Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-01-05

Conditions In Vermont Considered by
Head of MiddIebury College-Educa-
tlonal System Needs Improving.

Some of the problems which confront
Vermont, with suggestions for their So
luton, We're told in a delightful address
by President John NJ. Thoma of Middle
bury college in the Sunday evening insti-
tute in the Congregational church. The
weather was unfavorable, but a fair sized
audience was present and was impressed
deeply with the facts presented. Presi-
dent Thomas's grandfather was born in
Bpattleboro and so this town claims a
share in the head of Middlebury college.
A good number of alumni live here and
three local young people are now stu
dents in the institution, Miss Laura Wal
bridge, Miss May Thayer and Hugh
Thayer.
The subject of the address was THE
Spirit of Old Vermont" and the speaker
said at the outset that he considered that
Vermont had been a distinguished sue
cess. In who's Who in America" a
work giving the names of living Ameri-
cans who have achieved distinction in
one way or another, the names of 1880
persons are catalogued. OF these q per
cent were born in New England. Out
side of New England the state furnishing
the largest percentage of these 1850 was
New York which furnished 80 for each
100, 900 of the states population. Within
New England this percentage is equalled
by Rhode Island, which furnished 80, and
Rhode Island is at the foot of the New
England states in this regard. The fig
ures for the other New England states
are as follows: Connecticut, As for each
100000 of its population; Massachusetts,
So; New Hampshire, IS; Maine, 70; YER
mont, 101, Vermont leading the Union.
The explanation of this is that the set
tiers of Vermont were pioneers of pio-
neers. They were the most aggressive
of those who settled the lower Connec-
ticut valley, and the quality of the blood
of the founders of the state is in those
who have gone out from the state and
has caused them to do things. In the
disputes over the New Hampshire land
grants the early settlers were called to
contest and sacrifice and from this came
forth the spirit of old Vermont.
If all the Vermonters had remained in
the state. the speaker said, there would
be in the state a city the size of Bos-
ton and another the size of Worcester.
One of the problems now is as to how to
provide good opportunities for Vermont
boys to earn a decent livelihood without
going to soma other state. New econ
omic conditions must be brought about
and hat means agriculture, first of all.
The titled acreage in Vermont had de-
creased 20 per cent in the past 10 years.
Some of the causes are a distrust of
scientific methods, the inability of the
people to cooperate in marketing their
goods, a spirit of Indifference on the
part of those who carry on the farms,
too much contentment with conditions
that give the fathers a bare living with
out furnishing IN opportunity for the
boys.
Improved educational facilities must be
looked to as a means of remedying these
conditions. The school buildings are not
what they ought to be, the supplies are
too meagre and the salaries too small.
We need to have a general spirit of dis
content with our present school system.
There ought to be a state board of edu-
cation. The speaker said he was riding
recently with a Windham county far
mer whose duty 1t was to buy books for
a certain school. In conversation with
the farmer he found that the term of
school was half over, but the books had
not been bought because the farmer was
waiting for more scholars to turn up