Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-11-20

The Rutis.ni Hyal5, one dry last week, IN
dertook to account for the adverse criticism
which the Board OF Education has received dur
ing the past year I, finds the ground Of the
whole in personal or pecunary interest Every
enemy of the board, it says, " can be com
prisel in one Of three classes lie has either
some personal quarrel with the board, or Is in
the interest of some publisher, or has taken up
the cause of Secretary Adams Allowance is
made for few exceptions, in the cases Of those
who are opposed to a system Of uniformity
Now while we confess TO having criticised the
action OF the Board in some points, as well as
the law under which they acted, and while we
do not hide our satisfaction with the late reor-
ganization Of that body, we are unable to rank
ourselves under either Of these three heads. Nc
| publisher has, or hl, had any-eyen the indi-
reotest-connectIon with our columns, (can the
| Hrah say this - nor have we any persona
| quarrel 50 with the Board, either on our own
part, or on behalf Of the late Secretary. With
regard to the personalities Of the Herald. we say
only that the man who wrote and printed them |
has made a double mistake. The use Of innuen- |
does and insiHuations in the place Of arguments.
Is matter Of taste partly, but partly also Of
courtesy. II We deemed such personal reference
proper for the columns Of public Journal, we
could easily avail ourselves Of large amount Of
such material
u reply to the implied charge Of the Herald.
once before made In its columns and then sim
ply noticed by us as d case Of g misapprehen-
sion 80 ou its part, we do not care to say more
than this that the choice which the Board made
last ftll OF Secretary met with very general. if
not universal, approval; that the FREE Pass
has never spoken Of that election, or Of the GEN.
rlen.an elected, save in terms Of commentator;
that we know Of no man in Chttenden County
who has ever found fault with that decision Of
the Board, or who wishes it had been different.
Secretary Rankin himself said that his institute
in this county was the most successful one held
up to that time; and this success he attributed in
large part to the cordial sympathy and active t
resistance afforded by those gentlemen in the y y
county who are most concerned in the work of 5
public instruction. Certainly he has had the L
hearty support and the good words Of all the
friends Of education ia this region. We know \
what We say. t
H. the article alluded to, mention is made Of P
'ur ccnsure" Of certain textbooks, and it is
aid that some one has called the Board " dis Il
ionest, because it failed to select HiVara's f,
e1de7s-" Who has made this last charge We "
-rtH. rI,F y. ..-tfv-
LONG it, nor have We before had any intimation D
I any such charge from any source whatever. -
'e must suppose that in this instance the a
frdiG has simply-madea mistake We have =
aleci crit cisel two or three Of the Boards II
exi-fools not so severely as we ought to have
oue, say some instructors who have had long !"
r. uaintlnce with these books. Some Of the \;
go teachers in the State have urged Us to crit
Zee other books which they say have not borne to
le fc-t = the classroom. We cannot but think >
bat the Heraid is unaware how general is the an
issati-iaciion with the State List. We have pc
'ken no htle pains Tor more than twelve tn
i'nth a. ascertain the exact state Of feeling up 90
b thu point, among those teachers Of the State III
ho may be presumed qualii d to have and e1- aft
RES an opinion in the premises. Perhaps we IL
re unreasonahly Indifferent to the preferences ~
the '2OOO leading teachers - but we have 81
ught rather to know the minds Of the Princi- La
ais Of Academies and the Masters Of High pc
'hools, than Of those eminent and ''leading'' II
liberties npon whom the friends Of certain ipo
N'-oooks 50 confidently rely,-the young men Of
d young women who, when they have nothing Gl a,
tier in hand or in prospect, keep SCHOOL, for ~,
ERIN or two. These gentlemen, whose busi- ;ori
s it is to attend continually upon this very be
ng. men Of liberal education, men Of large uo'
'erience in instruction and most widely ac- =
tinted with the various methods, systems and ext
-books these men to be substantially of inn
mind If any one Of them does not hearth ~. .;ii
lpprove our course in this matter, we have n
o learn his name. II will hardly do to sup TAX