The Placer herald., 1870-07-23

ries, 25 per cent the Second II per cent the
Third, 20 per cent the Fourth, per cent
the Fifth, 5 per cent the Sixth Applying
this rule to the enrolment of the entire State,
the number of Wilson's Readers of each
grade in the hands of the children in attend
ance on the public schools is found to approx
innate %, 900 Primers, II 900 First Readers,
5000 Second Readers, 200 Third Read
ers, 1900 Fourth Readers, 5000 Fifth
Readers. Were all these Readers new and
unusued, their value at the publishers full
retail price would be less than $40 ,O00 But
they are not new, and not unused. Some
are covers, with a few leaves; others few
leaves and no covers; while others again are
newly purchased. AT least one-half the text
books in the hands of the pupils are changed
annually by reasons of waste and new pur-
chases necessitated by promotions; so that
the annual expense to the people of the State
to maintain the Wilson Reader system on
the basis of the present enrolment, would be
$50, 900. The corresponding books of Nc
Guffey's series, would cost at the publishers
full retail prices, S16,000-a saving annu-
ally to The people of 81 900, or SIG, 900 dur
HlS tiC ."'lOu VI ltui NCdlS MAIN tllcSC
figures. Attention is invited to the forego-
ing facts and figures. They show beyond
the possibility of honest cavil that economy
is subserved by the substitution of McGufe's S
admirable Series of Readers for Wilson's
odge-podge. In view of this exhibit, any
repetition of the statement that the change
in Readers will involve additional cost must
be willful misrepresentation. But
A BAD BOOK is DEAR AT ANY PRICE.
sincerely believe that the retention of
Series Of Readers, so false in theory and so
utterly unsuited to its intended purpose, as
Wilson's, even had they been gratuitously
furnished would have been a crime against
the children of the State. The Board of Ed
ucation, under the law of the State, is en-
deavoring to accomplish reform in this text
book matter. Instead of increasing the bur-
dens of the people, if successfully carried out
the policy of the Board will very materially
tighten them The Board has right there
fore, to expect the support of all good citi-
zens. One important point sought to be
gained is the establishment of
UNIFORMITY OF TEXTBOOKS IN ALL THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS OF THE STATE.
There was a universal demand for this.
No word of opposition has reached me from
any quarter. The change in the School law,
requiring uniformity, passed both branches
Of the Legislature unanimously, and received
the hearty approval of Governor Haight. l
am sure it receives the approval of every tax
payer in California, unless it may be some
book agent or bookseller. Under the amend
ed law any child can go from any school dis
trict to any other in the State and take his
school books with him and use them. Under
the old law, parent living in San Francisco,
should he even remove to Oakland or San
Rafael, was compelled to purchase an almost
entirely new supply of books for his children.
Francisco to Alameda, and having five chill
dren of school age, was compelled to purchase
in one week ten new books, in consequence
of the lack of uniformity of textbooks There
was no sense or reason in excepting San Fran
cisco and other cities from the operation Of
the State law prescribing a uniform series of
textbooks. Why should San Francisco
boy require different arithmetic, reader or
geography from one who lives at Oakland or
San Jose? Our State is new and our popu-
lation more unsettled than that of the older
States, and therefore will be more largely
benefited by this uniformity of text books.
And our cities will receive no less benefit
than the country The people of San Fran
cisco, Sacramento, and other cities, have not
asked the privilege of maintaining any such
hGi;;55ance as lis schoo,- book medley. They
only ask the same treatment that is accorded
to the rest of the State; they demand the
same protection and are willing to bear their
equal part of the burdens Of supporting sys-
TEN of public instruction.
THE POLICY OF THE BOARD
Aims at unity as well as uniformity of text
books. Heretofore we have had sort of
patchwork, especially in our cities. For in
stance. in San Francisco there were in use
four different sets of textbooks in geography,
viz: Cornell, Allen, Guyot and Warren
These have all been substituted by the cheap
and excellent series of Monteith embracing
three books only, which have been introduced
at nominal cost. This will not only save
a considerable amount of money, but what is
of infinitely greater importance, much preci-
Gus time to the children in our schools Other
examples might be cited but it is unnecessary.
The advantages of unity in our textbook sys-
tenn are so obvious that it would be an insult
to popular intelligence to dwell upon them.
Thus it is clear that the action of the Legis-
lature, if carried out in its letter and spirit by
the State Board of Education, will at once
diminish the number and cost of school books.
have already shown that the action of the
Il Il. l. Al n
the State thousands of dollars. The advan-
tage of having better textbooks is incalcu-
liable.
Some friction was expected in carrying out
these reforms. No opposition was expected
from the great body of the school officers and
school teachers of the State. They are al
most a unit in their support of the general
policy of the Board, if l may Judge of their
opinions by the expression of their views in
the resolutions of County Institutes, letters,