Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-02-06

| the constant cnange oil teacnerS. Inc evil
OF unequal taxation and inadequate super
vision was discussed. The taxation varies
in localities from to 435 per cent. The
demands OF the time are more regular at
tendance, a larger school year, and much
better teachers. The State should regulate
private schools and insist on competent
teachers. The town system of school su-
pervision is inadequate. We need county
superintendents. The school tax should be
laid by the State, and the host of small
schools should be consolidated /; 4 course of
study should be prescribed by legislative
action for our schools. We should adopt
the town system, and the Legislature at its
next session ought to abolish our District
| system.
In conclusion DR.. French said we need
increased facilities for the education
teachers, legislative authority for the night
schools we need intermediate superv ision,
and state tax, and then We shall have a
state system of education second to that of
no other state.
Miss Thomas. Of Castleton, read a wei.
written essay on - The Relation of Elocu-
ton to 4 complete Education
MR.. FULLER's ADDRESS.
Rev. II. T. Fuller, of ST. Johnsbury. next
spoke upon the - Morals of our Public
Schools He thought there was need of n
better and higher moral tone in our private
schools The children in the public schools
must and do come together Here, then. is
not only association but assimilation. The
tendency of the teaching is to level DOWN
ward. Profanity and many kinds OF I'M
morality are too prevalent. and many pa
rents will not send their children to the
public schools on account of the contami-
nation t. which they are there exposed.
| The teacher makes his impress on the
plastic minds of his young pupils. They
follow upon our heels IN whatever paths We
| choose TO pursue. The teacher should be
model for his pupils. His invariable kind
ness. courtesy and good temper should, and
will if exhibited, exert present and last
ing influence on the pupils.
The closing address ,.a delivered by Pres
ident Buckham We eury entire the very
complete report of the St. Albans Adrerfisrr.
PRESIDENT BucKHAM'S ADDRESS.
lie began his address by saying that the
common thought of comparatively prlmi-
tive country, OF one that needed develop
ment, that wanted cultivation, was " the
West, that in his own opinion, however,
| Vermont socially, commercially, and intel
ectually had a wealth of undeyelOped re-
sources sufficient to give glorious and worthy
work for true teachers to devote themselves
to in the future. Both the power and the
opportunity was at the earnest teacher
hand. The Vermont character was good
character, that Is its leading constituents
were both substantial and strong, but it
was Inarred by many serious blemishes that
would disappear only with more widely
disseminated intellectual cultivation. The
NermOnter was in physique strong, and
hardy in mind not brilliant, nor of fine or
quick intuitions, bat sagacious, solid. and
vigorous. seli-contained rather hard and
undemonstratiye in manner. the sniIpOdeS
of the surface emotional, in short, Just the
nature that j. most offensive and disagreea-
BILE uncultured and most admirable when
by the attritiOn of all blessed educational
influences the diamond in the rough grows
into the polished gem. The NermOnter was
a curious bundle of contradictions lie was
full Of strong convictions, and equally
strong prejudiceS, and his prejudices were
frequently - violent that the line between
prejudice and conviction was a light "a that
between genius and insanity. He was firm
ly bent on getting an education because his
I IL
time in his wild" state he hated and look
ed with sour suspicion on all the rehnements
that were inseparable from this very educa
ton he sought to utilize. He was unamia-
BILE, rude in speech, uncouth, and even when
he successfully sought after scholarship he
never surrendered a single harbaric trait
without a severe inward struggle. Beneath
his superficial coldness and seeming coarse
haired eynicrsm he concealed deep well Of
strong feeling that once stirred into excite
ment was not easily quelled the country
I had no better fighters for its unity than
I started up by one common impulse from
among your prOyerbially cold-olOoded, non
poetic Nermonters, and Chicago had no
more generous givers than this State, whose
reputation Is rather for parsimony than for
| liberality. And yet on the scatJlding oi
tins unloyely, primitive character, expert
ence had shown that culture had built noble
editice- OF manhood. that out OF this unique
/ compound of superficial coldness and
latent glow, of outward unc0uthneSS, and
! fine enthusiasm in deep reserve, had been
wrought the highest and most henehcent
| types of American humanity. This pecu
/ llarity of Vermont character that even IN
| its unloyeliness leaned toward strength and
Z permanence made it excellent stock, wheth
| er TO gather good fruit Of, - graft upon.
| Besides the native Vermont character that
needed all that the teacher could lavish upon
/ it, there was the Irish element in our p0pu-
/ lation in praise and defence Of which from
unfair detractiOn the speaker spoke with
manful independent fearlessnesS and truth
| tulness that we have come 20 recognize as
/ leading characteristic of his nature. PreSi-
dent Buckham we believe is English born,
| but he is the most radical Of Americans in
his spirit of perfect civil justice and tolera-
| ton Under his own observation, the wild
Irishman" was both brighter and a more
polite and correct talking man than the
wild Nermonter when captured on his
native hills innocent of educatlOn or expe-
rience The Irish scholar was quick and
apt at school, and his mingling with our
people would add, what the Vermonter
wanted 80 badly, versatility. The faults OF
the Irish race he was confident would disap-
pear the longer they were removed IN time
from the injurious effects OF the degrading
tyranny and universal ignorance they sat
IN stupor under at home. We must not
forget TO mention the President Buckham
in the course of his lecture with character
istic good sense rejected the snobbish theory
that beauty is a thing of ariStocratic lineage
entirely, boldly appealing 10 his audience
to know If they had not often seen, IN Il
rude Vermont village, young men whose
forms and faces would at least equal the
Russian Alexis that New York rayed over,
and maidens whose full 0rbed beauty fell
nothing short of the lOveliness Of Alexan-
dra before whom England kneeled, and
whose praises Tennyson sung. For the
truth of the first part of this statement, he
would fearlessiv appeal to any young wo-
man in the audience, and any young man
should be the Judge of the rest OF It
"a a . . a -
ton of all this eccentric Yet splendid ma
terial was with the teachers of every Sor
in Vermont, in the press, in the pulpit. il
the school Theexcellence of Il school wa
dependent on the intellectual and mora
energy of its teacher and further the d;i
, fusion and degree of intellectual culture il
any community may be safely guaged b,
the amount and quality OF tina; sort OF cul
ture represented by its teachers. Rugb.
School meant DR.. Arnold, just as the Uni
versi.y of Vermont meant James Marsh
, President Buckham vigorously and wittil.
protested against the vile Interpretation o
the word educate as meaning 10 draw
out" lie satirized that method Of" teach
{ ing" that seemed as it were to apply
stomach pump to a child, plying 1t to tn
f extent almost of evisceration OF one who !
:, treated as patient rather than pupil
p educate meant To - lead FORTH" believin
a with Humboldt that education meant a fin
:, ishcd, not an erhauriated man. And 50 i
: conclusion the President in eloquent Ian
p guage reminded the teachers there was no
. u small school house in any bleak " fou
:, corners in Vermont that the devotion G
a any gifted woman or man that CHANGED I
: be its teacher might not be stimulating, IN
. spring some now " mute, inglorioGs
;. Agassiz, who should yet bless the univers