St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-12-25

farmer upon the remote hill and the
business men down in the village
with regard to road building. In
addition, these maps will be a val
liable asset to all those who use the
highway and are interested in i'm
proving the roads.
The association is agitating the
good roads movement on every hand
and IS backing Mr.. Winslow and all
efficient road commissioners.
Through this agitation and increased
efficiency $4,000 have been appro-
priated since May that would not
have been appropriated without this
agitation and efficiency. One-half
this amount was raised by town
meetings and private gifts and the
other half was given by the state to
duplicate these amounts. This work
is continuing and before the year
closes much more will be appropriat
ed for the improvement of the roads.
The Bennington County Vermont
Improvement Association will not
cease agitating this matter until
Bennington county shall have good,
safe, wide and beautiful roads from
one end of the county to the other
leading up even to the remotest
farm on the remotest hilltop.
Schools
The Bennington county Vermont
Improvement Association is also get
ting back of the schools in a fund
mental and thorough-going fashion.
Through the untiring efforts of Mr..
J. B. Wilbur and the cooperation of
the various school boards six towns
have been brought under expert SUI
pervision this summer. The asso-
citation is advocating in its mass
meetings, through the press and in
personal conversation the introduce
ton of agriculture, manual training,
domestic arts and sciences and kim
dred subjects as well as medical in
spection in the schools. These prac-
teal subjects are to be taught by
experts WHO parallel the supervisors
territory. This will enable a series
of towns to cooperate in getting the
best possible teachers for these sub
jects. The association is also advo-
eating the Capitalization of schools
in country neighborhoods with COM
munity buildings. If these projects
can be carried out the country dis
trict will no longer have an mex
perienced teacher looking for a vii
lage position as is so often the case,
but will have better trained teach
er reinforced by a whole faculty of
experts who will give the country
boys and girls in the hill towns of
Bennington county as fine educa-
tional advantages as can be found
anywhere even in the cities. Through
Mr.. Wilbur's efforts and the coopera-
ton of Burr and Burton Seminary,
a teachers training course has been
in the northern part of
the county. There is also a teachers
training course in the Bennington
high school.
The Bennington County Play and
Athletic League was formed several
weeks ago The purpose of this
league is to have supervised and
regulated play and recreation in all
the schools, such rules and regula-
tions will be made that the pupils
must have a passing mark in schol
arship and a much higher mark in
and department. The
contests will be so graded and ar
ranged that a country school will be
able to compete with the largest
school in the largest village and
that the country boy can feel himself
a vital part of the entire county
He can rank as high in his athletic
record as his abilities and training
will permit and get a rating with
other boys in the county 1t is also
to have a large Folk and
Play festival once a year. AS the
work advances the association hopes
to engage an expert for this field.
Boys and girls corn-growing and
Dotato-raising and canning clubs are
also to be formed The plans as at
present considered are to connect
these with the national corn
growing, potato-raising and canning
clubs.
A Mothers club has been formed
n Manchester and Parents club in |
whose purpose it is to
get all the parents interested in the |
70 encourage them to visit |
he schools and get acquainted with |
he teachers and do all they can to |
improve our educational system. The |
is encouraging the for
nation Of these clubs in every town. |
Social Service
Miss Edna Batchelder, a. trained |
Nurse and social worker. has been |
engaged to visit poor homes in the
country districts and villages and to |
end a helping hand. The following
Incident is typical OF her work