The Newtown bee., 1900-06-22

every child and youth in New England to aid where it can every teacher ant school administrator; to promote co operative spirit among the people tC place the common schools in better rela tions to the life of New England, to diff fuse information, secure the views oi leading citizens in and out of official DO sitions to aid to right public opinion, ant in time, if possible, to contribute to wise legislation and we'll directed private ben elections to education"
 Our plea is for complete system ot State Education, beginning with the Kindergarten, and ending in the Univer- sity. The State does so much for the in. struction and training of it's youth that it should wisely do more. Nothing can be more important to heiCommonwealth than the evolution of the highest types of manhood and womanhood which are the true glory of the nation. The safety and welfare of the State depend chiefiv v upon the wisdom and moral character of it's citizens. The public spirit, enter prise, improvement and prosperity de- pend upon the quality and extent of our public school instruction, training and culture.
 | Who are the men and woman that are giving the best and the most important services to the State and nationF Em- phatically those who have had the nc st and the best real education. Who are the great leaders of the people, and those who i'll with honor the highest places of trust in our great country? Men who have had liberal training and culture in colleges and universities. There can be no investment of the public funds drawn from the pockets of the people which will pay 30 large and so sure dividends as that which goes to insure the school ing and equipment of each generation for the privileges and duties of American citizenship. As Burke said "Education ia the chief defense of nations" sSchool. houses," said the great Horace Mann, ''are the republican line of fortifica- tions." And as Whittier sang:
 | "rhe riches of the commonwealth
 ! Are free, strong minds and hearts of health, l And more to her than gold and grain,
 1 The cunning hand and cultured brain."
 The public school system of Connecti- cut is at present in 8 confused, COT fiict- ing and inc fficient stage of development. It is in part the original district system which has become curious fossil; It is in part the town system, recent stage of evolution; and in part we have a state | system which in great measure falls of l it's purpose by reason of the local factors 1 of the towns and districts. It can hardly be called state system for 1t is not con- aistant with itself. It is scarcely a sys- tenn at all, for it does not hold together While it has nominal control, under laws, to supervise and regulate, in prac- tice it has no power to produce the re- suits at which it aims. It spends large sums of money for the qualification of trained teachers by means of the State Normal schools; It holds state ex. aminations and issues it's certificates which are good in any town in the Com monwealth, but the State Board has no power to place these teachers where they are most needed; the district committee, | UT LbS tOWA WAO AAOWB lHss than the alphabet of education, and cares as little as he knows about 1t, except to have the public money go where his personal or political interest will be served, can hire 8 person to teach who never had so much as a good, bright, honest district educs- tiop, If he chooses, and thus defeat the purposes of the state. The graduate of the State Normal school who has thor oughly learned the business of teaching, both in theory and by actual experience, and is prepared to serve the State effec- lively Is not wanted, in many districts, and may have to go out of her own town to find work.
 The Constitution of Connecticut pro- vides that "The fund, called the School Fund, shall remain perpetual fund, the interest of which shall be inviolably ap. propriated to the support and encourage. ment of the public or common schools throughout the state, and for the equal benefit of all the people thereof" Equal school privileges for all the children be. tween four and sixteen years of age 1, evidently the aim so far as the state il concerned in tbis school fund. But iG this money 30 applied in the different , towns as to secure this great end? Let ul see. Here is 8 town that has 36 weeks schooling, the adjoining town has 4 weeks. One town in the same county hal graded system and well arranged course of study; while another has only ungrGded work, and no course of study aiming at anything. One district in , town may have trained, experienced teacher and 40 weeks of good schooling the district next to 1t may have an ignor ant, inc ff1cient teacher, and as few week of worthless instruction as the law al lows, which is perhaps a mercy to tn children. . ~.
 Here are two towns in this county 0 Fairfield, lying side by side, having ap proximately the same amount of gran' ' list; nearly the same number of inbabi tants and school children but Bethel ha high school and Newtowns has none Now, other things being equal, wh,
 should Bethel have high school ,an
 Newtown children be deprived of th
 same privileges? Of course other thing
 are not equal, and one town is very an
 essentially different from the other {. And they say you sean tel n where Newtown roads end aBd Bethe ,s highways begin, ven in the dark, pel . haps; but what chiefly makes the diffel