Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-12-19
From our RegulOr Correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 10.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 10.
We have had reason for boundless con-
tentment in Washington this week, for
besides the common blessing of Congress,
we have been favored with the presence OF
a national convention of pedagogues, and
Bob Ingersoll; all harbingers of sweetness
and light. | say pedagogues adviSedly for
while many of them aspire to be pedants
few have sufficient learning for that dis
tinction. Our public schools, in so far MS
they teach the poor boy or girl to read,
write and compute, deserve to be sustained
but us an asylum for quacks who have
failed, or never dared to compete in those
walks Of life where attributes Of robust
manliness are required, the schools take
precedence even of the national treasury
dcpar ment. Conreiving it to be the duty
of your correspondent, | have attended
some of the meetings of the national con-
vcntion of education, and have always
come away with disgust as deep as that
which II healthy man feels after listening
TO Bunrombo in the House of Representa-
tives. They read nterminable papers on
school discipline, methods of teaching,
superintendent, courses OF study, etG.;
and then they have what is called discus
sion on the subject of the last paper read.
The papers, as Il rule, are so hackneyed
and pointleSs, that no editor could afford
to publish lhem and the discussions are
little more than cant about moral suasion,
and moulding perfect men and women.
Heaven pity these narrow-chested, scant
Drained, slim souled iourneymen educators
and protect, us much as possible, the rising
generation from the influence of such
models and such artists.
A man from Boston read II paper on
teaching mechanics in schools. The essay
was weak, and full of the commonest tru-
isms about the mechanical powers. He
demonstrated, as though it was something
abstruse, how u boy was taught to make n
screw-how he used the vice, and how he
filed the thread The whole mystery was
about this; when great philosopher de-
sired to eat cherry, he took it between
his thumb and fingers and opened his
mou;h-G magine the man from Boston
initiating the action of the philosopher
the rationale of which was that cherries
were made to eat and the mouth to open.
And vet half score of asses pretended to be
interested in the matter and inquired with
affected earnestness, How long did it
take the boy to make the screw What
kind of screw did he make ut first? And
other questions of like Stiffness, the discus
sion of which involved in deeper confusion
the vexed question rs TO how, how long,
whether, why, and wherefore, boy
would convey Il cherry to his mouth.
would not make the impression that all
the men of this convention are rs pet
ty as the prophet from Boston, and the
majority There were parsent men of broad
) and general information, men, not merely
of one book, nor of mere text books, but oil
other books. Some of these men were
here, but they sat silent and kept up deal
of thinking. 1t seems to be II fatality Of
; our age and institutions that only quaeks
and prelonders come to the front; dema-
gogues in politics, pedagogues in educa-
lion. If we had no more encouraging
landmark of progress than the average
clap-trap public school educator, we might
l doubt whether the world had made mucl
j., advancement since clustered philosophers
racked their minds on the question rs tC
how many souls could stand on the poin
9 of needle
S Bob Ingcrsoll delivered his lecture OF
liberty" to II large audience in Lincoln
Hall Judging from the cabinet ministers
members of Congress, WerdtcurS, lade
and lawyers that went to hear him, ant
from their close attention and frequent APP
4 plause, his lecture was II great success A.
to his views he seemed to be little NOR
> heterodox than Henry Ward Beecher
; more profnne and entertaining than Wen
IS dell Phillips less dyspeptic than Theodor
S Elton; not so sweet as Phoebe Cousins, o
Victoria Woolhull; and might add tina
he has evidently not travelled so much Il
Parson Newman, for while the latter talk
necessarily about the Hndoos and tn
r river Ganges, Mr.. Ingcrsoll confines him
" self to the sarcophagus of Napoleon, an
the torture, Of the luquisition. which h
SAID he had seen, and imagined he had feel
If all these men and women were 10 leclur
n IN he cily Tonight, lngersoll and Brecne
II would attract the largest houses. Nrltht
= OF them would say anything new; the da
u of revelation has cone by, there are n
( more messages to he delivered. Thank
= 10 the invention Of printing, the time h;
u passed when one man can thunder from
y platform, pulpit or professors chair, viii
y his ncighhOrs must sit in the seats of lay
t men. Mr. lngersol said that he believe
l. IN Darwin; that he was not sure he W;
+, right, but that, on that question his min
II WAS about eight to seven. He ridlcule
T. the idea that women were not fit for pol
!" tics. and said that they could not get tt
le country into worse fix than he had u
n, helped to get it himself That from Il
ia small amount of raw material used in Il
Is manufacture of Eve from one of Adam
e. outlets it was the best piece of work tn
IT, had been pat up.
Y In congressional matters there is lit
IN you have not heard, The happiest senate
ne at present are Conklng and Patterson; Il
IL one, because he feels that he has beat Il
Us president; and the other, because he hi
II, beat the penitentiary, The face of Senate
III Conkling was radiant with eXultation
+ he sat at his desk, reading congratulate
IL kilograms from New York. There
eS nothing so successful rs success, and IL
wv senator has for time at least scotch
la what is called the civil service part
" is bigger man than old Hayes,
ne peer instead of vassal. If this fig
IL and victory had occurred during the la
C. administration, Senator Conkling won
have stood better chance at the Cincinn
ii convention; but there will be anoth
convention in 1880.
re-
er-
RAILROAD SECURlTlEs.-Ru Ra
road stock, preferred, is selling in Bost
~ ~ at 93-7; Vermont Central IS. cxtensiC