The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-11-16
District No. II. NeWburY

'Tekel; though art weighed in the bal
ances and art found wanting Tekel,
| he hath weighed, this signified that the
king was in the impartial balance Of divine
justice, and found deserving of the deepest
condemnation; as base metal and counter
felt money are detected by the scales. be-
| ing weighed and found deficient. SO in
like manner we believe that the school law
| of 1872 has been found wanting, having
been weighed in the scales. We know full
well that those who have advocated the
town system, have traversed the mountain
heights or vending up the narrow chasm
| or searched even in the isles of the sea to
| find the unSavOred oil with which to lubri-
| cate the balance in which they are being
weighed. And despite of all their search
| ing and oiling, If reason and common. sense
| be placed in the balance, the town system
must inevitably be thrown from this sphere
that we inhabit so far that it will never
trouble the peaceful and law abiding citi
zenS of Vermont again. That our asSer-
tons may not seem too strenuous we would
vindicate our rights by asking the reader
to consider the following: First the towns
are placing our children under guardian.
The school children are under custody OF
the school directors of the town. We be-
lieve that the fathers and mothers are capa-
BILE of attending to this duty and should not
be denied the privilege. An experience of
two years we believe is sufficient time to
convince the most fastidious that if a dis
trict does not know their wants the school
directors do not. Those who strenuously
advocated the town system offered as a plea
two years ago equalization of taxation.
Please look for moment and see how this
is being done, two years ago there was only
two school houses in town as good as ours,
some of them were not fit for pig sly but
our town does not forget to assess us each
year to build new school houses. If we be-
lieved in such things we should be tempted
to turn spiritualist and attempting to call
up Noah Webster that we might confer
with him relative to striking out of his
dictionary the word equality" and insert
ing in its place monarchy" Those who
advocate the town system are of two class
es The first is people who have no
school house, and have not the inclination
to build one, and wants the town to build it
for them. The other is a people who want
to get large per cent of their living from
money accrued from services rendered the
towns which was once done largely for
nothing. Under the district system we
supported thirty weeks of school for 10 per
cent on our grand list, today it costs so per
cent. Fifty years ago there was taught in |
the school of this district in addition to the |
common English branches, astronomy, |
philosophy, chemistry, algebra, and rheto- |
ric. If proof is wanting we would refer to |
Rev, Bryant who now resides in town. He |
received for services about Sl2 per month. |
At the present day the teacher gets about |
S26 In view of the above facts we are
to say that we have had teach
ers within a period of six years who
couldn't carry pupil through interest with
out help. Havewe not been weighed in
The balance, and the town system found
Must we cry, Awake oh JUS
lice, where art thou"