St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-05-10
Correspondence.
,ew EDUCATIONAL MoVEMENT
FOR ST. JOHNsBURY.

A., educational movement of un'
,,hted value, begun in 1872, and
deyeloped in England under the guld'
~ oe ot the universities at Oxford
~" sd Cambridge, has found friends
a." a favor on American soil. Adapt
1.oo orr conditions and meeting the
Elements of vast numbers OF our
.aooe otherwise deprived OF the
Eenc6ts of higher education, it is get
n,o firm foothold in our midst, and
,oens destined to maintain a perma-
o,ce commensurate withits import
once The flexible character of its
.netbods. leads us to believe that it
{ most efficient agent in assisting
tbe work, and in stimulating the
purposes of almost everyone who
ion,ents the want OF higher educa-
4;or A certain sign of its far reach
inc possibilities is offered by results
already secured.
The American Society for Universe
- Extension was established at
Philadelphia in June 1890. Its pur-
noses clearly formulated, and a gov
prnjug committee appointed to CO.
onerate with local bodies. Knowl-
edge its methods has been scat
tered through the land by extension
literature. Two hundred local CEN
tres" and three thousand lectures
yearly to audiences aggregating
nearly one hundred thousand people
oroye the worth OF the work under
taken
The plan of instruction involves
courses of six or twelve lectures in
some field ofhisory, literature, art or
science with consequent classes, paper
work, reference reading and examina-
tions. The standard OF work is OF uni
versity grade, the lecturers are uni
yersitv men and the Instructions on
the plan of university methods. The
broad meaning OF University Exten-
sion, includes the fullest opportunity
for purposeful study to those who
are actively engaged in the affairs OF
lie. Of all classes and professions
and this indeed explains the origin
and primary object of the extension
Thelocal management is in the hands
of a committee, aud several towns
NAV unite in the "circuit" and en-
gage the same lecturer in sequence. BY
this method villages ofno more than
five hundred inh abitants have awaited
themselves of the advantages Offered
by University Extension. The svs
ten is so flexible and complete, that
thework, as communities may elect
Includes winter lectures at the cen
tres, or the formation OF classes o
twenty TO fifty members, under TIT
direction OF the lecturers. The elias:
system. engaging in the study OF his
tory, literature, art or science, ant
meeting, say on Saturdays for peri
DDS ranging through several months
appears well adapted to the require
ments of teachers, and is intended t
supplement- the work of the "loca
centre" and to supply its place, a
far as possible in the smaller towns
A summer course, especially suita
bic for some localities, has recent.
been adopted, and the lectures thu
provided form with the work lai
out for the year logical sequence c
study, on the successful completio
OF which special certificate is giver
From Philadelphia the work
extending to all parts Of the land. .
committee of leading college men
active in arranging lecture centres
in Massachusetts. Brown UniVerS
tyis doing excellent work in outly
ing towns in Rhode Island, and tn
university of the state of New Yorl
by its secretary is making a zealou
propaganda of extension methods
while Chicago University has set o
Especial department for it, and tn
great institutions of the west al
pushing onward the good wor
with commendable zeal.
A study of conditions favorable t
successful effort of this kind point
to field with centre" alread
equipped for reference purposes, wit
apublic library; and this indeed
the corner stone of the work. 1t t
this we can unite the advantages of
railway junction, the presence OF a
active Y. M. c. A., a fourishin