The Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1850-1852, 1850-12-12

orR COMMON SCHOOLS.

For mary year. unw, have ~ talked
abou, cur Common Schools. and e, up
TO this moment, nothing has brcn done.
VIC all. both old ard Young, rich ard
,-ocr, profess rs I've convinced that there
must be change -- that come new sys-
ten mus, i,c adopted or rather. that
We must have some sySicp, II that ~hirh |
We new have IL no, on. In the first |
place. what IS the fault with our present
one, IL we have one, and DO Nc need
any change All unite ia finding faul, |
with our pTcsan, schools in principle |
aud practice. Tie fact that such uni-
yersal complaint prevails ~ sufficient
evidence that there is some radical de.
feet some,eLere That the defcc, is rad
,coi IN the sytcm is shown by the fac
that we canno, agree upon any one saul,
To he reinediei. \ deficiency in the
teach, RS want of schoul-room school,
too crowded little or no attention paid
10 some scholars want of uniformity
il books - no interest felt IN the schools
- II encouragement taken away from
.hcse schools and bestowed upon select
schools. and numbcrlcss other com
plants are suggested from every quar-.
ter, the momcn, The subject is in,roduc-
ed. Tho very reputation of common
schools is bad, and this every one knows
so well, tina, whoever can, sends his chill
dren anywhere else for instruction. If he
cares anything about their morals or ed.
uca,ion. And vel knowing this lIc will
not lift a finger, or bestuw a moments
time, TO make things better All unite
in complaining. why will you not unite
in doing something TO remedy these
evils ? Each one is emulous to at,rib-
ute blame somcwhere-npon the teach
cr-- commiitec--the superintendent
upon this man, or that; why will you
not be equally emulous TO show, by your
means or your encouragement, that the
fault is no, your own! What else have
you done, but 10 find fault, or Withhold
your support! Or if you have had
, thoughts upon the subject, have you not
been so tenacious Of your own notions
that you would not yield to the opinions
Of others, and thereby have discouraged
what little effort was about to be made !:
No man of common sense, can be-
stow u half an hours thought upon this
subject, and fail TO perceive that, next
in Importance to school rooms and teach
crs, there must be classification of
scholars, ard that without such CLASH
tication every thing else that you may
| do is entirely futile. Is it possible for
any teacher, however varied his ac-
quiremenls, to give more than three
minutes time in amy half day to each one
Of the sixty scholars Of different ages
different books, and different studies !?
Did you ever think how much more can
be accomplished, how much more time
can be devoted to each, by arranging
the scholars by ages, or studies or ca
pacities, &c. Other towns have sue.
cessfully tried this so long that it has
ceased to be an experiment. We ought
not to be SO far behind in an intelligent
community like this, and we should not
he if every attempt at improvement was
NV u ushcu " thoeC W WiloIH VIC nave
been accustomed to look up to for exam
pie and encouragement, When will
| the time come when we shall think less
of ourselves and more for the good of
community around US?
1t was not my intention TO direct CEN
sure to any class of US, or to give dis
CREATION upon the subject, but merely to
start enquiry, with the hope that il
might lead to some action. The time
has come when we cannot stop the pro.
erosion of society on such subjects for
any length Of time. The state of soci.
ETY. about Us requires action, far more
than 1t has done in times past, and it
will have il, and it become, Us who are
OF the oIdcn time, to lend i. such Wis
dom and experience as we may have to
/ guide this action in II proper and intel.
li2ent direction, or see TO it that We are
not sufferers in lis way.
ICnABOD.