The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-11-07

carried a score of years ago, when the
adoption Of the town system was made
op ional with the towns. Even this
small advantage was with diff ;uty
maintained, aud was at length practi.
cally lost. Tn, five years term OF exis-
teuce under the system before the ques-
ton of systems should again be SUBJ
mitted to the voters OF the town was
persisten ly asst cd and wa. lowered
to two years in 1SS6-au act that was
equivalent TO, or worse than, the repeal,
outright, of the optional town system
law.
Ia 1884 the strife ended in a law APP
plying, practically, the principle of the
referendum to the settlement of this
war of tue systems. AT twn meetings
in 1885, and again in 1886, the question
whether the voters preferred the town
to the district system was, by require
meut of law, submitted to the towns.
AT either polling, less than a quarter Of
the legal voters recorded their pref
erence, but the verdict, such as it was,
was overwhe mingly against the town
system. Tnis determination of the
question ended in ch Iuge of the plan of
campaign. A truce was called, and in
1886 the whole subj set of school sys-
TENS and methods of school adminis-
tration was referred to commission.
The commissioners we're instructed TO
examine the whole broad question aud
to report 10 the legisatuse of 1888, by
bill or otherwise. The legislation of
that year, adopting the county system
OF admin stration, was the issue of this
phase of the agitation.
Probably madden set of represent
atives, in respect of school aft airs, never
met in the capitol than those which
convened in $780, Blood was on the
legislative m ,ol. The school law of
1888 "had got to 60" Night after
night the committee on education held
town meetings in the general commit
tee room. The mAcontents were thus
disclosed 10 each other and waxed
strong in union aud ia denuuciaton
of the existing law. The outcome of
this ill-advised management was dead
lock between the senate aud the house,
and, finally, the passage, in the very
last moments of the session, in the
small hours of the morning, of new
law so defective that the governor, al
though be had approved the measure,
was constrained 10 convene the SUI
preme court to construe its provisions.
So the last state of the school law was
made worse h IN the fist.
The legislature of 1892 cut the g r.
dian knot hit prejudice, selfish inter-
est, passion, executive dereliction, and
supreme court assuming legislative
functions, had tied around school ad.
ministraton by enacling the town sys-
lem. The public educational interests
were at last placed on the only sound
and rational basis of management.
Under this system, with only such
lric ion as was inevitable under all the
circumstances, the public schools have
been conducted during the last biennial
term. Better teachers, better instruc.
lion, more weeks of schooling at a
10 yer cost, improvement in school
buildings, increase in the accessories of
efficient instruction, are amor the
early fruits of the tree planted two years
ago.
Let the tree stand, without disturb.
snce, and its fruits s1all increase in
quality and abundance. Abandon The
wretcht d policy of bennia,ly tearin : it
up by the 70 Dts. The proposition to
give towns the option of re urning 10
the district system is relr grade step.
1t will make confusion aud breed die
coid where there should and may be
harmony. 1t is retrogresson's enter
Jog wedge. Far better to repeal the
system outright aud say good bye to
progress in lis direction, and hence in
any direcli N, for go)d schools are
progress pi OF. This, and every Other
effort to hAmstring the law of 1892,
should be defeated. Give the school
laws long rest. Char G, and revolu-
ton have ended happily. Let their
fruits abide wi the schools, and they
shall flourish ike the green bay tree.