The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-12-09

around them.
The TEACHERS AND THE LEGISLA
TURE The Teachers Association has
done wise thing in appointing a stand
ing committee to look after educational
interests in the |, gislature. This COM
mittee is to use all means 10 its power
to effect such changes as the associa-
ton recommended. 1t would be a wise
thing for the teachers to use the power
of the press to all them in their ar
duous undertaking. Let them tell the
people of the state through the news
papers what reforms they propose 10
push, get public opinion enlisted on
their side, and it will be much easier to
obtain the dt sired legislation. There
is one thing, however, that puzzles me.
In the report of the meeting of the as
ISOLATION, | find one of the speakers
saying that he thoroughly believed in
the district school, of course. All
through the sessions there had been a
unanimily of sentiment as to the vir-
tues of the district-school system. The
address of another speaker is called I" a
strong plea for the district school,"
Now, if these gentlemen mean by dis
trict school the public school, as OPP
posel to the private or parcchial school,
l can understand them; but if they
fhat II ia haitian To hox
small schools, ungraded, and with a
new teacher every term, than it is to
have these schools consolidated, graded,
and teachers hired by the year, then l
do not know what they mean. The dis
trict schools in the villages, as a rule,
are graded, as they are in all the large
places like Montpt lier. And it is likely
that most of the speakers and leaders in
the association are teachers of such
schools. s. far as my observation
goes, the village schools are far in ad-
vance of the schools in the farming dis
tricts, and | see no way to bring about
decisive change for the better, except
by consolidating the small district
schools. 1t does not make much differ.
euce with places like Burlingt IN and
ST. Adams what the school laws are
they will have good schools any way; it
is the small schools which are helped or
hndered by good or bad laws.
EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION.-On
reason why people are so slow to adopt
better methods in education is because
they are not well informed as to educa-
tional progress. Very few, especially
among the farmers, can attend teachers
meetings, and much that is said there
might be beyond their understanding.
The state press would be most excel
lent medium for the spread of infurma-
ton in regard to schools and teaching,
Reports of meetings are necessarily so
condensed as to be of little value eX-
cept TO those specially interested. II
is good thing for the people who are
outside of the school workers to know
something of what is being done in the
educational world. Every parent and
school officer, to say nothing of teach.
ers, should in some way keep in touch
with the modern methods of education
know Of no better way in which to dc
this than by reading an educational
periodical There are many of these
suited to various purposes. Some are
wholly devoted to methods in teaching
and suited only or mainly to teachers OF
graded schools. Others are more OF
less devoted to general information il
their special field. Boston is the edu
cational capital of New England, and d
Boston magazine or paper Is better fol
this part of the country than one ISSUED
elsewhere. A few weeks ago, called
attention to school periodical which
had been of great use to me, but that
magazine has been removed to another
city, has been united to another publ.
cation, and has become almost Who'll Y
devoted to schoolroom methods.
The journal Of Education is an old
and popular weekly paper, and is better
c ,lculated to keep the average person
posted in educational matters than any
other periodical am acquainted with
a monthly, The American Teacher, is
issued from the same office, No. 3 Som
set street, Boston. / do not know
whether or not the papers issued by the
Waterman Publishing Company club
with these periodicals, but they prob
ably do, and this would afford an excel.
lent opportunity for subscribing for a
good educational paper or magazine.
j. w. NEWTON.
"FREQUENT are the filings made of late
at farmers going into politics, and not
alone is it done in the partisan papers