The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-09-19

Our Common Schools.

IDl Nut AOlnulUn CtUOOlo Il ' tTI1UliJ
Now whatever may be the positive or
relative condition of these Schools. the
question so approximately urged by"Vor-
monter," is, We think, an important one,
and very worthy Of the careful consider
alton of every true friend Of the State.
Our Primary Schools are tho Nursery
Grounds Of our mighty republic and
the fruits Of those nurseries must be
" for the healing % the nation" or they
will tend to its irarily aud dcsolaiion.
Without attempting to prescribe an
antidote to all the evils Of which Yer.
monter" complains iwiIl,if you please offer
few responsive suggestions. in reply to
the qucstion,-"What must be done for
the improvement of the Common Schools
of Vermont The common schools of
Vermont are Just qctat Tie pcoplc IF
IcrmoW male Mcm.
The Schools may be, and arc, aud al
ways will be, good, bad, or Indifferent"
according to the will and way Of the PEG.
pie. The hundred thousand scholars in
these schools belong to the people
and the teachers employed in these
schools are all chosen by tie PcoPIe.-
Hence the nco,le are TcncrnIly more
consurable for the evils comnlnined of
than are the teachers
Our Public Institutions demand and
are entitled to a rublic interest. an in.
tcrest Ech 0nA crDrcsScl-witbout this
they languish aud die. of course. for 10
is McU ritalHV Every rarcnt who has
u child at school ought to feel as deep
and lively an interest in the prosperity
and efficiency of that school as is felt
by the teacher. II these thousands of
children were gathered IN hospitals with
manglcd limbs. would they be left in the
hands Of the Surgeon without further
interest or attention on the part Of the
parents Would not each parent be
| careful to know that his child was re-
coi,ing there Just treatment as his par.
ticular case rcquircdl Why, then.
should not the parents of a hundred
thousand you,hs take deep interest in
process which is taking place with their
children far more important in its char
actcr ID them than would be the setting
Of fractured limbs.-tho DEVELOPMENT Of
the mind. and the formation of the NOR
al and Intellectual character Yer.
marter" refers to the schools Of Prussia.
| if | understand him. BY way of comrar.
i,on. But he should know (as probably
he does. that the PruSSiun system of
popular education is the most perfect
and oficiont in the world.-aud Vermont
might adopt many of its features with
ont de.americanizing" herself. Schoo,
Education in Prussia. though common
to all receives the highest respect of the
government, which provides ample facil.
tiles for the education Of Teachers, in a
manner suited to their calling. Nor is
any man allowed to teach school there,
until he has studied the art of tcaehing.
and adontcd the ayocation as his profes.
sion for life.
As in Prussia, so in this. aud every
other country,-a public Teacher should
iirst'p prove himself competent Cor the du-
ties Of his profession and then he should
receive the uniform support and resi-. Get
of his patrons and pupils, during good
behavior. Nothing. perhaps, tends
more ofieetul lily to degrade the charac-
ter Of our public schools, than the dis
gushing No Stree style Of deplrt-
ment. which. like an all-contagious cpl
demc prevails nowadays among the pre-
cocicus ofIsprings Of young America II
This sad disease must be cured by
"hoHIc trc0tmcAt by the judicous ap
plica,ion of the rod IN the hand nj the
parent. The duty of seaRiHg children
to school is duty which devol,cs upon
pQrcatS-and not upon the Teachers -
And parents should not only send their
children regHlar1y 70 school. but they
should frequently 20 aciM them and see
what they do when there, and rigidly in.
s,t on their rendering respcctful obccii.
euce to their instructors. Whatever
may be the qualifications of our School.
Teachers. it is certainly unfair to iudce
of their competency BY either the char.
acter or requirements of those scurril.
Gus ungoverned BOYS. who are allowed
BIZ their parents to spend large portion
Of their fine at fighting and brawlinr in
the streets or banlvinS curses unon onr
church steps. to the utter disgust to all
who worship God or respect decent be.
haviour. Parents thus reckless Of their
natural obligations. would be classed
with criminals by the laws of Prussia
and sent to prison. while their nrofane
ungoyerned children. would if snbicct
TO those laws stand n chance NOT only TO