Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-05-26

HAS Dbtu Chlleu W bb ublu Nv Aho Nohh
hall on Wednesday evening of next week.
The business called for by the warrant is to
see if the district will rescind the vote to buy
the Post property and the vote appropriating
money for such purpose to see If the dis
trict will instruct the prudential committee to
rent kindergarten hall for the use of the In
termediate school and fit it up at the expense
of the district, or to provide some other suit
able room or place for the school; to see if
the district will appoint committee and au-
thorize them to buy in behalf of the district
some suitable site of ground and construct a
building thereon for the use of the Interme-
diate school, which site shall DO located ut
some point north of Prospect hill and south
of Green street, and the new building to be in
readiness for the use of the school as soon as
reasonably may be.
The petition under which this meeting has
been called was signed as we are informed,
by upward of $50 of the legal voters of the
district The object of the meeting, as will
be readily seen, is to do away with the pro-
posed purchase of the Post estate and secure
the erection of permanent building for the
use of the intermediate school, under which
policy that school will be kept permanently
separate from the High and Grammar schools.
Whether such policy would be the wiser one
for the district we cannot undertake to de-
eide. If we are rightly informed the best
educational opinion of the community is di-
vided on this point. That it would be mat
ter of economy for the district to have the
three schools under one roof both in point Of
the original investment and in point of the
regular care, heating and repairs, there can
be no doubt. At the same time there is also
no doubt that the intermediate school could
readily and always be placed in the hands of
teachers competent to manage it independent
ly and without reference to any central au-
thority vested in the higher grades.
There is one point in this connection, how
ever, to which the attention of the district
should be called in advance. We understand
that the suggestion has been made that, in
stead of increasing the intermediate school
by cutting short the Primary course one year
and making a second class in the intermediate
school out of the older classes in the Prima-
ries as now graded, the intermediate grade
should be kept as 1t is, and accommodations
be provided in the proposed new Interme-
diate school building for an additional Prima-
ry school. That such course would be I'M
wise and inexpedient is evident 1t would re-
lieve the pressure on the Primaries in the
immediate vicinity of the school, to be sure,
but it would not afford that general and uni
form relief for all the Primaries which the
original plan of increasing the intermediate
course to two years contemplates. Moreover,
it would not be fair to compel certain por-
ton of the Esteyville or Western Avenue
children to come down to Primary on Elliot
or Canal street for the sake of affording room
for the children in the now over-crowded
Primaries in those districts.
As to whether the intermediate school shall
be made separate from the two higher grades,
or whether the three shall be placed under
one roof, or, still further, as to the exact To-
cation of such building or buildings, do not
seem to US to be questions of such vital i'm
portanoe as to warrant the district in going
into hopeless wrangle in their settlement
1t does, however, seem to us TO be vital that
the district should not now adopt any basis
in regard to the intermediate or any other
school which will involve the probability of
keeping the High and Grammar schools in
definitely or for any considerable number of
years in their present insufficient and I'M
wholesome quarters. For the peouniary ad-
vantage of the district it is also essential that
the policy of patching up and piecing out
and of other temporary expedients, which
has so long prevailed, should not longer be
tolerated. That the committee acted in per-
feet good faith in their original recommends
ton in regard to the purchase of the Post es-
tate we have already stated our full belief,
and, regardless of our personal preference in
the matter, we believe we have stated the
case fairly as between the Post site and the
present one for the location of new buildings.
With regard to the last and principal article
in the warrant for next weeks meeting we
have only TO say that if location for. a school
building of any kind is to be CHOSEN 'south
of Green street." there should be no stop
short of going across the brook to Canal
street, where Hon. Jacob Estey's estate would
doubtless be found the most available and
desirable.
In view of the feeling which has been rails.
ed relative to this school question, it seems
to us that the petitioners for another meeting
have been in error in not having the warrant
so read that the whole question in regard tc
schools and school buildings may be opened
up from the foundation. Had there been an
article in the warrant providing for the pos.
sible location of a new High school building,
the district might then safely rescind the vote
to buy the Post estate, and thus lay the whole
question of location and general policy open
| | 90 Fafr mi, Al ~
decision in full meeting. In such case We
have full faith to believe that the better sense
of the district and a proper regard for the
welfare of its children would ensure the adop
ton of policy which, in the end, would give
us modern and well-appointed building OF
buildings for the three higher grades Of
schools. With the one consideration of the
geographical centre of the district aside, We
believe that no location can be found whicl
is in every way 80 proper and desirable-sC
high dry, airy and commodious-as the pres
emit one would be with the addition of the
! Phelps estate. Especially do we think, if
separate permanent building is determined
on for the intermediate school, that the pres
emit site should he retained for the two high
er grades.
, The one word of caution which we thinl
the voters need with regard 10 this specia
! meeting is that they do not allow themselves
to be misled into any action the adoption OF
which shall involve the patching.up policy al
ready referred TO- and the keeping of the High
and Grammar schools in their present stuify
and unwholesome quarters for an indefinite