The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-03-16
OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

semblage of State Superintendents OF
schools held In Washington, November
18th, 1872, a statement of the "Theory
of Education" IN the / nited States OF
America, was prepared by Hon. Duane
Doty,. superintendent of the Detroit
city schools, under the direction of the
Commissioner of Education at Wash
ihgton. This statement was endorsed
and signed by large number of the
leading educators Of the country, In
Guiding College Presidents, school Su.
perintendents and Secretaries of Boards
aud other eminent friends of education.
1t was designed for use at the Vienna
Exposition but was not ready in time,
and has only recently been published
This statement calls attention to the
origin, extent and application of our
school system and furnishes complete
information to foreigners and others
who desire to study our institutions
We have no national public school
system under control of the general
government, except for military in
struction for the army and navy. The
general government has long since
adopted the policy of encouraging edu-
cation 10y the endow mcnt Of state uni
versities, 10y land grants and recently
by the establishment of n Bureau OF
Education to collect statistics and dis
seminate valuable information. In like
manner, the states have generally vest
ed the powers and functions of an adj
ministrative character, in the municipal
and other local corporations, although
retaining full control over these corpor-
ations themselves. All the states have
recognized their responsibility for the
proper qualification of its voters by ed
ucation, in the establishment by legis.
1ative enactment, of a system of free
common schools, supported in part by
state school funds accumulated from
national grants of lands and from APP
preparations made from state revenue,
and in part 10y direct local assessment
made upon those directly benefited
cational laws are in force.
Under certain restrictions and regu.
lations 10y the state, each school district
Is, in Its governmental functions, so faI
as relates TO school matters, pure de-
mocracy, IL complete power, controlling
all matters of revenue, expenditures of
study and prescribing rules for the gov
ernmeht OF the schools.
AS education is fundamental quail
fication of good citizenship, and essen
tial to the highest productive industry
we proceed upon the theory that the
property of the community should be
made TO contribute by taxation, TO the
support of public schools.
AS in our country, the children are re-
moved from the family supervision al
an earlier age than In most of the Older
countries of the world, the school disci-
pline necessarily uses corrective pun
ishment, formerly very largely taking
the form of corporal punishment, and
latterly to some extent, though this
form of discipline is rapidly falling
into disuse and suspension and punish
ments presupposng sense of honor arc
substituted with considerable success
Great stress is laid upon punctuality
regularity, attention and silence ,as hab
its necessary for successful life work
The cardinal studies of the common
school are reading, writing. grammar
arithmetic and geography, and draw
Ing and vocal music are now largely
taught. The secondary education adds
algebra, geometry, calculus, engineer
ing. physics, natural history, rhetoric
English literature, Latin, modern Ian.
guagcs &c. Then follow the higher
courses OF the Colleges, and professional
studies. Co-education of the sexes has
always been the policy in the United
States during the earlier portion of the
time devoted TO study by the student
and is becoming more SO in the higher
courses of study. Why it should not b,
so, it is very difficult to see
A principle which is quite as thor
oughly established rs any other, ano
which is necessary under our theory o
freedom In religious worship, is tina
sectariaa instruction shall not be giveI
in public schools, though II is quite ,
common practice to open or close th,
schools with with bible reading ant
prayer.
Schools for unfortunstes, including
reform schools, asylums for blind, in
sane, deaf and dumb, idiots and or
phans, are usually established and gov
erned directly by the state.
Female teachers greatly preponder
ate in the schools of the country now "a
they have in the cities for some time
aud it is thought their success in tn,
control of children while they are ii
state of transition from caprice to ra
t'onally regulated exercise of will, i
greater than that of male teachers. /
may he inferred however, that thei
employment is largely determined b,
the comparatively small cost of femal
labor.
A comparison of our public schoo
system with the leading systems o
Europe, discloses some features in ours
which must be acknowledged inferior
but in more particulars does it com
mend itself TO our good sense, as calcu
lated to promote intellectually as wei
as practical fitness for the duties of life
And so we may congratulate ourselves
1t is now definitely and positivel,
stated that the Pope has made DR.. Nc
Closkey Cardinal. The reason givel
In the Voce di Verita is worthy of tn
4 4 Al.