The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-01-21
Cardinal Bourne Gets
Word of POntiff'S Death
TEACHERS
ELECT new
OFFICERS
County Educators Hear
Addresses and Attend
Conferences

The Academy Glee Clubs gave
fine concert at the opening of
the Thursday night session which
was followed by a mcSt carefully
prepared address by Commission
er Dempsey upon the theme
"Public Education and American
Democracy" Before giving this
address he replied to the muck
racking article in a recent number
OF the Ladies Home Journal which
severely criticized some of the ed
ucational conditions which the
writer claims existed, particularly
in Essex County. He said the
whole situation was entirely diff
erent from the article represented.
The state appropriated at the last
session of the Legislature 100000
for teacher training, had two two
year training classes and % high
schools With teacher training
classes. The towns in the state
raised $3,000,000 fer education In
1921. In 1870 the teachers in 2,576
schools received 5000 in sal
cries, with beard. In 1860 the
teach ers in 2,505 chools received
a total salary of $633,789 with
board not included. In 1920 the
salary of the teachers in 2,348
schools had risen to $1,684, l89.
Since 1900 over $2,G00,000 has
been spent for school buildings.
Speaking of the progressive
steps in the educational program
Mr.. Dempsey cited the introduct-
ion of the Junior High school, the
revised courses of study and the
reduction in illiteracy in the state.
In 10 years the state has reduced
its illiteracy 40 per cent.
Coming 70 the advertised adj
dress Of the evening Mr. Dempsey
spoke of some of the drawbacks
to reaching the highest results in
education. Among these he men
toned the dependents, which were
growing in numbers in the state,
the incompetents, the false eco
Monies of our life, the exploit
alton of those that cannot help
themselves, the Indifference,
waste as contrastod with conser-
vdtion. The encouraging features
of the situation are that the vast
body of the people are we'll inten-
toned, the splendid and suggcs-
tive experience back of Us, the
prestige that comes from such
success, the sound theory and
practice of 100 years, the ade-
quate organization through which
to do the job. One great need is
intelligence and the right deals
and this is what education should
accomplish.
Friday morning. session open
ed with two songs BY some Of
the children in the fourth grade
of the Summer street schools.
Prayer was offered bv Rev Dr.,
George ". Hylton after which L.
w. Butterfcld, New Hampshire's
commissioner of education, gave
an address upon the somewhat
mystical tide "The Deformaliza-
ton of Education. His address
was full Of both wit and wisdom
and greatly enjoyed by all. He
said his real title was "Why
Our Schools Are not what They
Used to Be-, and he opened with
some striking illustrations from
animal and human life TO illustrate
how bIndly We followed preccd-
CHt, doing things the same way
because our ancestors did them.
In our srhool system habits 'ngcr
longer tnan anywhere else. RE
used a concrete iilU ,ration the
way Samuel Hemingway conduct
cd mis- Vermont school nearly a
century ago and how too often the
same methods were used in YER
mont chools today, or 40 year,
Mr. Hemingway tau"ht school in
a small Ncrmont community and
was beloved by all. He uaugnt
oral reading because !. fitted in
with his dav and Generation. The
scholars learned to read Until they
read the piece without thinking OF
its meaning and, worse than that,
they were thinking Of something
else. I'm our method OF reading
today we do not follow the plan
Of such Il school of the day, when
one reader, the Bible and perhaps
one weekly metropolitan news
paper were The only textbook.
Samuel Hemingway taught
spelling largely for social uurpos-
es-for the spelling match that
wa one Of the features Of those
school days. This gave the real
drill TO those that needed it least
and the poor spellcr was lost in
Continued on page two)