Three Spokesmen for Norwegian Lutheran Academies: Schools for Church, Heritage, Society

Abstract

by JAMES S. HAMRE 7 Three Spokesmen for Norwegian Lutheran Academies: Schools for Church, Heritage, Society During changes the in the nineteenth American century educational significant system changes in the American educational system took place. On the elementary level the free public school system - the "common" school - was firmly established. At the secondary level an important change occurred in the type of school: whereas academies supported by private or religious sponsors were the most widespread secondary schools at the beginning of the century, by the end of the century the public high schools had outstripped them in numbers of students enrolled. At the college or university level the development of the elective system heralded important alterations in the patterns and goals of these institutions. Many of these changes involved debates and discussions , which in turn reflected profound differences in philosophy.1 The Norwegian immigrants and their descendants have shared this concern for education. One expression 221 James S. Hamre of it is the academy movement that flourished among them for about three-quarters of a century. Starting in the 1860s and 1870s, the movement gained momentum and was especially popular around the turn of the century . E. Clifford Nelson has written that the great initial interest "led many to assume this kind of education would be a permanent characteristic of the Norwegian Lutherans in America." But that did not prove to be the case. Many Norwegian Lutherans saw matters differently . The improvement of the public schools meant that increasing numbers of young people were drawn to them, leading to a decline in the enrollment in the academies after World War I. The Great Depression "administered the coup de grace to the academy movement ."2 It might be noted, however, that a number of the still functioning colleges started by Norwegian Lutherans either began as academies or had academy departments connected to them. In 1944 B. H. Narveson published an article on the Norwegian Lutheran academies. His discussion provides a good overview of the character, purpose, and daily life of these institutions. One very helpful feature of his article is a list of these schools. It includes a total of seventy-five academies founded by Norwegians. It also gives such information as years of operation, enrollment figures, number of teachers, value of buildings , religious affiliation, and location of each school. A second list provides the names of the presidents who served these institutions. Narveson contended that "the academy has made a larger contribution to church and nation than is generally appreciated."3 His discussion is a good starting point for anyone who wishes to understand the academy movement among Norwegians in America. In a sense the present article can be viewed as an extended footnote to Narveson's discussion. It seeks to 222 NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN ACADEMIES present the underlying philosophy of those who advocated these schools by discussing the views of three men who spoke out in their behalf. One of them, H. A. Preus, provided some of the ideas that initiated the academy movement. The second, D. G. Ristad, presented his views shortly after the turn of the century, when the movement had reached its highest point. The third figure, Olaf M. Norlie, wrote when the decline of the academies was underway. Together their writings help us to understand more fully the fundamental convictions of those who believed that the Norwegian Lutheran academies provided the best pattern of secondary education for Norwegian Lutheran young people in America. Herman Arnberg Preus (1825-1894) was born and educated in Norway. He studied at the Christianssand Cathedral School and received a degree in theology from Christiania University. He served briefly as a teacher in Norway before emigrating to America in 1851. Preus was a pastor in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, from 1851 to 1894 and was one of seven pastors who organized the Norwegian Synod in 1853. He served as president of that body for many years and helped to shape its outlook.4 Preus was concerned that the children of Norwegian immigrants be provided with what he considered to be the proper type of education. During the "common" school controversy which developed in the 1860s and 1870s he was one of the persons...