Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-04-09

tempered by an academic contemplation
of the present degenerate race of rural
Vermonters and asserted by the opinion
of a set of foreign Investigators secured
at an expense of about twenty thousand
dollars. Evidently it was supposed that
a waiting State would humbly accept
the opinion handed down by such
authority. Unexpectedly it was found
that these supposedly degenerate sue
cessors of the Green Mountain Boys had
ideas of their own. They still had
notion that they possessed competency
of common sense and a convenient
knowledge of their own needs. This be-
coming evident by overwhelming criti
cism of the concrete results of the
efforts of the commission as sublimated
in House Bill 10 he found it necessary
to ask for another hearing to supple
ment the first where he had full oppor-
tunity to present arguments in favor of
that product, an opportunity which was
waved aside. At this hearing, the
Judge in his most effective manner, as
if charging a jury, addressed an audi
ence consisting mostly of empty seats
until late hour in the evening or an
early hour in the morning, accounts
varying as to which it was.
This effort failing to have the desired
effect of quelling the unreaso nable criti-
cism of the degenerates, the next
move was to promulgate beautiful
specimen of special pleading and
sappressio veri apparently at the ex-
pense of the State) against the normal
schools. This effusion was promptly
riddled and shown up at it's true value
or lack of value by the principal of the
normal school at johnson, who showed
in the most conclusive manner that his
honor was grossly in error in most of
his statements. Undismayed by this
showing up of errors and misconcep-
tions and still apparently at the expense
of the State he further INDUCED in an
attack on the principle of assisting
the colleges with State funds. In this
criticism he was somewhat nearer the
facts and did show that there had been
very heavy increase in the appropria
tion for the colleges. However, he APP
pears to think that it is a wrong thing
to afford any assistance to the young
men and women of the State who are
so soon to be the leaders in any political,
educational or moral reform in the
commonwealth These young people
are the cream of the youth of their era
but many of them cannot secure the edu-
cation and training which are necessary
to fit them for their duties because of
poverty. Is it well to fail to aid these
earnest and able young people in their
endeavor to secure an education? Is it
not question of three per cent. against
ninety-seven per cent. for the ninety
seven pei cent. can only be fitted for
citizenship if the other three per cent.
are qualified for their inevitable leader
ship. The State should continue its
settled policy of producing at reasonable
cost the necessary supply of teachers
not only for the rural schools but for the
secondary schools as well, to say nothing
of the still wider and more important
preparations for high, honest, and
honorable leadership of the coming gen.
GRAFTON.
After all it is true that considerable
credit must be ascribed to the Judge,
the Commission and the Carnegie in
vestigation for arousing a verile popu-
lation to a searching consideration of
the educational system of the State,
even if the conclusions which the people
arrive at are not so pessimistic and de-
pressing as might be expected if full
credence were given to the mournful
conclusion of the twenty thousand
dollar Commission.