Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-03-07
ECONOMY in SCHOOL MATTERS.

One of the heaviest taxes the people
of the State are compelled to pay is
that for the support of public schools.
With the exception of money paid out
for highways there is probably none ex-
pended that brings such small returns
as that expended upon the common
schools of the state. Hundreds of terms
of school are taught every year where
the money, as the honest farmers say,
is completely thrown away. We think
it safe to say that throughout the coun-
try districts the majority of the child
rem at the end of public school age who
have received no training in other than
the public schools are not as far ad-
vanced in a course of education as they
ought to have been at the end of one
half of the allotted public school period.
A mother, with a moderate education,
can train an average child so that at
the age of ten years it will know as
much of the prescribed public school
course as the majority of those who
pass the entire period Of their school
age in the public schools. The fault is
partly with the pupils. Probably one
half of the children do not like to study.
School life is irksome. They go be-
cause they are sent, and they are anx-
ious to get through with the time the
easiest and best way they can. They
neglect study. They go througha GER
tain routine and catch on to just as lit
tie as possible. Time is wasted, mon
ey is thrown away. Parents are in
fault. They send their children to the
school to get rid of them at home, or
because they must, or because it is the
custom, and pay little heed to results.
A certain amount of money must be
paid out for schools. 1t is a burden
grown venerable with age, part of
the price paid for liberty, and there is
no other way but to ''grin and bear it. "
There is a tendency to make this bur-
den as light as possible by hiring cheap
teachers, and the consequence is that
the more the expense is reduced in this
direction, the more effectually is the
money expended wasted. AS our pub
lie school system is now managed there
is an immense waste in the employment
of teachers, in the cost of school books,
in school property, in the time of the
children, etc. The question is, how
can we get the most good with the least
money? That we do not do this now
is the fault of the people. The matter
is in their own hands. One way to
save money is to prevent change of
text books through a longer term of
years than is now allowed. Most Of
the changes now made in these are not
so much to secure improvements as to
give publishers chance to speculate.
The fact is, too many textbooks are in
use. Teachers should take the place
Of textbooks much more than they are
accustomed to do. More oral instruc-
lion would be better. We are getting
too far away from primitive methods
in our way of doing business. But we
are not discussing methods of instruc-
lion only so far as these relate to fin
ance. The greatest saving, however,
ian be made by consolidating. We
have too many school districts in pro-
portion to the number Of pupils. The
present lines of school districts were
nun when there were more families than
BOW in the rural districts and when
here were more children in those fam