The Placer herald., 1870-07-23
THE TEXTBOOK QUESTION.
Oflcial Statement by superintendent Fitz
gerald.


On the 18th instant the State Board of
Education unanimously adopted McGufeys
Eclectic School Readers to take the place of
Wilson's in the public schools of California.
This action has been anticipated for some
time, and has elected much discussion from
newspapers, teachers and others. AS my
official position has brought me into special
causes me to be held more directly RESPONSE
bic for the action taken than any other mem
Der of the Board, deem it proper to state
the facts in the case and the reasons that
governed me in said action. Feeling that
this change was proper and necessary, am
entirely willing to bear this responsibility.
am sure, however, that Governor Haight
and my other worthy colleagues of the State
Board have the same consciousness of hav-
ing done the right thing and the best thing,
and like myself court investigation of the
facts, and are confident of the approval of all
candid and intelligent citizens. As to
BOOK PUBLISHERS AND BOOK AGENTS,
Whose interests have been unfavorably af
fected because they have come in conflict
with the interests of the children of the State,
their approval is not expected, neither will
any effort be made by me to avert >their dis
pleasure And this is the secret of most of
the senseless and pointless clamor that has
been raised in the newspapers. This clamor,
by significant coincidence, began simultan
eously with the appearance in California Of
the agent of Harper & Brothers, publishers
of Wilson's Readers. This agent made his
fight in the newspapers, apparently hoping
to ntimidate the members of the State Board
into surrender of their convictions. In
some cases artful appeals were also made to
party feeling, in order to increase the excite
ment and swell the tide of intimidation. Very
slight allusion was made to facts; unfounded
assertion and sweeping denunciation were al
most wholly employed. These tactics failed
of their intended effect The coarse attacks
made on the members of the State Board on
ly excited just Indignation where they did
not excite contempt, and strengthened the
conviction that cause that resorted to such
means for its support was bad one. The
members of the State Board were not fright
ened from their purpose to decide the text
book question upon its merits, and with a
view only to promote the public interest.
The result shows that the Chinese stink-pot
mode of warfare will not succeed here in the
discussion and settlement of educational ques-
tons. 1t has been generally known, for the
last two years, that did not entertain a ia
vorable opinion of
Wilson's READERS.
think the plan Or principle on which they
are gotten up is radically vicious. They en-
courage the cardinal vice of American educa-
ton, ,superficialty attempting to teach science
and reading at the same time, in such way
as to disgust an intelligent child for life with
the very name of science, while defeating
almost wholly the legitimate object for which
a school reader should be used. 1t is unne
cessary to give examples. The books are SO
well known, and so generally condemned, that
it is superfuous. My opposition to Wilson's
Readers is no new thing, like the new born
zeal of certain newspapers, whose interest in
the matter dates with the arrival of Harper's
agent. Wilson's Readers, as a series, are
broken and incomplete. The Sixth and
Seventh Readers contemplated in the plan of
the old series-which is almost exclusively
used in the schools of this State at large
have never been published, and probably
never will be; so that as scientific series it
fails to cover the ground marked out. The
intermediate series consists of only two books
Third and Fourth-an1l cannctt t;3 useti, c. cf
itself. 1t is at present dove-tailed in the old
series between the Second and Third and
Third and Fourth-a hodgepodge. Wilson's
Readers, as series, are cumbersome and
impractcable The arrangement, as above
given, has already extended the series to
eight readers, in addition to charts and spell
ers. Wilson's readers are the most eXpen-
sive published. The original series, consist
ing of Primer, First, Second, Third, Fourth
and Fifth Readers, costs in the aggregate
SIS 80; adding to this 80 cents and 81 10
the cost respectively of the intermediate
Third and Fourth Readers s-thc total cost of
the series as given by the publishers own
price list, is 81 20, against 81 10 for the
McGuffey series. Mark these figures. This
disparity holds also as to
THE INDIVIDUAL BOOKS OF THE SERIES.
For instance: Wilson's Primer, with only 48
pages, costs 25 per cent more money than
First Reader, with 81 pages and
more illustrations; Wilson's First Reader,
with only 84 pages, costs as much as Nc
Gutfey's Second, with 1872 pages; Wilson's
Second Reader, with 154 pages, costs 10 per
cent more than McGufey's Third, with 242
pages; Wilson's Intermediate Fourth Read
er, with 3l2 pages, bound in paper, costs but
IL per cent less than McGuffey's Sixth Read
er, with AGO pages, bound in cloth. Mark
these figures. Wilson's old series is that
authorized under the State adoption in June,
1866, for the State at large. Wilson's In
Series is little used outside of the
principal cities, so that in reality there has
been no uniformity in Readers. The intro
duction of the Intermediates into the country
schools would have necessitated change as
we'll as the introduction of another series.
An inspection of the recent
SCHOOL STATISTICS OF SAN FRANCISCO
Discloscs the fact that Of the 5000 pupils,
round numbers, enrolled, about 80 per cent
usc the First reading book of Wilson's SC