Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-01-14


expected thathe more favored portions Of the West
will join their contributions with those raised at the
East, in aid of those more destitute.
The first application of the funds must be in en-
ploylDg agencies to raise up schools. In many and
very large portions of our country the people would be
very wiling to pay tor schools, and yet from the en-
crossing pursuits OF Other Objects they take no meas
ures osecure Them In other large portions no value
is felt for education, and Ignorant parents are raising
ignorant children without any wish for schools In
such districts experience has shown that the emplov
ment of agents to awaken an interest by lectures and
other methods and to organize schools and send for
suitable teachers in the highest degree successful
and this method will be pursued as far as means will
allow
In regard to the business of preparing and locating
teachers 1t will found, that there are at the West
as well as at the East well qualified teachers who need
aid in finding suitable situations And it will be found
ALSO that much less expense is involved in training
teachers on the soil than in seeking them from abroad
while well qualified teachers, accustomed to the eli
mate, society and habits around them, would in many
respects be superiort such might be obtained else
where.
For these reasons prominent part of this enter
prize will be to secure, far possible means and
agencies for aiding all at the West who have the reoui
site qualifications and desire to be emooyed as teach
But when it is considered that there are so MANY
promising avenues to wealth open for men at the West
that women are the best teachers for young children
that there is general deficiency Of Gen1le popnla-
ton at the West and redundancy at the East-t is
no al Oh
teachers, great PORTION of them must be women and
very large proportion of these mus: be found at the
East.
What demand would be made for teachers were
the wants of country to be fully supplied, may be
lconjecured from these facts Ohio is the best sup
piled with SCHOOLS of any Western State, and yet last
year her Secretary of State ascertaned that one hun
drcd and thirty thousand children in that State were
without schools. Allowing the ordinary proportion
of pupils to teachers, FIVE thousand teachers are now
needed in Ohio Alone to supply that State as Massa-
chuscts is supplied while to furnish the destitutons
: OF our whole country, rs presented by the census,
would at the same r9te demand fifty thousand addi-
tionalteachers
IN the past history of education it has usually been
the case, that at the South and West whenever at
tempS have oeen made 10 raise mp schools of the
first measures has been to send to the East for teach
; ers, while at the East there always supcr-abund-
nnce of teachers. But in examining into the charac-
ter and history of female teachers abroad great
diversity will be found. Some energetic, well ed
ucated enerprzng women, led By benevolent motives
@ and qualified to succeed in any thing they undertake.
But others thus migrating, go forth from rest
e less love of change, some from romantic desire of
excitement and adventure, some merely for livell-.
? hool and some from wish to raise their position in
III society. Among these, will be found lacking in,
a proper education others in ability to communi--
of cate knowledge or to govern school, others in tact
and common sense, others in good temper and others
ly in perseyering energy In such disappointment
is and disgust the reward Of the friends of educao
who have srven to raise up schools. Many failures
IL also have occurred from the msplacing .rry geod
Il teachers for person would succeed admirably Ia Gle
position who would utterly fail in another Many diff
mt fcues also have resulted from placing teachers in
o. positions uninformed of the pecuartes or peju
n dces of society around them and unnstruced in the
le proper modes of meeting them. No person or collec-
nd ton of persons locate teachers properly who have
y not the means Of ginning distinct knowledge of both
VI the teachers to be employed and the places where
cd they are to be stationed and great evils and dsappont
rd mens have resulted from attempts of this kind without
such knowledge.
rs In reference to the preparation of teachers for the
5r peculiar duties of their Office few are aware of the
many failures that have resulted in this neglect In
tn illustration, ia single among many one of the
m largest eastern States stated by its late Secretary
e. of State, "ior want of this nspendsibe prerequisite
er good teachers has wasted FIVE millions of dollars ant
tenyears of time, to say nothing of labor expended
81 and oboluy encountered, and must now recommence
an from the foundation"
With reference to these past evils, it will be prime
Sc feature in this enterprise to we'll qualified teach
ers, and also to secure their appropriate location With
NJ, reference to this and also for the purpose of raising
u.s. funds Ladies Associations have been formed in many
eft of the eastern cities who pay their funds the Cen
trail Committee at Cincinnati, ana who each have a
Committee to aid in selecting teachers These Com
v mttees will take suitable measures to find such female
f. teachers as have the appropriate character and qua
of cations, and recommend them for employment. AS
n soon the agencies employedat the West raise uE
schools aud thus create the usual demand on the East
ID for teachers suitable number will be selected and in
the first instance, assembled at Albany where Miss C.
n E. Beecher and two or three other ladies who have
at been practical teachers, will spend month or more in
preparing the teachers selected for their future duties
y Except in peculiar cases. these teachers will be those
who already have had experience in this vocation
lr During this tme they will be admitted into the State
of Normal School, an institution for educating teachers,
for which the State of N York pays thousand dol
at lars annually, and which is admirably conducted
up Here they will learn improved methods of education
ID carried forward both in the Teachers Department
to and in the Model Schools connected with it At the
same time, Miss Beecher and the ladies associated
with her will aid in their preparation in other respects