Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1845-10-17

10y VI tUe Z4U tOWUS III tne Stute, uTeW tue COH-
clusion in my report 10 the General Assembly, that
there was paid TO the teachers in the whole State.
exclusive Of teachers Of select schools-from which
there were no returns--the sun Of Sl26 900 annual
ont feeling painfully impressed with conviction Of
the uttf waste Of very great portion Of this large
sum. Is not extravaqant to say that its power for
good might have been doubled, and more than doub-
led, IL had beon expended under system Of super
vision which should have carried into the schools,
teachers fully competent and modes of instruction
founded upon the true philosophy Of mind, and
practical acquaintance with The means best adapted to
is true and proper education. We do not SO much
need at the present moment additional pecunary
means, as We do system adapted to give greater
efficacy to those already posse ssed, system which
shall give right direction TO effort and make il ef.
fec,ua 10 the proper education Of the children of the
State. The whole, 80 fnr as the aid Of legislation may
be properly invoked is compromised in the preg
nant words Supervision Responsibility. We have,
now, nothing that deserves the name Of either. We
have provided, indeed, Tor the organization Of dis
trlcts, and the employment of teachers by their pru
denilnl committees, who are authorized and required
and regulation, Of the schools, and the improvement
of the scholars in learning" But experience has
shown abundany that all this is unavailinp to the
purpose OF securing proper examination, or, indeed
Of the schools. or to awaken tina, interest in their
impr vement, among parents and throughout the
community, which is ms indispensable 10 their vgor.
Gus health and prosperity, as pure and bracng at
mosphere Is to the support OF human life
We want q system OF super vision which shall make
the power of benefcent legislation felt through com.
peent and discreet agencies in every district and by
every child, in the State. Shall we have IL That
Is the question and 1t presses upon more urgent
~ than any other question within the range Of our
legislative duties. We cannot avoid lis consideration
The States around us are moving onward in the work
of improvement; and urgent have been considered
the claims of common schools upon Legislative pat
ronage,-so manifest the defects of old systems of
supervision and instruction, and go common aud uni
yersal the benefits to be derived from Improvements
in both, that party spirit has stood silent in presence
of this great question: and oil classes and all parties
have made common cause in the noble work of edu.
catonal improvement
The expense Of carrying into effect a system of ad-
equae supervisor need not be great while its benefits
will be inopprecable. Dollars and cents cannot
measure their value. We readily make investments
IN railroads, and other Improvements which prom Use
vestlnents. in comparison with those which. in the
process OF educating community TO virtue and in
tegence, infuse into it the great and indispensable
elements Of solid and enduring prosperity.
sderation, under full persuasion that an awakened
and greatly advanced public sentiment will respond
hearty approval 10 your favorable action omit.
cannot leave the subject Of common schools
without devotlng few moments attention TO what
is fanarly denoninated "the School Fund" The
foundation of this fund was laid in 1925, when the
General Assembly passed an act sequesterins and
benefit Of common schools, The amount Of The avniis
accrued, and thereafter accrue to the State from
the Vermont State Bank and also the amount Of the
State funds accrung from the per the nett
profits of the banks received and 10 be received and
The amount received and 10 be received from licenses
pedlars. Ii provided that said funds with The
annually accruing interest, should be invested in
approved bank Stocks other productive securities
and should not be appropriated to the use of schools
until the amount should increase to n sum whose an
nual interest should be ADEQUATE TO defrav the ex
penses of keeping good free common school, in
each district in the State for the period of two
months.
The State Treasurer was constituted commission.
er Tor the management of the FIND who thereupon
proceeded 10 invest the same, BY loans for the pur.
pose contemplated in the act.
BY an act passed in the year 1883, further loans
from the fund prohibited and the Treasurer was
directed 10 deposit the same in the treasury rs il
should be received, and to keep an account thereof
and annually charge the State with the interest on
the money thus deposi,ed-which il was declared.
"sha be considered as borrowed from the fund :"
nav out said money on anv nnnronrst;on. au,hor;zed
BY law" 'r'''r'''' ''''' ''''
Under the operation Of this act, and principally in
connection with the expenditure of Sl7 OOO for the
erection OF the Sta,e House. the State, from time To
time has become indebted to thi. fund.- until the in
de- tedness now amounts, including the accumua.
tons of interest," to the sum Of S224309 so. while
thereis due to 1t from individuals, the Of $40 500
81 making an aggregate Of s234,9OO "A.
The expedIcncy Of continuing this fund has long
been questioned. Upon full consideration, l deem L
my duty TO bring the subject 10 your notice. and to
submit the question, whether any present prospec.
tive interest VI the people requires that It be con.
tnued.
The first question TO be considered IT, when will the
fund become available for the use Of schools that
49, when WI the annually accring interest be SADIE
qnate 10 deiray the expenses of keeping good free
period of Two months"
The number of school districts in the $40 towns in
the State-takng the returns of last year from l59
Towns winch gave iS09 districts as the basis Of cal
culatlonImay be estimated 2730 If il be assumed
for the calculation, that, by the time the fund will be-
come available, the number OF the districts will have
increased ten per cent on the present number-which
may be regarded not an improbable increase with.
in thrty-three years-we shall have 5000 districts TO
be provided from the avails of the fund with good
school, two months in each year. Estimating The
expense of keeping such school two months in the
then advanced stage of educat ional Improvement, at
$40, there would be required the sum OF S2O,COO ns
the accrung interest Of the fund, 10 render il avaa.
bile; which is the interest," at six pcr cent on $4,000
900.
The question now arises-wiihin what time will
the fund probably accumulate 10 80, OOo, 900? lis
present amount is 1924 900 44-the ANIMAL interest
on which, at six per cent, is Sl4,09iO2 The aver.
age annual income from the SIX per cent. of hank
profits, for the last six years, has been 80 669 sc
and from pedlars licenses 81. I46 So amounting 10
VI SIG SO; which may be assumed as the annual ad-
The avails Of the Vermont State Bank have nearly
ceased to add anything to the fund.- and should moi
be made the basis Of any calculation for the future
We have, then, the elements of the calculation
namely, the present amount of the fund the nteres
thereon for one year. and the probable annual income
from the bank tax and pedlars licenses The process
OF accumulation BY annually compounding the inter-
dina enn