Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-06-25
Vermont SchOOlS.

very general sentiment that they are not as
much better as their price is higher. 1t is
also true that the efficiency of the school
system is greatly affected by the popular
feeling as to its merits. But it can hardly
be that those most dissatisfied will refuse
our present arrangement a careful and i'm
partial examination. Impatience and denun-
citation will never put good school in place
of poor One but will only bring worse con-
fusion.
We ask our readers to take a square and
fair look at the schools of the Sta5e and see
what they are, whether they are worthless,
Or whether they neei only energy and faith
to bring them to such condition that the
whole people will think of them with pride.
To begin with the conditions of to-day as to
almost depopulated districts where but two,
or three, or four scholars at times are the
successors of as many dozen rugged Vermont
lads and lasses Of forty years ago, must be
taken as facts that it is NO use mourning
over. The days when every school house in
town was crowded and a good stock Of tru-
ants left over, are as irrevocably gone as
those of good Queen Bess Exceptional To-
calities alone, now furnish well filled rooms
with the raw material for making ''schol-
ars'' The demise of many of the old Acad
emies has also taken place. Amos Dean
used to say that when, passing the brow o.
hill be came in sight of the building where
be was to go to the Academy" his knee
smote together tos such a degree that he could
scarcely use them, such was mis- awe and
reverence. And good wJrk was done in
many an old building that now better merits
such looks of reverence than the careless
glsnces which its empty walls receive.
But Vermont schools will never be made
more full of life by persist ut looking at the
ghosts of former days. These Academies
and our Colleges used to supply the teachers.
Our educational capital Tor the common
school consists really in the higher schools
OF the State What have we now to work
with? Our capital is Of two kinds, mone Y
and men, and school with whOle-sOuled,
thorough teacher has richer endowment
than one with a permanent fund" OF
whatever size. An endowment with money
often secures a good teacher but with
out eager interest in its trustees and the
people who are near, it is just about as
good thing as the dry rot. Arnold was
more in himself than the great English school
over which he presided, and those who were
under him always called themselves TAR
nold's boys" So in our own State, Mr.. Col
by of st. Johnsbury welded an almost IN
bounded influence for good over his pupils.
they had I" been to school to Mr.. Colby, y
and we firmly believe that no amount of
money could have so vvifed that school for
years, as did that worthy teacher. An
eighteen hundred dollar teacher represents a
thirty thousand dollar endowment anyway,
looking at him merely as machine
Our colleges, of course, come fist in an
inventory of educational stock. With some
money, too little for two, they each have
men of ability at the head. President
Buckham is worthy successor of President
Angel, who is now at the head of the great
university of the West. Was the college at
Burlington 60 one horse " concern with
Angel as its president? Vas not his inAu-
ence as much to each student centered on
sixty, as diffused among twelve hundred
The new president is representative of the
keenest and most cultivated New England
thought, and when he is called to the presi-
dency of some far off college of huge dimen
sions, will no doubt find there many Yer
mont boy who fled the narrow confines Of
his native State, thinking the University Of
Vermont of no account, and it's worthy
presiden. very small man. Middlebury
too, is well differed, and has in President
Kitchell man whom the State can ill at.
ford to lose. Over the eastern border old
Dartmouth is almost Vermont college, and
certainly very 1" handy by to our eastern
counties.
Two years ago last fall an effort was made
to establish one Normal School, and to dc
away with two of t ose then existing. The
plea was want of stuff ,ient funds; that one
school, well endowed by the State, would be
q success; that three, with limited help
would be sickly and of no great value The
best thing that money can secure for a
school is good teacher Edward Conant
s. Fl. Pearl and R. G. Williams, were then
in charge of the three Normal Schools. The
next winter New Hampshire sought prin-
cipal for her one Normal School, just founded
on substantially the same plan proposed for
one school here. The charge of that schoo
was first offered to Mr.. Conant who declined
preferriDg to Iemain at the head of ore oil
our three Normal Schools. It was then Of
fered to Mr.. Pearl, who accepted and has
shown, by two years successful management
that the johnson Normal school did no.
want in 1870 flor an able teacher Mr. VII.
liams has since proved himself very success
full in building up the Castleton school. Mr.
Pearl successors have kept up the high rep
utation of the johnson school The school
at Randolph, under Mr.. Conant, has gradu.
ated the past year, some sixty students, anc
tie three schools are working thoroughly in
making competent teachers for our common
schools. All this without fuss or parade or
great outlay.
The graded schools furnish great part Of
our teachers as well as prepare students for
college, or educate them for business life
People can hardly despair of our common
schools when so many VIII, are to teach in
them attend our graded schools if the right
sort of men are in charge of them.
The briefest glance will show how this is
Judah Dana, long and favorably known il
Windsor County, has charge of the RUTLAND
School. Devoted to his work as man can be.
that work tells for the cause of education