Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-07-09
EDUCATION COMMISSION AND INTELLECTUAL sHAMBLE

port meetings toward this having been held New
York city the past few days in order in part to have the
benefit of the presence of President Butler of Columbia Uni
versy pronounced feeling has gained prevalency that
the Vermont commission likely to endorse much of the
report of the Carnegie Foundation together with most of
the recommendations embodied therein.
The members of the Vermont commission should be
warned in advance that the people of this State whole
will resent any official action tending to reegate to the
position of a commonwealth worthy of nothing in the line
of education except training for the ng of the soil and
assuming that farmers should not have broad
education and training for ifes duties.
Even leading farmers rightly taking the posi-
ton that they want their to be able to handle public
affairs inelgenty efficiently and therefore desire them
to have broad foundation for their technical training
the future farmers of Vermont In other words while they
want agricultural schools they not willing that their
should not have the benefit of college and university
facilities or if these to be had that and
young must elsewhere Finish their education
We wonder if educational commission noted the sig
nfcant and farreachng action Of the National Electric
Light association with reference to the necessity Of broader
education of the future employees of electric lighting
panies If the Vermont commissioners the report of
that body the question of educaon they should bear in
mind that electrical engineers play important part
in the future history and development of the Green Noun
tain State well the bearing this attitude has upon the
problem Of broader education for young entering all
callings.
The report in question states that considerably less
than ten per cent of American population the
benefit Of high trade training school, to nothing Of
dustres from the elementary schools with further train
ing education depending the accident of their
ment.
The report further says that if this country is to hold
its industrial supremacy must recognize many Euro
countries have that there branch Of industrial
activities from which the trained mind be eliminated
The report calls for the establishment of continuation
schools covering the various activities of the electrical in
dusy and that the attendance be within the employers
and not the employees time and that the be not only
broad and general but also specific and individual being
the productive of the highest degree of human eff
ciency."
In addition the committee reports that "a monopoly,
privately owned and operated but occupying public prop
erty to render public service must be regulated by
public authority. Monopoly in public service only be
justified the ground that advantages there
from to the public Such relation cannot be permanently
satisfactorily maintained unless be shown that
fair part of the benefit resulting from such monopoly
to the people at large who in the last analysis the final
arbers of the question: placed safety
health and sanitation
When body of technical men engaged in what is
garded mechanical industry thus step aside to
phasize the necessity broader education the
chancs and others in their employment with reference to
health and sanitation well and what
shall say of body of supposed business and educational
experts composing commission who contemplate the
rowing Of education in Vermont, that farmers shall
not have the broad education the electric demand but
and technical system of education based upon the
Informed theory that Vermont hope for nothing except
to ters of the soil not possessed of the opposite of
broad education? Out with such imposition the farm
Of Vermont we'll as the commonwealth in general!
That not Vermont alone is being subjected to "inteec
tual shambes evident from the following editorial from
the Philadelphia Public Ledger:
Education is the target for popular criticism.
Colleges and public schools subjected to the severes
scrutiny. 1t is manifestation Of that spirit of national
nrospecton which periodically possesses who acquire
the habit of finding fault with institutional life.
The training of children is confessedly difficult task
Clay may be shaped into perfect designs the architect
plan and build palace and the horticultural develop
varieties of fruits and flowers but clay not character and
plants persons Educators sincerely trying to
draw out the of personality The public schools
neglected. and they have not been Indifferent
to the needs of the
III E. Miles president of the Wisconsin State board of
industrial education says the public school system is
incapable hopeless headless tumble He criticises the
teachers any grains of truth in his Indictment they
covered with the chaff of extreme terms.
Educational methods not perfect. No scheme of
training furnishes brains but the schoohouse still the
temple of democracy The 900 invested in school
plants is not wasted The teacher with small salary is
of the makers of the nation The school system is in
process of evolution Encouragement not criticism, should