Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-06-26
PRACTICAL EDUCATION IN THE
COMMON SCHOOL.

PRACTICAL EDUCATION IN THE
COMMON SCHOOL.
We realize, to their fullest extent, the
benefits, delights and importance of
classical education. We would that
every child and youth in the land had
the time and pecuniary ability for its at
tainment Unfortunately, however, with
most of us, the necessary time and
money for this purpose is wanting. The
hard realities and necessities of life re-
uuire that our education, so far as it can
be gained by the aid of teachers, shall
necessarily end with the common school.
The attention and experience OF legis-
lators has been, for years, directed to
the perfection of the system, and the
people have, generally, cheerfully paid
the taxes necessary for the support OF
the best attainable schools. To aid In
their improvement, conventions of the
'friends of education teachers insti-
tutes, conventions and associations are
held, and subjects pertaining thereto are
discussed and considered. An associa-
ton of teachers is now IN session in this
town, and in the programme of subjects
to be discussed are many of practical in
terest, connected with the methods OF
teaching, discipline, etc. We all feel
and acknowledge the necessity of thor
oughness in teaching the rudiments OF
all knowledge, generally termed "ele-
mentary studies, the adoption of the
best methods of teaching, the use of the
most approved text books, and the ex-
ercise of correct and proper discipline
in the school room. These matters can
not be too often considered, and the fire.
quent relation of ones views, gained
from individual experience in the work
of teaching, cannot fail of good results.
Indeed, we see it in our present school
system, by which the child of wealth or
poverty can, without money and with
out price, be taken from his a, b, c's up
to the very threshold of the highest de-
partments of learning. 1t is no longer
necessary to pass from the common
school to the academy, in order to taste
| the sweets Of knowledge, for our district
schools now afford a higher and more
advanced grade of education than was
thought of in our best seminaries only a
few years ago, and are, even, encroach-
ing upon that which was formerly con-
| sidered the sole domain of colleges and
| universities.
When the advance already made, in
spite of obstacles and discouragements,
is considered in connection with the fact
that the vast majority of our. youth step
from the common school into the walk
of active life, is not the question sug-
| gested to these associations, to consider
how more practical education can be
attained We grant, because we be-
| lieve it, that every branch of study now
pursued in our schools is of benefit and
| Importance We are no believer in the
utilitarian GRIP of chi bono in reference to
every thing whose immediate and practi-
cal use is not apparent. We have no
| doubt that every man and woman would
derive vast and incalculable benefit from
the highest collegiate education. We
| are met, however, at the outset, by the
| stern fact that such a course, no matter
how desirable, is impossible. Skilled
| labor is, Just now. more wanted in the
country than trained professional men.
Both have their appropriate spheres and
both are wanted, but we want men, not
pretenders. There is vast work yet to
| be done in this country, and it must be
done by trained, skilled, living men.
The rudiments of an education for all
| trades, labors and professions are the
same, and the foundations must be laid
strong and deep. After the foundation,
| comes the superstructure, and here, al
| though for a time the walls may run
| parallel, they soon become more and
| more divergent. For those who have
either the time or means, or both, ample
| preparations have been made, or are
| making, to secure the benefits of class
ical education, with the practical or
scientific combined. The preliminary
education necessary for one to pass from
the school room into the engineers of
fee, the machinist's shop, store, to the
study of law or medicine are the same to
a certain point, but when that point is
passed each must travel by different
path Life is too short and work too
pressing to permit but favored few to
pursue a course of study for the plea
sure it affords We would that it were
not so, but we must take things as we
find them. Cannot our teachers asso-
Citations, by the consideration and dis
cussion of this subject, devise some plan
whereby the acknowledged usefulness OF
our schools may be largely augmented,
and the children, therein, be in some
measure more particularly educated with
reference to the future business life they
| are TO lead