The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-11-18
The Rural School Problem,

Albert E. Winship of Boston, editor
of the Journal Of Education gave an
address upon the rural school problem
at late meeting of the Vermont
Teachers Association. From a gen.
eral discussion OF the subject he sub
joined eX rdct- are r produced, as they
have direct bearing upon the rural
problem IN Vermont, and some phases
of the question row under cunsidera-
lion in The legislature. Mr.. w .nship
said:
The solution of the rural school problem
is not apparent. The great misfortune Of the
country school is in The means of support.
In most states this must cone directly from
the p ckets of the voters, who are not tip
ping walters, feeling porters, paying hack
fares, or drinking soda for diversion, but
who keep a hog year and feed him, care
for him and then slaughter him, and are
delighted If they gt SIS 10 $40 for the whole
years work. They work hard for very
little money, and look at a nickel long
time before they spend it. Money comes
hard, is saved through much self-denial,
and is voted with many regrets.
Then again, in most rural communities
there are historic prejudices, which make
the out-of-the-village voters solid against
all appropriations championed by village
men, who handle money more freely. This
rural attitude is largely responsible for tie
school. houses, cheerless and Comfortess,
without and within. While city school
houses have been growing into palaces, the
vast majority Of the "little red school
houses" are no better in any way than they
were thirty years ago. There are literally
thousands OF rural communities with large
clean within and without, with large sunny
barn yards, while the school house is cheap,
dilapidated, with nothing neat or clean
about it, and the. apology for playground
is on the bleak north side
am not unmindful OF the financial lin
itations OF rural communities, from which
much OF the most enterprising spirit has
gone to the cities. There are many hill
towns in Vermont that simply cannot make
ample provision for the schools There is
no wealth. The miles of road to be kept in
repair, and the number OF bridges to be
built and rebuilt are out OF all proportion to
the travel of the town. Nor am | unmnd-
full OF the fact that Vermont has done more
in the past four years to increase the eff
cheney of her rural schools than any other
commonwealth, with possibly two excep-
tions. it is not long since the required
length of term was but twelve weeks. 1t
had been brought up to twenty .six two
years ago, and now il is carried to twenty
eight, leading most OF the states in the
Union in This particular. The pay OF the
teachers remains very low, but the quality
of the work done is far better than the sal
airy calls for.
The two recent great reforms that are full
OF promise are district Supervision and cen
t7Uii.c0 schools, MrOUgh pUblic cOHUeg0Hce
Ceulralziug the schools is really the great
est advance that has been made. By this
plan all the pupils may be conveyed by
q a
village. There are in Massachusetts 17S
towns in which the pupils are so conveyed
at an expense Of S50390. By this means
rural towns have a hrsl-class system Of
graded schools with trained teachers, in
modern buildings, with the best OF appli-
ances, and the most approved heating and
| sanitation. There is very decided saving
| IN the matter of expense, the attendance is
decidedly improved, hardness is wiped out,
and the advantages are a hundred per cent
| better No nook or corner of such a town
| IL without as good educational advantages.
| If we are to retain the sons and daughters
| OF our rural population upon the hillsides
| Tor anything more than as summer resi-
dents, we must make life in the plenitude
| OF nature at least respectable in educational
and social advantages. To do this educa-
| tiOnally we simply need slight state aid
wisely applied, close district supervision for
| rural towns, and centralized school
through public conveyance.
Vermont is an ideal rural state.
Here may be found all that il best in rustic
life, as distinct from city life, Her mountains
are capped and gowned with delicate green
in summer, neatly dressed in brown in au-
tumn, and robed in spOtless white in win
| ter Her grains and grasses are rich, her
trees juicy, lakes and brooks sporty, and
woods gamey. Here granite turns to
marble, while she weighs all the sister
states in her scales Her history Is crystal.
lized sentiment, her geography is poetry
while her few industries are in very truth
the cream Of the business. 1t IL pleasure
to extend TO the Green Mountain Boys 8
humble tribute from the Bay State to add tC
to the fadeless laurel with which they honol
Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary hero
Thaddeus Stevens, the master mind of the
anti-savery struggle, whose burial has i'm
mortalized the secluded cemetery at Ian
caster, Pa. Che ,ter A. Arthur, an honOred
president; ex-senator George II. Edmunds
the classic statesman; ex-Minister Phelps
the international jurist; and above all