Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-02-12

must have impressed favorably every moth
er present, of the help that can be afforded
| by encouragement of the children at home,
! by realizing what the teachers are trying
to do, and by looking after the children
when outside the schoo-room. An inter-
esting general suggestion was that teach
ers are coming to feel that too much has
been done for the children in the schools,
and that the effort is now to make the
children do for themseves--to bring out
their own capabilities and resources.
Mr.. Adams, "iiring at random" as he
said, then called upon Mrs. j. p. Elmer,
who said che simply wished to emphasize
all that had been said about the necessity
of cooperation. Don't listen to the chill
dren hen they plead With you not to come
into the schools. Out of the fulness of
her experience she said TO the mothers,
"Be with us and help us with your sug-
| gestions. There are many things about
| your children, their natures and peculiari-
ties, that we cannot know unless you tell
| u.s."
Miss Gowing added her plea for an ac-
tive interest on the part of parents for en-
couragement in the home of the work of
the schools. The real mission of the
schools, she said, is not to give the boys
and girls simply a bread and butter means
of earning a living, but to help them to
broader and better life.
Finally DR.. Holton was called upon as a
sort of reserve battery, to speak out of his
| long experience and many years of hard
personal work for the schools. He began
by endorsing everything hat Mr.. Whitaker
had said, and then told the parents that it
was useless to expect the best results until
they had given their full and active CO.
| al.
What the schools are doing, or ought to be
doing, is to build character, to make men
and women. Hold up the hands of your
teachers in this work. Even Moses on the
mount had to have his hands held up. He
| couldn't do the prayinp for the people and
| hold up his hands, both. Our village dis
trict is peculiar in that it never hesitates to
vote money when the committee ask for it
| to make the schools better The trouble
| is that too often the help stops right there,
and the voters take or granted that some
body else is going to do all the work.
Dr. Holton's remarks about the peculiari-
ties of individual children were very much
to the point, and we strongly suspect that
many fond mother may have gone home
with an Illuminating idea that possibly
even her own cherished child may have
| some Irregularities" which are to be taken
| into account when that child comes home
with complaints about the school.
The speaking closed with a word from
| Mr.. Whitaker saying how helpful were the
indications from this meeting together
and how the feeling was growing upon him
that by means of united effort better
things are in store for our schools than
ever yet have been.
Many of the mothers remained after the
meeting was dismissed, and it was inter.
esting to note how, by a process of "natu-
raj selection" each teacher in the different
grades became the centre of a circle of the
mothers of the children who were in her
charge.
A Word Of Comment.
The best thing about this meeting was
the spirit which pervaded it. Every par.
ent must have felt that the bearing of each
teacher was such as he or she would like it