The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1867-11-20
Our Rook Table.

Our Book Table. - IF
We have received from Mason Morft, No.
- North Charles St., Baltimore, the General
Agent Of Richardson s Co, New York, the
following books Of the Southern University
Series !: Holmes Southern Pictorial Primer,
The Southern Pictorial Primer and First
Reader, Holmes Southern Fifth Reader and
Holmes Southern Elementary Spelling Book.
These works are all prepared under the su-
pervision of Prof Holmes Of the University
Of Virginia, and are admirably "gotten up
by the publisher. Of making books there is
no end. Solomon said wisely; but when he
said 'much study is WEAKNESS of the flesh"
he spoke as an old man who meddled with all
study, and not like youth in these days Of
"illustrated books" and "entertaining books"
We have our grandmother's reading book, "
that is three score -and-ten, and when we put
it by the side Of one of these attractive vol
umes, we become skeptical about there being
nothing new under the SUM-
J. lie new pCuOOl- DtIOk uiSCdSG Is UHC AuCH
dreaded by parents, but a delightful one for
the children, and we are sure it is net an
agreeable one to the teacher, still the defects
of books Of this class are SO many that every
good teacher feels constrained to try every
new one, hoping that it will DO more than any
Of its predecessors in helping him to discharge
his toilsome and delicate duties. We are still
in the field of Experiments, as far as school
books are concerned, as much as we are in re-
gard to sewing machines or reaping machines,
and books are made better in the same way
reapers are, that is, by letting every one try his
hand, and give him chance to patent his
"notion." When Mccormick was s.getting
up his first reaper the good people of Aul
gusta and Rockbridge laughed at him SO
much that he used to try it by moonlight, in
his fathers meadow, near Midway, in this
county. That day has passed, and every one
may now experiment by daylight, and people
will try his production and see if it is good;
if not, it goes to s'limbo," and is forgotten.
These Southern School Books appeal to us
strongly for good trial. They are the pro-
ductions Of scholar who is a teaeher in our
own University; they contain nothing cfen-
sire to us. as most Of the school books do that
come from the North, and at the same time
they help to cultivate proper home feeling
in our children, by bringing to their notice
scenes in their own land. and investing local
tiles, they often hear named, with new IN
terest, by "a familiarity thincidepts that have
made them illustrious. Besides this, they ear
ly learn that they live in a land that has pro-
duced, and still produces orators, soldiers,
statesmen, diyines, poets and novelists, who
are, in every way, at least the equals of their
contemporaries, and, thereby, they are stimu-
lated to strive after like excellences. What
their parents, friends and fellow citizens have
done, young people always think they can do
also For these reasons we commend these
books to our people, and hope they will use
| them.
We think there are some things il the Sc
ries that should be omitted in the new edition
Of the Filth Reader, such as the absurd
and untruthful sketches of jackson at Lex
ington," and the still more absurd und untrue
Terrific Scene at the Great Natural Bridge.
in Virginia. and some others. We hope the
correct notes to the "Dream of the Cavaliers"
will be corrected Certainly Rock6sh Gap is
not more than an hour from the University.
The s:Nine-Sheet Map is in the Library, as
we'll as several ancient Histories Of Vir-
gina, and the editor might easily institute
comparison of notes and hit the truth. In
short. where matters Of fact are told let them
be fact The marvellous element, it seems
to us, is rather too prominent. We do not
see anything from the gifted pen of Margaret
Preston. or the flashing one of Henry A.
Wise, to say nothing Of others that we could
name. Let some of the gems from Beechen-
brook, and some Of the splendid descriptions
from Wise's addresses find place in a new
edition. &