Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-07-30

/ 1LGnS 10 dCU GlOEe AO0TcillY UOWdEd
the schools.
At the afternoon session, held in the
/ hall, S. II. Pearson Of Coventry ad-
dressed the meeting on the subject,
''Truancy," and spoke OF some of the
/ difficulties encountered in shat town
in the enforcement OF the Truancy
Act. He stated that the law was suf
/ ficient, both in scope and power, to
! place every scholar in the schools. It
had been opposed in his town by the
| ignorant and poorer clements which
| the directors had not sought to bring
into line by the full enforcement of
! the law. 1t had been thought best to
! yield rather than enforce the law. The
speaker closed by asking what should
be done, and several suggested that
the directors be first dealt with for
their failures, and then that the re-
bellious fathers of the children be
looked after. In district of 80 scho1-
ars, the average attendance during
certain term was only four and a
fraction. Mr.. RoWell spoke of his ex-
PO1IOhSC III AlOelLy anu CUceoOA C11cto
there had been no complaint with the
law after the directors and tru-
ant officers showed a disposition to
enforce it. Judge Thompson spoke
of the enforcement Of the law in Iras-
burgh A few children, mostly Ca
nadians, were kept out Of the schools
by the will or neglect of parents.
When the law was explained to the
fathers they assented readily to the
wishes of the officers, the children
were sent to school and the parents
were more than pleased with the re-
suits. The Judge incidentally said
that the trouble with many of the
laws of the state was not in the laws
themselves, but in the inefficient and
heartlesS methods of their execution.
Mr.. Lunt of Derby spoke of some
early opposition to the law, which had
been overcome by the results of it's
enforcement. Judge Thompson and
others believed that the truant age
should be raised from fourteen years
to sixteen or eighteen, and the time
w
attend school increased to the legal
school year-26 weeks. The question
was asked whether the attendance
upon parochial schools answered the
law, and a clause in the law, as one
said, "niggered in" to the law by
some one who wished to relieve paro-
cbial scholars from the same class of
instruction and the same condition of
things which pupils in the public
school were under was discussed. 1t
was remarked that these schools did
not give the pupils proper studies, such
as are required by law in the public
schools. It was decided, however,
that parochial schools, under the
wording of the law, answered the con-
ditions.
The subject Transportation was
discussed by Mr.. Rowell in opening.
He believed that every pupil in town
was entitled to the benefits of the
schools, and that it was the duty of
the directors to see that scholars so
situated as to require transportation,
have the children carried in respecta-
BILE carriages with good men to drive
and care for the children He also
believed in consolidated schools, grad
ed and run by first class teachers. He
would have the law carried out in all
it's departments. Mr.. Collins Of Albany
spoke of the harm done by truant
scholars above the age Of fourteen,
and also believed in the consolidation
of schools. DR.. Campbell Of Albany
spoke Of some trouble first experience
ed in the transportation matter which
had been overcome. Mr.. Ball of Troy
gave an unfavorable report of trans
portation and other matters connected
with the new law.
On the subject ''The Town System"
Judge Thompson spoke of the result
in Irasburgh as having been satisfact
DRY to the town at large and general
success. Some friction was occasion
ed at first but it had ceased and mat
tiers were running smoothly. The
system had been advantageous to the
poorer districts in the matter of ex-
pense and in the improvement Of the
schools themselves. He believes the
town system has come to stay. He
also believes that there ought
to be some change in the law that
would overcome the inequalities and
the disadvantages existing in such
towns as have incorporated graded |
schools. Mr.. Clark of Glover spoke
of the workings of the system in that
town and believed the schools, as a