Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-07-11
RURAL SCHOOL PROBLEM
President John M. Thomas De-
Iivers Address.

t've'S fNte'eS
Wednesday. the third day of the
Rural Life conference held here in con-
necton with the summer session of
Middlebury college has proven the
busiest thus far and the sessions were
given over to addresses upon various
phases of rural life. The principal ad
dress was by President John M. Thomas
of Mddlebury college, who devoted him
self to the rural school problem.
President Thomas spoke in part as
follows:--
''There are two reasons why we
must have good rural schools. First,
to make life on the farm desirable, or
even tolerable. People will not move
into a neighborhood where there are
not good schools, and even families
attached by long residence and deep
sentiment to certain locality will not
remain there permanently when the
schools are bad. Secondly we must
have good rural schools t. keep up the
rural population.
what makes a good rural school?
First good teacher, thoroughly at
home in the common branches, with
sufficient additional knowledge to illus
trate and vtalize every subject of in
struction.
''For good rural school there must
be suitable building well kept up.
Many of cur Vermont school houses
were built 80 or 40 years ago, when the
population was larger, and have been
allowed to get out of repair.
Efficient supervision must be had if
our schools are to continue efficient year
! after year. Supervision should be COM
pulsory fer the entire state and there
should be more freedom in rearrange-
ment of supervision unions.
1.-The smaller the town the poorer its
schools are apt to be, but we really
need the best schools in the smallest
and most remote places. There the
school is likely to be the only center of
life and leading in the whole commu-
nifty.
81 claim that tt best are none too
good fo- our Vermont boys and girls.
Let us give them what is right, what
they ought to have, what we want our
own children to have, and not what is
easy and cheap"
Plof. r. j. Sprague of the Massa-
chusetts Agricultural college spoke on
the opportunities of the rural regions
for Identification of homesteads, public
grounds, streets, school and church
yards. Prof Frank E. Howard of
Berea college, Kentucky, gave a talk
on New Activities in Rural Educa-
tion
The morning session closed with an
address on Rural Libraries" by Miss
Rebecca w. Wright, secretary of the
Vermont library commission.
In the evening at Pearsons hall mu-
sical recital was given for the benefit
of the guests of the conference by Miss
Minnie Hayden, instructor in music in
the summer session, assisted by Miss
Gladys Lott and Don H. Wheeler.
Among the persons in attendance at
the conference are Rev. A. P. Pratt,
secretary of the Inter-Church Fedora
tion of Verm mt; Mrs. George w.
Smile, president of the Federation of
Won MS Clubs of Vermont; Mrs. Ella
H. Putnam, of Bennington; Rev. and
Mrs. j. S. lie Fevre of Bridgewater;
Rev Robert l.. Saster of Whiting; Rev.
A. l.. Cornell of West Townsend; A. G..
Perkins of Sh-rburne; Rev. C. R. Up
ton of Elart, Georgia; Rev. Samuel
Rose of Cornwall; Rev. and Mrs. c. w.
Turner of Brandon; S. F. Cooley of
Milton; Rev. r. B. Esten of Middle
bury; Rev. Edward Martin of Whining
ton; Rev. d. H. Corkran of Middle
bury; Miss Susan d. Parker of Middle
bury; A. S. Charlton of Wardsboro
Glenn w. Douglass of Glover; Mrs. M.
H. Eddy and Mrs. H. M. Seely of Mid
dlebury and Rev. C. l.. Eaton, Bellows
Falls