Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-12-12

ooohs 50 seleCteu, 'snall DC anu rem aln
authoritative and binding" for the term
OF five years. Since the selection of
Mltchell's Biographies, the publishers,
relying upon that law aud upon the con.
tract implied in 1t, have brought out a
new edition OF their intermediate Ge-
osraphy especially adapted to the
schools Of Vermont, with new and
carefully corrected map OF the State, and
several pages of letter.press and ques'
lions relating to the Geography of the
State. This edition Is now ready for
use. Having incurred this large ex-
penSep ia reliance upon law of YER
mont, would 1t be just to them and cred
itabe to Vermont, TO exclude those books
from our schools, and leave them, al
most entirely unsaleable as they would
need be in any other State, upon the
hands of the publishers Z
But not to insist upon that point. Adj
uniting 1t to be true as atIir med by the
late Secretary, that Cornell's Geograph'
les were regarded by the Board&en years
a%n as the best then extsnt, it does not
follow Of necessity that they are the best
now extsut, Ga the contrary, it does
follow that unless they have been sub
jected to continual revision, correction
and Improvement, they are not the best
extant. In fact, the general dissatisfac
ton with these books was one of the
reasons which induced the Board last
year to recommend a new selection OF
textbooks. Many OF the most exper-
fenced teachers in the State were emphat-
! ic in COndemning them. Neither of the
two eminent teachers whose opinions on
geographical books We're sought by the
Board, had a word to say in favor o.
them. The publishers did not ask thai
they should be continued in use, but pre-
sented specimen maps and proof-sheets
OF d few pages of new edition 50 COM
| pleteiy reconstructed that TO introduce
it would be nothing less than to intro.
duCe an entirely new work. 1t did not
seem judicous to adopt q book not yet
| published, nor does it seem judicious to
adopt without examination, a book, the
introduction of which will occasion
every whit as much Inconvenience and
expense as the introduction Of that
which has been thoroughly examined
and found to possess peculiar merits.
The late Secretary especially com
plains of the action Of the Board in the
selection of reading books, This was
the only selection made on which the
Board were not finally unanimous, and
here there was but one dissenting vote.
The late Secretary admits that he was
committed to, and had for some time,
advocated Wilson's readers. The Board
were committed to no series and on the
! recommendation OF the late Secretary,
adopted a resolution to examine and
adopt each book upon its merits. Were
! they not in condition to judge of the
merits as impartially as the Secretary 2
In what particulars were the Board to
examine these books to determine their
merits The elementary sounds with
their combinations, exercises in articu.
| lation exemplifying philosophically and
! practically these combinations rules
and principles for elocution, systematic.
ally arranged for class drill, prsctical ap-
plication of these principles adapted to
the appropriate residing of different styles
ofprose and poetry, the structure and
forms OF sentences in prose and verse
and the figures of speech ;--all these were
to be carefully considered. Simplicity
and style, especially in the primary
books, combined with interesting and
destructive matter were to be regarded.
Especial attention was to be paid to the
| grading of the books as series, that the
pupils might pass by easy and regular
steps to the higher literature. Care was
to be taken that the punctuation was
| systematic, and that the sentences were
free from objectional and ineiegant ex-
| nuu buhb LLS SSTlSS IuTnlSlEu
suitable class OF pieces for practical
school purposes; that the books contain
ed sentiments and instruction worthy to
be treasured in the memory, and calcu-
lated to inspire love for whatever is
excellent and praise worthy. These and
other excellences were all to be sought
for in each series. Each series was ex.
amined in all these particulars. The re-
suit was that the Board selected the
Progressive Series as the most meritori-
Gus and that, too, after having fully
heard and carefully considered all the
reasons urged by the late Secretary, as
repeated iC his report in favor of will.
sons Series and against the Progressive.
L was then urges, as now, that some
teachers were tired Of the old books, and
for that reason desired new ones. Can
this be sufficient reason for disCsrding
a series of books, which, as the late Sec
Rotary says 10 his report, was selected by