San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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At this writing the appropriations for the biennial Fiscal period. beginningr ' July 1, 1913, are not available; but we have something more revealing than legislative appropriations talways the product of a certain amount of compro- misei in the carefully planned budget of the State's financial officers. The budget of 1913 recommends in both general and special appropriations the sum approximately of $1,500,000 for the maintenance and improvement of the service and equipment of the seven State normal schools. The same report recommends as general and sneeial appropriations for the University the sum approximately of $1,200,000. to which must be added the revenues allotted to the University out of the proceeds of taxation. amounting to about $1,800,000, which would make the total revenue of the University for the coming biennium $3 000,000. in round numbers. or twice that of the com- bined normal schools of the State. Enrollment of students in the normal schools in 1911 was 3,047: in the l'niversity. 3.779. The figures for 1012 are not at hand; but. doubtless. they would show no relative changeethat is they would show an enrollment in the University about 25 per cent greater than that of the normal schools. not taking into account in the latter institu- tions their enrollment in the training schools. which would. in cost. more than offset the larger adult enrollment of the University. XVith all these facts in view, it is. doubtless. fair to say that the l'niversity is to receive for two years 100 per cent more for support than are the normal schools of the State. Now. no one of us hegrudges the L'niversity a dollar of its revenueswe wish the University to receive not less but more. Comparisons need not always be odious. If the comparison made above suggests anything. it sug- gests thisethat the University in its function of hroducimgr the higher aml staff otheers of the educational aml social army must he tremendously handi- capped in the inadequate nourishment of the army itself. In fact. we have this anomalous situation- -on the higher education side the L'niversity and high school producing at a very considerable cost highly trained omeers of society, while on the elementary education side. we have the normal school and the elementary school representingr the junior theers aml the social army in a comparative state of neglect and inefficiency. I know that society must, as one of its final aims. produce its belle tlenr. 'and that the University man or woman is oftenest. in our social and civic life. this very flower-hut would not a richer soil. the truly well-nonrished and scientifically-cultivated garden of a better elementary school. make possible the production of a finer. fairer flower? The time has come for a Change of nolicy. The new noliey should recog- nize the normal school as a most valuable part of the state school system. What is written above represents in the main a presentation of the needs 01' the normal school made to the State's financial oFlieers. in Decem- her. 1912. The response to this appeal by the loard of Control. the State Controller. and the State Legislature. was instant and most generous in recognition of the situation. The budget of this institution was materially increased. especially in the item of salaries .aml the other normal schools received generous increases in their annropriations. Yet. as is shown also in what is written, relatively the elementary school situation as renresentetl by the normal school was not much inmrovetl. The makers of the budget did their best. but they were handicaonetl hy the static condition of a society held in the iron grin of social waste and vice. Our otlicers of finance. able and a'mreciatix'e as they are. cannot put us firmly on our feet in the math of true nroqress until we have first shaken ofT the burden entailed by our social and economic wastes. XVhen society spends less for alcohol and in war. then only will the items of the budget serve as the indicia of a genuinelv civilized man's annreciation of the supreme importance of elementary education as the foundation of all civil- ization. and as the soil out of which all its finest flowers must spring. 19

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The Normal School: Its Value 1y President E. L. Hardy. HE value of the Normal School is understood by the people and by administrative and legislative authorities in a general way, but its defin- ite value is neither very well known nor very well appreciated. In the first place. it has not been investigated and tested by the standards Ofa genuinely seientitic survey: but neither has any other partof the State school system been thus evaluated. There are, however, some rough and ready tests that may be applied, such as the support given normal schools by the State as compared with the support given other parts of the systemea test which would indicate the degree of public appreciation of the value of the normal school, and the test of the cost of producing a graduate of the normal school as Compared. for instance. with the cost of producing a high school or a university graduate. As to the first test. that of value as evidenced by public support. we have some definite and authoritative evidence. The lion. A. ll. Nye, State Con- troller, in his report dated Dec. 15. 1910. says: HFor many years the normal schools were about the least expensive of the public institutions, educational or otherwise ........ , but of late years they have increased their training school departments and introduced new courses entailing large expense for instructors and equipmentfl Nevertheless. in spite of the larger expense, the normal schools are still relatively less well supported than are the other parts of the school system. The statistics that follow taken from the reports of the State Controller and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. reveal the situation as it stood in the school year 1909-1910. PUBLIC SCHOOL COSTS. No. No. Total Cost Cost Per Cost Per Part of School System Enrolled Graduated For Support Pupil Enrolled Graduate Stale Normal Schools ........ 2,321 743 250,000 $107.70 $ 336.00 Elementary School .......... 322,361 17,632 13,674,314 42.42 775.00 High Schools ............... 39,115 2,525 2,900,000 74.14 1,148.00 State University ............. 3,860 479 970,000 251.30 2,025.00 NoteeThis comparative table is based on total support, whether local or State, which is the only fair basis, because the 101111 and sole revenue of the normal school is from the State. To make the comparison entirely fair, multiply the cost of producing, in the year selected. a normal school graduate by two tsince the normal school course is two years. one-half of that of the high school and the Universityl. and the resultingr figure. $672.00. stands at only a little more than half the cost of producing a high school graduate and at one-third the cost of produc- in;r a graduate of the University. And what of the value to the State of the normal school graduate produced at this relatively small cost to the people? The high school graduate is an unfinished non-teehnieally trained pro- duet. Abont 011e-half of the University graduates are neither professionally nor technically finished products. The normal school graduate is 21 Finished. technically available nrotluct. She is a product dedicated to state tsoeiah service. She is dedicated to this service and enters it tpraetically all graduates begin teaching immediatelyl. knowingy that she will receive a wage but little better than that of an unskilled laborer: but even this low wage renresents an annual valuation of her services to the State of more than twice the amount required to produce a graduate each year-aml her average term of service is four years. Certainly. then. there is no possibility of questioning the accuracy of the statement of Controller Nye with reference to the situation in 1910. Has there been any material change since 1910 as evidenced by public support. in the public estimate of the relative social value of the normal school. as the nourisher of the elementary school and elementary education. and of the University. as the nourisher of general social culture and efficiency? 18

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Hy Edith Strong HR day was intensely hot. with scarcely 21 hreztth uf wind. The sun but down mercilessly upon the tiled mots oi the cluster of adobe building's. and filtered through the dry. dusty fnliztge in the inner Court. llehintl the CUlUllIlZHlC surrounding this court were spots 0f shadow, yet scarcely less hut than the open yard itself. Outside the gmnp of mlnhe buildings stretched a vast country; acres on acres of dusty sage brush. The levelness was hrnken here and there by undulating hills covered with the same tlull-enloretl growth. liar to the north lay a long low range 0f mountains. showingr gray against tlte horizon. le- yontl the vicinity of tht adobe houses. wherever nne ltmketl, there vets sage brush. dry and hot. A road of finely powdered tlnst wound from the groups of buildings toward the farther hills. From the top of the highest hill. the faintest line of blue. almost a mist. could be seen. It was the ocean. far away to the south. The imagination helped one tn feel its cnulness until the eye wandered hack to the tlry and dusty valley directly below. in which were clustered the zulnhe buildings. , A man appeared suddenly from behind a grunp of trees. which screened at seenntl luner line of adobe houses. He was a tall, gaunt person. dressed in the long black ruhes of a priest. He walked slowly. with the air of one who is in deep meditation. Uniting tn the larger 21ml main group of lllllltlA ings. he opened the gate and erussetl the yard within. Entering through the tlunr of the nearest building, he passed intu a long dark hall. the blackness anti coolness ml which emttrastetlpleasantly with the glare of the heat unt- sitle. He went slowly down the hall. antl opening a tltmr on his right entered 21 large. tlimly-lig'htetl rmnn. A younger man, clad in similar garments. ztrosw at his ent'anee. saying: l'ath'e Xiperu, what news? The newcnmer slowly shook his head. I am not satisfied, Padre Francis. l have just returned from the Indian dwellings. There is an ominous atmnsphere almut the place. The people seem restless. They are calm enough when I speak with them, but they are discontented, antl mutter to themselves in groups when they think I am not near. latlre Francis said: HCome. father, do not think too seriously ml the matter. It is probably the h tat which makes them so restless. This evening. when it grows Cool, all will be well again. ' lint llatlre Nipern slltmk his head tluhinnsly. and turning slowly went out of the room by the tlUOl' on the left. lt opened into the Court. and :1 wave of stilling heat struek him as he stepped tlHWH the stmte step leading tn the 20