The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-04
julius CONVERSE,
Governor of Vermont
More about the "Good Old Fnshioncd
Vermont School"

-Nh' Ed lux - nc lnilaDlIuntS OF
that school district, not 10 miles from
Middlebury, of which have read some
things in your valuable paper lately
are in Il most deplorable quandary
They started out to have for the past
winter a good, square, old-fashioned
Vermont School," which, as defined
by that prince of authority on the sub.
ject, the Prudential Committee, con
sists principally in excluding from
among the studies therein such silly
things as Latin, Algebra, Geometry
Natural Philosophy, Book Keeping &c
and combining them strictly to "read
in, writin' and 'rthmetick.n They
were about to flatter themselves thai
they were going to close up their schoo
at the expiration of the four month,
term in halo of old fashioned glory
Tor their programme seemed to hav,
been, for some three months of the term
working to the entire satisfaction of IN,
well at least of the cOmmittee-whe,
Lo n medical friend of this good old
fashioned method of doing things
comes to.them from an adjoining town
and in an otherwise exceedingly funny
lecture tells them that the square old
fashioned way of teaching i'm Vermont
schools has heretofore consisted in con.
fining the scholars too exclusively f.
the above mentioned silly things AND
that Vermont is far behind her siste,
States in that she has failed to diyesl
herself of these time worn abominn.
tons. Now Mr.. Editor, living YER,
near to that district-nearer even thar
YOURSELF naturally take a great in
terest in the educational troubles ofthot
people; and may say | know then
well enough to he entirely satisfied O
their desire TO have a good square old
fashioued Vermont school but under
the, to them distracting condition,
which have arisen out of the Doctor,
otherwise pleasant, and indeed anti,
funny lecture, how are they to decid,
Tor themselves what really constitute,
a square old fashioned SCHOOL, Man,
of these people now fear that they hay,
been inveigled by their committee int
entertaining for over three month,
some dreadfully new-fangled arrange
ment, by excluding from their schoo
for the past winter, just what the yer,
funny Doctor told them has been here
tofore the very quintessence of suuar,
olC-fashioned things, viz the teachin.
of the aforesaid silly things. SO grea
has become their trepidation lest the,
may have, after all, been having some
thing new fashioned, and out ofsouar,
in the school that they incontinentl,
decided to close 1t at once so the funn,
Doctors bombshell of a lecture put al
end to the school for the rest of thi
winter, for close ii they did the yer,
next day.
1t has been rumored too, Mr. Editor
with now much truth / am unable t.
say, that the people of the district. ar,
AFRAID or an unsuccessful result of thei
application to Mr.. Henry Bergh o fNev
YORK for his influence with the mex
Vermont Legislature to charter tina
district rs a branch of the New Yorl
Society for the prevention of cruelty {,
animals This application was sup
posed TO have been made in view o
their efforts toward relieving the youn!
brains of the district of the great pres
sure attending the study of the exclud
ed branches. hope, however that Their
is no truth in the rumor for they certain
ly deserve well of Mr. Bergh. They al
much for this winter. but they are yer,
anxious to have the exact kind ofschoo
they have set their hearts upon mex
winter-the G.. o. F.V. kind-but how
are they now to decide? You under
stand their minds are made up TO on,
thing, they will and must have G. S
o. o. +. V school whatever that ma,
prove to be, but desire first to discove
precisely, and this time without
chance for mistake, what that is
Does it consist in turning out Latin
Algebra and other equally foolisI
things. which have been taught in tn
district for ten years past, or by givin,
II little larger dose Ofthese? hich tn
Doctor says has been the square old
fashioned way in Vermont for too man,
years already. Were ever u well in
tentioned people so belonged ? Do Mr.
Editor cnlighten them if you can o
send some one to them who will, 70
their sufierings are truly TO be piliad.
Yours &c,