 
 abrogated consistently with good faith on the part of the State au- 
 thorities. They therefore recommend the adoption of the following 
 resolution : Resolved^ That the superintendent of public instruction 
 be and he hereby is requested to revoke his order of June 11, 187T, 
 discontinuing the academic departments in said normal schools. 
 The grounds on which the equities claimed by the several locali- 
 ties were found to rest were set forth in the report above men- 
 tioned. The evidence to sustain the equities, and upon which the 
 report was based, were annexed to said report and filed with the 
 same. A part of the evidence in the case may be found in the twenty- 
 fourth annual report of the superintendent of public instruction, 
 pp. 53-68. Chapter 223 of the Laws of 1867 is a special act provid- 
 ing for an academic department at Fredonia. l!^otwithstanding the 
 equities in the case there are as elsewhere stated no academic de- 
 partments properly so called, except in two of the normal schools. 
 In the four others having academic pupils, no extra teachers are 
 employed, and no extra class, except in one case where there is one 
 extra recitation of forty minutes each day. 
 
 CONCLUSIONS. 
 
 1. That the normal schools are performing intelligently, effi- 
 ciently and in good faith, the work expected of them by the State. 
 
 2. That the normal schools are an essential part of our public 
 school system, and as such should be liberally and unwaveringly 
 supported. 
 
 3. That without normal schools there would be that waste in the 
 public expenditures which must result from the employment of un- 
 skilled and incompetent teachers, and hence that true economy re- 
 quires their maintenance. 
 
 4. That normal schools should have a settled place in the perma- 
 nent policy of the State, and that henceforth the only question 
 should be, how can they be improved and extended ? 
 
 5. That education should be thorough and progressive, as well as 
 
29 
 
 universal. From such education the State has nothing to fear, but 
 every thing to hope. 
 
 'From the foregoing it is apparent what must be the answer of 
 the committee to the question which has been raised, " whether the 
 normal schools are really worth to the common-school system what 
 they cost." In the first place, from the nature of the case, and from 
 a wide experience both in Europe and America, it is clearly evi- 
 dent that normal schools, properly conducted, are essential to 
 economy, as well as efficiency, in any system of public instruction ; 
 and in the second place, from a personal examination of thd New 
 York State normal schools, we are satisfied that they are properly 
 conducted, and therefore are worth to the system what they cost ; 
 that the annual appropriations for their support are wisely and 
 economically made ; and that the opposite policy would be one of 
 wastefulness. 
 
 With a fair field in which to work, the normal schools are sure 
 to win the confidence of the people. Whether or not any reduction 
 can be made in the expenses of the normal schools, without im- 
 pairing their efficiency or doing injustice to any concerned, will 
 properly continue to receive the attention of the respective local 
 boards. The utmost care should be exercised in selecting normal 
 school teachers. The teachers of teachers should have attained 
 the highest professional excellence, and have special aptness in 
 aiding others to acquire the same. They should not be overtaxed by 
 the daily school work. Some of their strength should be reserved 
 for advancing the science itself, while they seek to understand better 
 the beings to be taught and how to teach them. 
 
 The more complete and perfect development of the normal 
 schools will be from within, by a natural law of growth. Their 
 own investigations, experience, and observation, will lead by ten- 
 tative steps to continual improvements. Whatever changes may 
 be desirable in the work, and methods of the schools, can be 
 wrought out by themselves with greater safety and more permanent 
 benefit, than by legislative intervention. They may, however, be 
 aided by the suggestions of others. 
 
 The committee, therefore, make the following 
 
 EECOMSIENDATIOlSrS. 
 
 1. The nomenclature of normal schools should be so revised as 
 to conform to the real state of the case. 
 
 The terms, "Normal Department," "Primary Department,"^ 
 
30 
 
 "Intermediate Department" and "Academic Department," are 
 used in some of the schools and corresponding terms in others, as 
 if they indicated co-ordinate divisions or branches of the school. 
 This is not the fact. There are really but two principal divisions, 
 or departments, common to all the normal schools. The first is that 
 in which instruction is given in the various branches taught, and in 
 the principles of correct teaching. It is the department of instruc- 
 tion. Co-ordinate with this, and supplementary to it, is that part 
 of the school in which the pupils are trained in the actual work of 
 putting those principles in practice. Here the pupil serves a sort of 
 apprenticeship under the eye of a master. This is, in fact, a depart- 
 ment of practice and training. The name should indicate it. 
 These two divisions are co-ordinate ' and cover the entire field 
 occupied by all but two of the normal schools. 
 They might be called : 
 
 1. The Department of Instruction. 
 
 2. The Department of Practice. 
 
 Or if it be desired to have these names coincide more closely 
 with the name applied to all but one of the schools, viz. : normal 
 and training schools, the following names might be used instead of 
 the above: 
 
 1. The Kormal Department. 
 
 2. The Training Department. 
 
 What are now called in some of the schools " Intermediate "and 
 "Primary Departments," are, in fact, subdivisions of the training 
 or practice department, hence the word " department " should not 
 be applied to them, that name having already been appropriated. 
 They might be called divisions. These again are subdivided into 
 " grades." We should then have departments, divisions and grades, 
 one above the other. 
 
 Again the name "Academic Department" is a misnomer in all 
 the normal schools of the State except Brockport and Fredonia. 
 At Albany and Oswego the name is not used. There is no such 
 thing at Buffalo, Cortland, Potsdam and Geneseo, as an academic 
 department, properly so-called. There are pupils in them who do not 
 promise to teach, but who pay tuition instead. No separate classes 
 are formed for them, except that, at Geneseo, there is one separate 
 recitation daily. They pay for and get instruction in some of the 
 classes in the department of instruction. These may properly be 
 called academic pupils. They do not constitute a department. 
 It is otherwise, however, at Brockport and Fredonia. There the 
 name is still applicable. 
 
31 
 
 2. The standard for admission should be raised, in order to give 
 more time for the purely professional work of the schools. The 
 committee do not forget that the faculties are obliged to select from 
 those who come for admission upon the recommendation of the 
 school commissioners and city superintendents with the approval of 
 the superintendent of public instruction. We do not recommend 
 any violent change from the course now pursued by the normal 
 schools in this matter, but we wish to emphasize the necessity of, 
 and encourage all efforts looking toward, a higher standard of 
 admission. 
 
 3. The committee also recommend that the normal scholars, in 
 addition to the promise to teach, which they now make on entering 
 the schools, should also promise to ' report to the respective princi- 
 pals, during a specified time, as to the teaching actually done by 
 them after leaving the normal school. 
 
 4. That the directly professional work begin the first year, pro- 
 vided it can be done without impairing the scholarship and culture 
 of the pupils, for without these pre-requisites no degree of mere 
 skill can give success in teaching. The two must go together. 
 
 5. That the course of instruction at the Albany ISTormal School 
 be extended so as to include at least another year, if not all that is 
 covered by the courses of the other normal schools. It is believed 
 that none of these includes too much. 
 
 6. Since the complete science and perfect art of teaching is not 
 yet attained, and since the normal schools have the double function 
 of imparting what has been learned, and at the same time working 
 toward something beyond, and since each of our normal schools 
 excels others in some things, the committee recommend that the 
 principals, and as far as may be the faculties, meet as often as 
 practicable, to discuss principles and compare methods ; to the end 
 that each may profit by the thought and experience of all. 
 
 7. One object in placing the first normal school of the State at 
 the capital was to enable the people, especially through their repre- 
 sentatives in the legislature, to see for themselves what the school 
 was doing, and capable of doing for the State. They recommend 
 that the people generally avail themselves of every opportunity to 
 examine all of the normal schools. The committee believe that 
 most of the opposition to them has arisen from, or been supported 
 by, a lack of acquaintance with them. Let them be visited. 
 Let their work be examined. The schools themselves desire it. 
 Great gain would result from it. It would lead to a more in- 
 
32 
 
 telligent and active co-operation on the part of the people in this 
 and all efforts to raise the standard of popular instruction and 
 citizenship. School commissioners may do great good by taking 
 pains to tind those in their respective districts who seem to possess 
 peculiar aptness for teaching, together with the other qualifications 
 required, and encouraging such to go to the normal schools. 
 
 The committee were instructed ' ' to consider and report to the 
 assembly what, if any, 
 
 LEGISLATION" 
 
 is needed in order to render the normal schools more useful to the 
 State." 
 
 1. They are of the opinion that no legislation is required imme- 
 diately affecting the schools now in operation, beyond providing for 
 them a liberal support. 
 
 2. Reference has already been made to an act passed in 1866 ap- 
 pointing a commission to receive proposals for the location of four 
 normal schools in addition to the two which had been previously 
 established. After locating those four, the commission, consisting of 
 the governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, comptroller, 
 attorney-general and the superintendent of public instruction, recom- 
 mended the establishment of six more normal schools, making 
 twelve in all. Only two of the six have been established. Beyond 
 that the recommendation of the commission has not been carried out. 
 It is obvious that the eight normal schools now in existence are not 
 adequate to meet the wants of the entire State. It is equally clear 
 from their location that they were intended to be only a part of the 
 system of State normal schools. A glance at the map will show 
 that the southern, eastern, and, to some extent, the central and 
 northern portions of the State are not sufficiently provided for. One- 
 half of the eight schools are west of Rochester. It is now too late 
 to criticise their location. They are where the State itself put them 
 and should remain there, provided the localities co-operate with the 
 State in making them useful according to the spirit of the original 
 contract made at the time of their location. The committee 
 recommend that other normal schools be established. Whether this 
 should be done at once, or be deferred until more prosperous times 
 return, they do not deem it necessary to express an opinion. 
 
 3. This inquiry has taken a much wider range than was at first 
 anticipated, and has revealed the. necessity for still more considera- 
 tion than the committee has been able to give to it. The normal 
 schools are, or should be, an integral part of our entire system of 
 
33 
 
 education. They were not intended to stand apart by themselves. 
 They come into relationship with all the other public schools of the 
 State. Their efficiency and value, therefore, must depend largely 
 on their adjustment to the other parts of the system. It is impos- 
 sible for the State to derive the full benefit from any of its schools 
 unless they are brought into harmonious co-operation with each 
 other. 
 
 In looking over the field, the committee are led to believe that, 
 although the State has many most excellent educational forces, yet 
 that in relation to each other they are desultory. It has the ele- 
 ments of an educational system, but lacks the system. Those 
 elements are yet to be brought into vital organic unity. Without 
 this there will be a necessary waste of teaching forces, a waste from 
 which each generation and the State in all its parts must suffer 
 loss. Whether the difficulty is one of organization or of adminis- 
 tration, or of both, may somewhat appear from a brief outlook upon 
 the situation. 
 
 Believing that the present is best understood in the light of what 
 has preceded and produced it, the committee will notice a very few 
 of the more prominent measures adopted by the State in relation to 
 this matter. 
 
 In 1787 l^ew York established a State university upon an English 
 model, known as " The Regents of the University of the State of 
 New York." It was authorized to grant charters to colleges and 
 academies, and was charged with the general supervision of the 
 colleges, academies and schools which are or may be established in 
 this State. This scheme was capable of providing, and was doubt- 
 less intended to provide, a single supervisory power over all the 
 schools of any grade which were then or might thereafter be estab- 
 lished. If this idea and policy had been adhered to, we should at 
 least have had a single system of public schools. 
 
 It was not until 1812 that a common-school system for the State 
 was. established and organized by law. These schools were placed 
 under the supervision of an officer called the Superintendent of 
 Common Schools, an office then created. Thus there came to be 
 two separate and independent heads to the schools of the State, 
 namely : The board of regents, having supervision of the " col- 
 leges, academies and schools," except the common schools (no excep- 
 tion was made prior to the act of 1812 ), and the Superintendent 
 of Common Schools, having the supervision indicated by the 
 name. At this time there were no union high schools, with or 
 5 
 
34 
 
 without academic departments. There were no teachers' insti- 
 tutes or teachers' departments or teachers' classes connected with 
 the academies. There were no normal schools. As these were 
 created from time to time, it was necessary to place them under one 
 or the other of these heads, or to create a new one. As a matter of 
 fact they were divided between the two already in existence, some 
 falling to the regents and others to the superintendent, and that, 
 too, according to no very well defined principle. Teachers' in- 
 stitutes, designed for the improvement of the teachers of the 
 common schools, were put under the superintendent, while teach- 
 ers' classes, designed for precisely the same purpose, were placed 
 under the control of the regents. The first normal school, hav- 
 ing the same object in view, was put under the supervision of 
 both the regents and the superintendent. The seven other normal 
 schools were placed under the exclusive supervision of the super- 
 intendent. When the union high schools were established they 
 were placed under the management of the superintendent. When 
 incorporated academies were merged in union schools, becoming 
 simply a department of such schools, the question of supervision 
 arose again. The result was that the regents kept control of what 
 remained of the academies, including the academic departments, 
 except as to their finances, while the whole school, including the 
 financial affairs of the academic department, was under the man_ 
 agement of the superintendent. 
 
 For the sake of greater accuracy, it should be said that the office 
 of superintendent of common schools continued as a separate one 
 until 1821, when the duties of the office were transferred to the 
 secretary of State, who became ex-officio superintendent of common 
 schools. This continued until 1854, when the duties were re- 
 assigned to a separate officer, since then known as superintendent 
 of public instruction. This latter, commonly called " The Depart- 
 ment," and The Regents of the University constitute at present 
 the two heads of the public schools of the State. It should also be 
 noted in regard to the powers and duties of the superintendent of 
 public instruction, that in addition to the exclusive control and 
 management of the common schools, he is also a sort of court of 
 appeals. All controversies arising out of the conduct of the com- 
 mon schools throughout the State are referred to him and his 
 decision is final, from which no appeal can be taken. 
 
 Instead of a single we have a double-headed system, supplemented 
 by a sort of patch-work system. We use the word " system " 
 
85 
 
 for convenience, not for accuracy. Between these two supervisory- 
 powers there is doubtless such comity as should exist between civil- 
 ized nations, or between cultivated gentlemen, but there is never- 
 theless no efficient unity of plan, whereby each part of the system 
 is made to work in most efficient harmony with the other parts. 
 
 The common school, the high school and academy, and the col- 
 lege belong together in a naturally ascending series of schools, 
 designed to give a primary, secondary and superior education. 
 There should be a corresponding unity in their supervision. Each 
 part should be so conducted as to give vigor to all. 
 
 In view of the facts as outlined above, the question is, what 
 should be done. ** 
 
 Any one of four ways may be taken'. 
 
 1. Ketain the present arrangement with the expectation that con- 
 tinued efforts will be made to administer matters well, notwithstand- 
 ing the confusion in organization. 
 
 2. Place all the schools of the State under the supervision of the 
 regents of the university. 
 
 3. Place them all under the supervision of the superintendent. 
 
 4. Evolve a new unit of supervision from the two now in exist- 
 ence. 
 
 In a matter of such vital and commanding importance to the 
 welfare of the State, as the education of the people is conceded to 
 be, no innovation should be lightly made. Too much is at stake. 
 Nor, on the other hand, should there be a refusal to make such 
 changes as are approved by experience and supported by sufficient 
 reasons. An institution which, like the regents of the university, 
 has survived the changes in the Constitution and laws of the State 
 for nearly a century, is entitled to great respect. So, too, the 
 "department," having substantially kept its place under modified 
 conditions for nearly three-quarters of a century, is entitled to a 
 like respect. This consideration, however, should not obscure the 
 fact that our schools lack that vital, organic unity which is essential 
 to their highest usefulness. This lack is most deeply felt by many 
 of our leading educators — men who are in the business and know 
 the practical working of the system. 
 
 It is not within the scope of this report to go into details showing 
 the effects of this want of unity. It may, however, be expected of 
 the committee that they should at least make some suggestions 
 which will aid in discovering a way to produce such unity. 
 
 It is one of the axioms in government, that some things require 
 
36 
 
 the deliberative wisdom of many, while others demand the execu- 
 tive will of one. The many can best suggest, sift, compare and 
 mature policies and plans, which are best executed by one. 
 
 Upon this theory our governments, state and national, are con- 
 structed. The legislature would be a poor executive. The execu- 
 tive would be a poor legislature. This theory involves also the 
 idea of the representation of different localities. So that in our 
 legislative bodies we have the co-operation not only of many minds, 
 but of many localities, all of whose various views and interests are 
 to be consulted and harmonized. 
 
 In the department of the judiciary a single judge presides at the 
 trial, but from his decision, except in matters resting in his discre- 
 tion, an appeal may be taken to a tribunal where the concurrence 
 of several is necessary to a decision. 
 
 This principle may be applied to the management of our schools. 
 Kepresentative men from different parts of the State, who know 
 the peculiar needs of their several localities and who are acquainted 
 with the advancing educational ideas of the times, should certainly 
 be able, upon due consultation, to take a careful and comprehensive 
 view of the condition and wants of education throughout the State. 
 They should be able to bring all our schools into effective harmony 
 with each other, under some one comprehensive system. Then there 
 should be an officer charged with the duty of executing the plans 
 formed by that body. It is not material whether such officer be 
 called " secretary of the board," as in Massachusetts, Vermont, 
 Connecticut, and other States, or whether lie be known by any 
 other name, aptly designating his functions. The regents might 
 be retained, subject to such modifications, if any, in respect to 
 number, tenure of office, etc., as the wisdom of the legislature 
 should direct; many of the functions of the superintendent of public 
 instruction might be retained in one officer. He, with the necessary 
 deputies and clerks, would constitute the executive force of the 
 system. He would in the first instance decide matters in contro- 
 versy, as the superintendent now decides them, except that pro- 
 vision might be made for an appeal in certain cases, from his deter- 
 minations to the regents, subject to such needful and salutary regu- 
 lations as the legislature or the regents themselves might prescribe. 
 
 The committee believe that it is possible to construct a system in 
 substantial accordance with the suggestions above made that would 
 have unity and impart fresh vigor to all our schools. The com- 
 mon schools, the normal schools, high schools and academies would 
 
37 
 
 work together with more elective harmony. The different stand- 
 ards of education would be made to correspond with, and fit into 
 each other. Greater thoroughness, a wider range and a more orderly 
 progress from one branch of study to another, and from one 
 school to another, might be secured. 
 
 In concluding this part of our report we have only to say that 
 no system, however perfect, can accomplish the desired results 
 unless the people themselves appreciate the value of good schools 
 and do their part in securing them. Until the people outgrow the 
 pernicious idea that almost any one is competent to " keep school," 
 and that the " cheap teacher " is the one to be secured, not much 
 progress can be made. 
 
 It has from the first been the policy of the State to refuse its aid 
 to incompetent teachers ; hence, it has required that every district 
 sharing in the public school moneys shall employ a teacher bearing 
 a certificate of qualification. This idea and policy has been recog- 
 nized ever since our earliest colonial days. These certificates in 
 many cases have been so easily obtained that the policy and the 
 practice have been wide apart. The policy of the State should be 
 to require a much higher standard of qualification, and the practice 
 of the school trustees and boards of education should be to seek 
 after the highest attainable qualifications. It should be understood, 
 too, that the necessary qualification is not confined to the matter of 
 mere knowledge — though our teachers should have more of that — 
 healthy Tcnowledge, culture^ good character with jpractical skilly and 
 ability to organize^ govern and instruct are the qualifications needed. 
 Let all who employ teachers recognize this standard and work up to it. 
 
 When the State shall have provided ample means for acquiring 
 professional skill in teaching and have placed those means within 
 the reach of all, it will be in a position to say to all the schools re- 
 ceiving the public moneys, that unless they employ those who have 
 learned how to teach they shall have no portion of such moneys. 
 The State having aided in preparing teachers for the common 
 schools may reasonably expect and demand that the latter shall 
 employ them. 
 
38 
 
 THE NECESSITY FOR NORMAL SCHOOLS 
 
 Arises from two facts : 
 
 1. The importance not only of teaching, but of teaching well. 
 
 2. The difficulty of teaching well. 
 
 The first is conceded in a general way. That the second is not 
 duly appreciated is shown by the too common notion that almost 
 any one with an ordinary education is competent to keep school, 
 and from the too prevalent practice of employing a cheap teacher 
 because he is cheap. A more thoughtful and a more widely popu- 
 lar appreciation, both of the vital importance and the exceeding 
 difficulty of teaching well, is essential to the highest success of our 
 system of public schools. 
 
 The State is what the people are, not what \k\.Q^ jpossess. The 
 census can give only the lowest forms of wealth. The welfare of a 
 State consists chiefly in the moral and intellectual character of its 
 people. This character is determined by the education which is 
 given to the children ; this education is largely secured in our com- 
 mon schools. The schools are what the teachers make them, hence 
 the importance of good teachers. In no sense can the State afford 
 to treat with indiiierence the training of its thirty thousand in- 
 structors for its more than a million and a half children. 
 
 There are not wanting those who fear that universal suffrage is 
 a mistake, and that, in consequence of it, our government will suc- 
 cumb to the malign influences that have destroyed other republics. 
 Whether such fears are well or ill grounded must depend on what 
 shall be done for each generation of citizens before they reach the 
 age when they are invested with political power. If any are dis- 
 posed to retrace our steps in respect to universal suffrage, it is now 
 too late. Popular suffrage with us is a fixed fact. The question 
 now is, what shall we do to neutralize the elements of danger, and 
 to make it safe to intrust to the people the government of the 
 people. Something more is required than mere regulation or any 
 system of repression. There must be the enlightened ability to 
 know what is right and wise in the several spheres of private, so- 
 cisil and political life. To this must be added that integrity of char- 
 acter which disposes to corresponding action, and then secures it. 
 In a word, the old answer is the true on.e ; we must educate. But 
 th> old ideas of education need to be developed into still higher 
 conceptions and especially into more efficient forces for accomplish- 
 ing the ends proposed. ^ 
 
 
39 
 
 During the last fifty years the departments of human knowledge 
 and the forms of activity have been multiplied and enlarged. More 
 intelligence in every direction is required in order to keep pace 
 with the civilization in the midst of which we live. This demand 
 will continue to increase. The standard of popular education must 
 rise to the demand and with it. 
 
 The policy of the State should look to the raising, not the lower- 
 ing, of the standard of popular education. It should provide and 
 maintain the requisite agencies. Can it be doubtful that a State 
 acts most wisely when it provides most efficiently for the kind and 
 extent of teaching, best adapted to secure the needed intelligence 
 and moral discipline in the masses of the people 1 It should always 
 be borne in mind that the administration of public affairs, from the 
 lowest to the highest office, is committed to the people, that those 
 who are to make and those who are to execute the laws, that those 
 for whom and in whose name they are to be made and executed, 
 will depend, in no small degree, for their character and competency 
 upon the schools which the State provides and supports. Like 
 schools, like people. 
 
 What the State should do in this matter of education arises also 
 from the difficulty of doing it as the general welfare requires. 
 If the science and the art of war were so easily acquired that a 
 few weeks of special instruction and drill were sufficient to prepare 
 for successful leadership, then the national government might dis- 
 pense with its military and naval schools. But the matter is too 
 difficult to justify their abandonment. Long and patient instruction 
 and training are found to be necessary. 
 
 Teaching has to do with the highest forms of force, namely, 
 mental and moral. It is the art of appealing to and calling forth 
 into exercise all the complex faculties of our nature. It is the art 
 of developing human possibilities. It has to do with the whole of 
 man's being. It has reference to the entire end and scope of that 
 being. It is clear, therefore, that the science of education must 
 draw its data from all that a man is, and from all the relations he is 
 to sustain. Its principles are the profoundest and most difficult of 
 comprehension. Infinite wisdom and skill are not too much for 
 their complete understanding and mastefy. 
 
 The art of teaching is among the oldest. Great excellence here 
 and there has been attained. Many of its principles have been 
 enunciated with great clearness and illustrated by noble examples. 
 But we think it is not too much to say that teaching, considered 
 
40 
 
 either as an art or as a science, is yet in its infancy. It requires 
 the largest and most persistent efforts to develop the powers and 
 resources of good education. So difficult is it, that, in order to 
 make even a beginning on a large scale, the State found it necessary 
 to take the matter in hand, hence the numerous statutes for the 
 "encouragement of learning" and the "support of schools." 
 
 The difficulty, as well as the importance of teaching well, being 
 so great, it is clear that special culture, discipline and training are 
 necessary ; and for the same reasons, together with all those con- 
 siderations upon which any system of public schools depends, the 
 State should see to it that ample means are provided for acquiring the 
 necessary preparation. This is precisely what normal schools are for. 
 
 It is not surprising that much of the teaching at present done in 
 our schools is unsatisfactory. It must continue to be so till the 
 teachers possess more scholarship, more general culture, and more 
 special training for their work. We are not now advocating higher 
 grades of schools, but a higher order of instruction in the lower 
 grades. The education now received in our schools is a poor result 
 compared with what might be accomplished if our teachers pos- 
 sessed more of the qualifications above named. There might be at 
 the same time more thoroughness and more progress. This does 
 not necessarily imply that the schools should be taught for longer 
 terms, but that better work should be done during the twenty-eight 
 or more weeks of annual school teaching. 
 
 The committee desire to have it distinctly understood that they 
 do not underestimate the vast good that has been accomplished by 
 our common schools in past years. They believe that those schools 
 have done more than any other human agency to enlighten the 
 people and build up the State. That New York never could have 
 attained its present high position without them. But at the same 
 time they believe that the schools are capable of accomplishing in- 
 calculably more and better results by the application of principles 
 and methods developed in the professional schools and applied by 
 the trained teachers, than have hitherto been realized. 
 
 We think there is no exaggeration in saying that a teacher who 
 understands his business will accomplish more in one year than is ac- 
 complished in three years under untrained instruction. Take the sub- 
 ject of grammar, as an example. If taught at the proper time and in 
 the proper way, pupils might get a more thorough and incomparably 
 better knowledge of the subject in one term than is often gained by 
 
41 
 
 studying it year after year. It is frequently a mere formal thing with 
 no interest, no comprehension. All this is true, in spite of faithful 
 effort to teach well. The simple truth is that the teacher does not 
 know how. We too often see that instead of learning one thing well, 
 and then in an orderly manner advancing to another, and so on with 
 increasing facility and delight until numerous fields of knowledge 
 have been intelligently entered, if not explored, with habits of thor- 
 ough, discriminating and progressive thinking, all the while taking 
 form and force, instead of all this, which is possible and should be 
 actual, the pupil goes over and over again the imperfectly learned les- 
 sons of former years, making little progress, finding his work very dull, 
 and forming careless, superficial habits of thought. The five years of 
 one's life that are the best for forming habits and for doing many 
 things which all well educated people must do at some time are com- 
 paratively lost. It is impossible to estimate the extent of this loss. 
 In the course of the same number of years as are now spent in the 
 common schools, an education essentially liberal might be acquired, 
 orderly habits of thought formed, and principles of things learned 
 with a thoroughness and a range altogether exceptional under present 
 conditions. Without spending any more time in school, the young 
 might be imbued with the love of country, and with the spirit of 
 fidelity and loyalty to duty. They might acquire discriminating 
 habits of thought with the ability to suspend the judgment until the 
 matter in hand is comprehended, thereby avoiding the evils that a 
 hasty leaping to conclusions is continually bringing upon society. 
 Instruction might be given in history, in civil government, in phy- 
 siology, in botany and in the elements of many of the sciences. 
 
 Another consequence of improved teaching would be that a 
 greater number of children of the State would attend the com- 
 mon schools, and those who come would do so more regularly. 
 Good teaching is attractive as well as instructive. It draws pupils 
 and holds them. From the report of the superintendent of 
 public instruction, it appears that of the 1,586^234 children in the 
 State between five and twenty-one years of age, only 1,023,715 at- 
 tended the common schools during the year ending Sept. 30, 1877, 
 showing that upwards of half a million, or more than one-third of 
 the children of the State, did not attend the common schools for any 
 length of time during the year. This is doubtless due to many 
 causes, but we think it safe to reckon as prominent among them the 
 lack of competent teaching. 
 
 When we consider how great and difiicult a thing it is to educate 
 6 
 
42 
 
 one human being to be a citizen of a free State, we are better pre- 
 pared to understand the magnitude of thus educating more than 
 a million children. To carry on the State government is a much 
 easier and less expensive thing than to fit the people to do it wisely. 
 A high degree of intelligence and mental discipline is needed, in 
 order to enable one to understand fully the rights and duties of citi- 
 zenship in a free country. A high degree of moral culture is required 
 in order to dispose one properly to exercise those rights and per- 
 form those duties. The better the intellectual and moral discipline 
 secured in our schools, the better will the citizen be enabled to read 
 under standingly the Constitution and the laws of the State, and the 
 better will he be able to do his part in enacting and enforcing them. 
 The amount of instruction given in our schools should always be 
 subordinate to the quality of it, not how much, but how well. Edu- 
 cation should be development and discipline, not cramming. It 
 should lead to a real acquaintance with those things with which the 
 pupils are to be most intimately connected. Beginnings should be 
 made that are fitted to l5e followed by continual progress in after years. 
 If the beginnings are against the grain of nature, the progress is 
 likely to end when the immediate pressure is removed. When 
 nature is consulted at the start, she will not fail to furnish motive 
 for continuing. Such an education has in it both the potency and 
 the promise of untold advantage to the State, as well as to the indi- 
 vidual. It cannot be secured unless teachers have both culture and 
 skill — high culture and great skill. For this, normal schools are 
 needed. As already suggested, skill in the military art is not more 
 necessary than skill in the art of teaching. Military schools are not 
 more essential to the one than normal schools to the other. With- 
 out trained leaders a mass of men may do considerable damage to 
 the enemy, and now and then a man may arise in whom force of 
 native genius does much to supply the lack of training. But no 
 prudent nation relies upon such military leaders as these, and hence 
 the military school has a recognized and undisturbed place in the 
 policy of civilized na'tions. Even as a matter of defense we think 
 the public schools will be found to be increasingly important. 
 The intelligence, mental training and moral character that have 
 been tolerable in a State where its people were few and scattered, 
 and the currents of life flowed sluggishly, are incompatible with its 
 safety, much less with its advancing welfare, when our industries 
 become more diversified and our population more compact, with a 
 growing tendency to separate into classes, where the movement of 
 
43 
 
 events is rapid, and where more complicated problems in quicker 
 succession continually demand solution at the hands of the people. 
 
 The State may be enriched and strengthened by a generation of 
 men and women trained to more orderly and reliable habits of 
 thought, with minds liberalized and ennobled by a better acquaint- 
 ance with themselves and the world they live in — with' the forces that 
 are active about them and the way to co-operate with those forces in 
 working out practical ends. We may have a generation that better 
 discerns the substantial meaning and worth of things as distinguished 
 from their appearance ; that better knows the difference between 
 what things are, and what may happen for the time to be thought 
 about them. This of itself will help to readjust the industries of 
 the world, and to make men satisfied with any honorable calling for 
 which they are adapted and qualified. At the same time it will 
 generate that worthy ambition which is always striving after essen- 
 tially better conditions. All this will be done when better, wiser 
 teaching becomes the rule in our public schools. 
 
 The committee desire to call attention here to what seems to them 
 a very grave mistake into which many have fallen, namely, that of 
 supposing that the teacher need be intellectually only a little in ad- 
 vance of his pupils, and hence that almost anybody is competent to 
 teach young children. This matter of giving tendency, motive and 
 habit to the mind during its most formative period, should be in- 
 trusted only to wisely skillful hands, for then, as Quintilian says, 
 " impressions are made which are not easily to be effaced," and the 
 mind is like " wool which can never recover its primitive whiteness 
 after it has once been dyed." Nothing is more trite than expres- 
 sions of this kind, and yet in practice this much worn truth is far 
 from receiving due recognition. We hold that nowhere is there 
 need of more essential culture and refinement, or a more versatile 
 tact than in the teachers of the primary classes. Such teachers need 
 to understand that wondrous development that takes place from 
 infancy to maturity, which of our many faculties may be early exer- 
 cised and drawn upon and which awake later. They need that rare 
 attainment to look with a child's eyes^ while retaining a man's judg- 
 ment in order that they may know what it is reasonable to expect 
 of children and how to avoid starving their minds on the one hand, 
 and overburdening them on the other. I^owhere will pure, strong 
 and high character have a better opportunity to reproduce itself. 
 
44 
 
 The State of New York should have a well defined 
 
 EDUCATIONAL POLICY. 
 
 It should be the product of sagacious and liberal-minded states- 
 manship. It should be pursued without vacillation. Such a policy 
 would be the natural outgrowth from the general policy of the State 
 in the past. 
 
 Even before the administration of Clinton, there were those who 
 saw that New York should adopt a policy with a view to making 
 the State the commercial center of the country. Of this general 
 policy the so-called canal policy was a part. It has resulted in mak- 
 ing New York city the great national emporium, and has built up 
 thriving cities, all through the State, from the sea board to the lake 
 shore. These things are the fruits of a jpolicy projected by wise 
 statesmanship, understanding the situation and seeking to make the 
 most of natural advantages. Under its operation the Empire State 
 has attained pre-eminence. What is now required is an equally 
 sagacious and foreseeing policy in respect to education, whereby the 
 intellectual and moral resources of the State may be as well de- 
 veloped as the physical resources have been. Our material wealth 
 should lay the foundation for the higher wealth of intelligence 
 and character. The State should look steadfastly toward the high- 
 est possible culture, both mental and moral, of all the people. 
 It should be so firmly settled that no one should dare to assail 
 it. Those to whom its carrying out is intrusted should not be com- 
 pelled to spend any considerable portion of their energies in 
 defending the policy itself from the attacks of the short-sighted, who 
 cannot see beyond the immediate future, and of those who cannot 
 apprehend any thing except what can be handled and counted. 
 Their highest energies have quite enough to do in carrying for- 
 ward the work. 
 
 The policy which we recommend is not a new one. It has been 
 suggested and urged by the very men who have been foremost in 
 establishing our commercial policy, and the material prosperity . 
 which has grown out of it. Indeed we, at this age of the world, 
 do not need to be told that for the highest degree, even of material 
 wealth, intelligence and morality in the masses of the people are as 
 necessary as fertile soil, or rich mines or navigable water-courses. 
 
 Until very recently, so far as the committee can find, no governor 
 of the State has failed to apprehend the importance and true standard 
 of popular education. We believe that sagacious and liberal- 
 
45 
 
 minded statesmanship will never seek to place popular education 
 upon a low level, or to circumscribe it within narrow limits. 
 We cannot estimate the advantage which every human mind is 
 capable of receiving from the right sort of education. New 
 York is very far from having attained to the true standard. 
 Yet she has never lacked statesmen who had the true idea about it, 
 nor forces that have been working toward its attainment. 
 
 It may serve to re-assure the present if we recall the views and 
 some of the utterances of a few of the men who have made the 
 State what it is. In 1T3T when a bill to continue the appropri- 
 ation for the maintenance of the public high school was before the 
 colonial legislature we note among the majority who favored it the 
 honored names of Livingston, Morris, Schuyler, Alexander, Yer- 
 plank and Kensselaer. William Livingston, in 1753, when the 
 colony was considering the matter of founding King's college, says ; 
 * ' The advantages flowing from the rise and improvement of liter- 
 ature, are not to he confined to a set of men. They are to eztend 
 their cheerful influence through society in general, through the whole 
 province, and therefore ought to be the peculiar care of the united 
 body of the legislature." 
 
 And again, in relation to the same, he says: *^ To enumerate all 
 the advantages accruing to a country from due attention to the 
 encouragement of the means of education is impossible. The 
 happy streams issuing from that inexhaustible source are num- 
 berless and unceasing. Knowledge among a people makes them 
 free, enterprising and dauntless ; but ignorance enslaves, emas- 
 culates and depresses them. When men know their rights, they 
 will at all hazards defend them, as well against the insidious designs 
 of domestic politicians as the undisguised attacks of a foreign 
 enemy ; but while the mind remains involved in its native obscu- 
 rity it becomes pliable, abject, dastardly and tame ; it swallows the 
 greatest absurdities, submits to the vilest impositions, and follows 
 wherever it is led. * * * With submission, therefore, to 
 my superiors, I would propose that an act be passed for building 
 and establishing two grammar schools in every county^ and enabling 
 the inhabitants annually to elect guardians over them, and empow- 
 ering the assessors to raise fifty pounds per annum, as a county 
 diarge, for the support of each master, to be nominated and paid 
 by those guardians." 
 
 Governor De Witt Clinton, in his annual message in 1819, says : 
 " When it is considered that education is the guardian of liberty 
 and the bulwark of morality, and that knowledge and virtue are, 
 
46 
 
 generally speaking, inseparable companions, and are in the moral, 
 what light and heat are in the natural world, the illuminating and 
 vivifying principles; I trust I need no apology in soliciting an 
 extension of your patronage to the higher seminaries of education." 
 In 1825 he says : " Upon education we must therefore rely for the 
 purity, the preservation and the perpetuation of republican govern- 
 ment. In this sacred cause we cannot exercise too much liberality." 
 In his last annual message to the legislature in 1828 he says : 
 " Permit me to solicit your attention to the two extremes of educa- 
 tion ; the highest and the lowest, and this I do in order to promote 
 the cultivation of those whom nature has gifted with genius, but to 
 whom fortune has denied the means of education. Let it be your 
 ambition, and no ambition can be more laudable, to dispense to the 
 obscure, the poor, the humble, the friendless and the depressed, 
 the power of rising to usefulness and acquiring distinction. "With 
 this view, provision might be made for the gratuitous education 
 in our colleges of youth, eminent for the talents they have displayed 
 and the virtues they have cultivated in the subordinate seminaries. 
 This would call into activity all the faculties of genius, all the 
 efforts of industry, all the incentives to ambition and all the motives 
 to enterprise." 
 
 This is the American idea, it includes all men, and all that there 
 is in man, every faculty of body, mind and spirit ; if it finds men on 
 a low plane it seeks to raise them, not to keep them there. This 
 idea befits both the nature of the republic and the capacity of its 
 citizens. In 1835, Governor Marcy, after speaking of the then 
 flourishing condition of academies, says, '^ This gratifying result may 
 be ascribed in no inconsiderable degree to the enlarged and liberal 
 patronage extended to them by the government." In 1836 he says, 
 " Our academies and seminaries of learning are objects of great pub- 
 lic interest, and worthy of the fostering care of the government." 
 In 1848, Governor Young says, " While you should leave nothing 
 undone to improve the character, and enlarge the sphere of common 
 schools, I feel assured that the ability of the State in so far as it can 
 be exerted without prejudice to other interests, will be put forth to 
 furnish facilities for a higher order of attainment in literature and 
 science.'* 
 
 In respect to the higher institutions of learning, he also says, 
 " Any abatement of the interest of the State in these institutions is 
 to be felt almost exclusively by those who, in their inquiries after 
 knowledge, most require the paternal care of the State. By the 
 fortunate sons of the affluent it is regarded with entire indifference, 
 
47 
 
 but to those who are ^ artificers of their own fortunes,' rowing against 
 a current, struggling with poverty, and laboring with their hands 
 to procure the means of cultivating their minds, it is matter of 
 vital importance. The doctrine that would deny to those institu- 
 tions any participation in the moneys from time to time appropri- 
 ated hy the State to the cause of education, would strengthen the 
 aristocracy of wealth hy adding to it the aristocracy of letters.^'' 
 
 In 1839, Governor Seward, in his annual message, severely criti- 
 cises the low standard of education then prevalent, and the super- 
 ficial methods of instruction. He says : " The standard of edu- 
 cation ought to be elevated, not merely to that which other States 
 or nations have attained, but to that height which may be reached 
 by cultivation of the intellectual powers, with all the facilities 
 of modern improvements, during the entire period when the 
 faculties are quick and active, the curiosity insatiable, the temper 
 practicable, and the love of truth supreme. * * * Science 
 is nothing else than a disclosure of the bounties the Creator has 
 bestowed to promote the happiness of man, and a discovery 
 of the laws by which mind and matter are controlled for that benig- 
 nant end. Literature has no other object than to relieve our cares 
 and elevate our virtues. All the associations of the youthful 
 mind in the acquisition of knowledge must be cheerful ; its truths 
 should be presented in their native beauty, and in their natural 
 order ; the laws it reveals should be illustrated always by their 
 benevolent adaptation to the happiness of mankind ; and the ability 
 and beauty of what is already known should incite to the endless 
 investigation of what remains concealed. If education could be 
 conducted upon principles like these, the attainments of our collegi- 
 ate instruction might become the ordinary acquirement in our com- 
 mon schools ; and our academies and colleges would be continually 
 enjoying new revelations of that philosophy which enlightens the 
 way, and attaining higher perfection in the arts which alleviate the 
 cares of human life. If these reflections seem extravagant, and the 
 results they contemplate unattainable, it need only be assured that the 
 improvability of our race is without limit, and all that is proposed is less 
 wonderful than what has already been accomplished. To the stand- 
 ard I have indicated, I hesitate not to invite your efforts. Post- 
 poned, omitted and forgotten, as it too often is, amid the excite- 
 ment of other subjects and the pressure of other duties, education 
 is, nevertheless, the chief of our responsibilities. The consequen- 
 ces of the most partial improvement in our system of education 
 will be wider and more enduring than the effects of any change of 
 
48 
 
 public policy, the benefits of any new principle of jurisprudence, 
 or the results of any enterprise we can accomplish. These conse- 
 quences will extend through the entire development of the human 
 mind, and be consummated only with its destiny." 
 
 During the period covered by all the foregoing citations the 
 committee found no discordant recommendations or suggestions. 
 It is only a false kind of education that *^ breeds discontent ; " it 
 is only a superficial and misdirected kind of education which dis- 
 qualifies for one's proper duties and labors. It may safely be as- 
 serted that whatever tends to develop, to discipline and to regulate 
 all the powers and resources of a man's nature, at the same time 
 tends, also, to make him more successful, more nearly what he was 
 intended to become, and therefore more rationally contented. A 
 true conception of education involves nothing less. True educa- 
 tion never makes strikers and rioters, the lack of it sometimes does. 
 Common experience and observation of mankind undoubtedly con- 
 firm this view, apparently exceptional cases to the contrary not- 
 withstanding. 
 
 There is no fixed line between common school and higher educa- 
 tion. As better methods of teaching are adopted and better teachers 
 employed, more and more will be included in the so-called common 
 school course. It is desirable that it should be so. The more edu- 
 cation the people have, the better, provided it is of the right sort, 
 that is, one which recognizes the child's inborn nature, and seeks only 
 to develop it, to put every man in actual possession of his birthright. 
 IS^othing is more worthy of the ambition of the State than to secure 
 such education for all the people. As one of the essential means for 
 accomplishing it, the State has wisely established her eight normal 
 schools, which are to exercise a double function : First, that of 
 disseminating and giving effect in the public schools to the best ideas 
 and methods of instruction yet attained ; and, second, that of 
 developing still further those ideas and methods. 
 
 All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 
 JOHN I. GILBERT, 
 B. GAGE BEKEY, 
 CHARLES R. SKIKJSTER, 
 JAMES CHAPPELL, 
 JACKSON VALENTINE, 
 JAMES W. WADSWORTH, 
 
 JOSEPH P. Mcdonough, 
 
 ARTHUR D. MEAD, 
 ORRIS U. KELLOGG.