The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-02-05

Mr. EDITOR As you have of late
published some communications bearing
or the Graded School, you may not object
to the writer saying Il few word, through
your medium.
We have voted to grade our schools
and decided on localion-thus far we
have nothing TO say. And at previous
meetings committees have been appointed
TO get proposals for The sale Of the old
building, and get plans, specifications, and
estimates for new building, aid we
learn that committee have 50 far succeed
ed in their arduouS labor., us to be ready
TO report nj our next meeting that suit
able building that will be AN ornament TO
the place will cost $4,000 dollars. and
we believe that by all good judges in such
eases that it Is not safe 10 add les. than
one third to tins AS an under c,tim te.
making Al 600 dollars. addirg to tits the
cost OF grading and drainage, say 5000,
and the cost Of land proposed to be pnr
chased Of the Mfg Co. $1,000 more. and
we have the small amount Of f47.Ou
That lobby interest proposes to saddle
upon this community, and this is not all
when this scheme is consumm,ted we
have yearly expense of NOT les. than
':4DOp To keep the machine in operation,
IN the shape of teachers and incidental
expenses. Taxpayers of Aliddcbury are
Jou ready for the question if 80 come
up next Wednesday evening and confirm
or regret it We cannot believe that the
good sense of this community i s. warned
as to sanction such wholesale -lluuitrr
of their hard earning, especially SO "a,
this time when our country il in such AN
unsettled condition, with n drpr-rlatrng
currency Manual labor at ruinou-
prices. and it is forcshaluwed Ivy our best
business men that we are on the eve of
| such crisis rs never was experienced in
this country. Now when these thing. and
many others which might he named are
brought TO bear, should it not be "a warn
ing TO us To keep oar promises to pay
within due bounds And we make the
assertion that if this thing is carried
through as the lobby interest dc, ire it,that
the small taxpayers will have To pay the
larger proportion of this exI e. SC, us it is
no large matter for our largest tax payers
to convert their means into bond, aud
slide clear of all taxes under the Govern
ment's wings. Some will say, what will
you do after going thus far! the writer
would suggest that we repair and fit up
the Grammar School building. for we
believe that II few thousand dollhrs will
put that in good comfortable condition,
and we can have just as good school
there ms we could have in one that cost
500, 900. And when hi. experiment
is fully tested, (for it is an experiment in
this place. then il more commudious ac-
comodations are required we shall know
better what we want, and no doubt be
able TO erect buildings for about one-half
the expense we could at the present time.
1t seems TO Us that any person who
has observed the working under our old
system that many things ought TO be cor
rected before we should lie willing TO run
up a bill of some forty or fifty thousand
dollars. Many of our first families have
taken their children away from our schools
and established schools OF their own.
You ask them why they do this and
they will tell you thai 1t is TO keep them
clear from the communicating influence OF
public school. This they have per-
feet right TO do, and It must he confessed
that Young America is pretty wide
awake in this town, especially when we
nee public property g'ing TO destruction
AS our school houses are at the present
time, windows broken, blinds torn oG,