Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1845-10-23

vice, IS itsef protection IN the highest sense from
all the dangers which can arise within the limits of
State. Would we have obedience to the law :
Let the children be learned, in the common school,
as well as at the domestic Preside the duty of self
CONTROL and of reverence for the law Of eternal
recitude written in the word of God while the
Development, in Just and harmonious proportions,
OF their whole mind, shall give them, at once
conscious sense of the worth Of mind and an in
tegent conviction of the great purposes it is fitted
to accomplish
All the children in Vermont-especally 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 leach organized town
shall keep and support one or more schools. pro-
vded with competent teachers" that the towns
shall be divided into school Districts that certain
district officers shall be appointed; that taxes shall
be assessed and collected to build school houses
and support schools and that, to the income ars-
ing from these taxes there shall be added, for the
current Of schools, the annually nccruing inter-
est of the surplus revenue Of the United States de-
posted with this State. And here with the excep-
ton of making provision for certain returns of
school statistics have left the matter If school
houses are built, we have taken no care whatever
Tor their proper location or construction aud if
teachers are employed, we have done nothing in
aside from the barren enactment that they shall be
competent" What shall constitute competency,
or who shall Judge of it, are matters entirely over
looked in our Legislation. The result is an admit
ted aud amenable deficiency in the qualifications
OF teachers great and manifest defects the modes
of instruction. and confusion and want Of uniform.
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
n Hfnass in thair al l;,,Ia
taste and beauty. aud cony enence in the grounds
connected with them; il, indeed, any grounds but
those of highways are thus connected. And yet
what an amount Of money is annually expended
for the use Of schools To say nothing of the
amount expended in the construction of school
houses-of which we have no means of forming
an estimaie-let us look at the expenditure for
teaching
From the statistics returned to me last year, from
l59 Of the 24O 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
elusive of teachers Of select schoos-irom which
there were retuTns--tIie sum of Sl2s 900
nually. No one sobery consider this subject,
without being painfully impressed with conviction
of the utter waste Of very great portion of this
large sum. 1t is not extravagant 10 say, that It's
power for good might have been doubled, aud more
than doubled, lf il had been expended under sys
TEN of supervision which should have carried into
the schools teachers fully competent and modes Of
instruction founded mon the true philosophy of
mind, and practical acquaintance with the means
best adapted to its true and proper education. We
do not so much need, at the present moment, addl-
hona pecuniary means, as we do system adapted
TO give greater efficacy to those already possessed
"a system which shall give right direction 10 ei-
fort and make it eiIectual to the proper education
of the children of the State. The whole, so far as
the aid Of legislation may be properly invoked, is
! : .snons;h;Jt,, W. haze nou, no,b;pc tha, do
sarves ,he namc Of o;,ber We havs n,ev;ded in.
deed for the pronunciation or districts and the en-
nIovment or teachers nv their nrudeptiaI commit
ZOOS ,yho arc a,,bo,;zod and reon;,ed 10 " adon,
measures for tho nsnec,ion exam;na,ion and reot.
/ Ia,;on oe ,be scbooIs and The announcement, Of the
schoI.rs IN I.asn;nr,, r., exnaIS;anco b,s sho,,n
ahmndan,I, ,ha, III ,h;s i; ,,nava;I;n1, r., ,he mr.
nose Of sccur;ng proner examina,on or indeed
anv examination of teachers or a nroner sunery.
sion of the schools mr. N awaken thai interest in
their ;mnrovemen, ,mono n.,en,s and ,hronobon,
The commnn;,v which 10 .s ;ndsnensohle 70 their
v;corous boalb and n,osner;,v no a nure and brac.
inc atmosnbere is IN the sunnort of human life
S Wv ,saa, s.,,o,, 81 I,nar,;s;on ,.h;ch sh.l,
m,Le tho no,vor ~ haoe6cen, Ionslo,;on fel, ,bro
oon,oo,oo, and d;s.soo, a,onoos i; aar, d;s,r;c,
ood ta no a,'u oh;,J :; ~ So Sho,1 ,sa havo
20 H. - -" D, - ~ =; $3.50 No., ne
mora nroen,lv ,han onU o,har Question ,y,bn the
go 80 ..., H. W. aaaao, aro;d
;,s eons;dora,;oa Tho S,a,os oranod me arc NOV
;n, on,'ard ~ ,ho ,o,L Of ;n,n,ovao,on, and an
-, S - -, ,a;drod ,h oI;o,s 81 con,,non
sc5ooIs ,no or;sIa,;yo ,,,rnnnoo 60 rnan;Ces, The
Jacso's ~ ia go, * s,,na,s;son and ns,,nc-
80 anJ a. .or',,,,,r, .d nsossal ,ha hano6,s 40
w. Jo1"a co." i,o'.oo,',s :; ho,h ,hat nar,v