The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-05-07

MandeYille's Readers.


Books are like men: so long as men
are imperfect the books will be imper-
feet I" for who can bring a clean thing
out Of all unclean. " II in Soomon's
day it was said, "Ofmaking many books
there is no end" what might be said
nowl The same writer says, Much
study is a weariness of the flesh )" but
the books Of the present age co not many
of them show so much study but that
their authors may be as heshy as other
men. This is especially so with school
books.
The making of school books is bus
ness in which are engaged many cons
pe,itors 1t would be nothing strange if
a school book brought before the'pub>
lie possessing superior merits should "a
waken the envy of some and call forth
the severcst criticisms OF others. There
is too much fame TO be sacrificed by RI
val, or those who consider themselves RI
val, authors aud too much pecuniary
interest to lose by rival publishers, to
let a book possessing evidently the high
est claims on public patronage pass
without the most scrutlnlzing inyestiga-
tions. An article appeared recently in
your paper, over the signature of " Pa
rent" criticsing Mandeville's Readers,
on which | wish to make a few remarks.
That Mandevilles system Of reading
possesses superior merits is too evident
to everr disinterested person to require
elaborate proof, and we might reason a
lriori that Professor Vaudeville would
write Just such book as he has written.
Mr.. NJ has filled the chair of intel
lectual and moral philosophy, in one of
our most respectable colleges. The for
mer branch of study would ennentiy
qualify man to make aud bring before
the public Just such a concise logical
and practical system as is Mr.. Mande-
ville's. If Mr. NJ is not the man to
digest system of reading that would
be national in its character, phllosophi-
cal ana coincideni with the language OF
our country, an ornament and valuable
acquisition to its literature, where shall
we look for such a mani Shall It he a
man who fills the chair Of some district
school Such a man might possibly
make a good arithmetic or other school
book that might be named but to make
a suitable reading book requires COM
bination of qualities of the highest ms
teIlectua and moral character.
The pro(essorship of Moral Phlloso-'
ply would equally qualify his Judgment
and taste to discriminate those pieces
which, while they would be appropriate
to develope the principles of his system,
would also be both safe and salutary in
their effects on the moral sentiments of
our youth. That Mandeyile's series of
readers is pre-eminenl in this respect is
not among the least Of their merits, the
criticism of Parent" to the contrary
Notwithstanding at the same time we
would not be understood to say that
he books cannot be improved in
respect to the selection Of some Of the
pieces; they doubtless will be;~ but
"Whocver thinks hultcss book to see,
Thinks what nc'cr was, nor is nor e'er shall
be-"
l! would be perfectly natural fora man
yhen he is absorbed in one leading iea>
ure which he deems the chief excel>
ence of his hook, not To pay sufficient
Itlenlon To other points hence il is the
:ase that in many books We must expect
o see defects and excellencies mingled
A asw oduion have been iaioTmcd Is ready, with 50
'ouou,, which might appear sene ohiectioualr, eS
uas1d.