Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-05-17

explanations of every item, but there are
ga few more of the same sort left" where
hundreds of dollars might be saved on ar
ticles apparently trifing.
Has not the institution been in existence
long enough 10 learE not to buy its supplies
at retail? and when they are bought by the
wholesale, why compel pupils to pay several
hundred per cent. profit, within one week
from the time they are required" or be ex-
PEELED from school?
January 25th. 1860. Ordered that Mr.
Pearl correspond with the publishers of War
ren's Biographies as to cost, ;" &c.
These books have been introduced. The
bill shows that the large ones cost thirty
cents, and the small ones fifteen cents. Yet
| am told they are sold to pupils for one dol
lar. or given in exchange for Geography
that cost seventy-h five cents, and twenty-five
cents in cash | cannot see the Justice or
good policy liz this. This, am informed, is
the fourth change of biographies since the
opening of the free schools, and the new cen
sus now being taken will require another.
Th-se changes have caused an expense to the
people of 81, 600 to $4,000, when any trifling
changes that have taken place could be ex-
planned by qualified teacher. This will be
better understood when l come to speak of
comparative merits of books, and the bad eff.
feet. change and too many books.
The copy books are made six half sheets of
paper, aud cost 81 20 per quire for paper.
Start not gentle reader. 1t is even SO, 81 20
when ten cents ought to buy it. Seventeen
hundred of the pupils ought to use half a
sheet per day, which would cost So 500, of
which more than Sc, 900 would be clear profit
somewhere.
The Superintendent and numbers of the
teachers acting as committee on books, re-
commended a change Of several of The text
books Among tbos mentioned was the Ma
tOnal Spelling Book" The Board. 'Janua-
ry, 1860. ordered that the proposition of the
agent of the National spelling book, small
and large be carried out by Mr.. Pearl" The
small one sells ut twenty cents, and the
large one at thirty five cents. Thirty years
ago spelling books sold for dime. But rea-
der what do you think is the difference be-
tween the Large and small!' Would you
think iJ miserable trick to sell an old edi-
ton 185S and 1860 and a new one at the
same tins? Do not depend on what | say,
but go to IL book store and examine for your
self, and see If the matter il not almost
identically the same throughout. The first
word in many of the spelling exercises, and
the order of the chapters In the last part of
the book, are changed, as if TO .ceive the
purchaser. Go and examine, and then Judge
whether any person Can be found in the city
who will blame me for making an expose of
these things. Y did not believe their ex-
listed objections of more serions import, than
the useless expenditure OF dollars and cents.
l should not give myself this trouble. can
not for moment believe that a board m
posed of such worthy citizens, would have
sanctioned making the people buy the same
matter twice over, had they examined the
books themselves. Four of the most valua-
bic pages OF the small one, are not in the
large one. The preface says that ''umi>ri ID
of the silent letters, renders il purely a
Phonetic Spelling Book This is wide de-
parture from truth, and the manner in which
it attempts to teach Pbonetics is something
like pulling Cat tail foremost.
y bu-inrSs man looks to the future. 1t is
important in the book business in this insti-
tuition to observe what relation the introduce
tiOn Of one book has to the Introduction of
half a dOZ N others Of the ''SeTies." Their.
two features connected with the intro
dIctiOn of the spelling books, that are well
worthy of notice, namely greatly increased
consumption of wiring paper, and greatly
incre ased demand for another Mr.. Blown or
some other writing teacher of an equally
elastic conscience: | have already shown that
pupils are paying Sl,2O per quire foI the pa
per on which they write, and il they write
as much a they ought. il would cost above
$4,000 per annum, and the amount of wri-
ting will he increased more than four told. so
tildt Al tue same rate, it would require for
the institution more than SIS 900 per anuum
for paper, aud $3.50 for ink, and parents have
no choice in the matter, they must buy
'sithin one week" or have their children
dIsgraced by being expelled. The scrip or
writing exercises given for imitation in these
books, are of the most cramped kind imagin-
able. Look at it. This imitation of these
will utterly destroy all freedom of hand and
when parents become very impatient that
heir children are losing their time aud not
-arning To write, it will be good time To send
n some writing teacher who shall teach the
genuine catfish and buzzIrd system" and
hree days after he has left, Ielurn TO the old
Dpy books again.
The intrinsic quality of these Spelling
looks will BE- looked at when | come TO ex-
mine Text books.
l have here given some idea of the practi-
e al operation Ut organization. l shall next
JOk at It's theory. j. W. DOLBEAR.