Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-07
Vermont Daily Transcript,
ST. ALBANS, VT.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER, 1858.
Te0cHcr's institute at GFoyVi0.

A Teachers Institute under thc direc.
ton of MI A. L. Rankin, secretary Of
the Board of Education, assisted by Mr..
Jonathan Tenney, of Albany, \. ",
commenced its session at Georgia ON
Monday evening 10y q lecture from the
Secretary. Notwithstanding he heavy
condition Of the roads, the remotcncss
of the place from railroad accommoda-
tons, and the sparsoncss of the popula-
ton, the attendance Oh the lecture twas
good TO the credit OF the people OF
Georgia it may be said that an educa-
tional lecture always would draw bet
ter house there than a puppet show or
troupe OF negro ministries. The adj
dress on the first evening of the insti-
tute is generally understood to be more
particularly for the benefit Of the people
generally, than for the teachers, as Il
class, and the attendance OF teachers
from abroad was quite limited. We
noticed, however, among the audience
Mr.. C. d. Mead, of the Swanton Graded
School, and some few individuals whose
names are unknown to us.
We confcless that We entertain an in
tense dislike for some of the features of
that which, in utter disregard Of the in
dividuality of the teacher, and Of his So
cial relations, masses all, teachers ana
people into an audiendc t be talller. in
Discriminatory. We are not OF that
class who believe that the things OF the
past are much better than these Of to-
day. We believe that this is an age OF
progress and that in nothing is it more
manifest than in our educational insti-
tutiOns, as whole but we at the same
time believe that up in this little cor
ner of the land, known as Vermont they
have been for some time under dark
cloud which we had hoped with the
new Board and new Secretary TO see
measuaably disDelled.
Here are teachers from the different
towns of the comfy, and possibly from
towns not in ills county, and the great
G, part of them W II go away without
having learned so much as the name OF
any other teacher beside the two or
three who, by special appointment, have
been set up to talk AZ them. We have
have the fortune to attend institutes in
several different States, and in many
counties of our own State, and we have
somehow acquired the opinion that by
far the most valuable clement of sue,
ccssful institute is that social element
which, in our Vermont institutes has
not only been dlscountcnanced, but la,
been absolutely crusheo under the iron
heel of the one-man power. We do not
have so much as roll to which we may
resort for information.
But we had forgotten that our old fogy
notil MS ought not to be ventilated in
this progressive age, and have made {
sad aggression, for which we hope to bt
pardoned.
The first day of the institute was occu
pied mainly in the usual routine of the
Vermont Institute, somewhat diversi-
fed, however, by the Introduction O
some miscellan eous exercises by Mr.
Taylor, Of the st. Adams schools. The
second evening was occupied by Mr.
Tenney, in the reading of an instructive
lecture. The first hour of the secoA,
day was occupied by Mr.. Tonney, in the
discussion Of the method of getting VI
an interest in the study Of geography
The second hour was occupied by Mr.
Mead, of Swanton, in what he wa
pleased to call a class-meeting, He sale
he was not brought up in a Methodist
pursuasion, but he had a high respec
for the class-meetting and he hoped al