Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-02-26


with the same month last year,ou exports
of cotton fell off S5,000,O00, provisions
1900, 600 and breadstuffs sS,5OO,0O0. And
yet we have enormous amounts of these
products on hand-suilicient to exceed the
export values of last year by nearly half
which are tied up by the spectators
where they can do nobody any good.
Some means ought to be found to put
stop to this gambling in the necessaries
of life, by the vampires of the stock mar
ket The gambling which tops with the
ruin of the individual is bad enough, but
that which involves calamity to the gen
eral public is worse.
Town and District.
An intelligent and esteemed cor
respondent presents in another col
umn some considerations which lead
him to favor the retention of the dis
trict system of schools rather than
the adoption of the town system
Boiled down to sentence, his argument
is that the district system is preferable be.
cause it brings the management of and
responsibility for the schools nearer to the
people.
Suppose we grant this, and say Car
ry out your agreement to its logical con-
clusions-the family system brings the
matter of education still nearer to the
people, therefore let us adopt The family
system. And not with reference to the
schools alone it is we'll for the citizens
to interest themselves and share in and
act intelligently upon all matters of pub
lie concern-therefore let us adopt the
family or individual system in regard
to other matters now managed by the
town in its associate capacity. Let raca
head Of household teach his own chill
take care of his own poor, make hiu-r
responsible for the repair of the pnhl.
road in front of his farm, an 50 o..
The reply of our correspondent Npdi
be: Oh, that is carrying the prinoip'r g..
far-there is such a thing rs excessive Cl-
tllbution of labor and SpOnsiulliN--.
will not do to carry the method of SeCu
ing individual attention to matters Of put
lie concern to an extent which sacrifice.
the advantages of associate effort Ia,
care OF our roads and poor is practcf
matter and the practical upshot OF l,uN
ing every man to look after his own an,
do as much or as little about lit a. II,
| chooses, WOull De lHtu Ill many cases IN
roads and the poor would get no care.
Very true. Now, then the care of our com
mon schools is Il practical matter, and lay
ing theories aside, in actual practice IT,.
town system when fairly tried is found t,
accomplish more and work better than the
district system. 1t has passed beyond tn,
stage of experiment. 1t is the system il
use in many States which are decided!
ahead of Vermont in the matter OF public
school education; and no State that has
adopted it ever thought of returning L.
the old district system.
The people of Vermont ought t,
realize, if they do not, that oul
Green mountain State is not keep
ing up, much less keeping to tn,
'front.' in the mttter of education of tn,
masses. The district schools are not hold
ing their own, much less improving
They are not as good, take the Stat
through, as they were % years ago Thi
is a notifying fact but 1t has got to b
acknowledged. The decline is in larg
part owing to the obstinate retention o
the district system. That system may b,
all right theoretically; but practically i
too often fails to secure the very object
for which it exists. With some eXcep
tons, which only prove the rule, the dis
trict meetings are neglected by the citi
zens. The district committees are chose
with too little care The district schou
teachers are too often selected from con
sideratons of relationship or friendshi
rather than of fitness. The schools ar
run in the way that will cost the leas
| hn Ia oil,
. dren suffer from want of attention an
care. These are notifying facts. Nov
p then it is found in practice that the cor
1 centration of care and responsibility upo
| one town committee secures better result
q than where the care is divided between
dozen or more district committees. Tn
( citizens lose no control. Every citize
n has his voice and vote in the choice OF tn
q school board. He has the opportunity
q choose the best men in the town instea
q of the best in small district, to look afte
Z the schools, and the satisfaction of know
q ing that their office is of consequence
r enough to command their careful after
) ton and service. He finds them as read
d to listen to his suggestions and advice,
u he is an intelligent friend of the schools
: |
o perhaps more so and he finds that h
h own interest in the school which his chi
;. dren attend increases rather than dimi
il ishes, because the school is better and
IS is far easier than before to secure atte
t ton to we'll grounded complaint or sci
Il sible suggestion.
&c Two causes stand in the way of the in
is mediate and general adoption of the tow
n system. One is the average Vermonter
IS dread of innovations. Our forefathe
had this system-therefore it Is goo
enough for us. But the forefathers of OF
Te commonwealth, if they could return to Il
C. would say: "The world has moved sin
id we were here. Our example ought not
es stand in the way of the march of improv
Sc ment There is no reason why you shou
IL not use improved systems and methods
H. education, as well rs the railroads al
IS telegraph and friction matches, of whi'
~ we knew nothing in our day Moreov