St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-04-02

women Win uVo years experience,
$700. Taking into account the
shorter school year and the lower
cost of living, 5000 in Vermont il
equivalent to 800 in some of the
neighboring states. In the last few
years the average salary of womer
tachers has steadily increased. The
present showing is poor enough. bul
in much of the criticism of condi-
lions several pertinent considera-
tions are ignored. For example, the
direction in which the state is NOV
ing is almost as important as how
far it has gone.
Then, too, comparative criticism
often yields itself to tendency tc
minimize the small and maximize
the large. In comparing Massachu-
sets and Vermont it is easy to
adopt Boston and Heartwellville as
standards. The Identification of I'M
like terms is a common fallacy. 1t
reveals itself in the confirmed city
mans estimate of the things OF the
country. His habits of mind and life
lead him to judge of the country
in terms of the city. Now, although
Vermont is not so alarmingly coun-
try as the casual visitor from the city
is apt to believe, it's whole popula-
ton is less than half that of Bos-
ton proper and it is distributed over
an area greater than all Massachu-
sets. Under conditions of topo-
graphy, wealth and population very
different from those of many other
States, Vermont has achieved sue
cess in social, educational, economic
and civic endeavor which deserves
To- a r~af i've
critic ought to recognize that the
city and the country are not like
terms, the one qualitatively super
ior to the other, and ought to base
his comparisons on the essential
differences between the
city and the country.
Vermont is not all country any
more than other states are all city,
but the point is this: Take any
state in the Union and eliminate
from consideration the cities of
over 10000 population, and then
compare the remainder with Yer
mont, and it will be found that
Vermont has done more, and is
much more-than. mos
of it's outside critics would admit be-
fore the Greek Kalends. Vermont's
cities of 5000 to 10000 population
challenge comparison with cities o
much larger size in other states, as
possessing the advantages which
make life pleasant and profitable
and the ''truly rural districts have
many of those same advan-
tages, necessarily altering the form
Of some of them to suit the peculiar
Vermont as a whole,
by it's faith and its works, challenges
with states of more fav-
Orable topography, larger population
and greater wealth. The people of
Vermont stand behind the challenge
which the merit of the state makes
Of itself, their ambition being moth |
ng daunted by the size and riches
Of Massachusetts,, New York, Ohio |
md the rest. In any list or table of
he AS states, offering comparison
among them in this aspect or that
Vermont has to compete with
wealthy urban states, and it has |
come out of the contest
With exceeding honor. When the
schools of Vermont are rated by the /
Russell Sage foundation as 18th |
lmong those, of the states of the
Union on a basis of all-around eX-
surely a good record and a
treat promise are to be seen. The
schools of Vermont in aims, organi
alton and means and methods OF
ervice must be adapted to the need
md conditions of what may loosely
md not very accurately be called
rural state" whereas the COM
,arative standards in sizing up the
g states are usually those of size
md quantity. Sometimes it is wise
o substitute ''How well?" for the
question, "How much?" Vermont's
ecent record of educational progress
nd educational legislation is admir-
BILE; and as to teachers salaries,
hat has been lately and is now a real
i've issue throughout the state.
1t must be admitted that Vernon
eachers are constantly leaving the
tate. So do the teachers of the
mall towns OF Massachusetts leave
or the large towns. So do men and
women in other occupations leave
he small towns for the large-and
is a current though erroneous be
lef that such an exodus must neces-
ariIy mean the decadence of the
mall towns, this emigration in fact
neaning a need of more room as
much as it means desire of greater
In the case of the teach
rs, there is at a given locality both
n emigration and an immigration
here is not merely an exodus OF
teachers to Massachusetts
ut in reality an Interchange of
sachers. None of the teachers il
-ermont receiving less than $4OC
re from Vermont institutions but
early all came from Massachusetts
olleges. But comparisons are no
D profitable as they are advertised.
-[R. G.. f. in Boston Transcript.
The COIIectOrship
In our issue of last week a CORES
ondent suggested the name of Mr.
!. A. Bancroft as the successor tC
oil Emery as collector of customs
OF this district. The cordial way
n which this suggestion has been
eceived is a gratifying testimony tt
he worth of an efficient officer. Hi
would be in line with
he civil service idea which has beer
rowing in popular favor for many
ears. 1t would be deserved pro-