Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-10-26

OF ! ana II years OF nge upon the puplc Schuos
Of this state, hns been "a follows
In lsGo 5l,l9 per cent
" 1861 5l3j " A"
d" 1862 5Ifg " "
q" 1863 $3.50 "
+" 1864 $3.50 " "
1865 1870
" 1866 1890
1867 5000 " "
1868 80 "
These figures show that Of the number ofpu-
pills hctwccn The ages Of I and ~ years OF oge
that octually entered school, the attendance was
from $50 TO 80 10 per cent varying by q few
huudreiths Besides there IS large number OF
children ia the State TINT do not attend school at
nll In sG2 there were in this State 1851 chill
drcn between the ages of and Is that abscntcd
themselves entirely from the common school. In
lsdj che number That ahsenied themselves was
2iill and the average number IN the State be
tween thesc ule. that were entirely absent from
the public school from thc year 1854 10 1867, was
l9202 The whole number of children between
these aer. Boz thc State during these years ayer-
aged ohlu; So 800 Hence from 1850 30 1867 over
% per cont of the children of this State between
the ages Of and Is ala not attend the public
schools ct an and OF the remaining = per cent
that did attend, the average varied bnt little from
80 per cont, showing that only $50 per cent Of
the children of this State have been in regular at
tendance npon il. public schools during these
years. The expense Of the common schools of
Vermont varies bat little from $500 900 per an
mum, and Of this half million dollars but little
over onethirl is ofuny practical value TO the
State, because that children are allowed to absent
themselves from school Whenever they please.
In 1867 a laws was passed that required the chill
drcn of ibis State of certain ages to attend school
three months each year, butos the law did not
make IL the duiy of any one in particular to see
that It was enforced il has lain dormant and use.
less
The German states consider that the children
are the property Of the state and compel them
to attend the public schools lt h. almost impos-
sbe in Germany to lind person That cannot
read and WRITE and the consequence Is the Ger
mans are the most inyincbe people on the earth
It is exceedingly difficult to find a German beg
ging in any nation under the sun ri the ig-
nonnt that are found in the prisons, houses Of
correction, and poor houses. Out OF 2j2 ,5ii per-
sons committed for crime in England and Wales
during series Of years. over ninety per cent
were iitemtc. less than no-halI per cent were
well educated In the peutentiary Of Ohio out
Of 21G inmates nearly all were iguorunt, and Us
were exceedingly so la Auburn prison, n ",
out Of 81 inmates only 20 could read and write
In Sing Sing prison out of 700 inmates only 3
were literally educated, and of these were for
eguers IN the whole state Of New York in 1871,
there were 2S unelucated criminals to / educated
one, Competence walks hand in hand with in
telligencc In the German and Scandinavian
nations where education is compulsory and igno-
rance almost unknown, pauperisn and crime are
almost unknown also. While in England and
Ireland, where one-haf Of the population are
grossly ignorant pauperism has become an evil
which the wisest statesmen have given up as un-
manageable. Go to our Reform School at Water
hurry, and you will lind that the majority Of those
boys were grossly ignorant when they were sent
there, and hnd been educated in the streets. wan
dering here and there 1t costs New York and
Vermont seven times as much per annum to cdu-
cate a child at the Reform School as at the pub
lie school The number Of inmates Mt the Reform
School is rapidly Increasing, aud we are COM
iltl'A w fAlthi ldl 70 SUMS tAtll year 70 meet
the demand for room. The school at Waterbury
is worthy enterprise indeed. and has n noble
b1nrl Of managers and teachers but would il not
be well for Us 10 seek 10 arrest the tide Of youth
whose feet are tending thither2 If the street is
the school where boys are fitted for the Reform
School, should We not strive 10 decrease the num-
Der of pupils in the former TINT there may be
decrease also in the latter? Shall we squander
$4,000 yearly, because Of nonattendance of
pupils upon our schools2 Shall Massachusetts.
obtain 10 per cent and We but 502
It we fail to he instructed by the lessons Of the
Dark Ages, shall we still be unmoyed when the
{ blighting influence of ignorance has come to our
very doors? Shall we allow % per cent Of the
children of this State, who are to live and act
when We are sleeping beneath the shadow. of the
collins lid to wander here and there in ideness
/ profanng the name Of God, and wpng the slime
and filth from the face Of the lowest society? !
adiure the assembled wisdom Of this State 10
talk less about woodchucbs, dog laws, fish laws.
and railroads. and turn their attention to the chill
dren Of their State to whom they arc soon to en-
trust the welfare and protection Of all they hold
dear | beseoch them to enact law that shall
compel pupils from 5 to II years Of age TO attend
| Uncommon schools Fix months per year, unless
otherwise provided with instruction, and make it
the duty Of some efficient officer to see that this
law is enforced The wealth Of q State does not
consist in costly edidces extensive commerce, nor
the gold Of its millionares, but in living loyal
industrious, and intelligent population Again,
the evils that arise from Irregular attendance Of
pupils are countless It engenders habits of IT.
regularity that follow the child to the grave The
attention wanders, the chain Of thought is broken,
and nearly all true culture Of the mind fails to he
attained
\ volume might be well written on this part OF
our theme, but we have been more prolix than we
intended when we took up our pen AIS.
Middiehury, W., Oct % 1870.