Excerpt from Historical Sketch of the State Normal School at San Jose, California The preparation of the following history of the State Normal School at San Jose, and of the work of its graduates, was first suggested by a circular sent out in 1881, by General John Eaton, Commissioner of Education, at Washington. This circular stated that in answer to numerous inquiries, it was purposed to send out from the United States Bureau of Education a circular of information respecting Normal Schools, and requested that each Normal School prepare a manuscript, giving information with reference to its origin, officers, instructors, pupils, course of study, financial matters, etc. Though the Bureau of Education has never completed this work as proposed, presumably because not a sufficient number of schools responded, the suggestion has been productive of important results. Several eastern Normal Schools, prominent among them the schools at Albany and at Oswego, in New York, and the school at Normal, Illinois, have published historical sketches, and others have such books in preparation. These sketches clearly show the great value of General Eaton's suggestions, by proving conclusively the past as well as the prospective usefulness of Normal Schools. This is done by showing in a detailed, though condensed, form the immense educational influence they have exerted, not only upon those who have availed themselves of the advantages of the schools, but, through them, upon the public mind, also. The sketch for this School was begun in response to the circular, but as the material collected and the value of the work was seen, it became apparent that a full history should be issued, in a printed form, direct from the School itself. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."