The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-02-02
Text Books.

schools. This is so evident that among
the friends of education there is not one
dissenting voice. On no other subject
is there such an oneness of sentiment
and such diversity Of practice. Out
side of the independent districts there
is scarcely school supplied with a
uniform series of books. The fact is,
text books have been multiplied to
that extent, and such persistent efforts
have been put forth by the champions
of the various series to secure their in
PRODUCTION instead of benefit, the re-
verse is true. For years past, interested
parties have canvassed the country for
the purpose of introducing ''improved
text books" school boards have been
entertained with long speeches about
beingbehind the times. Gentlemen, says
the doughty champion of the new book,
"progress is the order of the day; this
is land of liberty, where the mind,
unfcttercd by unlricndly legislation,
makes frequent inroads into the domain
of the unknown and returns, freightcd
with new truths with which to bless
mankind. Literature, science, art !;
every branch of human knowledge and
human industry has received a new i'm
petus, and onward is the cry; in fact,
this is the glorious 10Th century. Your
reader was just the thing when people
went to mill with the grain in one end
of the sack and a stone in the other;
your arithmetic was good in its day,
and perhaps the ability to write the
English language may have been ac-
quircd by the aid Of your grammar, but
they no,c bear the same relation to the
books ,ce introduce, as the old fashion,
ed wooden plow bears to the polished
cast-stcel implement of to day" That
great improvements in text books have
been made within a few years, no intel
ligent person will deny; the arithme-
tics are better arranged and the princi-
. pies arc better illustrated; analysis has
been introduced into the grammars,
and Cornell has led the way in those
improvements which have made our
biographies the best in the world =; yet,
the inference which the book agents
would have the people draw from their
statements, is false. Boards, how ever,
have adopted this book, and that book,
and no book; parents, very naturally,
have insisted that their children should
use the books already in their posses
sion, and teachers have introduced their
favorites, until, by the combined action
and inaction of the various parties,
confusion rcigns without rival and
our efforts to an extent are paralpzcd.
Why should this be? Is there mem
Der of school board in Cedar county
opposed 10 a uniformity! Probably
not Is there a man living, able to
! produce one solitary argument in favor
OF the present s:::ste Of things? Not
one. Why, then, cannot a uniformity
be secured: Instead of becoming less
the evil is on the increase; why can't
the remedy be applied at once? The
why is apparent; it is the old story
again; the sophistry of the book men
has had lis weight; tie friends can't
agree. This book is best, and that
book is best, is the contemplate argu-
ment which annually costs us hundreds
of dollars and greatly impairs the eff
ficicncy of our schools. Is this defect
in our system Of primary education ut
teri y without remedy? Is it inherent :?
Must our preferences forever defeat the
general good? The fact is, and it is a
fact, that any series is. better than the
miscellaneous collection now in use,
and however highly parties mas l1ud
their Iavorites, ii is true, that no stand
ard series is enough better than another
to pay anything to exchange, or to war;
rant its Introduction at the expense of
uniformity. All this talk about being
behind the times is sham intended to
deceive people and fill the pockets of
ambitious authors.
Book follows book in rapid succession
till The appropriations of other peoples
labor are as the stars for multitude, and
the school book, like the patent medi-
cine business, has arisen to the dignity
OF gigantic swindle. There is but one
way to set the mater right in this
county, and that is, for the various
school boards to meet at some convenient
place, say Upton, and agree upon list
OF books to be used in the schools, and
then go home and adopt them, and
place a card in every school house on
which shall be printed the titles Of the
books SO adopted, aud then enforce the
| order, and it may be said without fear
OF successful contradiction, that by so
doing they would accomplish more for
the common schools of the county than
all other persons combined can now
accomplish, and more than Hny can do
in amy other possible manner. Gentle
men, will you do il? a. b. o.
The Iowa South Western Two
Routes from Clinton to Upton.
The building ofthe Iowa South West
crn rail road cannot any longer be con-
s.dercd an open question. About all the
necessary aid between this and Oskaloo-
sa has either been secured, or is prom
iscd, and we expect that The month Of
February will see the road permanaEt-