Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-15

Having visited sefeFdl scuoolS III Ill Cue
towns of the county except two, it may not be
inappropriate to place before the tax payers,
and school proprietors of the county, some of
the results of these yisitations, as well as the
conclusions drawE from them
Allow me then in the first place, to callat
tention to the difficulty arising from the use Of
multiplicity of text books My object is not
to attach blame to any individual, or class of
individuals, or to tell how so many books up
Oh the different branches studied came to be
in the school, but rather to state facts, and as
far as possible, point out the evils growing out
of those facts
In several schools, there were in use five
different works upon the subject of Geography,
four upon Arithmetic and three upon Gram
mar in the same schools In some of these
schools the pupils studying geography should
have all been put into two classes, and they
would have been so cassed, if there had been
but one, or even but two authors in school,
In such cases, the time of hearing these classes
was thrown away upon this one branch. Ten
or fifteen scholars engaged in arithmetic are of
about equal capacities and equally advanced,
but, instead reciting in one class, they have to
be formed into four because they have books
prepared by four different authors; three gram
mar classes must be heard each day, whereas
there should be but one Every one can see,
that with such a state Of things, teacher can
not do as well for school, as he could with
books all of the same kind Ecrypa parent can
see this, but every parent does not realize fully
the trouble and perplexity that it occasions
the teacher, the loss of time to the whole school
and the serious impediments thus offered to
the advancement of his own scholars. Thirteen
different kinds of reading books were found in
one school which numbered fifty nine scholars.
Now let me kindly ask parents, how they can
reasonably expect teacher to advance their
children in the branches pursued at school,
when, instead of hearing five classes read each
day, this being the number stated by the teach
er as required by the wants of the school,
thirteen must be heard, what time can there
be left to attend to the five geography, four
arithmetic, and three grammar classes, and the
writing and the spelling and the hundreds Of
other things the teachers has to do each day
Four different kinds of spelling books are fre-
quently met with in one school In some
towns no two schools have the same kinds of
text books. Parents removing from one school
to another. are consequently subjected to the
expense of purchasing new books, notwith-
standing the ones previously used are as good
as ever they were.
Now this state of things is very great in
jury to the schools of the county, an annoyance
to the teachers and heavy expense to pa
rents. The law puts this whole matter into
the hands of the directors, just where it should
be, and empowers them, or rather requires
them to direct what books shall be used"
Section 25th of the law of 1854 says that
directors and teachers shall select and decide
upon a series of school books, in the different
branches to be taught during the ensuing
school year which books and no Others shall
be used in the schools of the district during
said period" If this course were adopted,
would not this crying evi! be remedied to a
great extent, at least
At the Institutes held last fall, list of text
books was selected, by committee composed
of teachers and directors, not because it was
supposed such list recommended by these
Institutes, must necessarily be adopted, for it
was known, that such committee possessed no
legal authority, but it was hoped and expected
that the attention of directors would, in this
way be directed to this important subject, and
that they would be stimulated to adopt either
that list, or some other so that parents might
know what books to purchase before sending
their scholars to school, and teachers might
know what books they will be expected to
use Some eight hundred copies of these lists
have been printed in form convenient to put
up in the school room, and most of them have
been distributed in the several towns of the
county. Will not now directors take prompt,
and efficient action upon. this subject where
it has not been already done.
At this time, just before the summer schools
are to commence, appears to be a favorable
time for the proper legal officers to move and
settle this question. G. R. COBURN.
ATTEMPTED CAPTURE OF FUGIrIvE SLAVE
7 7 IL Al