Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-12-12

Oh luC system Oh Iree ScuOOlS' Nou Il'NlhS
seen the message l shall not undertake its
defence; but something may be said, not
withstanding, of the injustice and the in
equality, us well as the inexpediency of
teaching advanced studies, or what are
called higher branches of learning, in pub
lie schools.
1t is quite clear that taxation should be
rs nearly equal as possible, and that the
objects for which the money thus raised is
expended, should be for the general good.
The expressions, public good" and "gen-
eral welfare" are, however, vague terms,
and by forced processes of logic may be
made to include nearly every imaginable
scheme of education from primary
school to first-class university. But it is
conceded that there should be some limit
TO education at the public charge and that
limit would seem to be where children
generally stop in their courses of study. In
a majority of cases this limit is reached
not only before pupils begin study of
languages, either ancient or modern, but
before they get an accurate knowledge of
even the most elementary text books in phil
osophy, physiology, chemistry or geology;
indeed, it is generally reached before
grammar, arithmetic, geography and
history of the United States have been
thoroughly mastered.
If the proposition were made directly to
educate one. quarter or one-eighth of the
children of a town at the public charge,
while the remainder were left without the
benefit of such education, it would at once
he condemned but wherein does it differ
from a system that practically accomplishes
the same result which is apparently
open to I'LL. but which is, in fact, only en-
joyed by part? the truth is, from lack of
ability, OF from Discrimination or, rs is
often the case, from the necessities of get
ting n lving,th majority of children leave
school before they are thoroughly ac-
quained with reading, writing and arith-
metic. The highest, or grammar school
department of our graded schools, is filled
with less than half of those who have been
through the lowest grades; and in this
department only fraction pursue the
highest branches taught. The consequence
is that this department, frequently costing
onehalf us much as the whole school, is
for the advantage of less than half the
scholars, while as often happens, (and was
ut one time certainly the case in the Mont
peier Union SchooD one-half at least, of
the instruction in that department is for
the benefit of less than one-quarter of the
scholars who are supposed to get its bene-
fits.
There is, in such schools, no such equal
distribution Of advantages, rs warrant tax
alton for its support, and it cannot be de-
Tended as Il system to be supported by the
public.
1t does not follow from this, however,
that too much money is expended upon
our public schools but it does follow
that the money might be expended for the
real benefit of much greater proportion
of the children, by giving more attention
to teaching what can be learned by the
majority of children in the years when
they attend school. This, of course, would
exclude instruction in any language bu
the English as we'll as the advanced math
ematics, and any thorough study of thu
sciences; but it would make it possible tC
teach something of botany and philosophy
} and physiology and possibly of chemistry
, and geology and astronomy. At any rate
; it would give time and furnish means tt
give instruction in all the learning that til,
majority of the children have time or abili
ty TO acquire, or will have occasion to use
in after life; and that is all public schoo
should do.
The labor and the money raised by tax
alton should, in graded public schools, b
spent very largely on the lower grades
and whether the practice of spending
)moiety of it on small fraction of tn
school can be called an experiment Or no
it is certainly practice that can be profit
ably changed; and that very largely 70
0 the benefit of such schools. The old dis
e trict school was, with good teacher,
I good school, and the modern graded schoo
d is not better because it teaches highe
VI branches, but is really better, if at all SC
because it teaches by better method, an
n through more accomplished instructors
J. what was generally imperfectly taught i
e the district school. 1t may be true thG
). what is called common school educatio
it is not the highest or best education but
t. is all that most children get or have tim
IS to get and it is, therefore, of the first in
is portance that the public, undertaking t
s furnish that education, should make it q
good as it can be, before it attempts I
- give five or ten per cent of hundred boy
r, and girls instruction in more advance
h studies. c. w. w.