Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-02-26
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.



Auditorium Last Evening
~ p,r,sr. lecture in the Auditorium
las. evening was received WIN i"',' -, m
enthusiasm hv large audience Hi i.'.,i n.y.
M R-attlaboro men and women anu '','..,,s
s,s and school officers from SUR uii'.'7 F.,
towns His subject was " ne Iela.,''' To To-
the community TO its pubic schoDl9 600 600
snoke Of the schools, with theH l''V'0,yo
rDnis and 10000 teachers ~ .He
andinc army that protects our IIDe' ~ .I,1,
and said further: mo class mas 80 ~ ~
on influence as the teachers; the schoo.'
roach those whom the churches az ~ ~,
Tbe nnblic school is especially necessary
,o1av much more 50 than it Will De WIZ
the nation is more homogeneous Ou.y "
making alike the language, the cus'yiii'
apA tho LAYS can YOU amalgamate our he'-
erogeneous population; and the only way
~ devalon patriotism is 20 make the naIIon
one Brattleboro is more homogeneous
than many cities that have to teach .neli
children English to begin with so lrom
Brattleboro especia ly good results may Oe
expected-men and women Of high culture
"Wbat can the community do TO buiId up
its public schools? Everything Inc pun
liz schools in every town are as goou as
the people demand that they shall De- an anu
az moor as the people will tolerate. Inc
community is responsible for What lhe
schools are While it is impossible lot an
average man to Judge details and methous,
he can see results, Just as he can Judge Oh
the value of the product Of factory "hen
he knows nothing Of the methods employ
ed. So the public can Judge OF the puohc
schools; the people do harm by interfering
in details, but only good by observing re-
suits, watching those in authority and cut
ting off what is not useful. The public
schools exist for the children, not for teach
ers nor committee. and it is an injustice
to the children to keep an incompetent
teacher in the hope that she may pick up.
1.-The community can inform itself on
educational subjects: very great good has
been accomplished by men and women OF
leisure who have fitted themselves TO criti-
else iutel,igently the work Of different de-
partments and who are studying the prob
lens now before educators. One problem
is that of presenting each subject to the
children at the time when they are most
interested in that subject, from which
comes the problem Of arranging such
course Of study that there shall be no
time when there is nothing offered to
child in which he is interested. The great
est value possible from manual training
and the place of physical training are 9th
er unsolyed problems.
DR.. Ballet spoke in detail Of work in
different departments. then said in closing
Training is one, body, mind and soul; II
is impossible to perfect one Of them separ
ately. So We should arrange our intellect
ual work that it may work nightly for
higher ends. Education is expensive; We
should not expend disproportionately to
its value If We gave to it as much as to food
or housing, bu, We DO not. The one thing
that makes a good school is a good teacher.
Nothing else can do it. Good teachers
cost money; frst-class teachers get first
class salaries. To get instructors of educa-
ton, refinement and the highest intellect
ual character costs money, but without
such teachers good schools cannot be had
1t is not a question Of impar;ing knowl-
edge; it is the inspiration OF life touching
life"
In the afternoon Dr. Ballet spoke to the
teachers OF the district upon geography
and the best method OF teaching it in the
public schools. His talk was extremely
interesting and suggestive II is cause
for congratulation that our teachers and
citizens have had the opportunity to hear
this eminent educator.