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

To the Editor of the Free Press .
The basis of a good school lies in the in
telligent interest of those for whose benc-
fit the school is established rather than in
any system according to which the school
is administered. Unless there is this in
terest, the system, however good it be,
will fail to secure the school The system,
town or district, is only a system and will
do nothing of itself. 1t must be admins
tered and efficiently worked. Life and
power mustsbe put into it by those that
work it. Even the best system will not
be and cannot be long and well worked
10y an uniutelligent constituency. Such
constituency will soon bring the system
and the school under it to their own level.
The majority in Il town or district will
soon bring the school to the level OF itself.
Inc majority Will select and appoint com
mittees who will carry out their views
and wishes i'll respect to the length, eX-
pense and character of the school We
have seen tins illustrated under the town
system as we'll as the district system. If
the town committee has low views the
schools which they provide and supervise
throughout the term will be of the same
low character, whereas i'll the district
system, where there is "A larger number of
committees, one for each district, the
chances are better that there will be some
committees of Il high character and so
some good schools.
We have seen greater abuses in the
town system than the district, in Pennsyl-
vania where the town system prevails.
We have seen these whole towns as well
rs districts suffer from the inefIiciency
and incompetency of the committee which
the town had chosen. In SuSquehanna
county of that State, and one of the most
intelligent of north eastern Pennsylva-
MIA, the town committee provided for
years so poor a class of schools that one dis
trct in that town and one in which the
writer was pastor, discarded the system and
took the management of the school into
their own hands. They repaired the school
house and furnished it, a thing which
they had sought in vain from the town
committee, projected and sustained ii good
school at their own expense, giving up
their part of the State school money tor
this purpose, tor they could not obtain
| this without working the town system,
| But the families OF that district felt them
selves well repaid for the extra expense of
| time, pains and money that they bestowed
i'll the better school which their sacrifice
secured
\ good school, we repeat, can he main
| tanned from year to year III any com
munity only by the intelligent interest
and activity of the community. y good
system, If II he given, Will no more Sc
] cure Il SbOil SCnObI Will Oul lne COtNl AIT
watchfulness and practical working for it
OF the citizens of the district than good
law, hat of prohibition tor example, will
Danish the sale and drinking OF alcoholic
| liquors, unless the citizens are intelligent
and active enough to enforce tins law.
The way 10 abolish the injurious use OF
alcoholic liquors in the community and to
secure good schools Is the same. The in
telligence and the integrity of the citizens
that are to be benefited must he raised
Now that is the best system for this pur-
pose which appeals most directly and con
stantly to the citizens and all the citizens
and allows and requires each To keep NJ
his interest and his activity and eXertion
too to reach an end that will profit him
and all. The district system rather than
the town, as we have shown both by ar
gument and experience, makes the most
direct and strongest appeal to each and all
To do the most aud the best to sustain the
school. 1t is therefore, the best basis tC
stand upon and work upon for good
schools. 1t is an experiment and disas
trous risk to throw up this system for any
other of less practical advantage.
a. ID. b.
Eah 10 Ise