Chapter III.

STATE NORMALS AND BENEFICIARY INSTITUTIONS.

Apart from the school of pedagogy in the State University the State has but two institutions for the special instruction and training of teachers, one for whites, at Huntsville, and the other for colored teachers, at Prairie View. There are propositions, however, for the establishment of others pending in the legislature. There are several State eleemosynary institutions in which gratuitous instruction is more or less a feature, as shown further along in this chapter.

SAM HOUSTON NORMAL INSTITUTE.

This institution is located at Huntsville, the county seat of Walker County, a prosperous town of about 3,000 inhabitants, and the old home of Gen. Sam Houston, for whom the school was named. The history of the school shows that at the earnest solicitation of Hon. George Peabody and Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, Dr. Barnas Sears, general agent of the Peabody educational fund, spent the winter of 1878-79 in Texas laboring earnestly to aid in creating an efficient school system in the State; and that the establishment of the school was one of the results of his labors, warmly supported by Hon. O. M. Roberts, then governor of Texas, and Dr. R. C. Burleson, State agent of the fund. The institution is greatly indebted, not only for its establishment, but also for its continued success, to the liberality of the trustees of the fund, and to the active interest taken in the matter by their general agents, Dr. Sears and Dr. J. L. M. Curry, both of whom were zealous in their work to foster and build up a normal school worthy of the State.

The legislature of Texas, from the inception of the school, has generously fostered the Sam Houston Normal Institute. The school having outgrown its accommodations, the twenty-first legislature, with wise liberality, appropriated $40,000 for the erection of an additional building. The new building, one of the best of its kind in the country, and supplied with the most approved furniture and appliances, was dedicated at the opening of the twelfth session, September 22, 1890. The twenty-second legislature appropriated $4,000 to build up the Peabody Normal Library, and the twenty-third, twentyfourth, and twenty-fifth legislatures have been liberal. In all, about

$300,000 has been received from the State and about $60,000 from the Peabody fund.

The school opened October 10, 1879, with Bernard Mallon as principal. Coming here, he had said that he would make this his last and best work. But the life of this noble man, much loved and so much lamented, was near its close. On the 21st day of the same month in which the school opened he entered upon his rest. H. H. Smith succeeded Professor Mallon, and continued in charge of the school to the close of the second session.

The third annual session opened on the 26th day of September, 1881, with J. Baldwin as principal. Coming in the full maturity of his powers, Dr. Baldwin for ten years gave his entire thought to the work of developing the institute as a normal school and placing it on a permanent basis. The course of study was extended, the number of teachers and students gradually increased until, in 1891, the twelfth school year closed with a faculty of 11 teachers and 320 students. The great success attained by the school was due in a large measure to the energy, zeal, and devotion of Dr. Baldwin to the work. In August, 1892, he was called to the chair of pedagogy in the University of Texas, and, at the request of the friends of the normal, H. C. Pritchett resigned the office of superintendent of public instruction to accept the principalship of the institute. Under his management the school has continued to prosper, and is in the highest sense a State school for educating and training teachers for our public schools. The present enrollment numbers 458 students. The Houston memorial hall, in the new building, is one of the largest and best audience halls in the State. It is 98 feet long, 71 feet wide, and will seat comfortably 1,500 people. It contains an historic memorial window in honor of General Houston, procured by the contributions of the students and friends. In addition to the above, it contains a beautiful Peabody memorial window, purchased by the local board.

The different chairs, showing the scope of instruction and members of the faculty, in which lady teachers notably predominate, are, H. C. Pritchett, principal, history and science of education, psychology, methods of teaching; H. F. Estill, Latin, school management, civics; Miss L. W. Elliott, English history and literature; Miss Lulu McCoy, reading, drawing, and penmanship; J. L. Pritchett, mathematics; R. B. Halley, geography, physics, chemistry; W. M. Coleman, physiology, natural history, geology; Miss Annie Estill, gymnastics; Miss Bertha Kirkley, assistant in Latin and history; Miss Sue Smither, assistant in mathematics; Mrs. Rosa Buchanan, grammar and rhetoric; Miss Ida Lawrence, history and geography; Mrs. Mary Finch, music and United States history; Miss Anna C. Loring, assistant in drawing and elementary mathematics; Miss Augusta Lawrence, assistant in

natural science and geography; Miss Ella Smither, assistant in Texas history, and librarian.

Dr. Baldwin, so long principal of the institution, died recently at his home in Austin.

In their catalogue announcements the institute authorities make the following frank and characteristic statements as to "Persons who should not enter the normal:”

If you desire to prepare for the study of law, medicine, or theology, do not come to the normal.

If you wish merely to obtain a general education, do not come to the normal. This is not a reform school. It is not a place for children. Boys or girls incapable of self-control should not enter the normal.

If you have not completed a course of study that would fit you to enter a good high school, you can not be profited by our work, and should not apply for admission. Our work is special, and will suit none but those preparing for the teacher's profession. If you wish to teach in our country schools, our city schools, or high schools, we can give you good instruction by trained and skillful teachers, with all needed helps in the way of apparatus, libraries, etc., and special professional training that will be most valuable. But the normal school is not a college or university. If you are merely seeking to obtain a general education to prepare yourself for other than the teacher's profession, do not come here. Our work will not suit you, and we will not be satisfied with you. Only those desiring to prepare for the great work of the teacher should come to the normal.

The institution is subject to the control of the State board of education, which appoints the local boards.

The entire property of the school is valued at $150,000 in grounds and buildings and $15,000 in apparatus and library.

PRAIRIE VIEW STATE NORMAL.

Industrial education is the prominent, if not general, element of instruction in the normal school which was at first established in 1878 at Prairie View, near Hempstead, as an agricultural school for colored boys, and, seeming to prosper on the original plan, was in 1879 organized under the legally constituted direction of the Agricultural and Mechanical College authorities as a State normal for the training of teachers for the colored schools. As the managers now report to Governor Culberson:

The agricultural and mechanical department for the male and the special industrial department for the female students are in a most prosperous condition, and have added greatly to its popularity and usefulness without interfering with the normal feature of the school.

The report adds:

It is hoped that the university for higher classical education of the colored youth of Texas will eventually be located at this school. This can be done at comparatively little expense to the State by the addition of a few buildings and teachers, and by this means the colored people could obtain an industrial and classical education. The former, all will admit, would be of untold advantage in connection with the

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higher education, especially to the negro race. We are informed that the negroes throughout the State are practically unanimous in favor of this university plan. We particularly invite your excellency's careful attention to this matter. We believe it would be a great saving to the State and expedite the establishment of the colored university which has so long been asked for by the negro race, and at a point that can not be excelled in all suitable respects anywhere in the State. The average attendance at this school is about 150. Up to the date of filing this report we have for the current year enrolled 165 pupils. Of these, 46 are State students and are required to pay only the matriculation and medical fees. By provision of the board of directors each State senator is allowed to appoint one of these State students from his senatorial district, and each director appoints three from the State at large. Consequently these free students are distributed throughout the State.

It is proposed to increase the number of State students by giving senators and representatives the appointment of one student each, making 159 in all, each student to pay one-third of the school expenses, instead of being entirely maintained, as heretofore, at the expense of the State. Texas appropriates annually about $10,000 for maintenance of State students, besides several thousand dollars annually for the industrial branches, independent of such appropriations as may be allowed for improvements, etc. The receipts of the school, which are exclusive of appropriations, were $13,647 from pay students and other scources from March 15, 1895, to September 1, 1896. The property of the school is inventoried at an aggregate of $93,872, including 1,500 acres of land, valued at $15,000; academic brick hall, $22,500; girls' brick dormitory, $25,000; girls' frame dormitory, $3,000; two boys' domitories, $1,000; brick mess hall, $8,000; six teachers' cottages, $4,500; principal's residence, $1,000; and minor items. The school gets one-fourth of the amount of the Congressional annual provision allowed the State of Texas in aid of colleges of agriculture and the mechanic arts.

The present school registry embraces 87 male and 78 female students. The girls, in addition to academic instruction, are taught the "theory of household economy," sewing, cooking, housekeeping, laundry work, etc. The teachers are all fairly well educated colored men and women. The first principal of the school was L. W. Minor, appointed in June, 1878, his successors being E. H. Anderson, who died soon after his appointment; L. C. Anderson, brother of the deceased, appointed in 1884, and E. L. Blackshear, the incumbent of the position, who was appointed in 1896.

The history of the Prairie View school is logically more or less alluded to in that of the State University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College on account of its quasi connection through the college with the university, and its establishment being so far the only provision made by the State in lieu of the branch of the university contemplated by the constitution for the higher education of colored youth.

The report of the principal of the school, Prof. E. L. Blackshear, presents the following favorable statements:

As a normal school Prairie View steadily grew and prospered. Its graduates are found in all parts of the country, making commendable records as teachers in the schoolroom and as citizens in the community. There is a great demand everywhere among our people for teachers of character, culture, ability, and professional skill, and Prairie View must help to supply this demand.

The elevation of the negroes of Texas to that standard of development where they can be a harmonious and helpful factor in the life of the State concerns every patriot and statesman. This can be done only by giving them proper education. It is the personality of the teacher-the direct, immediate influence of his mind and character upon the pupils-that educates. As is the teacher so is the school, so are the scholars. Excellent systems of public instruction and liberal appropriations therefor are valueless and ineffective without true teachers. There is no economy in poor teachers at any price. The State is expending annually large sums of money for the impartial education of all the children in her borders, and this money is worse than wasted unless skillful and devoted teachers are employed to carry out the spirit and letter of her school laws. Hence the necessity of maintaining a normal school for the preparation and training of a sufficient number of the right kind of teachers for the colored schools. Results thus far have amply demonstrated the wisdom of the directors in establishing and of the State in maintaining Prairie View State Normal School.

The work of a colored teacher involves special difficulties. He is more than a teacher; he is a missionary of civilization, teaching the fundamental duties of society and citizenship. Believing that the colored people of Texas needed not only trained, intelligent, moral teachers, but trained, intelligent, moral mechanics and farmers as well, the board of directors some years ago established here, in connection with the normal school, an agricultural department and a mechanical department, so that now the pupils of our school can learn not only the elements of language, history, mathematics, and science, but the practical arts of life and modes of living as well.

The importance of the industrial element in education is recognized by all, and its special importance to the negro, who is just now laying the basis for his social development, is easily apparent. Industry, intelligence, and morality are the trinity that must maintain the unity of a progressive society. The masses of the negroes, engaged as they are in agriculture and other forms of manual labor, must learn the industrial virtues of frugality, economy, promptness, energy, accuracy, and reliability; must mix brains, skill, and character with their efforts before their labor can become desirable and properly productive. The South has always preferred negro labor, but even the Southern people have grown weary of the unreliability, shiftlessness, and unskillfulness of much of the negro labor. Thus the conclusion is inevitable that unless the negro laborers become intelligent, skillful, and reliable, they are doomed to serfdom and extinction. But give them industrial training, along with appropriate intellectual and moral training, and they will become a very helpful and important element in the development of the resources of the South. The colored boys should have opportunity to get insight and training into the modern methods of agriculture. The educated colored farmer will reflect credit on his community and on his State.

While the negroes need the opportunities of industrial training, the opportunity for higher education can not be justly denied those who evince talent and have desire in that direction. Recognizing this fact, a committee is at work on a higher course of study, in anticipation of the proposed gradual conversion of the Prairie View school into a university for the colored youth of the State, which shall include, in addition to its present departments, an academic department with its various subsidiary schools.