Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-03-20
THE HIGH SCHOOL EXCITEMENT
An Editorial Reply by the Boston Herald

. mn hulloElhl heply Dy the boston Herald
TO he Eiiior Of ne Herald The article in
your issue of the 10Th upon the Brattleboro High
school Is the most wicked aud untruthful attack
that ever enAnated from an Anonymous curre-
spondert
The attack upon Mr. Bingham is characterized
BY the whole community a. most cruel and wick
ed. and meets with the severest condemnation
The remainder Of the article b. grossly misead.
inR and untr1thful In H. illusions n school and
teachers II Is calculated to bring into disrepute
persons who have entered upon teaching as a pro
tession, and 10 mortify aud disgrace the pupils.
who In character and department are second 20
none In New England.
In any paragraph where germ u truth is
supposed 70 exist Il Is 80 perverted a. to be- prac
tically an untruth HENRY D HOLTON,
= ". STODDAKD.
p l.. PHALEN.
School committee.
Brattleboro, Vt, March r. 1891.
The above letter may be accepted a. the
fullest denial which the school committee
Of BrattebOro desires 10 make b. the Her
aids recent report touching a most remark
able state Of insubordinatiOn in the High
school Of that town. Those who have read
the Herald's report will be struck by the
utter absence Of specific denials of the facts
as published. That our statements of re-
cent proceedings in the school cannot truth
| fully be denied we are firmly convinced
| first, from the unassailable character Of our
informants, and second from the commit
tees refusal 10 take up the issue on a single
specific allegation as to what took place in
the schoolroom The general voicing Of
sorrow at the Heralds allusion 10 the late
principal, Mr. Bingham, does not contro-
vert the substance or spirit Of our article
but is rather diversion from the main
| point at issue. We regret that this allu-
sion to a generally beloved man, now de
ceased, inadvertently found place in the
article, aud have tried to make all possible
amends by publishing the Joint statement
Of many influential citizens, testifying 10
Mr. Bingham's good character aud faithful
service in past years. But il was the de
porabe state Of affairs in the school today
that we aimed to reach and remedy and
we cannot yet believe that this effort N
promote adequate authority and discipline
will have other than good results Did we
feel at liberty to reveal the names Of our
informants, aud present in full the reasons
on which our confidence in them is based,
the citizens Of Brattleboro would recognize
the strength Of our position But at this
time we do not feel called upon to say more
than that they are not a whit less respecta
BILE and worthy Of belief than even the
honorable gentlemen of the school commit
tee themselves What they have said and
done has been solely aud singly in the real
best interests Of the school aud the town.
and the Herald proposes to regard the con
tidence they have placed in it, 1t least until
reason appears for revealing their identity
The above article, which appeared IA the
editorial columns Of the Herald On Tues
day, represents all the developments that
have been made public in regard to the at
tack on the character Of the brattleboro
High school and on the memory Of Mr
Bingham, during the past week A repre-
sentative Of the Herald was in town last
Friday afternoon aud learned from numer-
Gus personal interviews Of the grief and
indignation which the Herald publication
caused. The acknowledgment made IN the
article above quoted Of the Injustice done
the Old SchOolmaster IN the gross attack
on his memory, is unqualified in terms. and
satisfactory as far as II goes The alumni
however, have no disposition to let the mat
ter rest where it now is. but will spare no
means to discover the author Of the attack
1t Is probable that there will be results 70
be reported IN the near future from active
work which they have IN hand IL Is un
derstoOd that the committee are also max
ing thorough investigation. and they have
clews which promise To- lead TO definite re
suits