Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-10-31
A large assortment of cloaks and dress
trimmings, just topened at the Bazaar.


CoRNELL's GEoeRAPHIEs.-I desire to call
attention to an effort that is being made to
effect the introduction of Cornell's series
of Biographies into the public schools of
this city.
An agent for these books has been in
town during the past five weeks, and has
been putting forth every effort at his com
mand to dispIace Monteith and McNally's
books, now in use, and substitute Cornell.
When he first visited the schools to labor
among the leading teachers, he was in
formed by them that change was not
only inexpedient, but that the teachers did
not desire it.
Notwithstanding his failure at that time
to secure the influence of the teachers to
aid him in making these changes, he has
kept up constant yisitations at the school
rooms, laboring among the teachers, urging
them to reconsider their formal decisions,
and he has been able to accomplish nothing
among the teachers.
At this time there is but one Principal
In the Grammar Department. There is not
one Of their assistants, and there is not one
intermediate teacher in the whole city, who
fovOr the substitution of Cornell in place of
Monteith & McNally, used only in these
two departments.
Why, then, is a change contemplated ?
Whom will it benefit? Certainly no one
but the book agent, who seeks to make it.
Are not the teachers capable of judging
what books are best adapted to meet the
wants of the schools?
AT.N,I1--Bz L :
this city but a hJtle more than two years,
and when introduced it was at the sugges-
o, the Superintendent, Mr.. 0viatt, and with
the hearty approval of every grammar
school principal and all of their assistants.
Tho expense to the publishers was not
less than one thousand dOllars. The maps
of McNally, as every teacher will bear tes-
timony, are superior to those in any other
Biographies.
Aoatsih's intermediate belongs to the
same series, and there is not one teacher
in all the schools TO say aught against it.
The books are later than Cornell, and in
mechanical execution as well as merit, are
superior to them in every essential feature.
All the geographical changes, such as nst0
boundaries, nel0 discoveries and ne 10 Terrific
rieS have been introduced into the late edi-
tions, in all the form books, which com
prise the full series.
Western Virginia IS represented as a separ-
ate State, and there are no modern improve
ments, found in any other books, not con
tanned in these.
Cornell's are patchcd-up set of books,
made by different authors at different
times, who 30 widely differed in opinion as
to what geography should be, that djscreV-
GncieS in definitions are found on nearly
every page, a ID radical errors and absurd
5landerS are apparent glance.
Some years ago the books of Cornell were
in use in the West to quite an extent, but
during the past few years Others haze taken
their places in three schools out of four, and
now they are nearly numbered among the
books that were, having been superseded
in many of the most important schools of
Ohio By Monteith & McNally, among which
are Toledo, Zanesville, Hamilton, Youngs-
town, Springfield and many other points.
The friends of Cornell cannot cite one in
stance tOhere those books hare taken the place
Of Afontsih L AcNalty during the past tlgo
gears in this State.
Is this not of itself sufficient proof of the
superiority of the books now in use in our
schools over those Of Cornell?
If a change were really advisable at this
time, there are other publications of moro
recent date, possessing infinitely greater
attractions and better adapted to meet the
wants of the schools, among which are
Mitchell's New Series, that have taken the
place of Cornell in many cases also, War
ren's Biographies are vastly superior.
trust that no action will be taken until
the whole matter has been carefully con-
sidered in all its bearings.
A FRIEND OF THE PUBLIC Schools.