Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-08-31
School 'Epyf Rocks.

School EcX1 BOOKS.
To he n1itor 0j tie Ihpndrin Ga:etic:
The good sense of an editor is always mani
fest when a newspaper presents to It's readers
sound information on subject of universal in
tcrcst to the people. Some weeks ago there was
Il very bright manifestation Of this kind, from
your pen in the Gazette, on the subject of
School Text Books. That article gave some
light that was much needed Bat there arc
some other points on the same subject, of wide
spread interest If you will allow u small space
to one who has the advantage of twenty-ycars
experience in the work of education, few
thoughts Of much interest to all will be given.
About this time. when all are Interested III get
ting ready for the next school session to open,
question Of no little perpcxity is, "What
books are used in this school? What books will
pupils have to buy if they 90 to this school or
TO that - wv hat books does the teacher Use?
M less than twenty parents have asked the
writer in the last three or four weeks, II their
children would he required to throw aside their
present stock Of books and buy new ones "a
they have had TO do for every school they have
attended. This raises the question, is II
necessary to have uniformity OF text books In
the several classes in >chool>?i It is the object
of this communication TO help all parties con.
ccrncd to answer this question for themselves.
Now there are two klnGS OF school training, and
consequently two classes of mcans to be used.
One class of means used in the school room arc
intended to train some OF the physical organs
to perform certain functions and this training
Of these organs constitutes one very Important
branch of school work For instance, oral
reading, penman>hp, drawing and music are
largely mechanical in their requirement, and
execution. BY this we mean that to do these
things we'll the eye, the hands, the vocal or
ganS, &C., must be exercised Il great deal in
certain ways they must do the same thing
over and over again. and again, till the act, SO
far as the organ is cnnccrucd must bc a natural,
a. correct and as uniform as fdonc by machine
~. Now every one capable OF Judging at all,
will see at once. that all such studies as come
under this head will be acquired much more
rapidly and correctly if done in classes. and if
all in the class are doing the same thing the
same way and at the same time. This leads to
the conclusion that. in such branches as reading,
drawing. pcnmanshlp, music. and perhaps some
Others, there should be only one text book used,
and that one should be the best. il any person.
is able to say which il the best But by far the
larger class Of school studies may bc regarded
as intellectual, and more or less free from any
skill in the use OF any set OF physical organs.
For instance one may become profoundly learn
ed in the science of mathematics. Of languages,
of philosophy history, and logic, as well as
many other cognate branches, without any me-
clanical training Of the voice, the hand, the
eye or any other bodily organ. 1t is well known
to all masters in the arts, that the less active
the mind is in physical training. the sooner per
feet skill is acquired On the other hand, when
4 deep penetration into purely intellectual
subject is required the most possible progress is
made when the student is trccst from any
bodily exercise. For instance, if a pupil is made
to believe that English Grammar is an iDtellcc
tua and an abstract sub ect that can be learned
independent Of any book on grammar, that pu
oil will learn more about the science of language
uudcr proper teaching, no matter what text
book is used than if the whole class understood
it. as the writer found in college. There were
thirteen girls in the class; some had been
through the book two or three times When
the class was asked how far they had gone IN
the study OF English Grammar, the reply was,
eve never studied English Grammar We
studied Smiths Grammar This mode OF
reasoning leads to the conclusion that IN such
branches as Grammar, or the structure and
science Of language mathematics logic rheto-
rc, geography, history and the natural sciences,
uniformity Is not either necessary or desirable.
And In the practice Of the writer, a variety of
text books 90 these branches has been asked
for and found promotve of more thorough
knowledge Of the branch under examination.
For instance, | give class in arithmetic the
subject of reduction OF fractions to their least
common denomination. There are six different
authors in the class. Each pupil is expected
to learn the subject, not the lesson in the book,
but the subject OF course each one will learn
the method in her own book In the class room
at the black board. all these methods will be
utilized and examples will be given, and each
pupil required to do the same work by the
method each one has learned. This will give
the class to sec that each author is treating of
the same subject, each in his own way. This
is an important poiut to be gained by the pu
pills. that they are studying arithmetic, and not
Ray, or Robinson, or Davies or Emerson, or
Quackenboss Now it will be admitted that
this method Of teaching may require a more
thorough acquaintance on the part OF the
teacher with the subjects taught instead ct
familiarity with some particular author But
surely the reasons already given, as we'll as
avoiding the annoyances and extra and I'M
necessary expense to parents and pupils, should
out weigh a mere desire for ease and an avoid
ance OF little extra preparation on the part OF
teachers Surely no person would take up the
profession of teaching, who having only learned