Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-10-24

haHSer-oH wherever lnnuence can DE gain
ed the loss of tiff he is unscrupulous
himself and can find tools to his hand
sometimes converts him into mischief
maker in the Legislature, an agitator and
slanderer in the public press, and an en-
emy of the whole educational system which
he could not rule.
THE RECENT SELECTION OF TEXT BOOKS.
With reference to the competency of the
Board by whom the last selection was
made, ii is not Tor us TO speak. They are
men woll-known to the public, who can
judge whether or not they had the ability
and integrity which so important a trust
demanded. We simply append their names:
John w. Stewart, Merritt Clark, George n.
Webber, Benjamin III. Steele, B. +. Bing-
ham, NJ. ii. Buckham, David NJ. Camp.
Every one Of Il ese gentlemen has been at
some time teacher in the common schools.
All of them have identified themselves,
both by sympathy and by practical coop
Grafton, with the educational system of the
State. II has been insinuated that the list
was adopted by a minority Of the Board,
with the sufferance of the rest. The facts
have already been given to the public, but
we will state them again. The members
of the Board, well aware of the difficulty of
their task, first made long and laborious
personal examination of the different text
books submitted. On coming together and
comparing their views, they found some
diversity of opinion, but far more agree
meni than they had expected. Each sub
ject was fully and freely discussed. Every
member OF the Board was present and vot-
ed when every vote was taken. Every
book on the list, with the exception of the
Readers, was finally adopted by unani-
nous vote, and in the exceptional case, there
was but one dissenting vote.
HOW THE LIST WAS RECEIVED.
The utmost that the Board hoped to ac-
complsh was to reach decision which
would commend itself to all judicious and
disinterested persons ms in the main wise
and just, and they expected that all such
persons would waive their preferences for
any single book, for the sake of preserving
the system. Our success in both respects
has been greater than we anticipated. So
far as we are able to judge, the list, in the
main, pleases and satisfies those whose
opinions are of value. We are convinced
that If public opinion were not tampered
with by disaffected parties, the action OF
the Board would be entirely satisfactory 20
the public. OF course the Board knew
very well that their choice would not sat
isfy those who had mercenary reasons for
being dissatisfied. We expected that thi
clanor would be raised by them. 1t was
openly threatened in case certain books
should be rejected, and now that the books
have been rejected, 1t is no more persistent
or INSCRIPTIONS than was anticipated.
THE TACTICS OF THE OPPOSITION.
On the publication of the new list, most
of the competing publishers honorably ac-
cepted the situation, and withdrew their
agents from the field. One firm proceeded
at once to carry out the threats they had
freely made in case of the rejection of their
books. Tho publishers of Greenlears
Arithmetics, books which had done good
service in their day, refused to abandon the
field they had occupied for twenty years.
Awaiting themselves of the well-known
disafiection existing in certain quarters
toward the Board, growing out of the elec.
tion of the new Secretary, they commence
ed violent assault upon him and through
him upon the whole Board, with the hope
of either breaking up the Board of Educa-
tion altogether or of getting a new Board
appointed who might by some special leg
islation be empowered to make a new Sc
lection of textbooks. Having contrived