The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-06-13
Observation-Disclosures Publishers
Biographies.
MIDDLEBURY, s June, 1857.

Biographies.
MIDDLEBuRY, s June, 1857.
Mr. EDITOR Il have been absent from
my native State and have not, since my re-
turn, seen the laws that have been put in force
during my absence. But am told that there
is one which may be, if properly executed,
of immense advantage to the State. We
have Board of Education. 1t may amount
to a nullity, King-hog or a King-'tork.-I
This question partly depends upon the pow
ers given them, which l know not, and partly
on their mode of exercising them, which re-
mains to be seen. 1 am happy to learn that
some if not all of our Railroads, 1.-THE Rutland
certainly have given their Secretary, MIR.
Adams, free pass,so that we hope to find him
every where.
In the matter of school books, the Board,
if they have full powers, may do an immense
good or harm. A school book, however poor,
if fairly established in few States, is for
tune to its proprietor. Some publishers are
not very scrupulous, and were l member of
Board with ample powers, think could
make money even if the State allowed me no
salary The Illinois Board said in 1854 to
certain publishers: "Gentlemen,we find either
of your Gramnaa.r and Arithmctics sufficient
for our purpose, and We wish to make bar
gain with You. You cannot of course sell
books to us cheaper than to others, so please
name an annual bonus for which we shall all
exclude all Grammars but yours from our
schools" A handsome revenue was placed in
the treasury of the Board by this thrifty pro-
cccding Publishers do not always have an
opportunity to deal SO frankly. They must
cxpcnd large sums. but not always so profit
ably to community at large. SO thoroughly
is this trode now understood that probably
human wisdom would be incapable of making
book for common schools which left to its
own merits alone would ever find its way into
general use. ToItuHCS Hd\c Dccli Hiduc III
Spelling books for instance. and vet never
saw one that deserved adoption. The best |
ever saw, i'll many respects. proved an utter
failure for want of publishing skill
have long been interested in the matter
Of School Biographies. and so little satisfied
with those We have. that | have at times
wished that | myself had time to make one
and Il publisher to force it into use. | have
however icl, less of this desire since made a
visit to CoITo>'> establishment. few weeks
since. SAW there something not merely of
the mechanical process of map-making. hut
of the intellectual processes for securing ac-
curacy and keeping the map up to the times.
Maps of Minnesota. Nebraska and Kansas
must be entirely rc-cngraycd every wear for
some time to come. But can find You maps
for sale in large publishing houses where the
west half of Iowa has not been made into
counties. The words "Territorv Of ma.
have been ciiaccd from the plate. and thus al
tered to suit the times it will sell The atlas
is s"If and the purchaser ditto. But com
pare Colton'S General Atlas of Isl. with tha,
of lS:1ti. and YOU will find material oirTcrcnccs
The two school Biographies he publishes ar,
in constant state of cmcndation. Whcr
there undertook to correct an error | had
seen before. but behold it was not in tn,
copies than preparing for issue This keep
Ing up with the times is IA strong claim on
public patronage. But chiefly | was inter
c>trd in work not vet issued. Both Gcog
raphic> now before the public are for Young
children. We need better than We now
have at all. The mass of our families car,
never pay $40 for an atlas. and ought still
10 have Il better one than Morse or Mitchell
or others have issued for schools This de-
>idcratum the Coltons have long been in the
process of filling with school atlas If rather
larger pages and more numerous maps than
any now in the reach of common schools In
the perfect execution and wide circulation of
this am more interested than in the splendid
General Atlas on which the reputation of the
Atlas mainly rests.
! Had l not already exceeded the limits to
which had set myself for fear of trc>passing
upon your columns. | would speak of the uni
formity of scales observed in Colton's alone
of all our ALIASES, and of the system of pro-
nunciation of names. In relation to this last
l will say that his Biographies contain pro-
nouncing list Of all the places occurring in
them. and that |, who have never regarded
any other such list as authority. keep one of
these by me and try to conform to it.
Respectfully yours, IF. II.
~ At reception of Hcnningscn. an
E"ghshman, in New York, on his return from