The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-02-25

To the Editor offhe Press:
If"X" will refer to the proposed bill for es
tablishing State uniformity of textbooks, hs
will find that it provides that the books shall
be selected from those already published. i
will not, however, be necessary to take all the
books of any series. Selection will give suit
able number-three Or four readers, for ex
ample, instead of six or seven. The Board o
Education has never contemplated the pub
lication of single textbook. For one an
not aware that know or ever heard of man
in the State, who has thought, now thinks OF
ever expects to think of writing or publishing
textbook for the common schools.
Let me say that if Portland would publish
her own textbooks used below the High
School, she would have books better adapted
to her wants and they would not cost her
more than half she row pays. She has teach.
ers who could prepare all these books. The
city of Oswego, N. Y, a city which has prob.
ably the best public schools in the United
States, has found it necessary, in order to So
cure the greater improvement, to have many
of her books and charts made to order.
By the way, Mr.. Sheldon, the Superinten-
dent of the Oswego schools, tells us in his &C.
count of the improvement Of those schools,
rhat ne gos more aid from Canada than from
the United States. He is only one more wit
ness to the high character of the schools in
Upper Canada. I know something of those
schools, from having lived among them; and
I know something of the Canada textbooks
from having bought and thoroughly examined
them. All who are acquainted with th'
country schools Of Upper Canada will confess
that they are better than the like schools il
New England. Uniform textbooks have don,
them good.
Let me further inform tx" that the friend
of uniformity desire to see the books distrih
uted through the present channels. The
believe the retail dealers can do the work {
| distribution cheaper and better than any on
else.
One other word and am done. The onl
compulsory feature about the proposed law, i
that which requires towns, not adopting tn
uniform series, to provide in-comers will
books free of charge. This is grievous in the
eyes of "X.;" yet he maintains, in his first
communication, that there is very little NOV
ing of the people from one town to another
that the friends of uniformity have greatly
exaggerated the migratory habits of our peo-
pie. Then how does the penalty become
grievous?
Any town not adopting the uniform series
can well afford to pay this penalty; for the
publishers of the books not selected will al
once put down the price of their books at OF
below the figure of the uniform books, in or.
der to keep their books in the schools. This
is what they do elsewhere. There is ample
room for reduction; for we are now paying
all ever this State for school books three times
the cost of manufacture. Little wonder is il
that all the publishers in the United States
oppose uniformity. Little wonder is it that
they pay men such great prices for lobbying
against uniformity. A gentleman told me,
within a week, that Boston publishers once
paid him hundred dollars for five days lob
bying work against uniformity. f.. -, .,
C.B. STETsoN.