Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-06-12
Written for the Rutland Herald.l
Parents Relation 10 their schools.
NO. Xxx.

Written for the Rutland Herald.l
Parents Relation TO their schools.
| NO. Xxx.
Another practical question for parents
| to consider in preparing the public school
for tneir children is, what system of or
ganintion shall be adoped Except in
the dties the district system has general
" Prevailed in this country. Every one
who has given the matter any attention,
is aware of the disadvantages of this
| system, and many earnest efforts have
| been made to remove the evil, by a
change to what is termed the toao1 sys-
TEN. In some States the town system
has been established by law in others,
enabling acts have been passed oll0aotng
the towns to abolish the district and es-
tablish the torn system.
The advantages of the town over the
district system, may here be considered.
1. Under town supervision the schools
will all be of the same length, giving the
children in every family an equal
| amount of instruction. Under district
supervision the length of the different
schools varies from twelve to thirty
six weeks during the year. And
as all parts are taxed equally ac-
cording to their ability to support the
public schools, and as every man is in
terested in the education of every other
mans children, all should enjoy equal
school advantages.
2. Under town supervision; just so
many schools will be established as are
needed, and no more. Under the dis
trict system, the number of schools is
determined by old district lines, without
regard to the number of pupils to be
provided for The result is, some of
these schools are crowded much beyond
the capacity of the buildings to accom-
modate, and others are so small that the
advantages of classification and class
emulation are entirely lost. And other
evils result indirectly from the same
cause The small schools are likely to
| employ teachers of a lower grade to
have a more Sti11gy outfit and a less care
full supervision.
3 Under the town system the aggre-
| gate expenses OF the public schools are
much diminished As at present man.
aged, much money is wasted in building
school houses, employing teachers, and
in running the schools. | have in mind
an instance which wAl Illustrate.
| There were in the town of L. fUe
schools, in all of which there were only
thirty-six pupils. In one other school,
the same number, thirty-six pupils. Now
the one school was not too large to be
profitable indeed it could be managed
to much better advantage by a single
teacher than the small school of seen
pupils: This large school was in session
twenty-riine weeks, during the year I'M
der review, at an expense of $3.50. The
five small schools running the same num-
Der of weeks, with less efficient manage
ment and less satisfactory results, cost
80, 430, This gives us the practical so
luton in figures which ''do not lie" In
the large school the whole expenses of
twenty-nine weeks schooling was S7.22
for each pupil. In the small schools.
for the same, the actual expense, as esti-
mated in the town report, was SCI 80
per scholar. This estimate does not in
clude the interest on the additional
amount of school property invested in
the five districts compared with the one
4. Under town supervision more. skill
full teachers can be employed, better and
better furnished school houses, and
hence, much more profitable schools
secured.
We cannot expect that a district of
only two or three families, having chill
dren to educate, will be willing to incur
the expense of building new school
house and paying high salaries to their
teachers. But, under the town system,
all the children in town would be pro-
vided for equally, and those in the rural
districts would enjoy equal advantages
with those in the large villages. This
would be an important point gained, and
would result In establishing good schools
in the place of poor ones, throughout
the town and State.
5. The GROWING advantage resulting
from town supervision, would be
the establishment of graded
school of high order in the center of
the town, which would be accessible to
all. This school would have three de-
partments, the primary, the intermediate
and the academic, and would afford ex-
Cellent facilities for every grade of pu-
pills fitting for business: and for college.
Such a town system of public schools
would supplant the common mixed
academies, leaving only a few classical
schools of high order, and the higher
seminaries and colleges, where the gradu-
ates of the graded town schools could
complete this education.
6. More complete supervision. of the
schools would be secured under the town
system. The town Board of Education
would, naturally, be composed of educa-
ted and efficient men, and would act in
concert for the common good of all
! They would not only examines but en-
ploy. the teachers, and, hence, would be
be able to secure those who are the best
qualified and 'adated TO the different
grades and conditions of the several
schools.
These are. some Of the many advan-
tages which would result from the abol-
ition of the district, and the establish
ment of the torn system. The utility of
this change has been demonstrated in
sthe state and numerous towns which have
tried the experiment. That will be
fortunate day for the cause of education
when this true system of public instruc-
ton shall have been. established every
where and it is the first duty of parents
to demand and secure the school system
here recommended. PARENs.
THE ROYAL VAULT AT WINDSOR CAS-
TLE.-A new entrance to the Royal vault
has just been constructed for the private 1
use of the Queen or such members of
the Royal family as may wish to visit