The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-11-14
TermOnt;S Rural Schools
and the Ladies Home Journal

in 1900. There are now competent sup
e~rvisors for all the schools of the state"
He continues:
Most important of all in this rural
state is the work of Miss Rose Lucia as
the supervisor of all the rural schools.
She is not only an expert III education
but an expert on boys and girls as human
beings as well as pupils. The average
pay of Vermont teachers has increased to
SOB q week. Appropriations for text
books have doubled. The amour pro-
yided by the public for free transporta-
ton of children to remote schools has in
creased 10 times. There have been en-
couraging increases in the amounts ex-
pended on new buildings and the removal
ton of old ones. High school enrolment
has doubled to 1000 pupils, over 3 per
cent of the population, in 20 years"
Mr.. Selden then gives specific descrip-
tons of rural school improvements and
of the general forward movement in the
public schools of Vermont. 1t is a very
different picture-and withal a very
much truer one-than this same writer
presented a year ago.
Now a bit of sidelight on this matter.
A year ago last summer Mr.. Selden.
! came into Vermont, probably Tor the
first time, commissioned as he then
stated, TO write q series OF articles on
education for the Ladies' Home Journal.
He called upon the editor of this paper
and was given n quite thorough outline
of the conditions in Vermont, of the
progress that had been made and of the
problems presented, chief among which
was the effort in behalf of rural schools.
In his first article Mr.. Selden used no
part of this except such as he could
twist TO serve his purpose, which was to
write Vermont down as backward. He
inquired even where he could ind rural
school conditions at their worst, and as
it appeared later lost no time in seeking
: them ont His article nT a VpDr arc was
a rank exhibition of undertaking. the dis
tinct effect of which was to place Yer
mont in a wrong light and to feed what
ever idea then existed that our state was
retrograding.
So important TO Vermont was il TO
correct a false impression of this nature
that one member of the state board of
education mot the writer) brought the
matter Immediately to the attention of
the publishers of the Ladies' Home Jour
nal. Not securing a satisfactory re-
sponse in that quarter, this member then
arranged for a conference with Mr..
Selden himself TO go over it with him.
Thai conference demonstrated that YER
monts detractor had little knowledge of
the subject he essayed to treat. He adj
mltted that he wasn't an educator or
specially informed in his subject, but a
casual magazine contributor on general
themes, and that he had been commits
stoned to visit Vermont and other states
briefly In order to prepare a series of
articles with a particular slant, directed
against prevalent systems and methods
and in favor of others more or less ideal
istic in nature.
Mr.. Selden did, however, uncover in
himself manhood enough to admit his
error and the wrong he had lone to Yer
mont, and promised ut that conference
that he would soon prepare and nave
published in the Ladies' Home Journal
another article setting the state right.
This he has now done, insofar as it can
be done. The entire episode discloses
how lacking in ordinary care and con-
sideration for the element of truth it
self, not to speak of the rights and inter
ests of those who may be affected, our
great publications and their hired writ
ers sometimes are. And it too often hap
pens that Vermont figures as the limo
cent and undeserved victim.