Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-10-30
Address of J. :. Adams. Esq. of
Burlington.

We copy below from the Burlington Free
Press. brief report Of the address delivered
by Mr.. Adams, Secretary of the Board of
Education, in the Hall of the House of Rep
resentatives. last Thursday evening. in re-
Spouse to an invitation from the General
Assembly
He began by abiding to the apathy and
Indifference which prevailed throughout Yer
mont in all educational matters for the years
Immediately preceding 1856, and then rapidly
sketched the progress which had been made
in the last eleven years, and the and
the agencies through which it had been effect
ed \ Bard of Education had been created,
system of Teachers Institutes established.
a uniform series of text books selected and
put in use, the entire body of school law re-
modelled and svstcmatized, statistics gather
ed, dis ;ussions held and interests awakened
in all parts of the State, new and better
school houses erected, graded schools set in
operation, and new life and efficiency infused
into the whole apparatus of Public lnstruc
ton. In this connection, the Secretary paid
n high tribute to the wise and sagacious
plans of Mcssrs. Pease, Bradley, Redfield
and other early members of the Board TO
them he believed To be due large measure
of the success attained He adverted to the
lied the Board for the first ten years as not
only grateful to himself, but conducive in
the highest degree to the prosperity of the
Educational interests of the State.
The Secretary expressed his faith in the
system Of normal schools which had been
introduced during the past year, and recon-
meHded that the State furnish aid to them
directly or indirectly. He gratified
with the results already secured, though
He praised the working of the law of 1866
authorizing the examination of Teachers at
the Institutes, and though he was at first
apprehensive of it's practical working, he
now considered it to he the most valuable
and efficient school act passed within the last
twenty-five wears He protested against anv
move nent looking to its repeal, believing that
it would work decided improvement in the
qualifications of school teachers.
He then presented certain amendments
which he desired to made in the school
laws, advocating an enlargement of the
course of study: the empowering of towns
to consolidate their school districts, giving
each district credit for whatever school prop
erty 1t may possess a greater degree of
permanencv in the Prudential Committee
by making it to consist of three men, each
elected tor three years an increase of COM
pensation to the Secretary of the Board
and modification by the Legislature of the
list of text books now recommended by the
Board for after November 1868. He re-
ferred to criticism of his report which had
appeared the day before in one of the lead
ing journals of the State, and explained the
grounds which he had determined to en-
brace in his report the matters which had
drawn on him the condemnation of that
paper
In conclusion he alluded feellngly to the
confidence reposed in him by the people of
the State, the uniform courtesy and kindness
with which for eleven years he had been ev-
erywhere received, and the regrets with
which he about to leave his native
State, in whose service he had spent the best
years of his life. He was laying down the
work poorer in purse than when he took it
up, and with shattered health, compelling
him to emigrate to genial cline
The address was listened to by good au-
dience, in spite of the counter attractions
of the '' theatre" and is spoken of in terms
of high commentator. Our brief report
necessarily omits many of the points touched
upon in address of an hour and three
quarters in length.