Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-10-24
Secretary French's Address

Secretary French, as head of the State
Board of Education, delivered an adj
dress in the Hall of the House of Rep
resentatives on Tuesday evening, before
members of the Legislature and others
who took sufficient interest in the sub
iect to be present. 1t was a carefully
prepared review of the school situation
with condensed statistical information,
Illustrative of the operations Of the
present school laws, and suggestions as
to futher improvements.
The entire school population Of the
State was given at $1,000, with 2,645
organized school districts and depart
ments. The permanent investment in
school houses was estimated at S1,265,-
3S7, and the total cost of schools for the
school year, including the expense Of
books at an average Of one dollar per
scholar and nine per cent. interest on
the amount invested in school buildings
was placed at 5000, 900.
Under the head of ''teachers and their
qualifications, the Secretary proceeded
to give somewhat in detail the operations
and results of Teachers Institutes and
Normal Schools. The number of enroll
ed members at the institutes shows
small per cent of increase for the past
three years, previous to which time no
record had been received; the number in
1872 being I, 1869, and the attendance be
ing 70 per cent. against 653 per cent. in
1870. The increase in membership, to-
tai attendance and daily attendance,
though small, was regarded as a faVOra-
bic Indication of increased interest in
these auxiliaries to our schools. There
were also, besides teachers, 81 town Su-
perintendents present at these Institutes
in 1872, against A one year ago. Free
entertainment was provided for those in
attendance by the people of the localities
where the Institutes were held, amount
ing in the aggregate TO 1884 days in two
years. The Indifference of some town
Superintendent was regarded as prom
inent obstacle to greater usefulness. The
law of 1870, making it the duty of these
Superintendent to make the local ar
rangements for the sessions in their sew
eral counties, has generally been well
carried out, which had materially light
ened the labors of the Secretary. But
the very small per cent. of attendance
by superintendent upon the institutes,
only 81 out of 229, did not speak well
for the interest which this class of Off
Gals take in the schools. Another fact
in connection with this is given by the
Secretary, from the records kept was,
that 1.-THE largest attendance of teachers
was from towns whose superintendent
were most constant in their attendance
at the institutes; and that several towns
whose superintendent were not seen at
all at the Institutes, were not represent
ed by single teacher
Indifference of some teachers was
next dealt upon. Two classes seem to
avoid the Institutes ;-some oldteachers
who regard them as very well for young
and inexperienced teachers, but of no
value to others, and a class who fear
they may be called upon to do some
thing which they feel conscious they are
not competent to do. But the Secretary
believed that out of the 1863 teachers
who attended the institutes the last year
not more than fifty can be found who
failad to appreciate the value of these
gatherings. He gave as an Illustration
of what some wide-awake teachers
would do to attend the Institutes, the case
of two young ladies in Windham county
who travelled sixty miles across the coun
ty,by stage and private conveyance, to be
present at the session at Townsend, and
that they felt well paid for the effort
they We're obliged to make to be there.
Prudential committees are not always
friendly to the institutes, as the law
gives teachers the right to close their
schools and attend the county institute |
without deducting anything from their
time. In some instances committees |
have forbidden their teachers to attend, |
and to avoid trouble, these teachers have |