Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-09-03
In a Practical Way.

1t by no means follows, because one may
see wrongs in things as they are, that he is
competent to suggest efficient remedies for
those wrongs. As fool can ask more ques-
tions in one hour than a wise man can an
swer in lifetime so fault-fnder can point
out many more evils in this fallen world OF
ours than the most active and far-seeing
philanthropist can find remedy for.
Yet we recognize the right of correspond
ents who have read our structures upon the
common schools to call upon us to treat the
subject Gin practical way" and particu-
larly to tell what, in our judgment, eve
should do to educate the future farmer ?"
As matter of fact, we have already done
so, particularly in paper printed in the
Report of the Board of Agriculture for 1875
and 1876, entitled, "Why does education
draw young men from the farm ?" and in
another essay read before the Board of Ag-
riculture at North Troy aud printed in the
Vermont Farmer, May IL, 1877, on the
Improvement of our common schools in
the interest Of Agriculture" Those who sug-
gest, therefore, that we have dealt only in
"glttering generalities," have probably not
done us the honor to inform themselves in
this regard.
Not that we think we have solved the
problem. This can only be done by actual
trial, and SO far as our ordinary district
schools are concerned, no real improvement
has yet been made over the methods of
thirty or fifty years ago. Little but reading,
writing and arithmetic are taught in them,
and we doubt if these are as well taught
now as they were half century ago. Ger
tainly they must be badly taught now, when
80 competent an authority as Hon. Charles w.
Willard can say that the majority of chill
dren leave school before they are thoroughly
acquainted with reading, writing and arith-
metic."
In our view the difficulty with our com.
mon schools reaches all the way back TO,
and has its tap root in, our colleges aud
academies. These are the mills that grind
out the -four from which the bread of knowl-
edge for the people must be made, and il
the right grain is not put into the hopper
there, the children's bread will show it in
heavy streaks and inferior nourishing quality
The colleges are as much behind the times
as the schools. The old scholasticism still
hedges out modern knowledge. Men who
can see no evil in Ovid, Or the Greek dram
atists, are yet afraid Of the demoralizing
power of modern science the study Of Gods
wonderful workings in the world of nature
More dignity, more social Importance, at
taches to the ancient than to the modern
learning within the area of every college en-
closure. The attempt, even, to build VI
scientific schools alongside of literary col
leges and in connection with them, is al
most failure, because young men win no
willingly rank themselves in new line helt
TO be as much inferior TO the old line as the
militia is to the regular army. The mora
force of our colleges is against a scientif
training in the place of classical culture
Calico has his foes today and for mucl
the same reason.
Now for the supper classes Of society ~
literary culture may and does, as yet, open
road in life. But for the children of tn
people, who must live by their hands, :
deny them science is 10 stint them in bread
Yet there is almost an utter dearth OF teacf
ers competent to teach the youth of tn
country the elements of scientific truth, sue
as ought to be instiled in our primar
schools. Love Of nature and the method
Of observing the operations of nature ar
taught in few Of our schools. But this mus
be done in youth or never In fact, wit
the vast majority of the people the obser'
ing faculties lie sealed in their minds, an
the very existence of nature, save as Sd
teaches them in their physical wants. is III
felt. How few farmers know the names
one-tenth of the plants that grow on the
own land, to say nothing of their propertie
How few know anything of the compositio
Of soils or OF rocks. How few are acquainte
with the structure of their domestic animal
We do not believe there are fifty dairyme
in the state of Vermont who know the stru
ture of the cows bag. The composition
the air we breathe and the water we drin
the laws that govern their motions at
power, the wonders of heat, light, electricit
mechanical force, Of everything about thel
in fact, that has power to help or harm, is
sealed book, for want of instructors comp
tent to awaken their minds to these thin
in their youth.
With competent teachers we should ha
competent textbooks, and our spelling al
defining books would have the princir
scientific terms that are such bug-bear
the common mind, yet are quickly tsugl
Our reading-books would have less of I