Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-08-15
GRANNY.
10 Tie Editor ofMe Herald.

10 tie Editor of the IcrdtG
You will probably :eco Hest that |
promised more than year ago to say
few words about modern legislation
in general, and the school-law of 1888
in particular. | have been looking
very earnestly in your paper, and
others Of the Page advocates. for n re-
form administration of State affairs,
for soue definite proposal of something
to be done or omitted TO he done
but have seen only IA few glittering
genernlities" at the State Convention.
The St. JOhnsbury Republican spoke
Of the change Of school books as
promising to cost the State some
$3.50 900; but turned u somersault
inwards and proposed to let the State
pay the bills. As what is everybody'S
business is nobody's, il the Stale pays
it nobody will feel 1t, of course ! My
friend Blake of the Monitor spread
himself over half acre ofgeneralitics,
setting forth most grandiloquent'
Legislative plan that would combine
the best qualities Of the intellectual
giants of the whole State.
notice that some speak OF sending
men most noted for wisdom and virtue,
when every man that knows anything
ut all about the way the thing is done
here in Vermont, knows that to get II
nomination il practically TO get an
election, even if the nominee does not
know b from u Bulls foot, regarding
important Legislative matters
Now, US practical man, am, and
have been, opposed to the volumi'
nous, veXatious, burdcnsome, and
outrageousIy, yes sweepingy expens
sive school-law OF 1888. As to the
expense OF the vast machinery, State
Sup't., County Supervisors, and assis
tants, with an almost endless horde
of Town Supervisors, it will not be
known until the bills come in during
the coming session OF the Legislature,
and probably the cost of the Town
Supervisors will not be known then,
and may Lever be revealed. Yet
from what is foreshadowed by the
law itself, the bill will make honest,
practical taxpayers wall that so large
II sum of money should be thrown
away. Under this famous law OF 1888
we have had some Of the very las
DAYS of each term, when all the tran
sactions of the school whether gooC
or bad were complete, II supervision
Of about so minutes. So you see, q
wooden supervisor would have beer
as good for us, and from our premises
iC is fair to presume, for all othel
towns OF the State. Is not thu
throwing away money: sec from thu
papers, they have had IL sort OF schoo
of the prophets up in Orleans county
so | presume the county supervisor II
a conscientious man, and would Try
to show that he has attempted to dc
the county special, tangible good.
Now, under this famous law, WE
have had set Of men appointed t.
make radical change OF school book
-mcn without experience in schoo
matters or regard for axpayers. These
men forgetting, or not caring for, thu
good of the State, have in the mail
mopped out the old books, going il
for an entire revolution, when practi
cal, judicious educators know tina
only the reading books needed chang
ing, since arithmetic, grammar, and
in the main, geography and histor!
have undergone no essential change
Such restriction in these hard time
would have been II biz boon for til
tax payers.
Lest | become tedious, | will onl.
add that the makers and adninistra
, tors OF the law ought to be swept int
the land of utter forgetfulness. AM
this is Only one item OF the wild legis
lation during the past few years.
LOOMS WILLS,
CRANKY, VI, August II, 1900.
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