Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-21

uOlpl, lnlt rmcd the House that the
Committee, of which he was Chairman,
were unanimously of the opinion that
the Act proposed to be repealed was
bad one. Perhaps he told the House
wherein ii was bad, though no report of
such enlightenment is given. With
your leave, propose to lend my mite o.
an effort to show why the Act authoriz-
ing the towns to establish cen raj
schools was n bad one. | will try not
be tedious.
|. 1t was a bad Act because it allowed
the frccmen of our tow.;s to do what
they plea cd about providing means fol
Il higher education for their children
than our common schools furnish. To
be sure, this wise Legislature can trust
the eOp,c to vote or not vote to furnish
money to build railroads and various
other matters, but it could not trust the
people to vote TO establish central schools
Mr.. Mead and his cocoon mitteemen
have not sufficient confidence in the
people to allow them to do as they have
GENTLY enlightened to be trusted with
educational matter. True, the time APP.
pointed by the Act in question for dis
posing of this matter is Mt the March
meeting, when the members of the
Legislature are at home and could en-
ploy their superior wisdom in prevent
ing any serious mischief; but it is pos
sible that they might he called to Mont
pelier in extra sessiOl.
,. The Act provided that the towns
might; with a tax barely possible, fur
nish their children the means of the
highest education below collegiate
OF course they do not need any such ed
ucation. Ift .cy an cipher, read, ana
write, what more is required. Can't
they make just as good butter and
cheese, and raise sheep just as high
blooded without any education higher
than our common schools afford?
3. The Act gave our poor boys and
girls just as good an opportunity to be
educated as the rich mems children.
This is all wrong. Now, it costs any
body from $500 to 500 Il year to leave
home and attend school at our academies
and seminaries. OF course it is almost
beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
The repealed Act enabled towns to fur
nish, right at their very Il ors-the poor
mems doors just rs good an opportuni-
ty for educating his children by pa. inc
moderately for tuition, what it costs his
more fortunate neighbor several hun
dred dollars II year to send his children
away to procure.
OF course it is all wrong to put every
body upon a level-wrong to give the
poor man a chance to give his children
more than Il common school education.
An Act that tends in such direction
should be repealed
1t just spo Is our boys and girls to edu-
cate them beyond "reedin, ritin, spellin
and cipherin."
4. The Act was bad because many
boy who is now discouraged by the great
expense attending a thorough education,
if he could stay ut home and help his
father while fitting for college, might
lake it into his foolish head to 60 to col
lege, and thus madly ex end his sph ere
of influence.
Our colleges are running over with
students now, and what hOrrid thing
it would be to see the brawny sons OF
our mountain farmers leaving their
fathers homes and betaking themselves
to or universities This would UNI
doubtedly be the result, if central
schools should be established.
Who has not k lown that even an oc-
casional select school in town has fired
many a brave beart with desire for a
collegiate education?
And thea or girls Who wants to
see them strutting around with scholas-
tic airs: Well enough for those who
can afford to make trities of themselves
by attending academies and female sem
inaries; but then, my how preposter-
Gus
3. The Act, if carried out generally,
would injure our larger towns, which
derive considerable revenue from
scholars sent to their institutions from
the smaller towns.
notice that nearly every member of
the Committee of both Houses are from
towns in which high schools or academ-
les are located. OF, course none of these
honorable men could be influenced by
m ut iuoo Gu Low , M colfcl
Still it is easy to see that the estab-
lishment of central schools would or
might havejust such an effect. We are
wont to build up our larger towns, even