The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-11-19
rHE EDUCATIONAL REPORT
The People are Ni,ally Interested and
. Gtsai Responsibility Rests on eur
Next Legislature.


Ida 6. Sargent ~ Granville. "
writing to the Free Press has The fol
lowing to say of Educational Report
IN the resolution providing for th'
appointment Of the educational com
rnission, we find the following: "Thii
commission shnll report st the earliest
possible date on the several rights
duties and obligations Of the uniyer-
sity Of Vermont and State Agricul'
tnral College, Middlebury College, and
Norwich University with such recon
nendations as will prevent unneces-
sary duplication and consequential fin
ancial waste" IL would have been
vell for Vermont and its educational
progress had the commission confined
it's recommendation 10 the work out
lined for il by the Legislature. The
commission was not asked to follow
the lead Of professors from other
State and rival institutions to de-
clare broadcast TO the world that Ner-
mont Is too poor 10 furnish complete
education from the kindergarten TO
the college for those Of her children
desiring il. For it is false. The COM
mission was not asked to spread broad
cast over the Union that our agricul-
tural college is failure and its trus-
tees recreant TO their trust. For 1t is
false. Take list of its graduates and
you viii find as high per cent. of
them holding prominent positions, in
the service Of the United States, as
instructors in the various State uni7
versities, and as farm superiatendents,
as from any other agricultural college
in the land II needs to be better We
are going 10 make it so, But not by
robbing il Of just support, from the
State. In advocating the withdrawal
of State support from the agricultural
college, the commission shows great
solicitude for the elementary school
boy but fiourishing agricultural col
lcge in the State is just as necessary
for the future welfare of that boy as
a good common school. Vermont
needs to develop the sort Of agricul-
tural school we have at Randolph but
such a school is secondary in charac-
ter, trains younger class Of students
than the college, and is no more a
competitor Of il than the school for
army recruits is a competitor Of West
Point The type Of school at RAN
dolph and as It is being developed in
other States is very similar to the
trade schools for industrial lines 1t
has come to stay but the agricultural
college is needed to supplement it, in
training men Of broader vision, not
merely as teachers Of agriculture but
as citizens TO return to the farms as
owners, or superintendent, to lead
those less fortunate to better things.
On page lib of its report the commits
sion expresses its inability to tell what
Senator Morrill, would say today,
were he alive, as to certain expendi-
lures. Yes, were he alive, what would
Senator Morrill,, Father Of the land
grant colleges" say, when he heard
that an educational commission in his
own State advocated the withdrawal
Of State aid from its agricultural col
lege of which he had been trustee for
a generation, and at time when il
was doing a greater work than at any
other period in its history? Vote to
make the agriculture college stronger.
The commission was not asked to
declare TO all mankind that our medi-
cal college is decadent institution,
and unworthy Of further State sup
port. II is unfair to its faculty. II
is unfair to it's graduates, found in
nearly every city and village in Ver-
mont Aren't they faithful in minis
tering to the needs Of their communi-
ties7 Isn't their skill and success
fqual to that Of the graduates from
other States? Aren't they our own
boys7 We are proud Of them. 1t is
not fair to the medical college TO refer
10 the falling off in attendance when
The standard of admission was raised.
The same thing has happened TO the
in all the States when the
standard has gone UP but II has been
'nly temporary.
The commission was not asked TO
liscuss the matter Of State scholar
hips. but il assumes this right and .
advises these scholarships be abolish
"a. All thoughtful citizens will agree
hese scholarships should be made
placing every boy and ,
yirl on an equal plan in winning one,
,ut not to abolish them. Or better
till, to provide a State scholarship for
very boy and girl in our State, desir-
ng college training. II is mistake
o assume good common school is
my more necessary TO the prosperity
4 State than a good college. True, &
arger numbers attend the one than ?
he other but II was Sheridan at Cedar