Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-10-26
The School Law.

W ~ ""''St men 'h inc tWn branches A.,
consideration. SWne petitius relailn,.@
II have already been presented nd Referee
ana one ~ inc new-ptperS COMES iorr.rs
with ITS plan. Tue Freeman rrconm,ro,s
the esi iblishmeut ct Bard of Educ.,'.
after the Massachusetts NJ ,del, instead ne
State northumberland other n
AS they are. In tins state of THINGS -
submit for the Consideration of sueb ~
Interested, a few facts.
!. Even IN wealthy, p,pulnus ami b,..t1.
educated Massachusetts,. with large s,b,.i,
fund. II was found that the esiabl,-b,n,., =
a board of Eiuci;Ion. with power H. .u,,,,.
'crelary at such n salary W tn L..,,.i,,
ture saw m tn appoint, would no, nnsw,r "a.
purpose. The lrgl-litiv. apprnn,,s,.'e
was more than doubled. we b. le,e' a, ,ha
outset. by the mnniticencr of individuals
?. nproven 'nis Va VI ssachu.e,ts b.ra
been the result of v,st amount of p,t,.n,
aud persevrring labor. For instance ,hs
cxinin tom vt teachers m thai state ia no..
To considerable extent. quite th,rui,b IA
law OF io27. required IOWA enmmlt,e,. A.
ascertain the quilic dion- of teacher, ss
personal exainln hon e or oiherwisen .,gr
was SOON found that mn.t CON nittee. e,S !,
"othe WISE" and 70 liiile purpose. "a.
years ,itcr. the W. ~ "or oln-rNisen -.
purpo-rly omitted ia the Revised is,pts.
SO as T. make personal eNamin ,iinn nbli-s.,'
ry III all cases. IL 1857 after this nnauS-
ed rulc had stood two years--the result "a.
Investigated by means Of irculars at -
found that ~ regfrd ~ the m,iorny ofthe
Teachers in the state, the extnipaiinn w..
euhcr d spen-ed wr'h altogether or c,ui,.
dates wer, tried bg tests that were NOT sur.
la ttaka any tt-ttrttntuatt,u hot a, 81.
uine and the spurious. Whit apprav,,.s
the difficulty was, that N two-thirds If th..
towns IN the Commonwealth, NOR. or far
of the teachers Nere allowed. ~ contr.y-n-
uou Of the express letter and true sp,rt =
the law. To commence their schonls Nuh,rs
being examined at ALL" Fms was The site
nf things ~ l-7. In iriY, the Srrrs-,rr
says; Public oplnlnn. however, h 8 rps
for hgeire years notice The time r, qu r,,l
been brought Ia bear upnn this subject ne
pusitlve requirements of he law have b.,a
urged home upon Committees the b.rafr,
ola compliance with It have been .xp.r,.u-
ced, aud this exp ri.nce has been contrasiod
with the evils of non compliance. uutI AZ
the present tme thus siiutary law is prafss-
s.d'y cutnplied with ~ almost every tosa IN
the State, and IA the great insluriy Of iA-n
Is sunstan tally So BE- reinrnatiun, % So
pears. vas far fron being universal sa1
complete. even al the end uf twelve ysar's
hard work. during ten of winch one 81 ~
most cihcieut ahorers IN the cause Of educa>
iion that the age has seen. was emp. o,-d
.'un II. Aud thus - point OF whoa the
) cretary says: Probably few pcuvlslic-,
IT anv ~ the Statute book, have been n,,se
ethctcmus aud servicsble IN Improving OF
schools, than the one which requires ms
nittre- to e,amin" teachers See Mass
chusetts .ysicm Of onnnn Srhpols ,Maun's
lUtn Report. PIP 73-7d.l
SLOW snd im e-trct. IN ike manner have
been the Improvements M other parii u's-s
OF The Massachusetts system, with - The
Advantages nrivcd by those who how. there
lahnrcd Ia of CT ih~m. let no one expect.
then that The common rchoos at Venom
are 20 be brought into satisfactory state On
single year aud by vir'ur of hii ~ rareh-
meut. the hu-banlnnn ir1itth iur ms
crop 70 takes thiuy years iu raise cr4a ~
men, aud about a. hong. under fuvor %
Circumstances aud III the best culture 10
p,1iu'e 10 a community. crop Of opmuns
and habits m regard ,o such public ufei-
est. " baieVer is done, then. let a. b. enrr-
ed upon ~ The work of a it me
3 he NJ ssachuset's town and drsirif
system is widely dlff .rcul irosl ours. fhey
d FIR ia such . way. sni 50 greatly, that a
Board ui + Inc tion. # we had one. must la
har h ere under very great comparative DIS
aiy ntages. The Massachusetts system Is
thls:--
The tolcn regulates the system. The
to~n Is divdrd inlu DISTRICTS only when the
people so vote; and by vo'e Of the town The
districts mny be- ADD shed snd their property
berena town urn..'ttN, on such equliabie az
rangetn.", a. may be d,trrintned on.
The town, at IT. annual meeting. elects
hy written ballot. School COMMITTEE a
three. hvr, nr seven aud ths Committee has
powers aud duties of real suhsianre and III
III. hieh~-i Importance. " hen the tnsa =
not divided MO districts. ihis Comm liee
must bnid and repar school houses. examine
aud hire teachers, prescribe the books Co be
rs d, & %, &c Where the town II district
ed, the Town determines BY vote wheshes
tsslf 10 elect q prudential Committee ~
each district. or leave zach district 10 choose
rs uwn Primarily, Il l. the dniy OF the
wn committee To provide teachers hr the
distric; but the town may. hy vote, rrsn--
fr thls duty 10 the districts coumit Is
But va the latter case, no contract with a
teacher Is hgaliy valid unul the psrsoa
employed shall have been approved by Tie
town committee The town connritss
determine what books shall be used IN The
schpols. and may, # they please. prrscfbe
ihr books for each class. TIL are 10 SO
that all the scholars are supplied with books +:
and mly themselves buy the hooks ui Be
pad tor by The town. aud ultimately by re
par nis aud guardians, # rble. hey ar 10
examine the schools 10 dismiss lncompeie1t
or nniaitbiul teachers to expel r''irtcters
scholars 10 provide schools here pFudel-
tlll commuters refuse or neglect 10 do 80
m a word. they are cloihed with psNrr
10 make the S, stem efficient and regulate rs
working.
Undisirioied towns are supposed 10 h'se
important advantages. In one Of the Re
purts. MT now at hand these advantages are
stated with some particularly aud llInstraist
bs examples of towns where the dlsfreis
have been ABOLISHED. r. Aann, in BIS
feuth Report, touches upon the subloe,
briefly IN The following ierms;-
" As a general fact, the schools in undis'
trcted towns are greatly superior 10 '1s@
IN distracted town land fnT obvious res-fns-
The frs, class of towns,--the undlstrie'ei'
PROVIDED all the sch ol-huuses, aisd-
through the agency Of the school comud,
tie, e,nploy all the teachers. If one o q
school-house Is provided for any s'ct"a 81
the town an the other spctinn-, having oin-
frlhuieh their respective porlinn~ oi ihe -,
p use 10 erect The. good house. Will delasla
une equally gond for themselves; and ne
equity OF such demand Is so obvious ''ni
it cannot be resisted. Ii. on the other h'no,
e'ch s"ctnn we're a separate district, anu
bound Tor the whole expense Of new house.
# II should erect one. Il would be tcmP'ei
a. c""'inuv an old house. i',ng aft"F II hsi
eased to b. con,turi bile and indeed, a. -
perience has to- often AMI sadly prsEsd'
hong after It hid ceased to be- len'tsbie-
o too, IN undI-ircted town. we never IRE
the pnniul, autl-republlcan contrast Of que
sehonl. III one section, KEEP all The we,
found, ny teacher who receives n huufird
dollars month while, IN another steiien