Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-01-06
The Board Of Education.

The Board Of Education
A few remarks in the disappointed Burlington
Times upon the action Of the Board of Ednea-
ton strike us as out of place, and rather dis
tasteful at time when u hard and worthy
struggle is almost successful in our system of
public education The Times was not Needed
in its recommendation as to what ioere and what
were mol the best books, and evidently feels
gricyed that every body is not of his own opin-
ion. The Board of Education, numbering some
of cur most worthy men, assisted by the largely
experienced and efficient Secretary have recon-
niepaed system of text books which, all things
considered, they deem the best suited to the sue
cessfui education Of the young. Whereat the
Times gives publicity to its Roman Catholic
prejadices as follows;
The duty Of the Board of Education, in re-
laton to text books for District Schools, is SIM
ply an advisory not mandatory, one. 1t does
not follow that solitary school book now IN
use in any District in the State, must be given
up, or.changed. in consequence of the action of
the Board,
Aste uniformity of text books, except so
far as each District il concerned, we look upon
it as Of no possible benefit or consequence what
ever.
AS for u Readers, Towns, Hillards, the
Progressive, or any other, there is no more oc-
cason or demand, for the 8 adoption of them,
that 10 f1. {ba obi Of partiaul How
formula for enquiring about the health of your
neghbor's family. 4 Readers" are for chill
dren who can read, and understand, and ought
to be left exclusively to the selection of Districts
or Families. which is about the same thing. 1t
is the fooishness of folly, as it seems to us, for
even our excellent Board of Education. to do
more than to express their opinion that such
and such a Readers are "got up" in good
English, and good grammar, and are, therefore,
ioorthy Of patronage; and this, as far as the
Law is concerned, is all that the Board have to
do, and this, it is obvious, is all that the Board
have proposed to do. They have recommended
what is called " the progressive series of read
ers, as books proper to be adopted in our COM
| mon schools, whenever changes shall be made
Every District in this State may use till 1864
Town s series and other series, of elementar y
books, Just as it shall choose and, as we are
wholly unable to perceive any advantage in Il
uniform series for the whole State, (but rather
a Disadvantage we hope the recommendation of
the Board of Education will be treated simply
as recommendation, and that the Districts
will exercise their own Judgment, as to text
books, to the end of the world.
We allude so particularly, in this article, to
the progressive series, not because we pre-
fer the 'Hillard series,'' Gas our readers are
aware that zoe do) but because DR.. Towns ''pro
gressive' books are in the List" reported by
the Education Board to i've " recommended, "
till 1861. an are in extremely limited cireula-
ton in Vermont, and because they are not ma
terially better than DR.. Towns previous text
books, already in ,oide circulation. As we have
said, we have examined, with some care, both
Dr. Towns series, and are quite unwilling to
concede to the last any useful superiority over
the first. We are very free to say that we do
not like either, for many reasons, and would
scarcely " flip copper to choose between
them and, therefore. we hope the old Town s
series will keep its place, till some reason can
, be given for mourning the erdenSe Of superce-
ding it. In the mean time, we hope parents
and teachers will give sufficient attention to tbs
important subject, to enable them to make tht
: next C change real " improvement.
The DRIFT of the whole of the article from
which the above extracts are taken is to dis
Il parage the law and the Board of Education
simply because, and for no other reason thar
e that the billiard series were not recommended
Does the editor of the Times think it better tt
y have five different grammars, as many geogra
e phies, readers spoilers, arthmetics &C., &C., il
VI use in the State, SO that every bookseller shal
u be obliged to keep few of all and but a few
y of any, and not know when nor where to re
: plenish, and thus leave the buyers half tn
j. time without books Or continually changing t
ID get one like others? or must the parent bu
d whatever is handed him by the booksellers, sim
u ply upon such recommendation us the dcae
P gives when wishing to dispose of II certain kin
u of books, bought cheap or paid for introducing
Surely, the editor of the Times ought to teac
school, Ought to go to school frst,) to sre tn
II variety and Heterogeneous system of school book
- in " each district.
D. The Times thinks it wrong to give up on
re Town Reader for another Towns, because tn
N first is in general use but sees no harm In adol
- ting billiards, while probably not dozen
+ them are now in the State. 1t also thinks eac
family or district should decide for itself. Thi
" might answer down in Texas, where schools al
&c scarce and each family employs tutor. B,
,t We cannot well legslate for each district, Mt
OF can we compel parents or districts to see to tt
=. matter, but we can make it obligatory for a
s. teachers and Superintendent to recommend
Of uniformity, and have that uniformity arrange
r. by the honorable Board of Education, who c
~ not edge in their religious notions upon evel
70 question " out of Jail"
~ We have thecharity to believe that the Tim
nc is sometimes inclined to tell the truth Its +
e. cent associations at the . Partition, may ha
he corrupted its morals. If Mr.. Boutwell, of Il
ii 'HPavilion," or the editor of the Freemt
~ gives their Abolition brother of the Times
III endorsement for truth and veracity. we will tn
u believe anything the Times may say. VIII
says Boutwell,? What says the Freeman
their Abolition brother ?-Rutiaad Courier.
Ia We are sorry for the Burlington Times til