St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-06-18
Education in Vermont

III cFulOnI
Vermont has an educational COM
mission studying the educational
system of the state for the purpose
of recommending changes and i'm
provements. 1t is composed of an
able body Of men who are seriously
considering the subject and doubt
less in due season will give the pub
lie valuable information. So any
thing said in this article is only
along the suggestive line.
One must be impressed with the
lack of preparation the schools of
the state are giving the boys and
girls for their actual life work.
There is a large demand for two
classes of workers today, producers
and distributors. The demand has
long existed and promises to con-
tinue for an indefinite time. Both
production and distribution are
improved and made more profitable
by the application of scientific prin-
ciples and knowledge. Mathematics,
physics, chemistry and biology
are four branches of scientific
knowledge that are necessary to Sc
cure the cheapest and most efficient
production and distribution. But
these four branches combined are
not given as much time in the pub
lie school as language and his
tory. Mathematics are given more
prominence than the other three
branches but this is not taught in
a practical way. This is illustrated
in the inability OF the graduate of
the public school to do the practical
problems connected with any bust
ness he may become connected with
and the inability of the practical
and successful business man to solve
the problems placed before his child
in the public schools. 1t is stated
that a New England towns school
authorities determined to learn the
practically of the instruction it was
giving and they sent ten represen-
tic studies Of the seventh grade to
ten New York business and profess
sional executives who were drawing
from $4,000 to SIS, 200 salary per
year. None of them were able to
work three-fourths of the problems
and several of them could not do
any of them. These must have been
successful and useful men to be
drawing such salaries but their
children were not being instructed
for the practical work their fathers
were doing for a living.
A knowledge of chemistry is one
of the most useful in any line of pro-
duction, especially So in modern
farming, the coloring and f1avoring
OF goods, but we find it taught little,
If any, in our public schools. Biology
is almost unknown in the public
school and yet it is a necessary
knowledge to secure the best results
in stock and crop raising. 1t is
surprising that America with such
striking illustrations of the value
OF these branches of knowledge
gives so little attention to them. The
American agricultural commission
travelling in Italy finds farms of
fifty acres supporting from 100 to
$50 cows. This is made possible by
the scientific knowledge of farming
that has been acquired in that coun-
try. When we hear of it we say lit
don't seem possible" and continue
encouraging our boys and girls to
study dead languages and literature
of a moral tone that would exclude
it from the mails were an American
of today to attempt to write such
stuff.
We might continue suggestions
but to any one who thinks on the
subject there is evidence of too
much that is conventional, that is a
luxury rather than a necessity, or
practical, in our educational work
today. Our boys and girls spend
nearly one-thfrd of their life in the
pursuit of an education and then
have to acquire in practical work
the knowledge they are to use
through life. The size of the
schools to be maintained, the train
ing and compensation of the teach
ers. the extent to which the state