NORRISTOWN NORTH ADAMS. 



57 



rhetoric, and logic. (2) Writing and drawing. (3) Arith- 

 metic (mental and written), algebra, geometry, book- 

 keeping, navigation, and surveying. (4) Geography 

 (ancient and modem), with chronology, statistics, and 

 general history. (5) Human physiology and hygiene 

 or the laws of health, (lj) Mental philosophy. 

 (7) Music. (8) Constitutional history of Massachu- 

 setts and of the United States. (9) Natural philoso- 

 phy and astronomy. (10) Natural history. (11) The 

 principles of piety and morality common to all sects 

 of Christians. (12) The science and art of teaching 

 with reference to all the above-named studies. Reli- 

 gious exercises : A portion of the Scriptures is re- 

 quired to be read daily in every State normal school. 



In addition to the three State normal schools already 

 mentioned another was established in 1854 at Salem ; 

 another, in 1870, at Cambridge; and another, in 1874, 

 at Worcester. Besides these there is a city normal 

 school in Boston, instituted in is.'iii. 



Among the earliest and most earnest advocates of 

 legislative provision for the professional training of 

 true-here stands the name of Gov. De \f\tt Clinton. 

 In his message to the Legislature of New York, in 

 1825, he recommended to their consideration the edu- 

 cation of competent teachers ; and again in the next 

 year he said : " I therefore recommend a seminary for 

 the education of teachers in tlio.se useful branches of 

 knowledge which are proper to engraft on elementary 

 attainments." In his message of 1828 he again urged 

 the subject on the attention of the Legislature. 

 Through the efforts of* John C. Spencer and Gen. 

 John A. I)ix, the Board of Regents of the University 

 of New York, in May. js:i4. were authorized to apply 

 a piirf of the income to the literature fund to the edu- 

 cation of common-school teachers. Again, in 1836. 

 the State Superintendent, Gen. Dix, adverted to the 

 fact that in the adoption of this system the Legislature 

 has merely provided for the more complete execution 

 of a design long contemplated so far as respects the 

 employment of the academies for normal school pur- 

 poses, lie stated in his report that "the propriety 

 of founding separate institutions upon the mode) of 

 the seminaries for teachers in Prussia was for several 

 years a subject of public discussion in this State." 



The Committee on Colleges, Academies, and Cora- 

 men Schools made a report to the Legislature of New 

 York, in 1844, in which it was recommended to otab- 

 Hsh a normal school in Albany. By means of a sub- 

 committee the committee hud examined the normal 

 schools of Massachusetts and inquired into their opera- 

 tions in other countries. The recommendation of the 

 committee was adopted by an almost unanimous vote, 

 and $9000 was appropriated for the first year and 

 $IO,(KX) annually lor five years thereafter in appro- 

 priations for the support of the school. The city of 

 Albany tendered the use of a suitable building, free 

 of rent, and the Djhool was organized and commenced 

 the business of instruction December, 1844. Since 

 the establishment of the first normal school at Albany 

 the following State normal schools have been insti- 

 tuted : One at Oswegp in 1861, one at Brockport in 

 1867, one at Fredonia in 1868, one at Cortland and one 

 at Potsdam in 1869, one at Gcneseo and one at Buffalo 

 in 187 1. There is also a training school in connection 

 with the high-school at Syracuse. In addition to these 

 nine normal schools the city of New York supports at 

 an annual expense of $100,000 a normal college for the 

 education of female teachers, which is, perhaps, the 

 largest and best equipped institution of the kind in the 

 United States. It has a large school of practice at- 

 tached to it, and the grounds and buildings are es- 

 timated to be worth at least a million of dollars. The 

 college was established in 1870, mainly owing to the 

 (tlorts of Mr. William Wood, who, as commissioner, 

 in his visits to the common schools, saw the necessity 

 of educating teachers lor their highly important 

 ark 



From Massachusetts and New York the normal 



system has gradually spread all over the United States, 

 until there were, in 1886, 117 public normal schools 

 with 1115 instructors and 31,801 students. Ninety- 

 six of these are supported by the States and 21 by 

 the cities. There were also, in 1886, 36 private normal 

 schools, with 279 instructors and 8524 students. 

 These schools are distributed among the States and 

 lerritories as follows : 



See II. Barnard's Journal of Education ; Dr. James 

 Philli|>s Kay's Report to the British Parliament on the 

 "Prussian System of Teachers' Seminaries;" Guizot's Jit- 

 port, as Minister of Public Instruction in France, on tlie 

 Normal Schools of Prussia; the Report of the Prussian 

 System to the Massachusetts Board by Dr. Julius, of Ham- 

 burg ; Horace Mann's Report to the Massachusetts Legisla- 

 ture on the Establishment of Normal Schools; the Mes- 

 sages of Gov. De Witt Clinton recommending the Normal 

 System ; A. D. Bache's Report on the Normal Schools of 

 France and Germany ; the Heporta of U.S. Commissioner 

 of Education. (T. II.) 



NORRISTOWiV, a borough of Pennsylvania, 

 ounty-seat of Montgomery co., is on the east bank 

 of the Schuylkill River, 16 miles N. W. of Philadel- 

 phia, with which it is connected by the Reading and 

 Schuylkill Valley Railroads. It is a handsome town, 

 built on hills. It has a fine marble court-house, opera- 

 house, public library, jail, 2 national banks, 1 other 

 bank, 15 churches, Treeaiount Seminar}', and several 

 public schools. The industrial works comprise rolling- 

 mills, foundries, cotton- and woollen-mills, glass-works, 

 tack-factory, flour-mills, etc. Two daily and 5 weekly 

 newspapers are published here. The State Asylum 

 for the Insane for the Eastern District is located here. 

 On the west side of the river is the borough of Bridge- 

 port, with which Norristown is connected by three 

 bridges. Population of Norristown in 1880 was 

 13,063; of Bridgeport, 1802. 



NORTH ADAMS, a manufacturing village of Berk- 

 shire co. , Mass. , is on the Hoosao River, at the west 

 end of the Hoosac Tunnel, 36 miles E. of Albany. 

 This tunnel, perforated through the Hoosac Mountains, 

 is 5 miles long and is owned by the State. It is used 

 jointly by 5 railroads, which pass through North 

 Adams and connect it with Troy and Albany on the 

 west and Boston and other cities on the east. North 

 Adams has 8 hotels, 2 national and 2 other banks, 3 

 weekly newspapcrSj 9 churches, graded schools and 

 academics. The industries comprise 1 foundry, 4 

 woollen- and 7 cotton-mills, 8 shoe-factories, 2 print- 

 cloth-factories, and other manufactures. The village 

 is picturesque in situation, being surrounded by hi^-h 

 hills and beautiful scenery. It has gas- and water- 



