SOUTH CAROLINA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL,

AT CHARLESTON.

THE State Normal School of South Carolina was established in connection with a Public High School for Girls in the city of Charleston, by act of the Legislature, passed Dec., 1857. The cost of the buildings and furniture was $30,700, of which $18,755 was paid by the State, and $11,945 was contributed by individuals, principally of Charleston.

The school was opened, May, 1859, with fifty-one pupils, and continued in successful operation except as it was affected by the War, until August, 1864. During its continuance the school was very popular, both with the people and with teachers. For five years it received an annual appropriation of five thousand dollars from the Legislature; when this appropriation was exhausted, in 1864, the condition of the country was such that it was not renewed, and the school was suspended for lack of means of support. The whole number of students connected with this Normal School during the five years of its operations was 481. The largest number in attendance at one time was 191.

The following were the requisitions for admission:

1. Applicants must be at least fifteen years of age, of unquestionable moral character, and in sound bodily health.

2. They must sustain a good examination in the following subjects, viz.: Orthography.-Oral and written. Reading.-With facility, either Prose or Poetry. Geography.-Geographical Definitions, with Modern Geography. Grammar.-Definitions and Rules of Syntax, with ability to parse plain English sentences. Arithmetic.-Numeration, Simple and Compound Numbers, Reduction, Common and Decimal Fractions, Simple and Compound Proportion, and Computation of Interest. History.-Of United States, with some knowledge of General History. A legible handwriting will be required, with some practice in English Composition.

3. They must desire to qualify themselves for teaching in this State.

4. Each applicant shall present on the first day of the term, a certificate, signed by a majority of the delegation from the district in which she resides.

Applicants for admission to the High School Department will be excused from Provisions 3 and 4, and from examination in Simple and Compound Proportion, and Computation of Interest. In all other respects the requirements for admission to both departments are similar.

Should candidates from the different Congressional districts, out of the city of Charleston, be found incompetent to enter the Normal Department at once, they will be placed in the High School Department, provided they are qualified therefor, and comply with Provisions 3 and 4, above named.

The course extended through three years, and embraced the branches of a thorough English education, including French, Drawing, Music, the Theory and Practice of Teaching, Lectures on Education and the Details of School Management.

Measures are in progress to reopen the institution both as a High School for the city and a Normal School for the State.

II. GIRLS' HIGH AND NORMAL SCHOOL, AT CHARLESTON, S. CAROLINA. THE PUBLIC HIGH AND NORMAL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS in the City of Charleston, South Carolina, was established in 1858 and opened in the new building erected for its accommodation in 1860. The Commissioners of Free Schools, of which C. S. Memminger was chairman, thus set forth the purpose of this institution.

The purpose of this School is two-fold. First, it proposes to add to the advantages of primary instruction given by the various Public Schools of lower grade, all the advantages of higher education which are offered by the best schools for girls. From the great advantages which a large public school, with ample resources, can always command over private schools, it is safe to say that in all the elements necessary to insure success, this school must be without a rival in our community, in furnishing that education which cultivated parents desire for their daughters. Its second purpose is the education of young ladies for the profession of teachers. It is proposed to form into a special class all those whose purpose it is to devote themselves to this honorable work, and whose qualifications admit of their receiving the proper course of instruction, and to devote as much time and labor to such exercises as will be of value to them in their future duties. These exercises will be such as would be of high value to any pupils sufficiently advanced to engage in them-to those who propose to teach they are indispensable. The power of teaching well comes not by intuition; the best kind of education would probably give it to most men, but most of even the well-educated men and women are without it, though to no person of average ability is its acquisition impossible. It comes, however, only as other arts come; by special training, by well-directed efforts, and by patient labor. By no means a secondary purpose in importance is that of furnishing to our city and State a corps of well-educated and intelligent young ladies, who will train, in their turn, the minds and hearts of the thousands who will be committed to their charge. The School is supplied with teachers of tried ability and large reputation, in all its departments. The several congressional districts of the State have a right to send fifteen pupils each to this school, to enter the Normal department.

I. BUILDING AND FURNITURE.

The building erected for the accomodation of this school, of which we furnish illustrations, has one School Room on the second floor 40 by 40 feet, with four class-rooms, each 18 by 23 feet; and a large Lecture Room on the third floor 40 by 63 feet, with two class-rooms, each 18 by 28 feet; and a Play Room 25 by 40 feet and Library on the first floor, and a room for the Commissioners on the Dome floor.

COMMISSIONERS

ROOM

STAIRCASE
HALL

DOME STORY

VERMONT STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS.

THE Board of Education of Vermont in their report to the Legislature in 1866, stated that a favorable opportunity was presented to establish a Normal school, the Trustees of Randoph Academy having offered the use of their school property for a term of years for such a purpose. The Legislature accepted the proposition, and passed an act which was approved November 16th, 1866, by which the academy known as the " Orange County Grammar School," at Randolph, was constituted and established a "Normal School for the State of Vermont," for the term of five years, and the trustees of the Grammar school and their successors were constituted trustees of the Normal School.

The State Board of Education nominate the principal, arrange the courses of study, control the examinations for admission and graduation, grant certificates of qualification, and report the conditions of the school annually, to the Legislature. One section of the act also provided that the Board might consider similar proposals from other academies in the State, and establish not exceeding one Normal School in each congressional district, and arrange courses of study, conduct examinations, nominate teachers, and generally exercise the same supervision as provided in the act for the Normal School at Randolph.

The trustees of such academies as were designated State Normal Schools, were to be respectively trustees of these schools, and have the same powers and rights as the trustees of the Normal School established by this act, provided that either or all of said Normal Schools should be established and maintained without any expense to the State excepting the payment of the Board of Education for their services.

In accordance with the provisions of the Normal School act, the Board of Education have established a Normal School in each of the three congressional districts, as follows: First District, at Castleton, in Rutland county; Second District, at Randolph, in Orange county; Third District, at Johnson, in Lamville county, with two courses of study, and the following regulations.

COURSE OF STUDY.

1st, Elementary Course. Arithmetic, Geography, History and Constitution of Vermont and the United States. Interpretation of sentences, including parsing, analysis, paraphrasing, and the definition of words; Book-keeping through single entry, and Reading. Examination to be in writing in all except reading.

2d, Advanced Course. Candidates having passed a satisfactory examination in the first course, must be examined in Book-keeping by double