The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-30

due season. But the earliest possible
time is not too early to refute some of
the statements made by former Lieu
tenant Governor Stearns.
/. As to the normal schools having
been most unfairly treated" and the
victims of long existing conspiracy on
the part of the states educational au-
thorities to put them out of business in
favor of a central school, this is a Sc
rious charge imputing bad faith to the
commissioner of education and the mem
bers of the board, and should and will
receive slight credence. Without refer
ring to the improbability of any such
conspiracy on the part of men whose
motives are obviously disinterested, ex-
cept to promote the best educational con-
ditions, and laying aside such confidence
as the people of the state may have in
the personnel of the board, the facts in
the case effectually dispose of Mr..
Stearns's charge. The educational de-
partment, for the past five years, GER
tainly, has done everything possible to
maintain these schools in keeping with
the letter and spirit of the law requir-
ing them to be at least on a plane with
the normal schools OF other states this
in spite of an evident local sentiment
which has always favored a lowered
standard as calculated to attract
larger student body. Both the Johnson
and Castleton institutions have done the
best for teacher training that they could
under the natural handicaps which no
management could overcome Division
of effort, duplication of plants and fac
ulties, inconvenient location, lack of
sufficient training school material and
other drawbacks have ''squelched" Ito
use Governor Stearns's own phrase)
these schools. The attendance has
steadily declined. The stress of the war
period brought it to a very low point
an abnormal condition that all such
schools suffered. The schools had to
be maintained, of course, and instruction
given the small student body at relative
ly the same cost to the state as though
four or five times many students were
In attendance. All institutions had to
meet the same condition at that time
Nor could the lessened number of stu
dents be fOreseen and the faculty MEM
bershlp be cut down at the time of year
when instructors had to be engaged. No
effort was spared, through generous adj
VertIslng and publicity, to draw students
to Johnson and Castleton. This could
scarcely be regarded as a lavish expen-
dlture or money on the part of the
board, designed to kill off the schools.
=. If Governor Stearns can show that
under present conditions the two normal
schools can furnish an abundance of
we'll trained teachers at as low a cost
per capita as he claims, he is certainly
entitled to a hearing. The burden of
proof is on him, however. What John
son or Castlcton did thirty or forty years
ago will hardly be accepted as a cri-
terion.
3. Governor Stearns makes a clear
appeal to prejudice when he seeks to
discredit the 100000 Carnegie corpor-
alton offer with the allegation that it
is Just a bait to foist upon the state
the Columbia idea for the training of
teachers" The offer comes without any
conditions, expressed or implied. as to
the method by which teacher training
shall be conducted in Vermont. The
corporation claims no privilege of di-
rectiOn or oversight and has had no part
in determining the location Of the col
| lege. With no reference to the corpora
ton, the board employed its own indie
pendent expert to make the preliminary
| survey as basis for it's own further in
quiry. If there is such a thing as the
Columbia idea and if the Carnegie
corporation favors it, there is no pos
sible way by which it can put this al
legged idea into effect in Vermont. The
state board of education is not and will
not be committed to any plan other than
giving the best practical knowledge and
experience to student teachers. The
new commissioner of education has no