The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-05-08
A SKETCH OF EARLY EDUCATION IN


thirty-six square miles in the neighbor-
hood of Brattleboro was made by Cover
nor Benning Wentworth, of New Hamp-
shire, January 8, 1749. 1t was not or
ganized, however, until March 81, 1862.
During this period the settlers almost
exclusively gave their time to cutting
down wood, clearing their land, sowing
grain, building homes and barns, run
ming roads, farming, sheep raising and
domestic manufactures. They often en-
countered the Indians, who inflicted all
forms of training that had no connection
with perseverance under harhships and
suffering, hunting and war. These
troubles with the Indians continued un-
interrupted ddfing the period of the
French and Indian war, which lasted
from 1754 to 1850, and which, for the
time, put a stop to applications for and
grants of land on the part of New Hamp-
shire.
In the course of this war, New Eng
land troops built a great road from
Charlestown, N. H., to Crown Point, n.
Y. The troops that used this road, in
passing did not fail to notice the beauty
and fertility of the land of Vermont.
Accordingly applications increased, and
township grants to the number of one
hundred and eighteen were made by the
New Hampshire authorities from 1851
and for about three years thereafter.
Settlements then rapidly extended,
mainly along the Otter Creek, in the
southwestern part of the State. 1t is
now to be particularly noticed that the
people of that day, although they
founded habitations, obtained provisions
and guarded their very lives with diff
Guilty and no little suffering of the body,
did not forget, even then, to think of the
future. In townships granted by New
Hampshire, prior to 1865, one right of
land containing about $40 acres was re-
served for the use of schools. One right
was reserved for the propagation of the
gospel in foreign parts. This latter right,
by act of legislature, Oct. 80, 1894, was
made local in its operation in behalf of
town-religiOus instruction. In town
ships, granted by Vermont, there was
one right reserved for town schools and
another for county grammar schools.
''It has been proposed" wrote Ira Allen
in 1898, 'to appropriate the right from
grammar schools to town schools, which
would made two rights in each township
throughout the State for town schools.
From the avails of these lands and other
measures sufficient number of schools
will be erected to give early instruction
to the youth of Vermont. Several acad-
emies are established in different parts
of the State, with handsome funds for
their support, by benefaction of found
ers.n
DR.. Williams, writing about this same
period, refers to the employment of a
school master as one of the first things
to which the new settlers attended.
They eXacted instruction in reading,
writing and arithmetic, and i'll case a
proper teacher could not be obtained,
the parents attended to the matter them
selves. This DIR. Williams, one of the
ablest, most learned, most patriotic of
Vermont's early historians, counted it
as an Incompatible misfortune for Il
child "tO arrive at manhood unable to
read, write and keep small accounts"
"He is viewed" says he, ''as unfit for
the common business of the town and
plantations, and in state greatly infer
Tor to his neighbors." The brother of
Ethan Allen, Ira Allen, gentleman of
high rank in civil and political life cor
roborates this opinion. He adds, how
ever, that the first settlers labOred under
great disadvantages in educating their
children, for want of proper schools.
Nevertheless, care is taken to instruct
them to read and write in the English
language, and so much in arithmetic as
to do any common business and keep
accounts. There is scarcely a man in
the State that cannot do this or female
can not that read and write"
The interesting suggestions in these
quotations are Dr. Williams declares,
practically, that the early Vermonters
considered public education as means
of self-preservation, while Ira Allen,
without reserve, claims an almost entire
absence of illiteracy in Vermont towards
the close of the eighteenth century.
There also appears to be ground for be
lieving that females but little studied
arithmetic, and this conclusion is also
supported, / believe, in history of
Pawlet, published in 1861. In connec-
ton with Aliens claim of an absent illit-
eracy, there may be reference made to a
series of peculiarly valuable papers.
These are no less than the original petit
tions, sent in 1861 by the Green Mount
ain boys to King George the Third. The
petitions themselves are printed, but
subscribed to in the handwriting of the
petitioners. These papers were found
by Henry Stevens, G.. M. b., of London,
in 1912, in the old family mansion of
William Samuel johnson, at Stratford,
Conn. During the year 1867 this DIR.
johnson acted as an agent in behalf of
the settlers of New Hampshire grants,
and was subsequently made president OF
Columbia college. OF the original pc
a. A. l. fa.. Loo nrNN
eighteen of them are restored. The
first petition, dated November, 1865, has
the signature of $50 men, but of these at
least sixty-eight may be believed to have
been unable to write. Their names are
preceded by the statement, "The follow
| ing is list of the inhabitants of Pownal
who are all on the spot"
This statement repeats itself in subse-
quent petitions Immediately following
the evidently personal signature of a
long list of men. The question which
naturally arises is this: Why did not all
present sign inperson. when the major
| ity did, when evidently there existed
such unanimity of sentiment? And does
not the added list, in one mans hand
writing, possibly the clerk of the meet
ing, appear to point TO the fact that the
names, so added, were of men who could
not writer Admitting such conclusion,
it would not seriously impair the cor
rectness of Aliens statement. For,
when he wrote so favorably of educa'
tiOnal progress in 1897 OF 1893, one gen
Grafton of settlers had already succeeded
a former.
Some facts as to Vermont education
prior to 1900 are tOlerably well estab
iished. 1t was limited in kind and
lquality. The teacher was not always
master beyond the rule of three, pen
manship was taught in q rude hand
grammar was not taught at all, and ever
after 1900, boy who had in any degree
mastered grammar was considered {
prodigy.
The first school houses in the stat,
were built of logs and warmed by fire
places, and provided with benches of ;
very rude, uncomfortable fashion. An
other description of a school building il
given us as follows: "0f repulsive ex
terror, having on one end an immens,
stone chimney, through which ther'
was a grand prospect of the sky, anC
whose cavornous jaws would hold il
their embrace a half cord of wood.
writing table running round, next tn,
wall. In front a row of benches mad
of slabs, inverted and supported ON pin
like carpenters horses. In the centre
few low benches. In the corner next I,
the chimney, stood the desk, and upol
it lay the ferule, emblem of the schoO
masters authority"
J There is preserved in the records o
i the town of Wells a resolution passed il
! I779 by the free voters ito divide tn
! town into two districts as water has di
vided it, for schooling This referee
to the Pond Mountain range, and divide'
, the town eastward and westware of tina
range into two school districts. A
carly therefnre. as l1IN. the district hnl