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And when our beloved commonwealthin Liie wise furtherance cf her essential interests, decided to erect additional normal schools,we felt it would be a great privilege and honor and advantage if one of these could be located here. To this acquisition we beat what united energies ami intlu.enee we liad, ard offered what inducements we could as to the site being of extended opportunities.Besides this we offered such material aid as brought t-o us the connnt;j»datiori of other sections of the state. We have since bought and cow hold lands adjoining those of the normal school with a View to the future requirements of that institution* We have built an addition to the. Church Btrr*et school for the practice in teaching of the normal school students. We expended last year for new school houses $100,1)00 and shall expend a like j«m the present year.But, while I have alluded to thie material oid'BS indicating oar appreciation of the advantage to us of this normal nchool in raising our level of educational acquire* xnsnt, and, t hrough its teachers ana student'?* of our social and community Jife, I am fully aware that tbie is of inadequate advantage to the scholry life and needs of a normal school. More essential than all this is the atmosphere of high and aspiring scholarship to stimulate die endeavors of suoh n seat of learning.And this essential aid wo feel an ability to furnish. Of all New England colleges, Wi ill am s college has held, most firmly to our original college idea. While the influence of German learning has fostered elsewhere a desire for a university development and a specialized culture, Williams college has held true to the early conception of oollogiate usefulness as giving a general training and in formation to the mind, fitting its graduates to enter with advantage upon such special studies and pursuits ao they may alter ward se-leet. Its success in thiH endeavor has been always conspicuous, and its *candard ofof this section and of this grand old co mmofi we al t h.The chairman said be had received letters from His Excellency Governor Wolcott at Bar Harbor which expressed the chief executive’s regrets. It gave bitn great pleasure that the wisdom cl the people had elected to the senate a man fully capable to represent the state and it na an honor to introduce yenntor C jorge F, Lawrence,!!CU!itlt;ir GeorKe I*. Lawrence.I know I apeak for you when 1 express sincere regret at the nscesbary nhbencc of the goVcruor and licute;uim-go\ errr ::nd I know that I also express your sentiments when I extend a royal welcome to our senior senator, to that statesman who, his whole life through, has stood for wbiu is best in Massachusetts c.lliKonsbip. 1 esteem it a great honor and mi equally great privilege to speak upoo this happy and memorable occasion for Massachusetts, for that- commonwealth we all so dearly love and of which we are bo justly proud. The spirit which actuated that little bund of heroes at Plymouth, “where was the beginning ol the state:?? which stirred the embattled farmers at Lexington and Co.i-cord in. 177lt;J, and which was seen m the response to Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers in 1801 is the same spirit which dominates the Massachusetts ol JSSJ7.Ko content with the record of the past, glorious though that record he, eh* is still a leader among the states of ike union, Small in area, she is great ia patristic purpose, in influence, in c.iur-acter.From the very founding of the spate our people have been constant ia their devotion to the sacred cause of education and it its oly by such continued devotion that the future can be made secuic*. I believe a great demand of the hour is formore trained teachers—trained in the subjects they arc to Leaeh, trained inflspirit and trained in the know!c,;c* of children.All about us are spread and deep provemenfcs blate boardevidences of a wi demented di-siro for im-in ecu cation. When the of education recommendedexcellence has been constantly advancing.Sprang from one source with us, the heroic enclosure of Fort Massac It useIt*’, wj, in our humbler liio of roil .have always prized her higher ideal and accomplishment, and have been every ready to bring our rough energies to her duJonsc.So circumstanced we could rely upon her fraternal aid and fellowship. But, beyond this tie of feeling, we have in her Iistinguished president, Dr. Franklin. Darter, a member of our state educational board. Not only by bis official trust, but, more by the undeviating course and tenor 3f liis lire, t!iis connection of Dr. Carter with our normal school means very much co it, aud to us whoso nopes and interests we involved with its career. Whatever Droad culture and high purpose arid demoted industry and conspicuous talent developed by long experience and a marked unglencB* of purpose and efTacemcnt of persona] ends can bring of value to a puL-lic cilice, Dr. Carter now brings to thin normal school* and, beyond this, he connects with it all the resources of Williams 20ilege.The future of course is uncertain, and the sanguine eye of hope may see an horizon of too gilded hues, but with all allowance for uncertainties, J can but fee', apd . in closing say, that this normal school of North Adams lacos as alluring and prom- : ising a future as this common human lot' or ours could roasouably expect I believe it will live to £jjl fully its wide boundaries of usefulness and influence, to be an honor to this home of its adoption, and to jec'”?ie ** powerful aid to Lhc higher iue-tbe establishment, of another normal school, iorty or fitly coininunitmo petitioned the legiislatui e for teat new school. This alone prove.s •liic earnest demand of which 1 Ape Elk-—a demand for skilled teachers. It \vaca:i expression ol the need of new centers ofmJlaeneo aud growth in pru-iesajouai teaching.Thorc are now in our public schools 420,(101) pupils and 12,000 teachers. Of thc^e KraeueiM about oni;-thiiv! have ai-tended normal tohool.s and but one-fourth arc graduates of such schools, The a'*or-age Jticrea^c per annum of lenchcrs who arc rjrarluates of normal schools has been during tee past ten years less llum 13), a slinv growth. Wncri we consider thy.: from 1,500 to 2,000 vacancies occur yearly, it do 'S not seem to me the proposition that Massachusetts aid net need four now normal schools and th.it there was no legitimate demand fur them can be maintained.Massachusetts today expends lor public schools $12,000,000 a year and I do not believe there are maiw who wnJ cJaun the amount in too large, It is atler all not .so inucli the amount that is spent but bow it is spont. Pecuniary returns are not silked. Health, intelligence and morality are nought. And so what i.j demanded today :b better sebnoi buildings, better supervision, better teachers. We must look to the educational leaders for advise. It id llsubject which calls lor v, Ise, broad, unselfish ttiought and action—having in mind only the welfare of rUe stale. May this North Adams normal school, dedicated today, prove in the years to come a rich blessing to ihe Com moo wealth of Massa-c-huFclts.The Oilier Speakers*President Carter hardly knew whether he had been challenged to a discussion of theology but be had no desire to enter into a dispute with the man who preceded him. Ho was perfectly ready to admit that the sermons of Mark Hopkins if preached now to the boys iu the college chapel would drive them out in despair. Ho is not sure the Unitarians prophurled with more accuracy than the colonist, nodhe knows that Dr. Hopkins’ definition of faith, as confidence in a person, will never die. Speaking of the co-operation of the normiFsoiiool and college he said ii we love our country and believe the future depends on the intelligence, candor, integrity and industry of our boys every one of us will be anxious to regard tb.et-e twolTj;:tit'2riona as precious gif is a:id nev^r togive sympathy to anything thut wfiZ lesson their influences. The Iroquois w ere no more treacherous to the Arocr.csn life than the Tammany sachems and o..h*r influences that sometimes enter into ] oli— tics. I pray God the relations of thine two schools and of these two towns to one another may be such that the nooiest results shall be achieved, that when our friends from the East look up to the hills whence there should come help may they not look in va!n. With this en treaty that wo give to these institutions oar noblest efforts and constant prayers I hid you good night.President T. C, Mendenhall felt compelled to say that the chairman hud promised not to cull upon the gentlemenoi the platform. It was the first tunc In his experience he had ^ver witnessed such an occusioti before, lie u-s;rotted I nut some of his colleagues in Onto were not present lo enjoy the occasion and model after this fine building and got a normal school. The only way t hey can get a normal school in Ohio is to send Colonel Stoddard there.Principal K. J Jar low Ruscll yu£s glad of: ihc opportunity to thank the committee lor the invitation to attend thc.se “hitherto” interesting exercises. He brought the euugnitukiUou of a neighbor lug nor-mil school and cume to extend the right hand of fellowship to his brother principal. He ia glad to find more enthusiasm than greeted him 22 years ago, when he look Charge Of the then new normal school at Worcester. It was ii rather chilly day lor him, and he didn't just know what the state desired, lie stated to the hoard ot education, alter visits lo the several schools, that- be lt;liu not know what the state of Massachu-frclt* meant by a normal cbool, Phillips Brookt, then on the boaid, said he Wat: not sum i.iuil the state* knew what it;neaul, but jt knew what it wanted and told him go ahead and iooko one to h.^ in mi! and the c.lato would watch it. Principal Kuasell w«.s glad to hear Col feloddard:s remarks about indiv.du tliiy. A normal school is not to make loaehcrt, but lo df'viriope thorn; to hold aioft a practical professional elandard; to exer-t rec the iuuction of selecting; to be as a jcird of Heivoj advising tii0^e not fit to A not to waste their time; and to hi aud as: c pedagogic experiment station, thereby roa£112zing that teaching js a plastic nil, depending on the teacher and the taught. As Hizici^on said, “Learning depends ou the h.-arner/* You may suspect of ciiar-Jatanry any one who claims he knows how to teach. That normal tcbool will iittaiu the highest success which is t?Jt bolt experiment station.i5r:uci|j;il Albert G. Boy den has a peculiar iuier^sL in t lie sc ft col for principal 13 his personal friend, four year* his pupil, 12 yeart an instructor In normalschool and an honored inesubcr of lit* iac-uJl.y, 1.1c came especially to- bid uim God spec 11 in the great work »*c had assumed. Next to the home, of all the infiueucc-a thi»tj del ermine the child's character none are ho potent as the school. Its iniluenco is not limited to mere inlelioctual iraitune; it mus- nii'eot the whole man. It is there-fore of Ihe greatest importance to mako our 'rchools as good as we can, Tho teacher is the principal force in tho school, The art of bringing up a child In the way be should go is the greatest or arts. The 11 rat lunation of u rormidl school :s to iriKpire its pupil with the* spirit of true leach!ng. Let the state cease to train ica teachers and how soon the blight of ignorance and selfishuebs will spread over the land, The citizens of North Adams are lo be congratulated on this school. Let it be dedicated tc sound thinking, refined tastes, homo molality and the pathetic, Christian living of those who come to study in it.Cob Stoddard publicly thanked If. Neil Wilson, the architect of the bni'dingv for his work and said he was the uear-.st to the ideal architect he had ever mot.Principal Murdock thanked the distinguished men pteaent. U« s.tid that the purpose toward those whom they hoped to aid is that there may bo more mati-Uucs^. arid Godliue^. It is with the thought that the children become more the image of their Creator lhat the responsibility of tho school L accepted.itev. \\\ L. Tenury closed tJ.lt;? exercise3 wiili prayer.rriio dJi«tjriguishlt;‘d group of men who participated in the exereUes drove over from ihtU'ikld. Friday alt*, me on urd hud juneh wit it Principal Mur Jock at his residence. Senator Hoar w«s Principal Mur-lioek'B guef-i. Tlie group drove today to BOMli- gtoil, Yt.'Vha tschuol ouiidlng was inspected Friday evcuin':. J re prospects are as bright as lliuy were ircqc in tlie speeches. To a. c!?soi?,o now in the school about 10 v;i 1 ec aacied who:: the next term opens. This showing of numbers equals any hereto-uiadc under l.ke cireamntwict-2tThe A.icul’.y 1.: Frank F.Muraock, psychology, peau^ogy, geography; RoismiAV. GuS3, up.tural ocicncc; Annette ?:m Bartlett, mathematics, music: Mary A. Pearson, drawing, painting; Catherine V.r-1'jrker, Erlt;gk*}j, o'iocu*Aon; Annie C. Bxeelo, physiology, physical culture; Charles H. Biearns, manual training; Mrs, Bn sail liarrzmaii, principal of kindergarten depart merit, and Mrs. Mark JE. Couch, priiic«pal of training school*
Newspaper Details
North Adams Transcript
North Adams, Massachusetts, US
Sat, Sep 04, 1897
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Boston P.
NA, USA 08 Mar 2023
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North Adams Transcript
