Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-07-14

comprehensive view is TINT taken by Prcsi-
dent Buckbam in his answer to the question.
In his opinion the most valuable result Of
the common school system is the prevail
ence among our people of an average intel
ligence which qualities them for the discharge
of their political duties for the management
of their religious institutions, and for the
prosecution of the common industries Of life.
President Buckham goes on to say:
If the mass Of our people, who owe to the
common school all the formal education they
have received, were to be subjected to an ex-
animation in the elementary branches only,
doubtless the result would he abundant bad
spelling, great ignorance of school geogra-
ply, very great weakness In cube-root, and
utter oblivion of dates but IL an important
practical question comes before them, they
have intelligence enough TO comprehend the
arguments for and against, to detect the cr-
ror IN u specious sophistry, and TO come to
conclusions In the main just. Aud is not
this the test of intelligence And Is not this
intelligence largely due to the common
school, which puts all the people in posses
sion of that primary and instrumental knowl-
| edge by the use of which other knowledge
can be acquired when II is needed OF
course all real improvements OF the common
school tend to raise this grade of average in.
tell gence, and for this very reason are great
ly to be desired. But with all its imperfec-
tons the common school system has given
us reading. thinking, reasoning people, CON-
petent to Judge of the common affairs Of life,
| II not always with the highest wisdom, yet
with good sense which it would be hard to
find parallelcd elsewhere. Abolish this sys-
tenn, and we she ld by the same act debase
the suffrage, lower the standard of religion,
aud degrade every industry in the land
AS to the prevalence Of bad spelling, a
dense md solid ignorance of cube-root, and
a misty forgctfulness of dates that is far
worse than entire ignorance of the same, we
opinc that the average college graduate would
favOrably compare with the common. school
graduate. The best results of education,
either elementary or advanced, are TO be
found in general, not special, improvement Of
the mind. Geography asa definite ground
plan of the surface and constitution
of the globe may float like a feather
from the mind of the post graduate
school-boy and Greek in the same way
may depart the brain of the college alumnus
but no one can deny that the culture and
mental discipline which both have received
from these particular studies will always re
main with them, making them more ntelli
gent students, more efficient thinkers, and il
fact better men and better citizens in every
respect The grade of average intelligence
as President Buckham wisely remarks, is in.
evitably raised by the possession of knowl
cdge-whcther primary and instrumental oil
advanced and special. 1t is mental hygiene
not mental athletics, which is required to fl
most men for the active work of life. The
common school is not intended to be mere
gymnasium for the development of the intel
lectual biceps; it is rather sanitarium, or
educational health station, where the MIND
can be moderately strengthened and invlgo
rated in all its parts where il can be equip
ped for active service in any department Of
life, and furnished with constitutional de-
fence against mental and moral disease. The
intelligent American citizen may occasionally
spell embarrassment with one r, or be I'm
able to give you at the moment the date
of the battle of Gettysburg but never
theless he has dignified and proper con
seriousness of being superior to the wore
he can not spell, and will know at one,
where to direct YOU for information on thu
subject of the Civil War ; and this is intel
ligence, whereas statistical fecundty is rub
bsh, and the faculty OF spelling every wore
right every time is contrary to the genius o.
the English language, and ought to be frown
ed on. The man who can do it is either
pedantic egotist or a peripatetic dictionary
good for nothing else but to consult in fl
Of genealogical azness, and then lay away
upon the shelf of social ostracism-w III
belongs.
The common school and the Press are tn,
two great public educators. And the ont
educatcs for and supplements The other. Th'
common school teaches man how to read
and the Press teaches him what to read, ant
provides in a large measure the mental pabu
lum which is required. The common schoo
teaches, we might say, the science of loca
ton, while the Press teaches locality and fur
nishes information for making 1t definite
The common school teaches o man how t
reason. the Press teaches him what to rea
sen about. No wonder that the average
American citizen is the most intelligent mar
on the globe, since he possesses these two
great educational factors so freely aud il
such perfection. We are confident that thu
day is not far distant when ignorance, ant
the crime which springs from ignorance, viii
yield to the ameliorating influence of the com
mon school and the public Press.