Bennington banner and reformer. (Bennington, Vt.) 1903-19??, 1903-07-30
Burr and Burton Seminary.


The trustees of Burr and Burton
Seminary have announced that the
subscriptions made to increase the
endowment of the seminary have be-
come binding by the procurement OF
$50, 900 Of good subscriptions within
the time last limited, the same being
payable by the terms of the subscrip-
tions on or before August l, 1908, and
we note with pride that Vermont's
governor, Gen John G. Mccullough,
has subscribed 81, 900 of the amount.
From the New York Tribune we clip
the following editorial, under the head
of School Endowments, written as
applicable to the Burr and Burton
case, and which we commend to the
serious consideration of our readers
and the people of. Vermont generally:
"a few days ago we printed a brief
item announcing that certain semi
nary in New England had secured an
endowment fund. 1t was fund of
only $50, 900, but it was thought suf-
ficient to serve the desired purpose of
enlarging and strengthening the
school. The item was a brief and in
conspicuous one, not at all cOmpar-
able with many articles in which gifts
to great colleges and universities have
been proclaimed. Yet ii was peculiar
ly suggestive, and suggestions which
il provoked should prove profitable
to the cause of secondary education.
There are probably few ways in
which wealth could be so advantage
ously applied to educational purposes
as in the endowment of secondary
schools-se minaries, academies, pre-
paratory schools, or whatever they
may be called. These schools form a
link of unsurpassed Importance in the
educational chain. To many OF their
students they are the scene of final in
struction They finish such academic
education as the students are to re-
ceive. To others they give prepare
tion for college and university. Evil
IDENTIFY it is of high Importance that the
instruction given TO esch class should
be of the best quality. In some suCA
schools this is the case There are
such schools which have large endow-
ments, or which charge high enough
fees to provide themselves with ample
incomes. They can afford to employ
the best teaching talent, and to hold
it permanently in their faculties. But
such schools are, after all, compare
lively few, most of them are filed to
repletion, engagements sometimes be-
| ing made years in advance of actual
entry, aud it is evident that they can
not serve the needs of all the land.
The majority of secondary students
are compelled TO attend institutions
which have no endowments, which
charge moderate fees, and which are,
in consequence, compelled TO get on as
best they can with poorly paid facul-
ties aud faculties in which the highest
grade of efficiency is not to be found
or il which it cannot long be retained.
1T will not do TO say that boarding
schools are out of date, supplanted by
the public high schools. The high
school system has been greatly devel.
oped in recent years, and it is doing
excellent work. It will always fiji an
important place in the school system.
| But for obvious reasons a large pro
portion of boys and girls cannot at
tend high schools, aud a large proper.
tion of parents decidedly prefer to send
their children to boarding schools
The latter will doubtless, therefore
also continue TO fill an important edu.
cational place. But the competition
of the public high school has drawn
away much of the patronage of the
seminaries, and has thus made it all
the more desirable, even necessary, for
the latter to have endowments. 1t
may be that all the millions which
have been poured into the treasures
Of colleges and universities have beer
we'll and probably given. But it may
well be believed, also, that other mil
lions might every bit as prOftably be-
given to the seminaries, which are SC
important as feeders to the colleges
and universities, and which, in addi
ton, serve so largely as college and
university to the myriads who cannot
go beyond them.