The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-12-26

Published under the sanction ri the State Teachers
Committee.
There is story in'ouo Of the old school
books, which was somewhat in this way. \
lark had her nest in ,llr wheat field. While
she was gone one day. the Young larkS heard
the farmer telling his son to 60 and invite his
friends to come and help cut the wheat. At
night the Young lark> began with all haste to
tell their mother what had happened. but she
badc them he quiet, \ 50 on from day to day.
till.at la>t.the farmer was heard to say. I'VE
will reap the wheat ourselves" when the old
lark too though, it was time to be going.
Much to TIE >lnr purpose is this old prov
erb, If YOU wish a thing done 60. if not,
send"
Scarce ANYTHING is ottcner said in Vermont.
than that our schools an, in Il deplorablc con
Gition: scarce any wish is ottcncr expressed.
than that they should be elevated. Bat how
is this 10 be by ought about? Who will mi
tiate the measures by which they shall be
raised 80 As to meet our wants? Are We to
wait tor some grand development of the age.
or some splendid >chcm: to be operated by
law to improve them? so we have waited
for the last ten Years. and with just this re-
suit. that some hundred thousand Young per-
sons have been sent out into the wide world,
not half SO we'll fitted for its responsibilities
as thew ought to be. and might have been
and SO it will be for the next ten years, if we
stay waiting.
The common school is for the people and
is what the people make it to be. If the
people so will the common schools Of Yer
mont can be made one hundred per cent bet
Ter this winter than ever before. Let us see
how.
II is too late to build new school houses
but it is not too late to look to the old ones.
We can examine the house that we have and
if it is filthy we can cleanse it: if the viii
dows are broken. we can repair them: if there
are cracks in the wall we can stop them; il
the stove is broken and the pipe rustcd out
we can get new stove ard new pipe; II
there is 10 wood. or but green wood. we Can
get dry wood and enough Of it.
Is there rot many a school in Vermont
which needs these very things done ard car,
We not do them? Are we too poor to wash
school house too poor to mend window
or stop crack. too poor even to get stove
and few loads of dry wood? And shall we
be too careless to do it? If children were
compelled to sit >hvering in kitchen all
day. except tha, ONCE in half an hour they
might ,lst scorch themselves at the fire and
then 90 back and shiver again. would YOU
not think it sheer cruelty? And is it worse in
a kitchen than in school house,
Can YOU read your Newspaper or even a
letter from your friend when your teeth al
most chatter with cold and can your child
get lesson under the same circumstances
Much of your happiness depends on the temp
er of YOUR children. Will it tend TO make
tfem cheerful and obiging. to be made un-
comfortable at school all dav, or will it make
them fretful arr cross?
Probably your teacher is hired and exam
ined before this. vet YOU can do much even
now to secure good teacher. Just consid-
er that Your teacher is to have many difficult
problems come before him this winter. some
difficult i'll themselves many more, difficult
because they are to be presented to untrain-
ed minds. and ask yourself if the memories
of last fall or last winter will be sufficient
guide for him with them all Consider that