Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-02-13

be measured by dollars more than NOR
. ais by the yard. We are slow to ad
init that Vermont is behind some of tn,
States with which she is compared il
the matter of expenditures, in the edu
cational facilities she offers, or the adj
vance her children are making. w,
can do more with one dollar here than
some of the State can accomplish with
six or eight or even ten. If Vermont
had some of the large public school
funds that have been provided by some
OF the newer States she could easily
lead them in the matter of education.
We believe the people of Vermont take
as much interest in education as the av-
erage elsewhere. 1t may be open TO
question as to whether we expend as
much money for schools as we ought,
without question we do not expend it
as wisely as we might, but we have a
generation of children growing up thro'
the school period that we are not afraid
to place side by side with similar gem
erations in other States, where the col
umns of expenditure are much larger.
The point we insist upon is that dollars
do not accurately or even fairly meas
ure progress. Lest some might think
that the people of Vermont are losing
interest in education we would briefly
call attention to the educational work
that is being done in the State. If be-
fore the passage of the present law there
had been too much Indifference in the
matter Of schools, and if when the law
first went into effect there was much
scolding and many predictions of fail
ure, it is now apparent that most of the
people are willing that the law should
have fair trial, trusting TO the next
legislature to remedy any manifest de-
fects, and while school officials may
have committed some errors, we believe
there is a general disposition to work
the law for all that it is worth. The
county supervisors are the chief work
ers. They can do more than any 9TH
ers to bring the law into favor or con-
tempt. If we can judge fairly by what
the local press brings to us, the school
supervisors are not idle. Each in his
particular field is working well. Be
sides, they are assisting each other in
institute work. One supervisor told
us, with one exception, he had assisted
in every county institute thus far held
in the State. Many local teachers
are being held organizations
are being formed in some of the larger
towns ; some of the best talent in the
State is being called into requisition,
We see frequent notices of the presence
of supervisors in different parts of their
fields, visiting the schools under their /,
charge. We know of one supervisor |
who visited nearly every school in his t
county. On second tour he intended {
10 take in every school. The men do $
ing this educational work seem to be Z
thoroughly in earnest. If Vermont has d
oeen negligent in the past, open to the
charges brought against her the occa-
,ion is being removed. These are on :
y hints at the condition of things as
hey now stand. There has been a y
general progress made in educational "
work in the establishment of graded T
chools in most of the larger towns and =
.illages. These are growing into cen :
raj schools. They are absorbing the =
diacent districts. They gather pupils y
rom all parts Of the towns in which =
hey are located. They are often the ~
ride of the people Many dollars are 70 "
expended in connection with these local "a q
lstitutions that do not appear in col y
INNS of Figures. The school advan- r.
.ges secured to large proportion of q q
le children are much superior to those =
'rmerly enjoyed. And these are Sc ~ ~
lred at comparatively small cost. A 70
Fstem of cooperation is carried on in 20 !"
hich no mention is made of the name. y
Te hope that none of our friends will =
ar or our enemies hope that we are =
ling into the rear in educational mat ~
rs. 1t is a spurious cry which some - =
ould raise who would like to make it -
pear that they are not very bad if on Ia Ia
as good as somebody else. What -, ,
E lack most is material to work upon. SUI
ring on your children and we viii no no