The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-06-03

Superintendent j. 5. Adams, who was
familiar with Vermont schools, says in
his report in 1859 that these divisions
and subdivisions of towns into small
districts was often the outcome of per-
sonal unarrels carried into the town
meetings. 1t is for the Vermont farm
ers to decide how much longer this
waste shall continue because of these
small disputes born of hate and strife.
1t is submitted that common honesty |
and fair dealing with the larger districts
REQUIRE that there should be town CEN
Ural authority-the school directors UNI
der the town system, chosen by the IN
habitants, who shall be under strong |
moral and legal obligation to decide as
to how MANY schools are needed in any
town. Such board can be trusted to
deal fairly with both the richer and
poorer localities. have said the town
system would result in equal education
al privileges. Our school system is a
State system. A neglect to educate ones
children is male penal offence. Edu-
cation is necessary for the preservation
of the Republic. 1t follows that taxa
ton for the support of the common
schools. where certain branches are re-
uuired by law to be taught, and educa-
tional privileges in those schools
must be made equal. That is,
the rural districts are entitled to
common schools of the same length
and to teachers of substantially the same
ability and. education as the villages.
Most of the towns are able to support
High school for the more advanced pu-
pills, where at least the higher branches
of English could be taught But this
is impossible, practically, without a
proper combination of the small schools
and useing the moneylwasted on them to
improve the others. An old writer tells
us, "To want little is great revenue"
However that may be, where there is
great waste, as here, the most fruitful
source is revenue, and requiring the least
labor, is to put an end to the waste.
Horace Greeley once at an agricultural
fair in this State, in illustrating the
waste of power and human energies, re-
| lated how the negroes of the Westlndies
used to carry their burdens on their
heads, and for some time after the Yam
kessintroduced wheelbarrows the negroes
persisted in first loading the wheelbar-
row and then carrying the whole &C
cording to their old custom. Wasting
S75, 600 annually on 800 useless schools
NAV not be quite so ludicrous to the
passing stranger as balancing a loaded
wheelbarrow on ones head, but it is a
thousand times more destructive. 1t
falls on one-third of the children of the
State. This fearful waste has continued
for wears against the earnest entreatles
and strong protests of every State SUI
perintendent. How much lOnger is it to
continue? How long will the State and
the towns pay tax of II per cent. with
no voice in the expenditure and with no
man, or body of men, charged with the
duty of deciding how many schools are
needed? The town system would result
in reasonable combination OF schools,
This would produce equality of educa
tional privileges, not only in the Com
mon schools, but in the upper depart
ment of the Graded schools.
STATE TAX.
The town system is necessary to equal
ize school taxes among the districts, and
a State tax is necessary to equallze tax
alton among the towns. But whether
State tax has this effect depends on the
! method of division. The proportion OF
population to the Grand lists among the
several towns is such, that tax as.
. sessed on the Grand lists, and divided
on the population of school attendance
, has little or no tendency to equalize. II
is impossible at this time to determine
lust how large the State tax should be
This is because of the confusion arising
, from our long and intricate school tax
laws. No one knows how many hundred
claims the districts have against thu
towns on account of section 23S of oul
present law, which allows the district t.
recover from the town one-half of the ex
, cess paid in support of a school, aboy'
one-third of its Grand list. In fact, 1t il
impossible to say, in order to equalize
just how much should go to each town
, or how much to each of the 2272 dis
tricts. Under the town system law o
five lines would equalize taxation in TIN
9 towns, and then we could very easily as
/ certain what a State tax should be
However, from what information l have
| think that the present State tax SHOULD
be increased to eight cents, and tina
@ this increase of three cents and the in
q come of the Huntington fund should b
= given to the towns to furnish free tex
books and the town libraries.
+ HUNTINGTON FUND.
n The income of this fund is divide
J. among the towns on the population. A
d equal division among the towns woul
d be much nearer the wish of Mr. Hun
l. ington, as expressed in his will. Goo
: faith requires that the testator's intel
!; ton should be carried out, as far as POI
IS slDle. -
IL SKILLED SUPERVISION.