Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-03
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1871.
RAND Growth of Western Cities.
WrNoxA, Mimi, April 20. 1871.

,
Events which took place yesterday in Europe
are published tod ay in America. A man
,.ln travel from Boston to San Francisco in a
few days, while formerly weeks and even
months were consumed in making a voyage
around Cape Horn, or in a tolsome journey
across the plains. Railroads and steamboats,
have stimulated emigration, so that now one
third Of our population move from one part
Of the country to another, usually travelling
westward. 1t is hardly possible to realize
how vast Is this tide Of emigration. Com
pare the last census with the preceding one
and notice how many cities have doubled
their population in the short space of ten
years notice how many counties have seve-
RAJ thousand inhabitants which were not or
ganizei ten years ago. Chicago and St.
Louis small villages only few years since,
are How far in advance of many Of the east
a-u cities that have existed more than a cen
--y. A few days since | saw an item in
Hl The Minnesota journals which shows
.- tac growth of small towns is not less
wonderful.
j school-louse has been built in Vase
aaI twenty pupils, which seems quits too
small for that tlrIving village, as there are
ce8 hundred pupils in the district though
TIE town is not 'Our years old
I5 i- not uncommon to find such towns
when tleir location Is favorable. All places
do not grow SD rapidly Those towns of
.I5wer growth would be a wonder anywhere
else. A ew days since | visited Owatonna,
nice little city at the junctionof the Mil
waukee and st. Paul and the w mona and St
Peter railroads 1t j. now fifteen years since
the first house was built, now it has about
two thousand Inhabitants In true western
style they have put the school first and fore
MOST Sixty thousand dollars was quite a
large sum to put into the building, while
ar- amount must be raised every year to
support teachers. Never come west unless
v.u are willing TO pay good round sum for
tile Support of schools and for general i'm
rr.vemcnt-
Away to the north, on hill, | saw a for
e-c 81 large trees, which, from distance
looked like naples. but on approaching,
u.-h.r. was To he found but oak, Here,
n- the wiic-brinching trees was the
place selected for the repose of the dead.
~ m1-~-covered tomb-stones were there to
mark tile resting-place of those who had
alen long ago, for no traveller save the In
dian, bad ever passed that way in olden time.
lie earliest date that | noticed was 1859
Not many rest there now, but as l looked
back upon the city 1 could but think how
one bv one. those who were now healthy and
happy. would be brought up hither, until no
one of those now living would be left. Here
lay the body Of a pastor, there lay the bodies
af two .irl-, daughters of some loving moth
er, and a fresh grave BY the side showed that
some other member Of the family had been
called from Garth Ia another place was a
marble slab that marked the spot VIII ere a
Young wife was buried. A genius had left
the marks Of his chisel in so nicely represen-
ting a mantle thrown aside thus parti lily
disclosing the heart of the sorrow stricken
husband. pierced with an arrow. Displays
At funerals and in grave-yards Is always
disgusting. but there are certain tokens
of respect that seem appropriate. Here
was one. which in design and execution is
seldom cqualed. Short graves, with their
little tomt-stones, which tol how some little
one had teen -natched from the arms Of it's
mother. were not wanting
Ninety miles east Of Owatonna i Winona,
situlted or the banks of the Mississippi
Tui- Is "a lively town of eight thousand in
hahi-auts which has sprung up within fifteen
years The first State Normal School is To-
Gated here, which of course has attracted
many who have sons aud daughters to edu-
cate The course Of training is thorough
and systematic as far as it goes, but the
graduates are not qualified to teach high
school since the languages are entirely ig- /
u5red, as are also the higher mathematics,
except algebra and geometry, which are
barely commenced. Itwould make a college
professor laugh to hear a recitation in ge-
ometry Ii Is tikcn up just as though they
were little children who had just learned to
read. one half hour is consumed in explain
ing an cquiiateral triangle. the next day the
same amount of time Is spent in reviewing
the subject ard in showing what a scalene
triangle is Why not say that an equilater-
al triangle has all of i IS sides equal, while
seaIenc triangle has no equal sides, and then .
forever drop the subject This stvlc of (
tea.hing is Intentionally adapted to small
pupils 81 as to give the teacher an idea Of /
the proper way Of presenting the subject to
children. What is the advantage of begin /
Ming the study of anything 20 difficult as
geometry till the pupils are old enough to /
comprehend the subject. It is fashionable /
in the West to teach geometry in the prima-
ry schools At the risk Of being out Of fash
ION. will express the opinion that a child .
should not commence geometry for some
years after he is ireaaed | would not how
,yer Be understood as finding fault with the
manner in which most Of the branches are
taught
There are about two hundred and fifty pu-
Ti.- in tie school, including one hundred and .
fifty children, and there is room enough for /
is many more. you viii think, when you
learn that the building cost one hundred and .
twenty thousand dollars The public school |
h4iIdin. cost more than half as much, be- !
sides there are several smaller buildings in ,
the city used for school purposes. In the .
public schools are twenty-five teachers and /
more than a thousand pupils. The system
Of instruction is good only there is too much /
raising hands and swapping fingers to suit /
me. No wonder that western towns grow
when the people are willing to give their
money FIR the schools churches and rail-
roads