The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-04-11
Education In Vermont.

4
Mr.. EDITon-Dear Sir The opposi.
tion to the care and supervision of
schools by town supeiintendenssa and the
repeated attempts, year after year, ~
abolish this supetihtcndency, evince L
great want Of correct information, and
the existence Of fundamentally erroneous
opinions, with respect to the best mode
of constituting o system of common
school education.
Abolish the town superintenden6y and
supervision Of common school educatisnl
What could be moro unreasonable or
preposterous Have all intelligent aud
wise Legislators and patrons of the edu.
cation of the rising generation, who have,
from the beginning, recorded ibis as
primary and fundamental element 10 q
wisely constituted systsm Of common
school law and discipline, been creating
and sustaining a thing of no value :
And while the experience Of q century
or more has taught chem that this is an
essential and indispensable part Of the
machinery necessary to effect their pur.
pose, have they been mistsken7 Are
the teachings of legislation, intelligeuoc,
good sense, observation and experience,
all fallacious and false on this point I
The intrinsic value Of an intelligent
faithful and efficient town superintendent.
cy cannot be overrated. This is the tes.
timony of universal teaching in all the
other New England States especially ia
Massachusetts. 1t is the only conclu.
sion to which analogy brings US, from
whatever department Of important bust.
ness we derive our arguments Faith.
full supervision is no less fit and essen.
tial IN the common school than 10 the
Academy or College-than on the farm
and railroad, or in the machine shop.
What could be more unreasonable and
absurd than to abolish the town super.
intendency Of common schools The
case needs only to bc fairly stated and
seen at one glance to expose its extreme
absurdity. Contemplate the facts Of ono
year. During the year, 100000 arc
expended in the employment Of some
$500 or 1000 inexperienced teachers to
discipline and instruct your 100000
scholars. A business of great magui.
tude and dificulty,o of the highest respon.
sibilityi Of momeutous consequences for
two worlds, calling into requisition the
first intelligence, the most msture judg.
ment, the wisest and most enlarged and
enlightened experience of the fathers Of
these children. The law requiring town
superintendents exists in consideration
of all this. The trainers of it took into
account all these facts, and, yet, such is
public sentiment in Vermont, that an at.
tempt has been made. both iu 1853 and
1854, in the Legislature (and the meas.
uro was sustained by the votes of tho
friends of education 10 the House in
1859, to abolish town superintendent
cy or supervision Of common schools.
What could be more preposterous and
suicidal2 The experience Of the Hon.
Horace Manp, for twelve years at the
head of the Board of Education, 10
Mass, is to my purpose bsra The law
in that state requires . superintepding
committee of three, Eve, or seven per-
sons in each town, who are positively to
visit each school, twice each term, ono
near the beginning and again near the
aud once a month, Of they
think proper Mr.Mann says :" Schools
have prospered and Hourished in ,hs,
state precisely in proportion to the fdsl.
ity Of the committss, in this respect"
Hs adds I II has happened = thousand
times, that prosperity or adversely has
shone or frovned upon the schools Of
Town, like sunshine or frost upon tho
early flowers Of spring, as IL has been
blessed or cursed with faithful sehoal
committee" And yet in Vernon Jmsoy,-
md some who assume the nsms Of Sedu.
'ato,," would sbolish . town superip.
endsncy A thorough supervision is gu
ssential and indispensable provision for
be successful pros ecution Of common
chool education. This supervision from
he nature of the case, must he primarily
he work Of town committee, in each
own. No foreign agency ean do the
'ork TO bo done. Therefore, no foreign
gency can be substituted for it, The
lection of such board would constitute
90 or 700 of the most influential and
men throughout. the ststs,
owerful and appropriate agency to
ateh over teachers, tsst books, scholars
nd schools, and guide and direct in the
Use and faithful expenditure Of money
, educate the rising generation. What
ian of intelligsues and experience in
,s premises, will attempt to gsinss,
aese statements1 What arrangement
build be more proper or beneficial !