The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-17
The District School.

The District School.
Within the past year, in an article on
the condition of the public schools in
general, the editor of an educational
weekly says: While the schools in
our cities and large towns have adj
vanced more than one hundred per
cent in general excellence, the schools
in the rural districts, almost without
exception, stand Just about where they
did quarter of a century ago, while
many have actually retrograded."
While we might make exceptions to
this sweeping statement, and point
with pride to an excellent district
school here and there, the writer in
the main has told us the truth, A ride
over the hills of eastern New York or
New England will easily convince an
observer that the average farmer takes
but little interest in the appearance or
condition of the school-house and its
surroundings. On either side the
highway is lined with comfortable
houses, barns and stables, while the
school house, where the children are
obliged to spend at least one-half their
waking hours, where young minds
should be expanded, and strong charac-
tiers formed and fitted for the coming
struggle with the world, is located on
the coolest side-hill in the district, with
the roadside for playground, without
bush or a tree to break the gloomy
monotony of its surroundings, and too
often in condition hardly fit to stable
the sleek Jerseys belonging to the pat
rons of the district. The wide, staring
windows are shadeless and shutterless,
and often some panes of glass are gone.
Patches of plaster have fallen from the
walls and the worn desks show the cary
ings of the iackkives of two genera
tons. The furniture is generally of
the simplest kinda few hard benches,
table and chair for the teacher,
WATERFALL and dipper, a WORKOUT
broom and stove nearly always out of
repair. Many districts do not own
single map, chart, globe, or even
dictionary.
The patrons of the district visit the
school-house once year; on the occa-
sion of the annual meeting. The rea-
son most of them come at that time is
that they may assist in electing the
most penurious man in the district as
trustee, and so keep the taxes down.
Don't they want good school? Ger
tainly. If a trained and experienced
teacher can be hired for about seven
dollars a week to teach during the win
ter months, everybody is glad of it,
and sixteen-year-o Johnnie and four
teen-year-old Susie, who have been
kept at home all summer to help"
are given the chance to go to school
for three months and finish their educa-
ton. Next summer the school is let
to the lowest bidder, the average trus-
tee remarking, "There amt nothing
but little ones to 60 to school, and
seventy-five cents day is enough to
pay girl to set in the school
The young teacher has had no training;
she does the best she can, and the best
is bad enough. So matters go on.
| know of many districts which have
changed teachers twice year for
twenty-five years. What have been
the results? A generation of the most
bigoted and narrow-minded men and
women, and some of the poorest farm
ers and farmers wives in the country.
A few able farmers send the bright
boy of the family to the city school.
He gets an education, but seldom re-
turns to the farm. Farming is relegated
to the brothers having little or no
education. " Anybody can farm it,"
What mistake! In these days of
sharp competition in all branches of
industry there is not an occupation
under the sun which requires more
breadth of mind and far-seeing intelli-
gence than that of agriculture; and
Just now, when the farmers all over
the land are waking up to the fact that
they must take a hand in the political
game or continue to- be the losers, there
is greater necessity than ever to give to
our boys and girls the advantages
which only a liberal education can give.
The common schools, if rightly con-
Quoted, can give these advantages.
Let us wake up, brother farmersl
We are taxed TO support normal schools
and training classes for teachers; let
us reap some of the benefits. Let us
make our school buildings snug and
attractive. Let us hire skillful teachers
at living salary for long terms. Let
us furnish the school-room well, and
supply the necessary apparatus to carry
on the work. No investment will pay
better, and our " children will rise up
and call us blessed. ~. T. b., an the
Homestead.
BUcKLEN's ARNICA SALvE.-The
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