The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-27
Che Rntland lailu 6lohe
THURSDAY, JANUARY 81, 1876.
Vicinity Items.
POULTNEY.

Jan. l'Jn. Inere was much larger au.
dlence than at any Of the previous lee.
lures. Mr.. Cadys subject was the estate
and Education" The points of the lecture
were mainly as follows
Every state or nation becomes stronger
as its people become more intelligent and
virtuous. Intelligence guarantees a wise
system of government virtue promises q
conscientious compliance with law and q
faithful discharge of obligation. If the
state gives to us material advantages, it de-
mands from us substantial equivalent.
The end of every state is its own perfec-
ton. 1t exists and asserts itself as people
are brought into contact. The state is a
necessity, condition of society. 1t de-
rives It's authority from God. In that per-
lection the state is of the greatest benefit
to man. The advantage conferred by n
state to the people should be directly pro-
ductive of the equivalent returned The
question should be. "How will the act
conduce TO the attainment of that perfec-
ton which is the sole object and end ~
not GLOW will the act affect the imme
date interest of the people ?" II might be
for the immediate interest of the people to
exterminate the Indians and take possess
sion of oil their territories at once, vet by
such an atrocity the state would retrogade
in morality 500 years towards the dark
ages, and would wander far from the road
towards perfection. If politics aud social
science were studied with this rule in mind.
they would lose much of their intricacy.
desire now to apply this fact to few
practical questions. Experience has shown
1t 70 for the best interest of the state, that
1t should by active efforts promote and
stimulate the education of the citizens.
What kind of education does the highest
interest demand that it shall give to the
people ?
First-That which gives the highest in
telligence to the greatest number.
Sec0nd-That which gives to man the
best understanding of their relations to
each other and to the state, namely 4:
political economy, ethics and governmental
science.
2Hi,d-That which develops a knowl
edge of physical, chronological, psychlogi-
cal aud mathematical science.
Fourh-That which promotes art
studies aesthetics.
Intelligence may be defined as a knowl-
edge of the common matters and occur
FENCES of life. A man may be both learned
and talented and not be intelligent. To be
intelligent a man must be wide. awake with
moderate degree of inqulsitiveness and
thoughtfuness. An intelligent man must
understand something about politics he
must know whom he is voting for, for
what, and why. To bring about most OF
these results nothing Is superior to the
time-honored curriculum of our common
schools. Reading and writing are an edu-
cation in themselves. They lie at the
lot, &c 1,
sumption that the highest interest of the
state is advanced by active efforts in behalf
of education, it seems to me that the ques-
$3.50 - .---,.s;a-ss- - --..t-, -. fvhe
effort should fully accomplish it's pur-
poses.
1t is very easy to alter the course of q
river by going to the fountain head. So
the whole tenor and usefulness of mans
life may be diverted from the line of bis
highest possibilities by iDjudicious methods
of instruction while he is learning to read.
The teachers of our primary schools should
be the most carefully trained judicious in
sttuctors we have. After reading and
writing follows arithmetic, the elements of
calculation. Life implies business, and
business relations are invariably accom-
panied by computations that measure the
actual intelligence of the parties. Geogra-
ply stands next. A man is certainly far
from being an intelligent citizen of the
United States who is not very familiar with
its geography. Every child should be
taught-llrst, the location and boundaries
of his own town next, his county, and
after that his country. The state demands
that just such education be afforded the
young. Let the old process of teaching be
reversed, and the mathematical and physi-
cal geography be put after the Topographic
cal, Then, if the child is forced to leave
school at an early age, he has learned
something that is of real practical value to
him, and which will contribute to his in
telligence.
Grammar deserves to be spoken of
because of the large share of time devoted
TO it in common schools. | consider it
very deplorable that grammar has to be
studied at all, as a separate study. The
child should learn to talk correctly when it
learns to talk This study does not add to
the child's intelligence. The chid's mind
should be fed with facts be must first get
acquainted with things before he can think
about them.
History of ones own country is an i'm
portant item of intelligence. In this con-
nection l would place one other special
study-that concerning the principles and
practical workings of our government.
This the state demands of its citizens.
The teacher is more than the text book.
1t is trite bat pertinent figure to compare
the mind of child under the care of his
teacher to clay in the hands of a potter.
Mould that mind into a wide and deep re-
ceptacle, and it will fill itself. The child
should be taught to read the newspapers,
not for the sensuous and vulgariiy they
~. t,,,t e.. tba 4 lao.
il to be an unquestionable truth that the
highest interests of the state demand that
such educational methods shall be pursued
as shall result first of all in u wide
spread popular intelligence. In political
economy, how few even of those who
aspire to political honors understand the A.
surprise TO find how entirely unfamiliar
the mass Of the people are with the
construction and workings of their
government They do not know
what the duties of public officers are,
or indeed if they have any duties at all.
How many can give an outline of the con-
stitution of the United States How many
can give the system of the United States
judiciary? How many can give the diff
ferent bureaus of the department of the in
terror How are vast number of things
In connection with our government, of
which the people are entirely ignorant, aud
which the people ought TO know9
The state asks of those to whom IT gives
the highest advantages of education, that
they shall issue with well stored minds that
they may take their positions as guides and
trainers of men.
All this must he accomplished in our
schools. Home life as rule is not pure
and vigorous enough to produce the best
citizens.
The mental and moral status OF our
schools depend solely upon our teachers
They should be pure-mindsd and honest,
free from filthy or debasing habits, true
gentlemen and ladies'. the very elite OF the
land, the followers of Christ.
The state demands that certain lessons
shall be inculcated that apply rather to the
form than the essence Of character.
Method in study, system in business and
regularity In the whole conduct of life are
essential conditions of the highest success.
| Obedience to righiful authority is another