The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-04-18
School Houses.

OF the young, while the edifices they
have consecrated to this end are mere
novels, which a dog would turn from
with disdain, and which horse of or
dinary intelligence would scarcely ac-
knowledge as his home. The time was,
when any kind ola shanty was thought
good enough for a school>house but,
thanks TO the progress Of common sense
and liberal views among the people,
that day has long since passed. at least
: in our own State. Among the finest
buildings of our cities and villages. are
those devoted to the educati on of the
young. In many instances, they are
not only substantial, convenient and in
good repair, but they crafty the eye
and the taste, are really ornaments to
tho town. Massachusetts is before all
her sister States in this respect. 1t
has been said of her, "You know the
State, as soon as you enter it, by the
beautiful and commodious school house,
surrounded by every appendage neces-
sary to the Accomplishment Of the de-
sign for which they were erected. >
The annual expenditure for the erec>
ton and repair Of school houses, in this
State, exclusive of Boston, is about
S150.000. In 1858, Boston expended
$4,000 on school houses, making
almost 100000 appropria ted for
that purpose, in the whole State, dur
ing that year.
While we are proud of our own
State, for its liberality in these mat
tcrs, We are sorry to know that some
portions Of New England are criminal
ly backward in providing decent ac~
ccnmodations for their schools. A
series Of able articles has lately ap>
pearcd in the Fcrmont Chronicle, on
"Education in Vermont" the last of
which is devoted to the subject Of
school>houscs. The writer reveals
condition of things which we hardly
imagined to exist in any New England
State and if his representations are
correct, our Green Mountain friends
will have to bestir themselves, or they
may soon be obliged to meet the
charge of relarsing into barbalism.-
According to this writer, "the reports
of State and county su supcrintendcnts,
and general observation, authorize the
statement that there are comparatively
few good school houses in Vermont"
Generally, he says, they are precisely
what they ought not to be for the pur-
pose of their intention. lie then gives
the following description of Vermont
school house -
Whatever renovation and improve
ment there may have been in this dc.
pertinent among us, the advance has not
been so rapid and thorough as in other
sections of New England and as the in
tercsts of common schools demand. All
over the State badly located school
houses cucumber the highway. without
shrub or shade tree around. without
play ground or out houso,mat or scrnpcr,
without means of ventilation and uniform
mperature,- seats too high and
destitute Of support to the back. with
desks on two sides of the room, with win
dows destitute of glass, clapboards
hanging loose, blinds, if any, propped
up to keep in their places. wood
without shelter and stove without a
door. 1t is safe to affirm that by far a
majority of our school-houses are badly
located. poorly ventilated, imperfectly
warmed in winter, having very uncom-
Portable seats and desks. without appa.
ratus except blackboard, and very many
have not that, and destitute of tho most
ordinary means of cleanliness and con.
vonience In many instances they are
little brown structures of peculiar as.
pcct, meek, demure, burroving in some
lone, damp and depressed spot. or per.
chance pcrched on the pinnacle of rock,
as if too contemplate and abiect to oc.
cupy choice piece Of ground, exposed
to the remorseless winter, aud the fervid
rays OF summer, at one end narrow and
dingy entry the floor covered with wood,
chips, hats, caps, hoods; shawls, cloaks,
old mittcns, old books, dirt. dinner bask-
cts, old broOms shovel, tongs. FIRE. poker,
ashes, and sometimes snow either dry or
soft, &c, all huddled together, in the or
der here cbronicled-tho only room hav-
ing prodgious box-stove, with or with
out door, or door with or without hinge
or latcll-a ghas;ly old thing sometimes
heated to the temperature of NebucLad-
nczzar's furnace. and again remaining as
frigid as an iceburg, in despite of all that
scholars and teachers con do with the