True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-12-01

EE Ihe following IS copied from an
Eastern paper, and is worthy of the con-
sderstion Of Parents and Guardians, who
feel any interest in the proper training Of
their children and scdrds. The Practice
Of frequent changes in the text books of
pupils, in our Common Schools, is, in our
opinion, highly Objectionable, in view of
the interest of scholars, as well as in
view Of the unnecessary expense which
il imposes upon parents. 1t is hut right,
that, men who are placed in the respon.
sible position of an Educational Board, or
Of Teachers IN our Common Schools, be
watched with an impartial jealousy.
If in any locality, it, should be ascer
tanned that the game indicated in the
article below, has been practiced upon
community, the parties in the fraud ought
to be held to a strict responsibility.
11OW 4 d. Ou 10 dit pWluu(cU'
The greatest and most warranted com.
plant raised against our educational in
sliLution, and more especially our common
schools-progressiva and truly noble in
every other respects the almost uni.
versal one, that the changes in textbooks
are so frequent as to be an oppressive tax
to the poor, without presenting save in
very rare instances any mert-equivalent.
Indeed while parents are sOrely taxed and
vexeG, and in many cases thereby induced
or compelled, to abridge the schooling ol
their children themselves are seriously
retarded in their studies by this system
of change. During his ten or dozen
years of pupilagc, the Oohular without
changing his district is liable to by eacf
of as many teachers, to furnish himseI
with fresh set of books, when the frs
of his old sets. very likely, is as good as
any one, or the whole lot, Of the others
The great hurtful result to him, is tha
his education is loosely based upon {
confusion, and very often a conflict O
authorities.
The cause of this, we have seen charge,
to be collusion between schoolmasler
and school book makers and publishers
the spur thereto being a dividend of th
profits of the thus increased book trade
There is much truth in this charge.
is well understood among teachers, tha
, school book publishers will allow pc
centage on whatever sales they may inhu
= ence, and as this per centage is a hant
3 some item where clean sweep can b
: made Of old textbooks, in almost an
{ school it cannot but have an inAuenc
, with teachers. More than this, man
3 leading teachers are authors or compiler
p Of school books, and of course do all i
their power to spread their own bantling:
, while many more-teachers and others
E are led to try school book making, as tn
5 easiest and mos! promising field of liierf
, ture.
We cannot but sympathize with thos
who complain of these things, for tb
reason that we think their complaint
, generally sound one. The larger nunbe
, of scholars, the country over, are tn
children of the poorer classes, who cal
i'll afford to be oyer.taxed in this direction
and we are with them, of the opinion tha
four ffths Of the changes have more to d
with The prof: of teachers, compilers ant
publishers, than with the real need o
good Of the school going public. w,
doubt very much if the food Of so callcl
Improved readers and "spellers," ant
class books generally, are an improvement
We furthermore doubt if the average o
scholars are better, or more correctly
educated now than under the regime o
Lindley Murray, Noah Webster, Pierpon
and Daboll, who satisfied whole gene
ration of scholars. We hear some "neW
fnnglcd" pronouncing now and then, bu
we do not find better readers, spoilers
writer's or cypherers. We say, therefore
that return to the old time economies
is demanded by the best interest Of edu
cation. We shall never object to improved
school books or methods Of teaching, bu
il is high time we had some honest critica
tribunal 10 determine whether the new
notions are Improvements or not L
seems to us, that besides saving an oner
ous and needless tax, it would be a granc
educational step forward /! we coult
have uniform school books and common
standard of the English language, for ,hl
whole country. If this be impossible
why p ..a.