Art and Handcraft in the Woman's Building
of the World's Columbian Exposition

128 ART AND HANDICRAFT definite aim, either in preparation for a profession or in fitting for a college education, which made them less valuable to women than the public schools. In the larger towns and cities were many private schools of more or less excellence, and they are still improving in their methods and doing much good work, although I agree with the opinion expressed by a foreign educator who came to study our schools, that the best of them are not equal in scope and thoroughness to our public schools. The next important step was much more practical than tlie establishment of academies, and was directly under the control of the State. Already in New York normal teaching had been estab- lished by appropriating the excess of the annual revenue of the Library Fund to the academies for this purpose. On March 12, 1838, Horace Mann reported to the Massachusetts Legislature that “ private munificence had placed conditionally at his disposal the sum of $10,000, to be disbursed under the Board of Education in qualifying teachers of our public schools.” The question at once arose, “ Should the board establish special schools, or attempt to engraft the department for the qualification of teachers upon the existing academies? ” Mr. Mann opposed the latter plan, as the new department would be a secondary interest in the academy, and added: “ The course of studies commonly pursued at the academies consists rather in an extension of knowledge into the higher departments of science than in reviewing and thoroughly and critically mastering the rudiments or elementary branches of knowledge.” Still more, Mr. Mann maintains the superiority of the female teacher over the male in instructing young children, and claims that the board had a^ted wisely “ in appropriating their first normal school exclusively to the qualification of female teach- ers,” a proof of his belief “ in the relative efficiency of the female sex in the ministry of civilization.” The result of these institu- tions is seen in the improvement of the schools of Massachusetts, and the employment of the large force of women as teachers. The first normal school for women was established at Lexington, in 1839. In Massachusetts 76 per cent of the teachers employed in the public schools were women as early as 1858, and the enrollment of women in the normal schools for the last thirteen years has varied from 83 to 95 per cent. The willingness of women to work for less pay than men has contributed to their employment, but even, when chosen from this motive, the work has proved so satisfactory as to lead to consideration of the question of equal wages for equal work.