Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-08-09
VIRGINIA NEWS

VIRGINIA NEWS
4 letter from Mathews Courthouse relative
TO a recent affair there, says: All agree that
Tinslcy, with horscwhip in one hand and Il
pistol in the other. waited upon Duer and de-
manded retraction or apology for some reports
which he had put in circulation damaging to
the character of Tnsley and the fair fame OF
a Young lady of the ncighbnrhood Duer re-
fused to do either, when TnSlcy rushed upon
Duer, who was unarmcd. save with pcnknte,
which he used so dexterouSly that TinSlcy was
likely to come of second best. He abandoned
the whip. AMI with the pistol sent ball
through Ducr'S body, which caused his death
on Saturday. Tinscy has escaped.
The Norwegian bark Edwin has arrived at
City Point with over $50 tons of railroad iron,
consigned to the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio
railroad company This is the fourth cargo
received for the same company within the past
Sixty days Another vessel of thousand tons
is on the way from Cardiff.
The Steamers, Square Riggers and Coasscrs,
now lying in the port Of City Point, impart life
to the dcnizcns of that locality. Railroad iron,
tobacco. iron ore and tan bark are landing and
discharging with rush, to say nothing about
the coastwlse freight taken to aud fro by
every passing steamer.
The Fredericksburg News says ST Dciord,
agent, telegraphed Tuesday: eve commence
to- night running Pullman palace sleeping cars
from Baltimore to Richmond, Petersburg, and
Weldon. via Baltimore and Potomac all-rall
route.
The Greeley and Brown barbecue. which was
to have been held at New Market on the 9Th
of September, has been postponed to the l2!h,
on account of the Congressional Convention be-
ing called to meet on the 9Th.
The Norfolk Firgnian of yesterday says -
MEDIUM size sweet potatoes were sold 10 the
market yesterday for eight cents per quart
rather high yet" The Richmond price is
twenty-five cents per quart.
Corn has been brought from Westmorclanl
county to Fredericksburg to be ground. The
drought is excessive. -.
B. G. Northrop of Virginia has been elect
ed President Of the National Educational AS
ISOLATION.
Typhoid and bilious fcvcrs are prevailing to
some extent in the Strasburg neighborhood.
1t is reported that Senator John f. Lewis is
lying i'll in Staunton.
Ex- Mayor Joseph Mayo, of Richmond, is
lying dangerously i'll.
FREQUENT CHANGING OF SCHOOL Books
The State Teachers Association was lately in
session at Albany ADD the newspaper correspon.
the agents of school book publishers with spcc-
MANS re THAR uorac Dhnra ppp1 I,n,1nuIf
edly, in the multiplicity of books, aud that school
books especially are indispensable there can be
no question. BUTT may be very properly ques-
toned wheather new editions of school books are
not often nuisance. In this mat er Of educa
ton, we are afraid, the nlammon of uurightcous-
ness sometimes has finger, and that new books
are often thrust into the hands Of children not
because they are better than the old ones, but
simply in the way of trade. \ new geography,
new arithmetic, a new spelling book, or
a new reader Is brought ont not so much that
it is needed, or is iuure excellent than its pre-
dcceSsor but that soule publisher thinks that
he can make, in the trade sense, good thing
of it.
He cannot, however, ma Ike n good thing oft
without help. The help he wants is TO he found in
school committees and school principals We do
not aver it to be fact but we can conceive OF its
being possible, that an expcctant percentage
NAV sometimes reveal faults in an old book and
merit in IL new one which would otherwise re-
main impcrccptiblc The essential difference
may DC quite hidden to ordinary eyes, and pa
rents may be quite content that their children
should learn all they can find in the old book
rather than he put, once or twice year to the eX-
pense of a change. We suppose that most pco-
pie, and especially people ofllmted means, have
grumbled that they are often compelled to buy
new books no whit better than old ones, which
their children are ordered to discard on the plea
of improvements and that they sometimes detect
or think they detect. reason for the change in
the difference between the trade price at which
teacher buys and the retail price at which he
sells.
There arc great many people vino look upon
this constant change ofschool books as an abuse
which it is about time should be corrected. a
child uses now a great many more books during
his school years than were necessary twenty-five
years ago; and it is rare now that the younger
children of family can use, as they once could,
the books which their older brothers or sisters
are done with. IF there was any absolute gain
to knowledge, or any added facilities in its ac-
QUESTION, nobody, probably, would complain
As the only gain, however seems to be to those
who make and sell school books, the question
becomes serious. II teachers are not paid
enough-and they often are not-let salaries be
increased and less latitude allowed in the book
business. 1t is even asserted that the ring"
system is not unknown n this matter Of text
books, and it can do no harm to look into it.
We commend the subject to the next conven-
ton of teachers, where there are always men
and women able and candid enough to give it
due consideration. -Neao York Post
ANOTHER VENUS. The Academy says that
some works undertaken in connection with the
construction of new street at Luccra, have
brought to light statue of Venus, marble
r,.o ,n5 ,ort;onc of q mosaic naynmaDt The