Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-02-01
correspondence.
slnrv HOuLOw, Jan. %, 1871.

for US, that two years must pass before
the next piece of misehief.)
Aud 50 our little grandson can no long
er enjoy his favorite rastime Of building
mud dams, aud sand pies BESIDE the high
way, not even on our own Soil, for fear
committee A. will come along the road,
take him by the arm, drag him itno the
school room, aud compel him to study
book which We have SAID he should not
study2 4
Here Squire Slater" takes that odious
pipe from his mouth, blows away a cloud
of smoke, and says, "Not 70 fast, Sally, |
guess he'll be obliged to get two siguers to
the complaint, besides proving the boy is
growing up iu Ignorance"
All that is easy enough, for B. and c.,
not satisfied with the big tax We have paid
to aid in mis-educating their children for
the past dozen years, would gladly force
the child to attend school, hadthey
the power, just for the sake of the
few pence more of public money it would
bring to the district and where's the jurY
of voters, would dare decide the twenty
minutes teaching, | give him daily, is
anything but ignorance, compared with
the ingenious and expensive educational
systcm which mans wisdom has forced up
on us2 -,. ..
Tak Of woman's devotion to fashion,
indeed when here Is the concentrated
wisdom Of all Vermont following in the
wake of the old Bay State, and so far be-
hind that only through musty volumes of
cid records, can they they keep trace Of
her footsteps. o that the ''State Hotise'
could be transferred to the top of Mans
field Mt thereby elevating the vision Of
our lawmakers one inch beyond the Nose.
Had it been done a score Of years ago,
meyhap. they then had looked across the
Atlantic, and, Flora McFlimsy like, im-
ported their fashion fresh from the foot of
the throne. Could they now be placed
on the top of the said, and aforesaid, and
abovesaid, mountain (Mr. Ed, please ex-
cuse repetition, Lose laws are still din
hing IN my thoughts, J their eyes no longer
rivetcd on moldy tones, searching back
wards for pre,edents, but directed over
the wide world for progression, would
they not then learn how much less op-
pressive the fiat Of even the all-conquering
priissiau monarch, than our own free gov.
ernment? There the monarch says to
parents, "Y our children are my future
subjects, and must be educated. make
one universal equal tax for the support ol
my schools; you all aid in paying that tax
| shall have the best teachers, and tht
I, best schools in the kingdom. You car
each one have your choice, send your chill
! dren to my free schools, or educate then
at your own expense but if at the agC
7 of eight years, it is found you have neg
/ iected to begin their education, and are
unwilling or unable TO do SO, then they
: mast be placed at the nearest school. -
Would not that be more simple and jus
: plan than ours? The great trouble
with our schools is the want of parenta
Interest therein, and how can we be in
tercsted in system in which we have NJ
confidence, and no voice? IT'S true oul
schools 20 years ago were poor enough
but they were improving just as fast al
q the parents improved and here let m'
say, that all the world of wise, or unwise
legislating will never improve them faste
so long as they remain under control o
the parents. Passing acts, and revokin!
passed acts, ordering us to do this ant
that, only serve to disgust us with th'
whole system; and think the majorit,
will agree with me in saying that had w
been left to manage our own way, as il
former times, with no meddlesome law
70 interfere, 1.-The love parents feel 70
their children, combined with tho pro
grsssive spirit of the ages would. have Civ
en- us far better schools than we now have
8 For example, the parents in many pro
gressive districts, loug ago. sGw the foil
of requiring all teachers to aboard round
and, when teachers desired, provided
steady boarding place often too, keepin
the same teacher year aftor year. The
out COMES a Legislative fat, commandn
us to give I'LL teachers a steady boardin
place ! ignoring the fact that to every be
= ginnerj who would be successful Ia he
as efforts to do good in d district school, tn
y discipline Of boarding round, is muc
of needed discipline.
in Again, through series of years, "
,h heard much talk Of incorrect registers, j.
norsnt teachers, still more ignorant clerk