Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 21.djvu/117



OREGON NORMAL SCHOOLS 107

was drawn by any other educator in the state. The building was valued at $5,000, and the five acres in the grounds were modestly held at $2,000. When it became known that Chris- tian College was asking the legislature to designate it as a state normal school, the Methodists put forward the same request for the Collegiate Institute.

There are two reasons why these schools were ambitious to become state normals : ( 1 ) they would thus be empowered to issue diplomas to their graduates entitling them to teach in the schools of the state without the formality of passing an examination, and (2) there was a certain amount of prestige and advertising value in securing state recognition which would attract students. Normal school opponents held that the pro- moters of the scheme were only waiting for a favorable op- portunity to apply for state aid, and were taking this first step of putting the state under obligation for their support. In- deed, it was not long until plans were made for securing ap- propriations. It seems quite certain that friends of the two schools promised they would never ask for state aid.

The act creating state normals at Monmouth and Ashland was passed by the legislature without serious opposition in 1882, being approved by the governor on October 26. No dis- tinction was made in the privileges accorded the schools. The law was as follows:

"The Christian College at Monmouth, Polk County, and the Ashland College and Normal School, Ashland, Jackson County, are hereby declared to be state normal schools of the state of Oregon. . . . Model training schools for professional prac- tice shall be maintained. . . . Control shall be vested in the present boards of trustees."

Mr. D. T. Stanley remained as president of Monmouth Normal, and Mr. M. G. Royal was the first president of the new normal at Ashland. In the spring of 1883, Monmouth graduated its first normal school class, Miss May Hawley re- ceiving a diploma. In 1884, nine students were graduated from Monmouth, among the number being Mr. J. B. V. Butler, now head of the history department of the Monmouth Normal,