The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-11-07
RATHER CENSoRIoUs.

The Vermont teachers were in session
at St. Albans last week. The subjects
for d scussion were of the sort customa
rily selected for similar meetings. The
president of the association, w. Ii. San
derson, recently principal of the high
school at Woodstock, but now OF Attic
boro, Mass, in delivering his address
went out Of his way TO criticise the new
school law an to make a personal at.
tack on the S ate superintendent and the
supervisors, Mr.. SandersOn's great OBJ.
lection to the new system seems to be
that it is not the town system. Many
people IN Vermont, like Mr.. Sanderson.
had been ardent advocates of the town
system so long as there seemed to be a
shadow of a chance that the legislature
would make it the system Of the State
But they recognized the cold logic OF a
situation deve1oI ed in many years of dis
couraging efforts to secure the adoption
of the town system under the optional
law, and in several hard-fought bul
frultless attempts in the legislature tt
make the system obligatory, and they
Wisely turned their attention to some
thing that was attainable. The law oi
1888 was the result. Possibly the new
system is not so good as the town sys
TEN, which Mr.. Sanderson says wal
forced on the people of AttlebOro, bu
whom all the people of Vermont coulC
not now persuade to return to the old
fashioned way. Possibly. too, the new
law may prove to be far better schoo
law for Vermont than the one which
Mr.. SandersOn and the rest of us tried 81
81 81 fnl 10 naranaHI II
the people to adopt and the legislature Il
pass. We believe the latter possibility /
the more reasonable one. Certainly th'
friends and believers in the town system
in this State are so loyal to the best in
,erests Of tine schools that they not onll
speak no word of disparagement Of {
measure that was the work of friendl,
and patriotic hands, but they are als'
among its stanchest defenders and sin
cerest supporters, They are not dis.
posed to seek a reputation for wisdom
or captiousness either, by assailinR tn
law or it's officers, or by foretelliDg fail
ure as the fruit Of inevitable imperf9c
tions. Certainly, they do not court fail
ure by seeking to dlscredit the law be
fore the people,
Mr.. Sanderson bewails the fact tina
Mr.. Dartt. who had been superintendent
under the old law and whose duties wer
largely of a clerical character, was no
chosen superintendent under the nev
law. Does the selection of another maj
for superintendent account for the bon
ny -clabber in Mr.. Sanderson's cOcoanut
The St. Albans Messenger fully justifie
the election of Mr.. Palmer, and any on
who has seen the supervisors together
or followed them in the initial stages o
their work, will feel that they need n
defense from Mr.. Sanderson's aspersionE
There was a new order OF things institu
ted. 1t was right and proper and Al
omen of success that new blood In neS
class OF men, bright, educated, energetic
full of resources, ambitious to succeed
should have the execution of the neN
law in their keeping. The public ha
recognized this fact, and these official
have not been handicapped to any ap
preciable extent by unfair criticism. MI
Sanderson's structures are uucalled for
they are in bad taste, unwise and who'll
uDiustifiable. They impeach not onl
his wisdom, but his common sense also
for ordinary common sense should hay
saved him from so great mistake. Al
psrently, the atmosphere Of his new fiel
Of labor has some W hat exalted him an
moved him 10 assume the role OF censo
Law, superintendent and supervisors WI
survive, Wdtchmdn,