The Portland daily press., 1870-02-16
DAILY PRESS.
ND
Wednesday Morning, February l6, 1870.
PORTLAND
The school Book Question


| 10 the Editor of the Press:
| In the Daily Press of Friday last L observe
a communication from x" who takes ground
against State uniformity in textbooks for the
common schools. / will say word for the
| other side.
opponents ofState uniformity, that school and
town uniformity are desirable. But why stop
with the town? Every argument that holds
for the town holds for the State.
In what material point does the Portland
boy require common school education differ
ent from that required by the Aroostook boy
None. Hence no attempt is made to give him
a different education. Were our social inst.
tutions founded upon caste, then there would
be a legitimate demand for diversity of educa-
tion. But as it is, all the children in the State
require, essentially, the same common school
education, and, essentially, the same text
books-the fewest, smallest and best in each
department of study. The country schools
Biographies, one small grammar, one small
| speller, and at most three or four readers fo
| drill. And are not these enough to meet tn,
wants, so far as the studies named, of that grea
multitude of city boys and girls who never en-
ter the High School? So think many WHIT
are well acquainted with city schools. Where
then, is tie conflict between Aroostook ant
Portland? In the fancy alone
Again, the State established the common
schools. In their ultimate analysis they are
not district or town, but State schools, with
local officers to execute the will of the State
No town stands independent of the rest. The
State prescribes the course Of study. She says
arithmetic must so into the schools. But when
she says so much, must she stop? Is it not
her duty to say to what extent arithmetic
shall be studied, setting its "metes and
bounds" lest it exclude from the schools, as it
has, other equally important studies; lest large
| numbers should, as they now do, study arith.
metic to the neglect of almost every thing
else? But how can the State fix these 'metes
and bounds" without touching the textbooks
| regulating their size and number?
So far, indeed, as the common schools car
| be best managed without immediate direction
from the State, it is undoubtedly best that the
s ate should hold her authority in allegiance
but she should never renounce it. Now, tht
plan of providing textbooks in the past hay
ing brought untold disaster, as hardly any
one denies, upon the greater portion of the
schools in the State, is it not the part of wis
dom to try some other plan, and to keep try
ing until better than the present is found?
2. Even town uniformity cannot now be
secured and maintained without an exer-
else of the utmost vigilance, which must
never once relax. 1t must be an eter-
nal warfare on the part of town commit
tees and County Supervisors. To-day the work
is done; tomorrow it has to be done over
again. Now, as County Supervisor, prefer
the easier and more rational way-State uni
formity, which judicious law, like the one
proposed by Superintendent johnson, would
give us within five years. I can find enough
to do, working day and night, without per-
forming any useless labor in order to secure
and maintain town uniformity. But even
with town uniformity, which it is probable
that not more than dozen towns really have
at the present time, our troubles in classifca-
ton do not end. The books in every series
are too large and too numerous. 1t is no un-
common thing to find in a single school five
or six varieties of Greenleafs arithmetic. Ii
is no uncommon thing to find three orfour va
- . Co.. -a.<1a-s
there are usually five or six. Hence uniform.
| ity is only partial relief; the number and
size of the textbooks must be properly ad
justed. Here is some more never ending Ia
Dor, unless the State take it in hand.
8. The best classified school I have found
in the country, had sixteen classes, with
eighteen recitations each day. The average
number of recitations is some twenty-eight or
tation. 1t will be seen that anything like
good teaching is wholly out of the question.
Of course the city schools are not afflicted
thus. In the Lewiston High School, for ex-
ample, with its four teachers, there are but
twenty-four recitations day. Hence the i'm
propriety of judging the great mass of the
State by those in the city.
But it is said that the teachers are mainly
at fault for the bad classifcations in the
| country schools. This is not so. I think
know how to classify a school; but 1 deem
myself fortunate indeed, when 1 can bring
the recitations below twenty day under
present circumstances. For teacher to do
this in many cases would be simply to break
up his school But this work of classification
needs to be done over every term. 1t a never
completed labor, and will continue such until
we have suitable and uniform textbooks.
A. 1t is true that teachers can work better
with some textbooks than with others equal
ly good. But this makes for uniformity, and
not against it, as "X" imagines. The great
body of our teachers are itinerants, seldom
remaining in the same school two successive
terms. If a teacher has, this term, books
suited to his hand. the chances are that he
will have several different ones next term.
What, then, becomes of special adaptability
On the other hand, familiarity with text
book enables the teacher to use it with great.
er success. State uniformity, and nothing
short of it, will permit our teachers to become
familiar with the textbooks they use.
S. 1t is claimed by *" that State uni
formity would prevent improvement in text
books. l think the result would be just th,
| opposite. No matter how poor a text-bool
may be, it can now be put into some of th'
| towns in the State. The push of the bool
! agent often carries the day. With the decis
| ion left to one intelligent tribunal, publishers
would see at once that they must present the
best possible book, giving the best possible
| terms.
g. And then there is tile charge of monop-
oily! This is an odd charge to make against
| the proposed State uniformity. The more
there is at stake, the sharper the competition
ton must be. With uniformity it will be a
contest among the publishers for the whole
State instead of single town. The best
terms will thus be secured, not only for in
PRODUCTION, for term of years, the publisher
coming under sufficient bonds to fulfil hi.
contract. The books will be distributed
through the regular channels of trade; for
there is no cheaper way to do this work.
Z. 1t is claimed by TX" that State uniform
ity has failed where it has been tried. This
deny. He tells but half the story. In Cali
fornia 1t is not failure, though the publish
ers who are "out in the cold" have done
their utmost to reverse the law, and in few
| nlaces have secured a local expression of dis