Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-27
The DECAY or POPLAR EDUCATION THE
REMEDY.

What shall we do with our public schools!
That the time has come when something must
be done, il evident. The statistics show II
condition of things prcgnan, with danger 10
the best interests Of the Commonwealth. In
1850 the number of children in the public
schools of Vermont was %, no: the present
year it has shrunkcn TO 1000 and yet in
The period named tue population of the State
has increased from 3li, 900 to 332, 900. This
decrease in the number of school children is
not thing OF the past, but IL is in constant
progress today. Ia 1880 the number was
,5,23S; in 1881 it was 14,G4G. At the
same time the increase in the en-
pcnsc of the schools has been in in
verse ratio. In 1850 the expenditures
for this object by districts and towns were
S2l7.iO2; in 1880 they were S44G,2lG, and
for the fiscal year just closed they were $40
AIS. These figures are sufficiently discour-
aging; but with this large decrease in attend
ancc and enormous increase in expense it is
the universal testimony that the schools do
not adequately perform the work for which
they were created. The State Superintendent,
OF Education expresses this very mildly when
n' say III MS uphua' 'ePor'' III 'oi''-
'''', "'e "'' -''" "' ',''
'"' "eS' i''''''s ~ Vi '''e po'''e anu '."'' w
mand. Leaving ont exceptional cases,
the work of the district schools is not salts
factory FROM long personal acquaintance
,.,1, Il, Il
WIN '"oi'' "hu i''eu' examination ! All
eon''hceu 'ia' 'heIe u pressing hcco VI I'M
pro'e"ehl III tut "o'h VI IucSc sciiools'
luohc scntiulc"' S's'a'''s '''ese WINS op'n-
IONS OF business men, iarhcrs' men o' All
occupations. sups'ah'lai's agree' NO i'"-
thef pioH is heeueu oil the "eoay oil our
schooIS--lhuee", inc TACT mas i"hg peeh oo-
VionS 10 al VINO nave taken Inc sllSh'csl IN
tercst IN Inc matter or VINO nave had op'
porluniiy Tor even the most superficial OBJ
Servation.
So much being taken as proved. we come
TO the question of remedy-and it is ques-
ton OF direct personal interest to every citi-
zen OF the State. 1t involves no, only the
| judlclous expenditure OF the money he pays
b
in the shape OF taxes but, what is OF incom-
parably greater importance, the welfare of
his children But it is much easier to raise
the question Of remedy than to answer it.
The State Superintendent seems to find no
definite solution of the problem. He fur
nishcs some general suggestions as to the i'm.
provement OF the schools, but makes no re-
concentrations that 20 to the root of the
matter Others interested in school matters
seem quite at sea and there exists among
them the widest possible variety of views
In his report Superintendent Dart prints ex,
tracts from the reports of over four scor,
superntenden,s of schools, and there are
hardly two OF them agreeing in the means tc
be- adonied 10 revive our schools OF cours,
many Of the suggestions are valuable bu
taken as n whole they are the mcrcst hmb,,
of contradictory notions
A thoroughly adequate remedy for tn,
presen, untoward condition of our schools
then. is yet TO be found. How is Il
TO be found; II has been sueqcste,
- and the sugpestion strikes m
most layorably - that an Education
; al Commission be created. who's,