Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-11-20
dhe 3ree Press.
G. ;. BENEDICT. EpIron.


TIE statute Of 1866 requires the Board # FL
ucation ton or lcfore July ], 1867, Ito select
list ofsuch gr4maars, Biographies, arithme-
ties, histories Of th SAFE, and Of the United
State, philo-oph:e,, algcbras, readers and spell
iers, no, exceeding one book Of kind in each
branch, as they shall deem best suited for in
struct.on and use in the district schools Of the
State and declares that the list so selected shall
be an remain auth rita,iye and binding upon
the Board Of Eiucation'' "for and during FIVE
years from and after November, 1865
In accordance tn this act, the Board select
ej list Of books in February Of 1867, and
eNusei the same to he Immediately published in
the newspapers Of the State. This list so select
ed and published was rchear,ci substantially,
with the reasons leading o the selection Of it, by
the Board in their repor. Of lSj7, was repeated
by the Secretary Of the Beard in his accompany
ing report. and was by the new Secretary insert
81 in the School Registers for 1s5s-9.
In this list, 50 selected, and officially pub
lishel at least four times, and in four different
ways, are FIVE geographic selected and recon-
mcnlei for 'the district schools II the State -
and no hint is there found that from these five
books, Superintendent, teachers, and parents,
are rot 90 select such and in such order as to
them shall seen best Moreover, in some other
ct-s., distinctions are made, as for example Da
y;eS' arithmetic is TIC Imuen lei for higher
and Union schools and Quackenbos's pbilos-
ophy was recommended for Graded and Union
S.hools.''
From these circumstance uasophistc.:el peo-
pie supposed tina. tie question Of biographies
was, SO far As the five were concerned, an open
question, AID began To- examine the matter with
reference to a choice among them, when there
came from the Board remarkable document
protesting TO explain the meaning q the re-
communication Of geographic, but apparently
designed to promote ihs slieof Aitshe.I's which
were among the five recommended, and TO IT.
strain he sale Of Guylt'- Common School Ge-
ogmphy, which vas recommended in the same
list and At ,he same tine as were the others.
Now this explanation, If it has any effect. has
al the effect OF a new recommendation but the
rcaommsniation # ,he Board was bg lar 10 be
made % or 5c'orc Juig ]. 1867, and the recon-
incubation having been made and published,
AMI tie time within which it was % be made
having expired W. humlly submit that the
Board has TO power to make a new recommend
alton. The much talked of circular Turportins
90 establish tie relations Of the several ceoaa-
phies of the list in cur schools is therefore Ut
terry void AMI without effect
Pursuing the ulje;,a little further We find
that two attempts hal before bean made to inter
pref the rec1mueadati1n Of geographic. adverse
ly TO Guyo,'s look. An account Of these at
tempts viii be found on page l75 Of the Yer
mont School Report for 1867. Five gentlemen.
who were members Of a Board Of only seven
persons, nov say what was the meaning Of
the Board Why did not these five declare their
intent either at the time Of making the selection
Of books, or on one Of the other occasions, cs- /
pe;ially as on no one Of these occasions were
both the other members prc.ent2 We confess
We are puzzled. But inasmuch as we are now
to have Board Of Education in whom the peo-
pie of the State viii have confidence. we viii
leavea subject the discussion Of which is by no
means agreeable Y