The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-03-16
LETTERS TO THE
EDITOR
SOME CONSTRUCTIVE IDEAS.
And Little Exposition Of Sentiment
Against Carnegie Foundations Fiat

! lslhtuTe must take some hcIlon oi WV
educational bills before it, we ought 70
get away from personalities, which are
always to be regretted, and consider
calmly tho few things really needed,
upon which all can agree, and leave
those things upon which we disagree for
further discussion and future action.
To show how much harm is being done
our state by indulging in personalities,
/ will mention one instance. So proml-
nent New York daily as the New York
Times recently published, under the cap
ton. "Reformers Again Defeated" the
following, which puts Vermont in such
! false light as to show that the one giving
! The Times its information was more
intent on justifying position taken
than in giving the truth. The article,
among other things, says:
up in Vermont there is going on a
curious battle between educational eX-
! perts in and ont Of the state on the one
side and politicians and newspapers pro
| Tossing on the other that fervent regard
for economy which is almost always SO
pleasing to a population largely agricul-
| tural" Then after referring to the grave
inadequacies" found by the Carnegie
foundation, the bitter cries about the
cost" of the reforms advocated by the
| Carnegie people, the article concludes by
! limiting that Mr.. Stone resigned because
he was hopeless" of reforms and that
things would remain in "a condition
about as bad and archaic as it could be-
| This is a little tough on the old state
when we are trying to induce settlers to
come to us from other states. Espe-
cially when it was the Carnegie experts
and the educational commission who
have done all the talking about our edu-
cation costing too much and not those
who opposed the bill. 1t is also little
tough on DIR. Stone, who has been state
superintendent for about 20 years. ! am
inclined to believe DIR. Stone came nearer
to describing the actual conditions when
he said in his 1912 report
probably the state is more alive and
responsive to educational progress to-
day than it has been in half a century"
probably no state has so readily and
extensively accepted the professional SUI
peryision system as Vermont.
THE amount of state aid has doubled
during the last six years"
Vermont and Kansas tie for first
place in the union in average daily
attendance
vermont has made as great per cent.
gain in eliminating illiteracy a. any
state north of Mason and DiXons line
and to-day has the smallest per cent.
Of ilIiteracy of any of the New England
states"
"The system to-day has all the fea-
lures Of an IDEAL SYSTEM it simply
needs adjusting and strengthening.
Whom are we TO believe as 20 the
actual condition Of our schools. man
who has gone up and down the state
in a supervisory capacity for 20 years,
OF Carnegie survey that examines
about ten per cent. OF them ! viii let
the Carnegie report answer this ques
ton. On page IS, it says:
ut is unsafe to generalize concerning
the quality of instruction from observa-
tion made in only about ten per cent.
Of the schools
But that was done, although unsafe,
and we are asked to turn things bottom
side mp on those generalizations and
because we advise going slowly are called
back numbers politicians and ar
chaie"
The point has been made by those
fayoring the bill that the Carnegie toun-
dation is OF such recognized pre.eminence
in the educational world that 10 ques-
ton its nat is simply a display of ignor.
anec on the part OF the questioner, i
this truey Suppose we look for a mo-
ment 10 see what is being said about
the foundation by those engaged in edu.
cational work.
The National Educational association,
which includes IN is membership work
ers in every phase Of education from the
primary to the university and from ev-
ery state, az it. last meeting declared
the foundation 10 be a menace 20 true
academic freedom and threatens 20 de-
feat the primary purpose Of democracy
~ heretofore preserved inyiolate IN our
common schools, normal schools, and unit
versities.
Thomas ". Churchill president Of the
New York board Of education, an able
apd fearless man. rrcCnJi~ said that.
s1hc Carnegie Foundation for Ad-
Vehement 81 Teaching organized as a
work II general philanthropy has de-
feIoprd into a pierre oi disLracefui hrib-
era, dsbauchHe predecessors and threaten.
inc colleges With 3 reign q uniformity
rieidity. and ossifcut.ou.'
I've an know how severely the Journal
of Education condemned the Carnegie
rapart The school Journal has this 10.
saw
III vas organized 10 pay pensions 20
college professors. but under the giiise
81 finding worthy institutions seems %.
bf eudeanorina q make over American
education. Many critics believe that some
81 the small institutions have been -
rfrelV injured and that already powerful
colleges ar being helped ~ the expense
6f the weaker.
The note 81 fear running through q
80 i that the trerneudDs pressure "a
aftea by the foundations toward cen.
traiBati1n and uniformity all erush out
ths Individual initiative and VARIATION -
Hsgassart 81 the rrrzerfHtlan 81 Amefl-
can institutions.
1 believe the foundations within prop
- restrictions hatea BE Wark e. De- hut
have given the niuyt utfrs ms ~ thf
Carnegie foundation o. shaw that -
aittufr toward a1urati1n g Hat unifer-
saIlf aere5fed 81 correct that - oFr'o-
sattan - our - arfz sh1aa ~ D. g.
fftti a. r. lrnrna f1f ths HltheTaHal ~
sase prat ana nat thase CT e. Nho
.H FsH He.nan fnf.renH