The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-03-08
MORAL OBLIGATION
RESTS UPON STATE
Having Made it Incumbent Upon Each
Child to Get Schooling, State Must
Provide Way, Therefore State Should
Have Supervision.
Especial to The Reformer.)
MONTPELIER. March

known phiianthroplst and capitalist, to
Gov. Charles w. Gates on the educa-
+ional hin now before the Vermont Il
1oe.;.1.,4,,.
Il siSi"' "i'
Hon. Charles W. Gates,
MontpeIer. Vermont.
NJ. Io.r Co,.a,ncr.
I ;.....-.
because q my "SeP i"'e'eSl III 'he
re-eStabllShment OF the school system
of Vermont upon Il sound and progress
siyc basis. | take the liberty of ad- 4
aro.s;,,., 60 ,.o,, % fovv words roo,r.l;no,
the c"ut"tlohai Dill
! understand that there are two prin I
eipul objections to the educational bin /.
-une Fietcherisnh and the other cen
| tralization
/ A. 70 the first. Whoever originated !
the idea OF an educational commission
| is entitled TO credit. but the man who !
made it operative deserves even more. /
| Il was { big idea The time was past
| ripe for some revision Of our eduea
| tion;I methods. Everybody knows
/ that. | ann not partisan in any such
matter. 50 that | trust what / say will
/ be regarded rs wholly in the interest
Of educational advancement
Governor Fletcher iii making thi.
idea operative went at If conscientious
| ~ and effectively. He sought TO make
lam educational commission of renrr-
sentative men who were interested in
the subject. His selection of President
Butler was an inspiration as it put the
| commission into direct andl intimate
! touch with the most authoritative edu-
4 eational forces of this country III
Having made the commission, Coy
crnor Fletcher left it to its deliber,n
! tions. attending q few of the first
meetings to keep in touch with its IN
/ tenttpns and processes btHithout irving
TO influence the members, and when
ifhe commission - body realized that
It wanted the best advice to be had,
and not.- knowing how. expensive it
might bctand Just how~any very goftH
siderable expenditure would bearegard.
ed. and still waiting TO preserves the
dignity of the state by not - decker
ing. he very promptly came to the
front ami gave thy ~hoard Ais official
ard unqualified supIott<bv Stating that
he would stand Tor and authorize any
expenditure that the board could be
reasonably called on to incur.
= The final meetings, ut which the re-
D Ipcrt was gradually shaped, Governor
Fletcher did not attend or else took
+ little or no part in. In fact. it was very
: much regretted by all the members that
e he could not present his views moro
q fully.
Y The whole action and influence 81
D. iGCNCrGOr Fletcher was as governor Ot
,hc state Of Vermont acting rs reprc
. sentative of all the peaple. making i
# possible 10 effect solution of some
thing which was of interest and vita
-; inheritance To all the people. aud 10
y, this he is entitled to great credit an,
- fpraiSe no less than for the conserva
- tive. partisan way in which he at
temptcd to 10 II
= Now aS 10 Capitalization. The frs
+ educational movement in the state o
II Vermont evidently aimed at The cen
tralization of higher education bu
left primary education to the direction
1t of the pcopIo in each community o
T. crom eff communities.
Il Nothing better could have been done
II Vermont at that time was an aoricul
:. tural state With +he execution Of
AZ few very old settlements il was nevI
le settled. The rural norulation wa
n widely distributed and nrosperou
pr farrnS zycrc located where now there
n no Indication Of Them or where is til
If so-t.aIled abandoned farm. Wbatevc
in voaI+h tLrre u,as ,r.,s widely and ucr
N orally distributed. There were relative
" no very rich communities. Their
f. was little or no urban population an
n the places that were called cities wcr
~ noihino Lu+ ,.iIIooc, anil NOT ovn~orou.
IL ones ~ tba+
~ Consequently each community &
-, ~ group Of communities was able to tax
u care of its own. particularly as educ:
IS ticnnl requirements and conditions WEI
,, con,narativelv simplc.
= Since then educational IDEAS and co,
ditions have greatly advanced, not o.