Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-12-12
RUTLAND HERALD.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 0, 1867
supplemental Report of the YER
mont Board of Education,
November, 1867.


herewith submit a supplement to their
Eleventh Annual Report.
This supplement is made necessary by
the peculiar, and, indeed, unprecedented
circumstances In which that report and
the accompanying report OF the late
Secretary OF the Board have been pre-.
sented to your honorable body and to
the people OF the State. The law makes
II the duty OF the Secretary, "by and
with the advice OF the Board" ITO exert
himself constantly and faithfully to pro.
mote the highest interests OF education
in the State" and annually to present
to the Board a report o. his official do
ings, with suggestions for improving
the organization OF the schools, and the
mode OF instruction therein. The law
makes him the executive OF the Board,
and contemplstes that he will put in ex.
ecutioh the plans which they set on foot.
1t does not make him the adviser of the
Board, except in one specified particular,
and even in tina! particular his advice
has only the weight Of suggestion.
Until the present year, this has been
the practical construction put upon the
law by the Board and by the Secretary
In his last report, however, the late Sec
rotary has reversed this construction,
and has proceeded upon the principle
that it was the duty OF the Board to act
by and with the advice of the Secretary.
II his report had been made to the
Board, as required by law, the necessity
OF this supplementary report would have
been obviated, and what the Board are
now obliged to say could have been in
corporated into their original report.
Bat the report Of the late Secretary has
never yet been presented to the Board,
even since 1t was printed, but they have
been compelled to procure it by such
means as could be made available.
Some things in that report seem to
require notice and correcsion by the
Board.
1t Is affirmed that the selection OF
books by the Board twas made with
such haste as utterly to preclude all pos
slbility of the calm and considerate at.
tention due to the Importance Of the sub.
ject, and even to propriety," and ",ess
than six hours" is said to be the time in
fact given to the decision. So far is this
from being the truth, that for three full
months prior 10 the decision, the Board
had been in possession of all, or nearly
all, the books from which the selection
was made, and had given them all a
calm, considerate and protracted exsmi
nation. For more than two months
particular members OF the Board had
given special attention to particular
classes OF books especially assigned to
them for examination. To show how
rigid aud mi0ute that examination was,
it may be mentioned by way Of instance
that one member OF the Board performed
the wearisOme drudgery OF reading
every article in five series OF reading
books, comparing each book with every
other book OF the same grade, article by
article. Other members Of the Board
examined other classes OF books 10 an
equally laborious manner. A decision
preceded by an examination so protracted
as that, hardly deserves to be called
hasty, especially as il WAS also preceded
bv discussion, in which, the late Sec.
"a
opportunity WAS given for all who
wished to be heard in regard to the
merits OF their books" After the books
had been thoroughly examined, their
merits fully discussed, and the Board
had matured their judgments, it would
seem that even period of less than six
hours was sufficient in which to express
their judgments. While it is true that
there were differences Of opinion, and d.
versities of Judgment, it is also true that
in the fual decision the Board were
unanimous in every particular except
one.
1t is affirmed that the circumstances
preceding, attending and following the
decision were such as to indicate pre-
judgment OF the case, and so to detract
from the weight that might otherwise
attach to the decision and several spec
iacations are presented lst, 1t was
currently reported and generally believed
at the time or the Waterbury meeting
that the majority Of the Board had made
. previous arrangement by which the
leading books had been determined upon
before the hearing. It is sufficient to
say in regard to this, that the current
report was Incorrect and the general be-
lief was uniounded. There was no such
arrangement. q, This feeling was
streng thened by the palpable haste with
which the formal decision was hurried
through" But that feeling was with
our good grounds, and the pa!pable
n.1Je wa really the result of long de-