The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1890-10-09

/ l.gi.latur. raise a small state tax, or tha,
readinstmeni Of the division " public school
! taoueys b. made SO that small districts shall
eet a larger share than they now receive.
NJ. tiAr N winaham county thinks the
siiseouraging features 20 contend WIN are
lilo frequent changes Of teachers va" ia.A
Of apparatus. the sbor, length OF terms, the
low average Of attendance. and the disfe-
gard az pmnctnality on the part OF both
teachers and pupils There are too many
small schools In the county, and the town
system is the remedy for this defect. .oni-
inittees and citizens should Visit schools
oftener and Judge for themselves whst Is
being done and II there Is any ground Tor
the complaints preferred. Several teachers
have attended the summer school ~ Glens
Falls aud many attended other educational
gatherings. from which much good must
arise The results have come up 70 expecta-
tons, and the outlook Is promising lie
believes that supervisors should pe e'n-
powered 10 appoint members OF the county
hoard 10 conduct examinations, and that
those who apply for special examinations
should pay for IL. =,
Mr.. Dunbar Of Windsor county has with
his assistant, Mr. Reyes, held teachers
meetings in nearly every town ~ the
county, which have been productive OF mneh
good, A substantial gain has been maue
in the condition OF the schools. rms Is que
TO more searching examinations winch
have tbinned ont the poorer material, 10
better wages which have called out a better
class OF teachers aud an inspiration which
teachers have received. School furnishings
ought To be forthcoming wherever needeu,
Furniture and appurtenanoes OF the most
rudinentary kind are too often the RUE,
The standard of public opinion IN regard
TO what constitutes good school shouiu
be raised. -
Under the subject of snail schools T" the
superintendent ives a table in when the
following otals occur: Number OF districts
of not more than a weeks OF school, l,l'oi
number Of districts of 80 or more weeks OF
school SIG; number of scholars in schools oil
"a weeks 23655, number OF scholars II
schools of 30 or more weeks, 36,246: average
rate per cent of district taxes, 32oi average
rate Der cent IN districts Of "a weeks OF
school. 80; average rate per cent IN districts
of 30 or more weeks OF school, 2S.si number
OF districts having charts, reference books,
etc ,20S Referring 10 some OF the ngnres
contained In these tables, the superintendent
saws, "View the situation from any point,
compare district with district, town with
town, or county with county, the same gross
| inequality runs through the entire system;
| No one in particular is AZ fault because OF
this state OF things. During the last thirty
or forty years II has gradually grown upon
us. Both wealth and population, through
various causes, have been steadily inereas-
ing in the villages while both TO sor ex.
tent have been growing less in the rural
communities This has produced great
change in the relative amount OF the grand
lists OF localities In the same town, ana IN
the towns of the state, and consequently
necessitates change in the law relating TO
school taxation. And, after studying, or at
least attempting in good faith to study, this
onestion In all its bearings, recommend the
following: FIRST state tax to equalize tax
alton among the towns; second, the town
system to equalize taxation among the us,
tricts; and, third, combination OF several
hundred OF the smaller districts
The matter OF state tax TO equalize TAX
alton among the towns is first discussed at
length. The first point made under this
| head ia that the school system Is state sys-
tenn. The state has supervision over IT,
No one, except the principals OF graded
schools, can teach unless authorized by an
officer paid by the state. The state compes
the attendance OF the child in school for
twenty eks each year from eight to four
teen years OF age The state also. through
its agents, prescribes courses Of study ana
regulations for the schools. And this Is
clearly right. 1t is great mistake to con
slider education az merely affecting localities.
All of our statesmen and scholars nave ever
regarded il as Indispensable TO the existence
of the republic" The superintendent here
quotes Washington, General Ora :, Horace
Mann, Lord Bacon and John Stuart Mill
In support of this position, adding: Nothing
il clearer than this: the only way OF shap-
ing the future OF our country by perpetu-
ating her institutions, IL by shaping the
moral. poitical and religious opinions OF
our children. This can be done only through
education, which, with us, Is substitute
for the armed force OF Europe. Hence
every child must be trained, at least until
he is intensely loyal to his country, willingly
obedient TO her laws. ever respectful OF
the rights of others, and is capable Of elf
education and self-snpport. This Is not only
cheaper, but infinitely better, than prisons
or poorhouses or armed forces. Therefore,
education must be conducted with sys-
tematic steadiness, with an ever-increasing
persistencs, in the best light OF the age, con-
Quoted along plainly -defined lines, with the
interest not only Of the child, but also the
interest Of the state clearly and constantly
In view"
The second point is that " the history OF
our state is proof that education has ever
been regarded ~ affecting the entire COM
monweath." The statute passed by the
legislature at Norwich In 1885, giving 5000
acres 10 Dartmouth College. referred TO the
importance OF the institution " 10 the com.
monwealth in particular" Section 80 OF
the revised statutes Of the state, passed in
1899, makes provision for the use OF moneys
from the property OF the state banks IRON
the six per cent tax on the net prohts OF the
banks chartered by the state banks, and
from licenses to peddlers, for the support
Of the common schools Of the town.
have not examined the records to learn how
much money was raised under this statute,
or, II any, how il was distributed. IL u
quoted merely 10 show that the legislature
in 1889 thought that state aid should be
granted 10 the common schools. IL was an
appropriation OF state funds for pubic
school purposes; and hence, 10 certain ex'
tent, 1t was equalizing taxation among the
towns. The reservation OF lands IN nearly
all the towns for school purposes had the
same effect" The superintendent notes
the fact that the state at this time Is paying
money to aid the University OF Vermont,
the State Agricultural College, MiddIebury
College aud Norwich University, aud that
congress has recently appropriated immense
sums OF money for the benefit Of the agIi'
cultural colleges. Provision, 1t u added, u
also made for the education and support d
the unfortunate. "Under Nos. ii and u
al the Public Acts Of 1884, many Thousand
dollars have been drawn from the state
treasury TO assist towns excessively bur.
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