The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1913-05-22

s.oms II oar pupils are bronFht
ne@sis aK saigsN hwf ths ROUTES 30
hos average much MOTE than ihree
mliss. ard Is my opluipn q Il =
9uemfeh vhsshHr es miiisN Is not
tsa faF e. bring 81 iaaa1 The
aasAlley scholars We ae not find,
however. ihat fhs pupiis are mweA
tired % the ride. and. except IN
rAsss wheee ihey are required 20 Do
40 eKfsua ~ wprk "A home before
starting faf school they o. nsRs
seem "a have any more aifflcuhg
with their Wors than pupils in the
village We average an attendance
slmethlng like ~ per cent There
are @lli sNo district Fghaols ~ the
t0wn aith Ehlch Il seems faif 81
make a comparison. and there can
De TO question that the work done
IA the central school IL far and away
bsster than thst done ID the dis
trioss III. reasons for this are 20
obvious that Il hardly seems nrces-
asry 10 DO more than menilou them
Teachers have only one. or al
MOST. two grades. can be selected
with reference 10 their special lit
ness for particular work and can
give much more time 80 individual
pupils. our grades average about
twenty-five aud the pupils get
good deal % inspiration from che
mere fact 81 numbers. Besides Their
ls considerable variety In civilization
10 the different sections IN even a
small town. and the children learn
d good deal from each other
There was considerable opposition
TO Capitalization heie before the
thing was brought into working con
dition. but now ! doubt II half a Y
dozen people III town could be
made to vote against Il II has
proved immensely advantageous.
AZ 10 cost. you cannot expect that
the cost OF such a system viii be
less than the old district system.
II idle 10 Try TO run banges which 1
are not thoroughly comfortable for
the pupils, and such barges must
be heavy enough 50 that the pupils
Sili not be iouneed about, Well up
noistered. with good springs. etc /
Our harges cost about $3.50 each,
Barges can OF course be bought Tor
much less. but will not prove so
satisfactory. Ii does not do 10 /
hire drivers merely for economy |
They must be men who are both /
willing aud able TO discipline then
barges. We pay some of our meal !
over three dollars a day. This IS.
however, on the very longest routes,
aud do not think that in Manehes- +
ter II would be necessary TO go over
Two dollars, The amount actually 4
spent last year for transportation
was s3.009,5s. OF course the state
allows rebate for part OF this. Last
year s46l
As | remember the geography OF
Manchester, il would not be neees-
sary 10 run more than five barges.
That would cut off large slice oil
expense. None OF the routes would .
be 80 long. That would cut down
the cost Of each. ! should say that t
the system could be run in Man /
chester for not much over two
thirds what II costs here
May suggest that If new
building is TO be put up special
pains be taken TO have the grade
rooms large enough? That is tho
almost universal fault committed by
men who are better carpenters than
school authorities. A teacher cal
handle two or even three grades
without much difficulty If she has
plenty OF elbow room. We have
been compelled here on one or tive
occasions TO employ separate teach
e,s for grades which might perfectly
we'll have been together except fol
the fact that we had no room quite
large enough to take them both in.
| hope that you will be able to
discern what have been trying to
say through the fog raised by my
struggles with a typewriter, and
that II may prove just what you
want. II not, and il you will write
me again. | wlltry to- do better.
Very truly yours,
]. r. COLBuRN.