Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-07-04

concluded, on Friday, with rhetorical
exercises and musical concert. Inc
week has been occupied with the exam
nation in various departments ana osner
services. It may be now said that the
first public anniversary of the Rutland
Graded Schools has been an entire sue
cess throughout.
The history of the Graded Schools OF
this village since their establishment
would be interesting at this time, but
our limited space will not permit Its
publication. When Judah Dana came
to Rutland he found the system almost
in disrepute, owing mainly to the man
agement of the former teachers. While
well qualified, they failed in the classifi-
cation, and from want OF knowledge
of its workings. The work to be ac-
complished was arduous and almost de
moro lie brought to the position the
ripe experience of practical teaching OF
near quarter of century, and after a
full view of the field assigned to HIM,
the work was at once commenced OF
thorough grading and classification OF
all the schools from the high and gram
mar down to the primary schools. From
this foundation he commenced the up
building of a system which ought to be
the pride of every citizen of Rutland and
of the county. He has labored on, aided
by efficient and competent assistants,
and sustained by the board of trustees,
until the Rutland schools, we say with
out fear of contradiction, have no super
Tors in every respect in Vermont, and
are so acknowledged by the leading
teachers and friends of education in the
State. The exercises and examinations
of this anniversary week have been the
browning of the efforts which have been
made during the past six years to estab-
fish, in this community, a system where
the children of all the people might be
thoroughly and properly educated. The
people have not been the witnesses of
the struggles of the Board of Education
and the trials that have beset the teach
ers in accomplishing this result, and the
specimens wrought out from the rough
quarries of the untutored mind were
presented during anniversary week for
inspection, polished by the master hands
that have been moulding the future citi-
zens of this community. The labors OF
that have been and are being put forth,
should be appreciated by the people
envyings and jealousies should be laid
aside-faults, imaginary or real, should
be overlooked-an all, with one accord,
work hand in hand enthusiastically to
attain yet more possible fruitful results.
Standing now in the foremost rank of
the schools of the State, leading the van
of the graded system in Vermont, let us
unitedly 90 forward until a building
that shall at once be the ornament of the
town and the temple wherein our chill
dren shall worship at the shrine of learn
ing and be a Mecca toward which the
future generations shall make pilgrim
age, shall be erected to convene the
pupils and large enough to meet the
wants of a flourishing and rapidly in
creasing community. Let us urge again,
90 at work with a fair determination to
accomplish still greater results and pro-
vide ourselves with a school building
worthy of the town.
At the commencement of the present
year the Board of Trustees appointed a
committee to prescribe a course of study
running through a series of years, and
those who finished the course as gradu-
ates should receive a diploma or certif-
cate. The influence upon pupils was
soon apparent, and the first class have
now gone forth with credit to themselves
and bearing witness to the training that
is impaired in the Rutland High School
This was experiment but has proved a
great success. The classes that are
to follow in after years will bear
much richer fruit. The Trustees in
vited some weeks ago, a committee of
most competent gentlemen, twoof whom
are engaged in the every day work of
teaching, who know what a school is,
and thorough drill and scholarship are,
to be present during the week, visit the
schools in every department and make
report to the Trustees of what they found
to be their condition and their general
opinion, in order that the people might
know from disinterested sources how the
training of their children was going for
ward. The practical teachers on the
committee were J. S. Cilley, Principal
of the Brandon Graded School, A. E.
Leayenworth, Principal of Beman Aca-
denly at New Haven, with whom was
associated Rev. j. G. johnson, pastor of
the Congregational church. Their re-
port will be laid before the Board of
Trustees, and published at an early day.
The examinations have been going on
from day to day. On Friday even
an able, interesting and elaborate ami
yersary address was delivered by Rev.
Lewis A. Austin of Manchester, Princi-
pal of Burr and Burton Seminary, no.
tice of which will be found in another
column. On Thursday afternoon the
proceedings of the week were concluded.
1t is the purpose to make the close of the
summer term, anniversary week, in future
a permanent feature, in which shall
center much of the interest of the school
year, whose coming shall be anticipated
with pleasure and around which shall
cluster sacred memories that shall bind
the pupils to the place of his education.
RHETORICAL EXERCISES.
On Friday afternoon the Opera House
was crowded to listen to the rhetorical
exercises, many being compelled to
stand-most of whom remained until
the close-even though the atmosphere
was sitting. AT two o'clock Doring's
band struck up an overture, after which
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