Year: 1859

| 10 Ut COMMON SChUUIo, fOh I'M


YEAR ENDING MARCH ], 1859.


FslIow Citizens:


The Town Superintendents c


Common Schools, in presenting their Repor


to-day, must begin with the confession, some


what mortifying to them, that they failed t


observe that the first Tuesday Of March, tn
appointed time of Annual Town Meeting, wa


the FIRST Of the month, until they were start
led at the fact that but single day was lef
for the preparation of Report, for which
they supposed a weeks time yet remained t.
them. In view of this circumstance, thcy
trust that you will excuse their bringing tc
you less carefully prepared statement of tn,
condition of the Schools, than the import
ancc CT the trust committed to them demands
Indeed, the better condition in which we
have found the Schools, on every visit, during
the past year, makes it less necessary for u,
to enter into all the particulars-some Of
which were not of a very agreeable kind
which have been the topics OF former reports.
We think we have reason to say, that our
| Common Schools are improving; and the
remedy Of evils hitherto past curing, which
we confidently believe is now furnished in
the Acts relating to Public Schools. passed
by the General Assembly at their last session,
encourages the hope. that new impetus
is to be given to the great cause of Free
Instruction in our State, and that Vermont
is no longer to be behind her sisters, in the
excellence of her School System. The grand
materials for scholars which are found in the
rob youth who breathe our mountain air,
unpolluted by great commercial centres, and
whose sinewy minds, able to bear the strain
of study, may fast expand, by native force,
to the loftness and grandeur of our natural
scenery, should carry this State forward in
that advance of intelligence, which even now
is her glory and place her sons and daughters,
wherever they are, in the foremost rank OF
educated, virtuous men and women


We earnestly, anr,ou,ly bespcak for the
new School Law we have referred to, and
which is now to 60 into effect, the faithful
attention fall who may have to do with the
schools in any capacity embodying as the
law does, the best results of careful thought
and no little experience, on the subject. Let
it be well carried out, and for an answer to
every objection against it, it may point tri
umphontly to its works. Two articles there
are of the law the one providing the means
Of careful registry of the schools, the other
making the average attendance OF scholars
the ratio of distribution of the Public Money
to the several Districts, which will. of
themselves. produce gentle revolution in
our SC Is most essential to their discipline
and advancement.


Where II school register is not kept with
care and accuracy, there is no means Of oh
scnce, Of age and sex and department and
scholarship, without which we have no facts
for present uses or for future operations-no
scaholding, 50 to speak, to stand on, no
tools with which to push on the work
of building higher ana carrying to compile
ton, the magnificent temple of free common
school education.


y school register necessitites method on the
part of the instructor, stimulates the ambi-
ton of the scholar, reveals defects that would
otherwise escape detection, and therefore
never be remedied, and furnishes information
obstainable in no other way, wanted for the
basis Of the annual report which the Town
Superintendent is required to make Every
year your committee have prepared their re-
portunder the ,erious difficulty ar sing from. an
almost entire neglect of duty by the teachers
in this particular; and the present. like the
past, finds them in the same EN- barrassment,
though, it is pleasant to say, with increasing
exceptions.


The information we have been able to OBJ
tain by visits to the schools and from the re.
turns of the districts, is given in two statis-
tical tables with remarks, which close the
report.


The operation Of that section of the law
which divides the public money to the dis
tricts in proportion to the average daily at
tendance of the scholars, as a stimulus to in
crease the number of pupils and to secure
more regular attendance of them, is easily
made manifest. Take, for illustration, dis
trict No. IA. 1t returns 263 children of
school age; the average attendance is only
from As to so, which would be still less,
probably, if The number of days of absence
of each scholar were deducted in max
ing the average. If the district, there
fore, would avoid great increase of direct
Tax on itself, it must take measures to secure
greater and more constant attendance of
the school children. No. II returns 367
scholars ; the average attendance will not
exceed ITO. No. l3 returns 2l5 the aver
age attendance is about 40.


1t has long seemed to many of the most
thoughtful friends of Public Schools, that
the school Fund, under the old law of dis
tribution, was premium on idcncss and
ignorance it is hoped the new law will do
better service. 1t is believed it will correct
truancy and promote school-going, and
draw to the schools the attention of Parents
and Guardians of children--a single fact of
great promise, bright omen of better
things


1t is difficult to effect great Improvements
in such grave matters as that of Education,
at once ; but we venture to predict, that if
parents could be suddenly walked up to sense
of their duties to the schools which their
children attend-duties which seem 80 plain
and SO binding-a change would immediate
ly take place in the condition of the schools