Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-06-04


furnished any good reasons for its action
or even for its existence.
One Of the pccuIariies Of the Board j.
The tendency to subject our schools to the
misfortune Of quinquonnial change Of text
books No matter how judicious the books
in use, how well adapted to the necessities
Of the schools, or adjusted to the system
Of instruction. the Board Of Education has
never failed, when it had the opportunity,
to make radical changes in our school books.
There are, Of course, great evils connected
with on alteration Of the text books in any
school. The pupils become accustomed to
certain methods Of instruction, and in chang
ing from one to another, arc apt to become
confused and bowildcrcd and lose their in.
torest in study. Their time is spent in
mastering the pcculiarities of different
authors, rather than in acquiring a mastery
Of the subject Each author exaggerates
the petty differences Of his books, and lay
so much stress upon minor features in his
work, that the attention Of the scholar is
diverted from the essential principles Of
learning to the speciality Of some individu.
al book.maker.
The Board Of Education made a com
pete change six years ago. 1t was thought
by many then to have been not so much in
the interest Of the schools as in that Of the
publishers. There was no obvious nor
good reason for any change at all. Our
old text books were Of the most approved
kind, aud our schools had become accustomed
to them. The teachers also had mastered
them first as pupils, and olterward as in
structors, and were able to give them the
largest force and influence in the schools
But change seemed to be a foregone con-
clusion. 1t was the only thing that would
popularity justify the existence Of the Board
itself What was the Board for, if not
for this very thing? twas the only place
in which they could exercise their gifts and
powers. And 50 the change, pressed by
the publishers of new text books, was made
Our schools were put to great disadvantage
the public to great expense, and nothing
worth gaining was gained The new books
we're ia no respect better than the old. II
they we're only as good, there was a positive
detriment to the scholarship and to the
pockets Of the people. They should have
been far better in order to have justified
the exchange But wehavc never heard au
experienced teacher commend the change
unqualifedly, and We have heard many dis
approve and condemn it,
The present Board, however, year age
nearly, made another change, radical and
entire. And the remarkable thing about
this change was, that it substituted for the
old books, that were well enough perhaps
certainly better than any new ones
series of books edited by the Secrc.
tary Of the Board. On the face Of il
it looked like iavoritism. 1t had the ap
pearance Of subordinating the welfare o.
our Vermont system of education to tn,
pecuniary profit Of a single man. And we arr
confident that the Board, if it should be il
existence four years, will as certainly expe
these books from the schools as it rooted out
to make way for them, much more meritori
Gus series. 1t is almost inevitable tina
books foisted on our schools in such a way
and by such glazing favoritsm, should b.
discarded on the first convenient opportu
nifty. These new books could never hay
received the endorsement Of the Board o.
their merits. They are certainly less wor
thy than any set of books which have bee
put into our public schools since our re
membrance.
r As the work of the Board has becom
, less and less valuable, and more and moi
disorgauizing to our educational system,
has been growing more aud more expensiv,
Tho less we get the more we pay for it. |
1866, the cost TO the State Of the Boar
and Secretary and Report, was S2l50.l!
In 1867, the cost was S509053. |
; 1868, it was s4,545.9i. Iu 1868.
it was s460]G2. In ls69.70, it WI
s53920l. In 1901, the first year {
our present Secretary, it was s7S75.6,
! In 1912, it was s7S6714. The averag
cost Of the Board to the State for the Fl,
] years previous to the advent Of the presel
Secretary, was s435666. The avera,
cost to the State Of the two years Of h
: administration, is 1851 40. an increa
per aunum Of s35l474. And what ha'
we got to show for it2 In what respect
o our school system or its facilities improve
c to the amount Of the increased sum tax,
U from the public treasury Nor is this a
| ihu NuSt W lhu pNaNN vi tho VuauBo VI tc
= books cannot be less than thirty thousaI
dollars. We should have no objection to Il
expense, provided we realized from it an
d thing like the sum expended. 1.-THE eiIicien,
of our school system was increased, al
some obvious practical good was obtain,
!, that could be pointed out, above what W
r secured in former years, the addition of
n few thousand dollars to our educational e
peuses annually, would be mere Jagatell
d But when the Board of Education comm
u itself to a system of indiscriminate chang
:, In text books on every occasion that {
fers, when such changes are made, as in Il
b., recent case, not in the interest Of educatio
i but ia the interest of the Secretary of L
" Board, and when these results are only {
e cured to the State at the increase Of the &C
J. of the Board and Secretary of more th
seventy per cent. per annum, we are incl
= ed to protest against the wisdom aud acti
= Of the Board, aud to call in question 1
! need Of its existence.
It We shall have more to say on this su
r ect hereafter.
:. " The Caliiorniaus, having no rig