Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-10-16

decentralization and purity of moroi saai.a
ana intelligence to guide it wisely in the comnjS;''
Gated AFFAIRS OF human life.
civil government, then, accomplishes it's ob;sc,
not when 1t Furnishes crime, but when il prevents
us commssion,-not by providing iails and nen,.
uentarles, but by preventing the necessity of their
eAlstence; by training the people. as far os law
can properly interpose Its power 70 ntellgenco
una c tie love OF virtue The fathers of our State
tDC uns' "neh with characteristic wisdom, they
ueclared III the constitution that claws for the en-
couragenent oil virtue and the prevention of vice
uII Illnoralty oughtto be constantly kept in force
anu uuly executed; and competent number of
scnools ought 10 be maintained in each town. for
lle convenient instruction of YOUTH and one or
h.ole grammar schools be incorporated and proper
y supported IN each county In the State" Thus
were .'e encouragement of virtue, the suppression
v; We ana the maintenance OF schools, deemed so
y'i W uie Weftare OF the State. to demand for
tne,n special provision in its organic law.
% iarge portion OF my first annual message to
tne Geheral Assembly was devoted to the subject
.Ioi euucauo, that deem it necessary 10 do little
more, now IMAM to refer you, most respectfully
10, 10 that message for my views in regard to it.
! Inc PRESENT mas Oeen truly denomnated an age
VI progress. Inc human mind is vigorously sez-
ing, ana carrying out to practical results the mo-
mentous truths which respect the relations of men
10 each other, and the appropriate means of ac-
comprising the purposes of human society and
government AT the foundation of this vast move
ment lies the great work of Education-the work
OF developing, and giving right direction to men,
| tal ana moral power. And if human government is
70 be regarded as an institution designed to perfect
the purposes of society, and improve the condition
OF man upon earth, 1t needs no labored argument
10 snow, that education, thus Defined is among
the hghest duties OF those entrusted with its ad-
mlnlstratlon
NOR should 1t be forgotten that there are rights
correative to this duty Every child in the State
n IN ba odu ta1
reciprocal to the claim of the State to allegiance.
as is the right to protection. The question wheth.
err the children of State shall be educated is no
more question of mere expediency, than is the
question whether the people have right to protec-
ton from foreign aggression, a. domestic violence
Indeed, protection from the effects of ignorance and
vice is, ITSELF protection in the highest sense from
all the dangers which can arise within the limits
of State Would we have obedience to law
Let the children be learned in the common school,
as we'll at the domestic ireside the duty ofself-
control, and of reverence for the law of eternal
rectitude written in the word of God while the
development, in just and harmonious proportions
OF their whole mind, shall give them, at once a
conscious sense of the worth of mind, and an in
tegent conviction of the great purposes it is fit
ted to accomplish. nou
AL the children in Vermont especially the chill
dren OF the poor stand in the attitude of Just claim
ants in respect to education, upon the fostering
bounty, and guardian care of the State And what
has vermont done to satisfy this claim? We have,
indeed declared, by law that ''each organized town
shall keep and support one more Schools provid-
ed with competent teachers" that the towns shall
be divided into school Districts that certain district
officers shall be appointed; that taxes shall be as
sessed and collected to build school houses and sup
port schools; and that to the income arising from
these taxes there shall be added for the current use
! OF schools, the annually accruing interest of the
surplus revenue OF the United States, deposited
M hpro will Tho
making provision for certain returns of school sta
ustics' we have lett the matter If school houses
are Dullt we have taken no whatever for their
proper location or construction; and if teachers are
employed we have done nothing in regard to the
all-lmportant matter of their qualifications aside
from the barren enactment that thew shall be .com-
petent" What shall constitute connetencv or
who shall Judge of it, are matters entirelv over
looked in our Legislation. The result is an admit
ted and lamentable deficiency in the onalifcotons
Of teachers great g. manifest defects in the modes
of instruction. and confusion and want of un;for,n-
ity in regard to the books used for that purpose.
while large proportion of our school houses are
located in highways, with little REGARD TO comfort
or fitness in their internal structure and as I;ttl -
taste and beauty, and convenience in The gronnds
connected with them if indeed opv crronnds brt
those of highways are Tins connected Ard ,,ot
what an amount of money is annually exnended
for the use of schools. 10 saw notb;no of The a.
mount expended in the construction of school bous
es-of which we have no means of farmino an es-
tmate-let us look at the expenditure for teaching
From the statistics returned to me last wear. from
l59 of the 240 towns in the State drew the con-
clusion in my report to the General Assembly that
there was paid to teachers in the whole State, en-
elusive of teachers of select schools-from which
there were no returns sum of sI28OOO annu-
ally No one can soberlv consider tbis srbiect
without feeling painfully impressed with conyic-
ton of the utter waste of very great norton of
this large sum. II is not extrayaoant r. saw Tint
its power for GOOD might have been doubcd. and
more than doubled. if i had been expended under
system of SUPERVISION which should have carried
into the schools, teachers fully competent, and
modes of instruction founded upon The true philos-
ophy of mind, and practical acquaintance with
the means best adapted its true and proper edu-
cation We do not so much need, at the present
moment additional pecunary means, as we do