Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-08-25
State Teachers Association.

lNaJ VI AASe nONh- Inv BAOSOCQl1GS Wee IN.
augurated by an address from the President.
j. S. Spaulding, Principal of Barre AGA
DENY, an abstract of which, from the HERALD
we give
The speaker commenced with the pronos;
ton that in the Divine economy, the -
of permanency is found resting on certain
conditions that must be fulfilled before ~
desired result can be reached. Gods dir.c
ton to the Israelites. showing the manner
which their children should be taught. con,
tains the clements of a thorough practiea
system of education. The child, ACCORDING
to divine law, must be taught carefully. he
must be instructed while sitting in the house
and also while walking by the way bis les.
son must be made a subject of thought when
he lies down at night and when at early norm
he rises up. Nor is this all. " These wors
must be bound as signs upon his hands and
as a ~frOntlet between his eyes. And tie
fathers were also required to write these s.ue
words on the posts of the doors and the c-ss
of their houses, and when, in the time to
come, the children should ask - what mans
these testimonies and the statutes and the
judgments ?" the fathers should reply, ''7he
Lord commanded us to do all these statues.
to fear the Lord our God, for our goodal-
ways, that He might preserve us alive, a it
is this day"
In considering the subject of edueat,n
there seems to me to be underlying the mre
prominent features of it a living and bresh-
ing principle which, in our discussion is
too often neglected. There is in our courry
a necessity ola Christian education to score
for our people a living progressive ~civilla-
ton. The civilization of Ancient Greco,
Rome, China, Turkey and Spain, is the
I f-n.fo-a thok ,aD - -~,v- =. .~,oru- -
whose inhabitants the light of the sSk
righteousness does not shine with its gssal
and invigorating rays. In these countries viii
be found nothing of progress in any of ne
arts or sciences, nor in the pursuits Of agf-
culture has any advance been made. Oldn
customs and utensils are yet in use. Wth
such a civilization. progress is Impossible (:
the whole body is dead, its life and vior
have been exhausted, the ~rootlets of an elite
civilization are Gecaying in the very bert
of humanity. Spain is a specimen of tbs
civilization. She has now become a third
rate power among the nations of the earh,
so will every government fail that refusesto
adopt a Christian education as It's found
alton stone.
The speaker proceeded at length to ado
cate a Christian civilization and a Christian
education, such as was planted on the Amei-
can shores by the Pilgrim fathers as the the
system adapted to the wants of the present
era, and IN our vast, expanding country ".
ing the elements essential for a living, POI
gressive civilization. From a true Christan
education flows the intelligence and self-c,n-
sciOusness which give character to the inh.b-
itants and permanency TO the character Of
our country, giving dignity to labor, Impulse
to enterprise and vitality to the State. ind
gives life to the germs which blossom in .ur
.w.-.A -.Ll.r- --I - - ~ ~ -
situations Of our land.
The Puritans did not fully comprehend
nor in form Inaugurate a system Of free
schools, but when the principles became
known and understood, they. like Lutler
in the presence of the Emperor Charles The
9th, boldly took their stand and left the re-
suit with God himself. For disseminating
religion, morality and learning, the fathers
OF New England established a system Of n
structiOn, a characteristic of that civitza-
ton which has the Bible for its cornerstone
The common schools within our own land
constitute the foundation Of our whole
future, and out of which springs that Pc
cullar organism that gives life and vigor u
our whole country, and is assimilating the
different nationalIJics that are constantly re-
to our shores. Inhaling the very At
mosphere of a civilization drawn from free
eSu'ol7 anu TIE worn OF IDl. tHeN cannot
long remain encased in their European OF
A~Iatlc ideas, and two OF three generations
a. incorporated with the bod Poli,ie adding
70 It's muscles. elasticity L ftiT
nerves and energy % its enterprise In every
society there are under currents that are
its members into a better condition.
or gradually swallowing them in the vortex
OF ruin. After an exhaustive review Of che
civilization of the old world. cOntrasted with
given by the Puritan fathers, the sycak-
concluded as follows
American civilization embracing the doe
trine that all men before God are equal. has
a history reaching far back among the
of antiquity existing only in the dim
vision of the wise men Of old il had mere
and there a few 10 advocate its cause until
injustice and persecution wrought out the
Of which our nation is Constructed.
As teachers and citizens IN this great &C
public we must beware. lest we in our zeal
Tor improvement lose sight of the fundamen-
tai principles underlying the institutions Of
our country. 4 civilization having its origin
in Christianity cannot be separated from the
Bible. The word of God in our vernacular
tongue, placed in the hands Of all our peorle.
and a free Christian education for their
children, will give us a living and progressive
which alone will perpetuate both
civil and religious institutions until
- The great globe itself" and all which II
shall dissolve.
The angel with one foot on the land and
the other on the sea shall proclaim " that
time shall be no more"
A discussion on the " need of endowed
in Vermont, and how to obtsin
them" was opened by Rev. l.. A. Austin.
of Burr and Benton Seminary, who thought
they should be so situated as to leave them
free and independent in all respects, especial
ly in regard to discipline. To this end an
income of $4,000 to So 600 for each, was
needed, and our men Of liberality should he
induced to contribute literally and place
them in a higher position for usefulness.
Mr.. Shaw of Springfield, and Mr.. Cilley Of
Brandon could not agree with the last speak
er. Their ideas were substantially that such
endowment was not feasible, and that the
growing system of graded schools was supply
ing the place once occupied by the acade-
mics and the State had wisely provided for
these Institutions a fund contributed by all
the people alike, and placing them beyond
all contingencies or caprice. They wer6 ire
peoples academies, which were destined
when fully perfected to supplant all acade-
mics of ordinary grade, although institutions
Philips Academy might be demanded to
meet a certain class of students. The dis
cussiOn was continued in a similar vein of
remarks by Rev. Mr.. Wilder of Charlotte
Judah Dunn of Rutland Mr.. Pierce Of
Springfield L. F. Ward of Westminster and
others.
Wednesday afternoon the question of
* Normal Schools was brought up and the
discussion opened by Mr.. Williams, of the
Castleton Normal School. He stated what
such an institution should be, a school for
training others how TO teach, and thought
tuition much too low in our schools at this
time
Mr.. Kile of Vergennes spoke in high terms
of the Normal School everywhere said the
legislature had been too sparing of the money
of the State. Vermont gave each of the Nor
- Schools Hrn hnndred dollars To b. =