Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-03
CT r c U L A r =.

The attention of Town Superintendent
Teachers, and others interested in the cause of
popular education in the State of Vermont is |
called to Section 2, Act No. 2, of the Laws of
Vermont for the year 1866, which reads ar fol |
lows
SECTION Q. The Board of Education are
hereby authorized, and it is made their duty, on
or before July 1867, and on or before said date
every fifth year thereafter, to select n list of
snch grammars, biographies, arithmetcs, his
tories of this State and the United States, phil
Osophies, algebras, readers and spoilers, not
exceeding one book of kind in each branch, as
they shall deem best suited for instruction and|
use in the district schools in this State, in each
o: said branches and shall cause the list 80
selected to be published in all the newsr apers
published in the State, during the month of
January next following the making of such Sc
lection and also to be inserted III each school
register issued after year from the making
OF such selection which list, so selected shall
be and remain authoritative and binding upon
the Board OF Education, superintendent and
teachers, and during five years from and after
November /, 1868, and each five years thereaf-
ter; and superintendent and teachers shall
recommend for use in the district schools, az
new books shall become necessary for instruc-
ton in the branches named no other than the
books included in said list so selected and pub
lished.
The following il an extract from the Report
of the Board of Education, for the year 1867.
page 8:
Mitchelfs First Lessons, Primary, and Inter
mediate Biographies were adopted, for these
reasons, in brief; the simplicity and cleaness
OF the text, the gradual and constant advance
ment from the primary truths to the higher de-
partments OF geographical knowledge the con-
clseness and completeness of the definitions,
the elegance and accuracy of the maps the at
Effectiveness of the pictorial illustrations, and
the uniform method of treating topics that are
he a1o NJ
these books the publishers have taken meas
ures to prepare special edition OF the Inferno
date Geography for use in the schools OF YER
mont. This edition will contain a new quarto
map OF the State. engraved on copperplate and
four pages OF letter press and questions, relat-
ing to the geography Of Vermont, to he prepar
ed by Rev. Pliny II. White, 1t is believed that
this feature while it is not to increase the cost
OF the books, will materially increase its value
and the interest with which it will be studied.
McNally's Physical u geography, accompanied by
Monteith's Lessons inI Astronomy, was adopted,
to be us. d in those departments of the study
which are indie ted by their titles. Guyots
Common School Geography was adopted as
Physical Geography # grade different from
McNally's.
Inasmuch as there seems to be some misap-
prehenson as TO the intention and design of tn
Board in recommending the different textbook
in geography, it seems proper to state that !
was their intention to recommend the Use OF
Mitchel.'s Biographies by all classes which have
hitherto used, which would otherwise use
Cornells, and that they did not design that
Guyot's Biographies should be used, except by
pupils who, having passed through Mitchells,
desire to advance to the study OF physical geo.
graphy by Guyot's method.
The publishers of NIitchells New Biographies
will send agents into every town in the State, to
supply schools according to the terms annexed,
and it is hoped that superintendent will furnish
every facility for the speedy prosecution of their
business.
JOHN Is. PAGE L. +. WARD,
PLINY ii. WHITE, A. j. SANBoRN,
JONATHAN Ross, Nj. CLARKE,
ID. ID. GoRHAM,
State Board of Education.
A. Il. RANKIN
Secretary.