St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-04-21

everything their children say about thei
schools. Little Tommy Jones come;
running home, all out Of breath, crying
perhaps, and says, "Oh, mother, wc'v,
got Il great big bear for Il teacher, AMI
think, perhaps, he wants to eat me up
and | won't 90 to school another day
Mrs. Jones listens, pityingly, with hcl
hands up and her mouth wide open, sh,
calls in Mr.. Jones, when their feelings o
horror, and of the dreadful state of things
find vent. And now the curious part OF
this story l., Mr. and Mrs. Jones beljev,
every word Of their excited child, and il
finally gets abroad, somehow or other
that the district has really cot a bear fo:
Il teacher.
We do not mean Ia say that children
never tell the truth, but we do mean t(
say that they are apt To see thing:
through magniiicd glasses and parent,
would do well TO make u grain of allow
ance Tor their sayings, until the matter
can be looked into, and the exact truth
found out. Owing TO such evils, many
a teacher has failed TO do well, that other
wise might have given first rate satisfac-
ton | regret 10 say | have seen some
thing Of this the past year
Another evil to schools is the inharmo-
ny of districts, and the jealousy Of neigh
bors. | used to think it strange thing
that men should quarrel over such crave
matters rs religion and education, but |
have now about ceased to wonder at any
thing. When we read ancient history,
we sec that some of the most cruel and
blighting wars were carried on, and the
greatest inhumanity 10 man praciiced, and
all through the holy name of religion
SO do not wonder So much that school
districts quarrel, and that neighbors get
mad at one another, inaSmuch rs the an
imal propcnsities Of man are not quite
under control yet, which causes him, in
4 great degree, to seek for both pleasure
and profit through animal indulgences.
So to-day, the passional feelings, in a
great measure uncultivated and uncon-
trolled, are leading people asiray. One
ncighbor wants a male, and others te-
male teacher. One wants four months
school, perhaps another wants only one,
or not any. One is willing to pay good
WAGES, while another finds fault if does.
but would rather screw them down to
the peaked point Of nothing. One wants
the teacher TO pay Il little more attention
to hS children than to others, and if this
is not done, away 20 the passions, heels
over head, the teacher is declared to be
good for nothing, and perhaps the COM
mittcc is called Il numskull. Some of
the most bitter icuds have been gcnerat-
ed among ncighbors on account of dis
agreement in school matters. We should
all be ashamed of such works, and should
try TO cover them up with some sclt-de-
NAL, with some charity and forgiveness
for others, and with Christ-likc princi-
pies everyway.
If men mttt find fault and quarrel, let
them 20 out into the woods, all alone,
and there fight with some sturdy hem
lock or maple, and after the chips have
flown long enough, let them SIT down
upon the stump and reflect awhile. But
for heavens sake, for the sake of schools,
and for christianity, let Us bridge these
coarse and unscemly difficulties. These
remarks are only offered to those that
need them.
There is still another evil tina, INJURIES
our schools Greatly, and it lies chiefly
with the parents ofyouns and incxperi-
cnccd teachers. Fathers will send their
daughters two or three terms 10 the high
school. it costing them somewhere from
fifteen to fifty dollars, when, probably,
the father thinks it high time his daugh-
ter was getting back part OF the money
he has Just pail out .or her, and WISHING
to make one haud wash the other, he
p!urge5 her into school before she is one
hall qualified Under these circumStan-
ces, it will be- wonder ii she gets through
her three months all safe AMI sound. She
tail:; to make some scholar obey, OF she
gets stuck, IL it is called, on some cx-
ample, the pupils will tell of it, anI then
hurrah boys . the clouds bcyin to rise,
and her usefulness for that term bcgins
to wanc.
The grcat mystery OF all this business
is, wLy irW JjdhcrS persist in putting then
daughters forward as teachers, when SC
young, and 50 little qualified Parents
should show some sense, AMI u-c Il little
discretion i'll these matters, even ii Iheiy
SONS and daughters do not. Ii Il parent
:!oes not know fully what his chilI's quail
ilications are, let him take Il little pains
to find out personally, and SO not intict
a triple injury, by abusing the school
first, his child next, and lastly by adding
modification to himself
Upon the whole, can see that some
progress has been made in the schools OF
this town the past year, but it certainly
is not as great as | could wish.
l cannot refrain from repeating what
| said to you last year about reading
classes. There is altogether too little
attention paid TO reading. L have seen
some teachers let their pupils go on ''hel-
ter-skelter," not often correcting their
faults, and sometimes not looking over
with them at all. Most pupils read at
railroad speed, twisting and sluring their
words fearlully. 1t is difficult many
times to tell what they are reading
about. Then again, some classes have
had only half books enough, so that some
pupils had to stare at vacancy while 9TH
ers were reading. This is very bad, for
a scholar can learn a good deal by look
ing over, and should be made to do so.
There have been u different teachers
engaged in town the past year, males
and II temales-4 who have taught
terms each. 10 who never taught be-
fore. II who have taught before, and s
who are residents. There have been
,o,.>o o,.o, 90 .EN,,,o,,. x,.:I. ILL.,. L.,