Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-01-23
THE PROFESSIONAL CLUB.
"sOMB PHASES OF THE PUBLIC
SCHOOL QUESTION"
As Discussed by Capt. Hall in his Paper

As Discussed by Capt. Hall in his Paper
on Monday Evening.
The january meeting Of the Professional
club was held at the Brooks House on Mon
day evening. After an ample discussion Of
the excellent supper provided, Rev Mr..
Phelen, the president, introduced Capt. Q.
p. Hail. county supervisor Of education, as
the essayist Of the evening. Capt. Halls
topic was "Some phases Of the public
school question Beginning with the gen
ralpremise that education, like every 9th
err influence in our civilization, has hstO-
ry, and that a knowledge Of that history il
necessary IN wise discussion Of the sub
ject, the essayist prefaced his paper with a
brief review Of the influences which de
termined the education of early times and
the results which il aimed at. He said in
substance
In China, FOR instance, the purpose was to per.
petuate the old government according 10 COnfu.
cius, and prepare officials for the civil service.
In India the aim was 10 keep In power the caste
Of the BrahmiD; in Persia 10 flt the youth. phys
ically for the military service and TO Instruct him
morally In the precepts Of Zoroaster; In Phmnicia
TO ne him for manufactures and commerce. and
IN Egypt TO strengthen the influence Of the priest
ly caste, while among the Jews the education was
strictly RELIGIOUS The education Of Sparta was
martial In Rome II took more practical tue
All the Pagan education was too narrow, saca
ing the worth Of the individual TO the sup6J re
q ~ Ss' g q he ssS% bBught
broaden the idea Of education. The RI
broke the letters which bound the wordVanOe Y
and furnished a new impetus 10 edu
SnT Luther Isl6sm and 9s barga
the private individual judgment for
" OF the hierarchy was a long step In
progress. The work Of John Sturm,
the gymnasium or academy at Stras
early part OF the 10Th century, the best reIut.
sentative OF the humanistc idea OF education of
that time, was referred TO-. Following the at
tempt Of the Jesuits TO crush out the Reforma-
ton by an education confined to lines Of narrow
bigotry, the 18th century brought brighter skies
To the educational world. In this period came
some Of the most remarkable inventions and dis
coveres In natural science that the world has ever
seen, no less than wonderful awakening In the
intellectual and literary life Of the world. Calico
invented the telescope. Newton discovered the
law Of gravitatOn Harvey found out the circula.
tlon Of the blood Shakspere and Milton made
their immortal contributions to the worlds litera-
ture
The beginning Of the 18th century witnessed
another advancement IN the realm OF education.
The field Of knowledge was broadened, the mighty
forces Of nature had been tanned aud the cause
OF human liberty made such mighty advances as
never before IL was the Pilgrim Fathers who
sOwed the seeds Of free and universal educa.
ton In this country. IL was a costly sowing, with
the savage watching them from the forest and
poverty looking them In the face But they had
counted the cost and did not turn back from their
purpose. Deserved recognition made Of the
work OF two great pioneers, in lines Of work
which mark the education Of today, Pestalozzl
and his pupil FrOebel In May, 1897. the Massa-
chusetts board Of education chose Horace Mann
It's secretary, and from that day the system OF
free schools In this country began W take root
and so progressed under his wise direction that
Massachusetts not only stood in the van Of the
progress OF our schools, but has been an inspira-
ton 10 this respect to every sister state Second
only 10 him was Henry Barnard, who did q sim
liar work In Connecticut and Rhode Island.
These briefly, are the antecedents Of our public
schools
Today certain phases Of the school question de.
mAnd our attention. First is that OF parochial
schools Our system Of free schools has one ele
ment OF environment that no other nation has
IL is supported by government Of the people
idea in the system Of the Puritans was the deyel
Opment OF character and the fitting Of the nd
vldual for citizenship. A fundamental principle
OF our system Of government Is that public edu-
ton shall be free and universal. With the ord.
nance OF l1b7 went the injunction to made educa-
tion free In the great Northwest. With the com.
ing Of new states came the requirement that one
sixteenth Of all their territory should be- set apart
for the free education OF their children. When
the civil war resulted In real freedom u all with
out regard to color, then went free education into
the South, Yet. In these later days. when this
great principle Of freedom OF thought-pOlitical,
social and regiOus-is emphasized and acted on
In this country as nowhere else In the world
and as never before aud when the government
deems the thorough instruction Of all is citizens
IN the essential underlying elements OF our ma
tiOnal life prime necessity, there comes a de-
mand from across the seas-an echo Of the past
from a hierarchy whose spirit has no sympathy
with our institutions, and speaking a foreign
tongue-that this foreign autocrat Ghall direct
what shall be taught the children who to he
the future citizens Of this great country Fur
theT than this II demands that the soil and wealth
~ our land shall pay for this instructor
Quotations were given from book written by
a Roman Catholic priest and published In Balt-
more In 1896 In which the most unspariug de-
nnnciation IS heaped on our public school system
as a social plague" not imperfect only but
chievous." This book was endorsed by Cardinals
] Newman and Gibbons and was recommended by
six other Roman Catholic prelates. Its great
| claim il that our public schools goddess and
that the education which they give is therefore
! poisonous. hostile 10 the church, and not TO be
tolerated. The principle is laid down that the
business OF the priest Is to act according TO the
laws made by the church and interpret and con
| denim AS she interprets and condemns" Briefly
summarized the objection Of the church to the
schools Is "a that they are goddess. W that they
Interfere with the rights Of parents. aud il that
| they impose tax upon those that get no benefit
| from them
The two systems must h. judged by their fruits
and for these have not far TO seek The cen
sus statistics show that a fourfold greater pro
portion OF crime and illiteracy come out Of the
| graduates of the parochial schools than out Of
| those of the public schools. IL Is not the Catho-
lie parents the laity, who complain OF the public
schools, but the clergy Cut on from all the re-
sponsbilities Of parenthood they yet arrogate TO
themselves the right OF absolute dictation In this
/ matter Without the threat OF denial OF the
raments the parochial schools In this country
would not contain ne-hAlf million pupils as they
/ do today The claim that all who pay taxes
/ ought 10 share In the benefit OF the taxation Is
not In accord with the underlying principles of
/ our American system, which keeps always in
| view the greatest good OF the greatest number
/ compromises have been proposed, and some have
been tried. The only apparently successful plan
| education made two of the parochlal schools OF
/ the city part Of their school system. 7 hese
schools are managed like other schools during le-
/ gal school hours. Outside that they are used by
the Catholics for religious instruction The teach
/ ers OF the schools are Catholics
II we once begin division in this country on re
/ hgious lines II will not end with that between
/ Roman Catholics and PrOtestants The best solu-
/ ton OF the yexed question is that suggested by
| Superintendent Patterson Of New Hampshire,
who says, Leave this parochial movement alone
! aud the interests, patriotism and intelligence Of
the laity will settle in line with the spirit Of the
/ age The bigots Will soon learn that they may as
well try 10 dam the gulf stream with seaweed as
10 turn the drift Of civilization back on itself"
The question OF compulsory education was next
| taken up and the excellent results Of the system
as riRldly enforced In Germany shown. 1t
was not the needle-g gun which gave the victory TO
| Germany la the Franco Prussian war.
The principle of the famous Bennett school law
/ in Wisconsin and the compulsory education law
OF Illinois is the right Of the state TO establish and
| direct secular education The author OF the BEN
nett law Ia an Irish Catholic The bill was orig
mated by the German. Americans OF Milwaukee
aud passed by good majority IN the spring of
| 1889 without a semblance OF party politics. In
| the year preceding there were 1900 children In
| Wisconsin who did not attend the public schools
and 5000 who did not attend any school at ali.
| Further than this there were townships In the
| state where the records had been kept for years
| In German, thus destroying their legality In
some counties a paid Interpreter was regularly
| employed TO take the testimony in court OF men
and women born In the state. In some cases the
English language had been hanished from the
| public schools, and there were native young men
| of 81 years old who could not speak English, but
| they had attended church school and could read
and write in German. This was the state of
| Things That led To the passage OF the law The
substance of the measure is that all children be-
tween the ages of seven and fourteen shall be in
strncted In English, in reading and writing,
| twelve weeks In each year, and the common
school board shall that the law is enforced
| Other languages may be taught in the schools,
but those mentioned must be taught In English
| The opposition TO the law centered against
the right OF the state to inquire into the charac
ter OF the teaching In the private schools. or 10
require the instruction TO be in English. II was
the parochial question raised over again which
brought up the opposition 10 the law. Lutheran
ministers and Catholic priests headed the protest
against IT, and IL was TO obtain a petty partisan
advantage that those who had originally support
tion 10 the Democrats this issue In the election
! of November last.
The Illinois law differs in requiring sixteer
weeks OF schooling instead Of twelve In botl
states IL the child CLAIMS TO attend a private
school the school must be approved by the schOo
board In Illinois also the late election was AYERS,
20 the public schools, IL was a curious combina
ton IN Wisconsin when the Influence Of the RO
manlsts and German Lutherans united, In then
Achl IOf kouy SCHOOLS, To elect as governor tile
man Peck the author Of the Bad Boy, 4" who has
done more than any other to teach disobedenct
TO parents aud dlsrespect Of authority, But the
end is not yet. The friends Of the public school,
are aroused and determined that American chill
dren shall be taught the American language IL
American schools, The issue In regard 10 tn,
teaching OF the common branches in English IL
our public schools has been raised none too soon
Recent developments have shown that the ItaliaI
government supports schools In this country fol
teaching American born children OF its forme
subjects the Italian language. The Italian con
sui at New York acknowledges this This co. di
ton OF things should startle the American PEG
pie TO demand that this feature OF the Bennett
law, the compulsory teaching Of English, Should