Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-01-25
About our Common Schools.

About our Common Schools.
We have been hammering away now for
more than ten years, in these columns and
elsewhere, upon the subjects of industrial
education and the improvement of our COM
mon schools. Recently we have been graft
fed to see that able writers have taken up
the matter on the inside of this paper, and
we have gladly left it to them. 1t now seems
that there is prospect of general revival
of interest in the common schools, which
we hope will lead to long needed improve
ments.
A veteran farmer of Caledonia county,
Vermont, has lately sent us letter in which
he asks us to write an article upon this
question:" To what extent should agricul-
ture be taught in our public schools ?" We
believe that the public schools in an agricul-
tural community should give instruction
mainly, if not exclusively, in those branches
of knowledge which have direct bearing
upon practical life and everyday duties,
with special reference to farm life. In COM
munities where other industrial pursuits are
most prominent we think it equally import
ant that bent should be given to the in
struction even Of the primary schools in the
direction Of those industries. But this is
especially true of the higher schools, and we
are strongly of the opinion that it is for the
benefit Of every nation that the public edu-
cational system should be completed by
the establishment of free technical schools,
where the principles, and to some extent the
practice, of all the useful arts should be
taught. The old apprenticeship system has
outlived its usefulness, and has nearly come
to an end. 1t was rude and barbarous
system at its best. There must be a sub
stitute for it, and it is now the opinion of
many of our wisest citizens that such sub.
stitute will be found in technical schools
The Boston Institute of Technology is a
successful effort to realize that idea, and
must be the type of many other schools
throughout the country.
AS to our primary schools, what we want
there is not so much technial instruction as
solid foundation for such instruction in a
good practical knowledge OF the English
language, spoken and written, and of com
mon arithmetic. We shall be perfectly sat
isfied with our common schools when they
give us that. When the pupils come forth
from such schools able to read well, speak
well, spell well and write well when they
know how to write and address letter
properly, to read and understand a news
paper, to figure in the simple rules OF arith-
metic accurately and easily, and to make
out bills or any other common business pa
pers neatly and correctly, we shall be salts
fed with the common district schools.
Schools that can do this ought to exist in
every town in numbers sufficient to give
this much information to every boy and girl.
We would have no other branches directly
taught in these schools, but in the reading
and writing lessons, and in the oral instruc-
tions of the teacher, we would have practical
grammar instilled into the minds of the
pupils, so that, without being able to repeat
rules, they should know how to write and
speak correctly. In the reading books, and
also by the oral instruction, all the practical
knowledge possible should be impaired
bearing upon the leading industry of the
vicinity; and the arithmetic taught should
also be given practical turn in the same
direction.
A school is what the teacher makes it,
and to have good schools we must have
good teachers. The oral instruction given
to pupils is far more important to then
than the mere words of the textbooks bui
to have that we must have teachers who
are competent to instruct effectively by
word of mouth. The common idea of {
district school teacher is of person who
can keep order, can hold textbook ant
note whether the lesson is correctly repeated
the pupils how to edo" the hard examples
in the arithmetic. Such teachers are in de
mand at from $50 to $50 term and board
That demand is pretty well supplied, anc
the compensation is enough for that kind o
work. The product of this class of school
is, however, very unsatisfactory. 1t is in
deed unspeakably better than utter illteracy
1t was perhaps the best that could be givel
or afforded in the times of the pioneers, bu
it is utterly unworthy of the present day, il
this rich and prosperous nation. The thin
to be done is to advance the standard o
teaching. Demand creates supply. Whel
the farmers who read this column begin b
believe that their children ought to have
better class of instruction than they are nov
getting-when such belief has taken
strong hold of them-they will demand bel
ter teachers, will be willing to pay them sa
aries such as will induce them to properl
ft themselves for the business, and wi
erect decent schoolhouses and equip ther
; with the teaching tools that will enable tn
new teachers to do their work effectivel,
The agriculture of New England is muc
in advance of its mental culture. Th
farmer who thinks, rightly, that he cannC
get along without his mowing-machine an
his horse-rake, the farmers wife who mul
have her sewing-machine, her patent cream
cry and chum (both of them being col
, vinced of the economy OF warm and col
venient cow-stable), are still willing 10 sen
their children to school in miserable, III
, healthy, indecent schoolhouse, without II
first means of proper instruction in the for
of blackboards even, to say nothing of
number of other aids that would double Il
efficiency of the teaching at very modera
cost. 1t is not saying too much to decla
4 that much more care is taken and mon'
:, expended in housing and rearing calves, phi
+ and colts, than in the education of childre
y in many parts OF New England. 1t is b
much, perhaps, to say that this is wilful
n and wickedly done. 1t is simply the carele
+ continuation Of state Of things which on
q existed from necessity, but for which h
4 necessity has long since ceased.
The people need reyiving in this matt
= and it is the duty OF the press TO start the
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