The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-11-10

lumber by the Thousand. This is but an
illustration of the thorough practical ed
ucation received by the Scandinavian at
home.
For two years held an appointment
which brought me in contact with for
eigners of these nationalities, and was
led to investigate the cause of the differ
ences between their education and ours.
do not expect am telling anything
new when say, that the system of edu-
cation in the countries named, is such
that no healthy child escapes being in
school between the ages of five and four
teen years. believe that the statement
is unquestioned, that the average child
of fourteen years in the countries named,
is far better educated than the average
child of this country, of the same age.
The education, too, is better adapted to
the requirements of everyday life. What
they know of writing, mathematics,
geography, geology, or other studies,
serves some useful purpose in teaching
them how to get living.
The best engineers, like Ericsson,
graduated from their schools; the great
est scientists, like Agassz, were educat-
ed there. The practical mental teaching
of their public schools is the foundation
of their success. In one notable feature
their instruction differs from ours, in
that their teachers are specialists.
In schools like our Graded schools
teachers go from room to room, teaching
what they know best; thus every scholar
has part of the best teacher. The con-
verse of this is also true, and from the
nature of the system it is impossible, as
with us, for scholar to spend year or
more solely under the instruction of a
vely poor teacher. This system is, and
always has been in vogue in our higher
institutions of learning, and why should
it not prevail in our Graded shoots? |
think you must all admit, thai this alone
may in great measure account for the
thOrOughness of instruction in the pub
lie schools of many foreign Countries. |
know that the objection raised against
this system in Vermont, is the lack of or
der and discipline which would follow i'll
the school room from the constant
change of teachers. | know also that,
across the water, the Government is pa
ternal, and its strong hand reaches the
school room, and insubordination, or in
reference of parents, is unknown. Best
of all, the teacher there is a teacher for
life, and when he or she becomes old and
worn out in the service, honorable re-
tirement awaits them, with sufficient
pension from the Government to make
their last days easy and free from care,
or fear of want. The happy day may
come when this feature will be engrafted
on our public school system.
But, teachers of Vermont, are there
not advantages which We possess, which
fully offset the peculiar advantages per-
tanning to the school system of the cOun'
tries referred to? The problem is for
you to solve. 1t is for yOu to make your
individual instruction thorough and
practical Here the intelligent foreigner
finds the best place to reap the benefits
of the practical education he has re-
ceived, and here should our children
have in our public schools, even better
advantages than our adopted citizens en-
joyed.
it is astonishing to see how large a
portion of the business of our country is
done by adopted citizens, who i'll their
youth had only the discipline of com
mon school education, the chief object
of which was not intellectual culture,
but practical knowledge, with the pur
pose ever in view to teach the boy how
to earn his bread and butter.
TO be sure, he needs he free air IF
America, its enterprise and opportuih-
ties, to enable him to acquire the posi-
ton which would have been impossible
in his native home limo place on earth
is there such need that boys and girls
should be taught habits of thrift, econ
omy, industry, and honesty, as in the
United States of America. Our common
English education should, and must
satisfy the practical requirements OF
life. The arithmetic of the school should
be the arithmetic of the shops, the mills
and the businesses world.
Is is not enough that our children
should learn the rules of grammer, and
be able to parse anything in Milton's
Paradise Lost, the puzzle of our youth,
for what school boy of 40 years aGO, has
not wrestled with: "SataD, than whom,
none higher sat-" They should be
taught to write good letter, or read
able newspaper article. The teacher is
wrong who claims that the sole aim, OBJ
jecJ, and purpose of public school in
struction is to make brains, and declines
all responsibility for the child's ability
or inability to earn an honest living. On
the contrary, business men, whose
money builds our school houses and sup
port our schools, and the business world
ucInduu SOIlCIlluR OhdL BiNOo OhO lubulO
citizen training which will help him to
earn money, and induce him to save it.
Our education should have a commercial
value, as we'll as culture value, and too
much of it has neither at present. The
ability to write an ordinary receipt, or
promissory note, or add correctly a col
umn of figures, is of infinitely more
value than smattering of French, Lat
in, Astronomy, and various Ologies and
isms, though even as business man, /
do not object to them; but they should
not intrude into our public schools at
the expense of more important and prac-
teal work.
l fear that there are too many teachers
who neglect to teach, even by example,
such matters as courtesy, pOliteness, or
the ordinary usages of society. Honesty
and respect for authority, l fear, do not
receive from the average teacher half as
much attention as do the names of the
worthless islands of the Pacific or
the habits of their more worthless
inhabitants.
The searching for doubtful qualities
expressed by x, y, and z, however useful,
are not the end and aim of life, and the
business world has but little use for
them, unless The greater problem, how
to apply knowledge to the making of
self-respecting, self-supporting, self re-
liant citizens, is first solved.
No men or women do respect as do
the conscientious teachers of our child
rem who are for years under their care
and instruction. The responsibilities of
our public school instructors are i'm
mense; | wish that they were paid bet