Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-09-08
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER S, 1911.

In an official statement, into which
entered much good feeling, Governor
Mead showed that decline in the edu-
cational system of this state from the
comparatively high standard attained
some years ago to the low standard oil
some of the southern states was immi' |
nent, and most apparent in the work
done in the rural districts. The Cover
nor informed the assembly that, "Ver-
mont employs larger percentage OF un-
trained teachers than any other New
Fnoland state. More than
three-fourths of our teachers are UNI
trained. In Rhode Island, on the other
hand. less than one third of the teachers
are not trained for their work.. Also
the reasonable belief was expressed that
if we are to keep pace with the progress
Of other states instead of actually retro
crossing the standard of our rural
schools must be raised. Other writers
considering the social state OF things III
Vermont, saw relations between the IN
adequacy of our educational system ana
the "wave of crime that has occasioned
so much anxiety.
Besides considering the decline in the
educational system of the state let us
remember some of the difficulties in the
way of maintaining system that could
compare we'll with those maintained IN
other New England states, and prove
ADEQUATE to the need of the people.
Chief of the causes of decline is the
ever increasing demand upon the reIa-
lively small resources available for exs
penditure for service by the state
Sparseness of population, together with
the wish of the people to have as good
service from the state in all other par
ticuars as are afforded by the more
popuous, and therefore more wealthy
New England states is, no doubt,
difficulty CT the first Importance. Towns
as well as the State can hardly plan to
offer salaries for teaching that will in
duce pupils to spend means, in time and
money, in order to qualify for high
class work 10 teaching. 1t has seemed
unwise, in view of the many demands
on available funds, and the great need
of a suficiency in numbers of teachers
to exact qualifications way above the
paw that the school boards were able to
offer for service. Another of the factors
in the problem-only few of which
can be mentioned here-is the failure
of young people to appreciate the adj
vantages OF good equipment in school
ing for influential citizenship, to say
nothing of the necessity of a certain
measure of education as means OF pro.
lection from fraud. They, the young
people, naturally want pocket money
and will take the hardest kind of jobs
any job in fact that offers, long before
completing the high school course. In
fact one might fill pages in full state
ment Of the problem.
The Assembly in response to Cover
nor Mead's recommendations we'll con
sidered the whole matter and appropri
ated the necessary amount to establish
two high class State Normal Schools, tt
be centrally located and equipped fol-
high class teacher training work. Con
sidering the relatively small resources
available for the purchase by the state
of the buildings and incidental expenses
together with the doubt if the strong
effort by the state will be appreciated II
patronage of the schools, the state ha'
done bravely. The people in the towns
collectively and Individually, especially
the pupils can do a great secondary part
towards solving the educational problem
of the home state Make the state nor
NAL school a success. It's as indispensi
BILE part of an adequate educational sys
TEN as the university or primary school
And there is no reason why towns of the
size of our own should not have teach
er training course in town high school
buildings for those who cannot afford te
go from home to qualify for work il
the rural districts.
The capabilities of the responsible
people of this state are equal to thu
difficulties by which they are confronted
in the educational problem OF Vermont