Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-02-04
The Public School System.
Mr.. Editor:

Mr.. Editor:
The common school is the bulwark
of our democracy; the corner stone
of liberty. 1t regards all as equal, !
rich and poor alike. It's atmosphere
is deadly to aristOcracy, except 1t be
an aristecracy Of intelligence and viz
tue. The schOolh0use should be plan
ted in every community, east and
west, north and south. Attendance
upon the public school should be COM
pulsory. Every man a voter, carries
with it as a corollary every man an
educated man. For a ballot in the
hands of arrogance is a bombshell,
and a constant peril. The state must
exercise the right of self preservation
and hence has the right to educate its
citizens.
H. G. Wells in his mankind in the
Making" defines education as the
widening of the range of inter
course" and the mind of every for
eigner is a degree or two of lati-
tude' or longitude in the widening.
1t is easy to see how racial barriers
are broken down when Smith and
Cohen and Olsen and jackson and
'Brien journey together through I'm
tied States history, or march with
Caesar through Gaul or build an
arch, or solve an arithmetlcal pro-
blem or do any one of a thousand 9th
er things that have no national or
racial boundaries.
A college presidents prayer was
as follows; "Lord, help me to remem-
Der that these thousands of boys
and girls from every nation of the
earth are not mere awkward pieces
of clay but immortal souls travelling
from one eternity to another in the
tabernacles of these uncomely, awk-
ward bodies" Awkward pieces OF
clay" is a good definition of much OF
the material that passes through the
public schools of this country, but il
is out of such material that pillars OF
the state are constructed.
Under such circumstances how im
portant it is that parents are duly
impressed with their personal res
possibility and the obligation they
are under to put their children under
the Influence of the common ,schoo
and keep them there to the greatest
possible limit of time. Especially il
that true of those who come to thi:
country from other lands II they
expect to settle here and become
American citizens they are in duty
bound to obey the school laws as vel
as other laws made and provided
The school authorities should see t.
it that they are instructed as to theI
responsibilities in this regard.
A case in point has just been de
cided in the county court of Orleans
county, which has attracted state
wide notice. The case was brough
into court by States Attorney Thomp
son at the instance of the Derby schoo
board, against three families VIII
have moved into that town from lowe
Quebec, charged with failure to com
ply with the statutes by way of send
ing their children to school regular
ly. The defendants claim that the,
had not been provided with the pro
per school facilities. That the sun
offered for transportation was in
adequate. The evidence showed tina
the eight children did not enter schoo
until the 18th of November and the
only for two weeks, though assign
ments had been made in writing, wit
allowance for transportation befor
the school opened. And that tn
families had been visited and war
ned by directors and truant officer.
The jury before whom the cas-
was tried brought in unanimou
verdict of guilty. This is a whole
some verdict which will have a far
reaching influence. Our laws are OF
the statutes for the purpose of beinl
respected and it is especially impor
tant that school laws should be com
piled with as the children of thes
foreign families will be the citizens
of tomorrow.
Derby, VT. F. E. Dawson