The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-06-10
ALAYMAN's VIEW.

The object of training the human
mind should be to enable the soul to full
fill her duties well here, and to stand on
vantage ground when she leaves this
cradle of her being for an eternal exist
ence beyond the grave. You may have
a good mind, sound judgment, vivid
imagination, or a wide reach of thought
and views, "but you can never become
distinguished without severe appli-
cation" Remember that nothing in
this world is of any worth which has
not labor and toll as its price.
The wisdom and experience of the
past will be great aid and incentive for
the future. The corner stone of popular
education of Pennsylvania lies i'll the
Legislative act of 1884.
Article 10, Section 1, of the revised
constitution of 1873 says that the General
Assembly must appropriate at least one
million dollars yearly for school pur-
poses. Thus the fundamental law of
the State has become the very foun-
dation of popular education, recognizing
the fact that the masses are to be edu-
Gated at the expense of those who are
able to pay for the same. The States
which have the most illiteracy are the
poorest. Their people are poor because
they are ignorant, and must remain
ignorant because they are poor AS
nation we believe in education, but we
have not done our duty by it. AS
consequence, the intelligence of large
portion of our country is to-day much
lower than in many of the monarchies of
Europe. In eight large and populous
States nearly one half the voters are I'M
able to read the ballots they deposit in
the ballot box. In many others the
number of illiterates is a National dis
grace. In our own State we discovered
long ago that it pays to be liberal. AS
one of the five and a half million citizens
of Pennsylvania, l am with whatsoever
is willing to appropriate the most money
for the education of the masses, because
l believe that will set in motion the
agencies that will bring man back to
where God intended him to be. From time
to time the annual appropriation of our
State was increased until now we will
get the enormous sum of FIVE millions a
year. This has truly given us renewed
as well as National repu-
tation for popular education. These
are few of the advances of the past on
the part of the State. The individual,
and at times heroic efforts of our pioneer
laborers in behalf of our system of free
for all are as countless as the
stars. With these grand achievements
of the past, no one should rest satisfied.
The future demands grander and
better ones. The keynote of the even
ing of the 10th century is progress.
To advance popular education teachers
must be in earnestin their work, whether
IL is in the school room, the local or
county institute, or the educational
meeting wherever held. The latter is
by far the most essential means of the
many that could be named to advance
popular education with certain indif-
ferent class that can be reached only in
this way. AS factor to stimulate senti-
ment and advance the cause it is the
most successful method 1 know of.
Pardon me to say that the annual meet
ings held at Rutlann Park, by the
teachers Of the eastern end is a great
good for creating end strengthing the
educational sentiment of that COM
munity. Let the dauntless spirit Of the
Scottish knights of old, who flung the
heart of Bruce far forward into the
enemy's ranks, and pressing after, won
the victory, inspire us to fresh enthusi