The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1870-11-10
Southern School Books.
Editors Home Journal:

mans pocket is to touch him. II tlii
be true, how woefully blind must on
people be in regard to one OF the mos
important pecuniary matters. allud'
to the untold amount Of Money spen
yearly in the purchase Of new books
for schools consequent upon the sue
cesslyc change of teachers. which
change is almost as unavoidable as the
change in human affairs. And since
this is true, the "change of books
can he avoided only in one way, and
that is by adopting uniform series OF
school books throughout the country.
The question here arises, Can this he
done ! ls it practicable? / answer. in
the North this is impracticable from
the TACT that many OF her people are
engaged in book making as trade,
and the different publishing houses
North would as soon give up their
daily bread rs their book making.
Hence. with them, the adoption of IL
uniform series Of school books is i'm.
practicable. But how stands the case
in the South? We have but few pub
fishing houses, perhaps not more than
are necessary to supply lie demands of
on" people in publishing a uniform Sc,
ries. Hence there are no insurmount
able barriers to the adoption Of such
series in the South from this source.
The adoption Of such series is, there
fore, cmincnlly practicable and yhly
polite with us as people. Not only
is this true, hut it is our duty to our.
selves and our posterity to made our
own literature and transmit 1t to gene
rations after us. If Southern intellect
Southern character, and Southern char.
actcrst;cs are to he preferred to any
others, then it is or duty to transmit
these to our postcrity in preference to
any other And who, for moment,
will doubt that they are to be prefer
red when we consider such intellects,
such characters and characteristics as
W Washington and Jefferson, Jackson
and Lee, in comparison with the intel
ects Of New England, the North, or
he world.
If Southern literature, of which the
lhove are only specimens, and hy
which our government was formed and
till 1860, when it fell into
he hands Of fanatics, is to be pcrpet
latcd in our country, the surest WY OF
ii is to make ourselves
masters of our own literature, by ma
ling our own books and teaching our
'wn children according to the genius
If our people. t
But to the subject: In order to
dOpt a series Of text books two things {
re necessary. First, to have such a
cries, and second, to have the concert
f action necessary on the part of
nachers and patrons. The first wc al.
eady have knocking at the door OF
ur schools for admission in the grand
fort put forth by the University Of !,
irginia to supply the great want above :
AIMED, in the publication of the "Uni-
clsity Selles Of School Books THIS
cries has been before the public long :.
lOu-h to test its merits. and has .G- :,
cved the approval Of many Of the
blest scholars and most experienced
lucators of the country. t.
The only question nov remaining is, {
ill We adopt it? Will We, as a PEG Il
lie, accept the offer made to adopt it, v
nd thus save millions of dollars to b
ur own people, and transmit pure .
terature to our posteri.v fox which d
ley will rise up and bless us? PA. ]
,nts, guardians and patrons Of the II
,hools Of the South, are you afraid to
'ok this question in the face? Have
on not right to representation in =
, great a taxation? 1t is not mat !
II to be accomplished in day, or q =
eur, but it can be done. Let our PEG
c all, both teachers and patrons.
link about the subject, and bestir =
lcmselycs to action. y
Let the teachers and patrons of
rankin county speak out on this im-
,rtant subject. Ifthese few remarks \
1T cause o train OF thought to arise in {
C minds Of our people, they will Q
I'VE accomplished their purpose. $,
Yours truly. PHILos. is
=,
IT ,o.,iu, Enr,nn Dr.,