Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1862-05-30
Popular Education.

Ringbolt, the pleasant correspondent
of the Boston Courier, gives graphic ac-
count Of recent town meeting in Dor
chester, where the question of remunera-
tion of the school committee was discuss
ed. g Uncle Lem, one of the patriarchs
of the town. a representative man of the
g old school, made a characteristic speech,
which is thus reported by Ringbolt:" :"
'Mr. Mod'rator," said he, Mister
Cheerman I haint got much to say, but
what say, shall say to the pint.
What's this fuss about eddieation .
What does this here committee want to be
paid for? Been examining scholars, have
they? Why didn's the scholars examine
them? They'd have done it for half pricee
Mr.. Cheerman, eddication is run into the
ground. Great big school-uses all over
town, chock full o ventilators and steam
pipes and all kinds O 6xins inside, and py-
azzers, sixteen-corner gables, and windmill
chimbIies oatside-a master for every room
and a sehoolmarm for every closet. The
committee man in his report says, one of
'em is flag ship, and eight ef the mas
ters are pulling on one oar. That's prot-
ty business for school-masters and for TO
pay for.
when was boy, there was two
school districks in town, and each Of them
had schoolus ten feet high. They didn'
pay S 400 year for cleanin' on EN- and
making fires Boys took turns at that,
and it did 'em good. Boys are dressed
up too much for that now Our deestrick
school-us was down to Meetin-us hill Dr.
Harris, be was school committee, and when
we did our sums right he gin US stick O
candy and never charged nOtbin' for that
nor his services. The gentleman says if
out South they had such school-uses as we
have, there wouldn't be any war Well,
guess there wouldn't. They'd soon use
up their cash to home.
Now, what's the good of so much Cd
dication? The gentleman says. and he
talks pretty big, that money for the eadi-
cation of the poor is 'wrung out of the
wealth by democratic institutions That
don't lock to me quite honest. Now, |
believe that every boy should be eddicat-
ed That is, he should be taught to read,
write and cipher, and learn geography, &c.
Give him that start and if he is fit for it,
he'd get the rest himself-Daniel Webster
did If a boy amt fit for it be won't
git it. So what's the use of rammin' in
wsds that's to big for the barrel? If pa
rents want to do it let them DO it them
selves. Gin the boy fair English eddi-
cation, and then if he wants algebra and
astronomy and philOsopy and geometry
and Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Choctaw, and
what not, let his father pay for it. You
and | hadn't ought toe. We ought to feed
and clothe the poor but we amt obliged
to give en- roast turkey and champagne
every day, and send 'em to Huntington to
git measured for their coats, be We?
another thing, these boys get kind of
stuck up, and amt satisfied with home
aud farmin' and mechanics business
They are apt to get sarey and think they
know more'n their fathers and mothers
They most all want TO go to college or in
to business.
'sNow, Lord knows, there is more min
listers, law5 ers, and doctors than there is
any call for and as for business men,
guess about nine out of ten business men
bust up. It is a grab game any way, and
there is SO much grabbing at it there amt
much apiece.
VIA. I've said about boys I mean to