TWENTY-NINTH CONGRESS, 1845-47. 379 



the longer the world improves, the better men become. 

 Unequal then, in their influence over their fellows; une- 

 qual, in the space they fill in the world's thoughts ; unequal, 

 in the power with which they draw after them the hearts 

 of many — thus unequal, to some extent, men must ever be. 



But here arises a great question ; a practical question ; 

 an inquiry especially pertinent to the subject before us. 

 The natural inequality of man is a thousand times increased 

 by artificial influence throughout society. Is that well ? 

 or if not well, can it be avoided ? Or if not avoided, can it 

 be lessened ? I feel assured that it can be much lessened. 

 I am not sanguine enough to believe that I — perhaps not 

 my children, even — shall see the da}-, when equality of ed- 

 ucation shall prevail, even in this republican land. But I 

 hold it to be a republican obligation to do all that we prop- 

 erly and constitutionally may, in order gradually to reach, 

 or at least to approach, that period. I hold it to be a dem- 

 ocratic duty to elevate, to the utmost of our abilit3', the 

 character of our common school instruction. I hold this 

 to be a far higher and holier duty than to give additional 

 depth to learned studies, or supply curious authorities to 

 antiquarian research. 



Guided by such considerations, I incorporated in the bill 

 before you, as one of its principal features, a normal 

 BRANCH. This, and the clause providing for original re- 

 searches in natural science, are the only important additions 

 that have been made in it to Senator Tappan's bill of last 

 session. 



jSTormal schools — that is, schools to teach teachers, to 

 instruct in the science of instruction — are an improvement 

 of comparatively modern date. The first ever attempted 

 seems to have been in Prussia, established about the year 

 1704, by Franke, the celebrated founder of the Orphan 

 House of Halle. They have gradually increased in num- 

 ber and favor from that day to this, in all the more civilized 

 nations of Europe; and Mrs. Austin, in her preface to 

 Cousin's " Public Instruction in Prussia," remarks, that 

 the progress of primary instruction in Europe may he meas- 

 ured by the 'provision made for the education of teachers. 



A detailed account of the Normal Schools of Europe is 

 given in the ninth chapter of Professor Bache's " Report 

 on Education in Europe," made to the Trustees of the 

 Girard College. Mr. Bache visited Europe under instruc- 

 tions from the committee of the institution ; and his excel- 

 lent report, full of practical details and accurate statistics, 

 is a redeeming point in the management of that trust. 



