St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-10-24

portant a trust demanded. We simply
append their names: John w. Stewart
Merritt Clark, George n. Webocr, Ben
jamin H. Steele, b. F. Bingham, Nj. ii
Buckham, David NJ. Camp. Every one
of these gentlemen has been ut some
time il teacher in the common schools
All of them have identified themselves
both by sympathy and by practical co
operation. with the educational system
OF the State. 1t has been inslnuated
that the list WAS adopted by Il minority
of the Board, with the sutferance of the
rest. The facts have already been CIV
ell 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 books
submitted. On coming together and
comparing their views, they found some
diversity of opinion, but far more agree
ment than they had expected. Each
subject was fully and freely discussed.
Every member of the Board was pes
ent and voted when every vote was
taken. Every book on the list. with
the exception of the Readers, WAS final
ly adopted by IL unanimous vote, and
in the exceptional case. there was but
one dissenting vote.
HOW THE LIST WAS RECEIVED.
The utmost that the Board hoped Ia
accomplish WAS to reach Il decision
which would commend itself to all judi
cious and disintercstcd persons as IN
tie main wise and just. and they en-
pected that all such persons would
waive their preferences for any single
book, for the sake of preserving the
system. Our success i'll both respects
has been greater than we anticipated.
SO far us we are able to judge. the list.
i'll the main, pleaseS and satisfies those
whose opinions are of value. We are
convinced that if public opinion were
not tempered with by diSattcctcd par
ties, the action of the Board would he
entirely satisfactory to the public. OF
course the Board knew very well that
their choice would not satisfy those who
had mcrccnary reasons for being tliSSat
listed. We expected that this clamor
would he raised 10y them. 1t was open
" threatened in ease certain books
should be rejected. and now that the
books have been rejected. it is no more
persistent or INSCRIPTIONS than WAS
THE TACTICS OF THE OPPOSITION.
On the publication of the new list.
most of the competing publishers honor
ably accepted the situation. and with
drew their agents from the field. One
firm proceeded ut once To carry out the
threats they had freely made in case of
the rejection of their books. The pub
fishers of Grcemlcat-S ArithmcticS. books
which had done good service in their
day. refused to abandon the field they
had occupied for twenty years. Avail
ing themselves of the wtll-kmnwm dis
affection existing in certain quarters
toward the Board. growing out of the
of the new Secretary. they com
mcnccd Il violent assault upon him and
through him upon the whole Board.
with the hope of either breaking up the
Board of Education altogether. or of
getting Il new Board appointed who
might 10y some special legislation he
To make Il new selection of
teNt-ho"kS. Having contrivcd to get
articles hostile Ia the Board inserted in
several newspapers. and having thus
treated i'll the public mind Il prcSIImp-
ton of something wrong. they secured
in the legislature the appointment of a
| committee To Investigate the action of
a Board aud its Secretary. The re-
suit OF that investigation is before the |
public. 1t iustilieS the action of the !
Board III every respect. and dismiSScs
l. gr"undlcS> every charge that had
been made. We quote from the re-
bort
"A three hours examination failed to
BRING ont Il single fact calling for cen
'Irc. or such aS would even subject
hem to criticism. On the other hand /.
t appeared that the Board had dis
'hargcd their duties with fidelity. and. F..
Is we think. i'll every instance wisely /.
md well. In making the s,lcc- /
ION of textbooks. it Appeared that the .
i"ald had taken the most >crupulouS /
are To protect the State from unncccS-
AIRY expense. 1t also appeared that .
he new list of teXt-houkS is upon the .
whole cheaper than those now in
lS". 1t is our opinion that DIR. /
rcnch Is competent for the position he
I"ldS and that he has thus far honestly.
bly, and faithfully discharged the du-
les of his office
Fooled i'll this manuuvrc. the arita-
or> return To the attack through the
rcSs. Now an article appears in one
ew>paper signed 10y Il fictitious name.
hen another article in another paper
allS attention to it. then IL third from Il
IStant part of the State catches up the
clio, and IT Is perfectly evident all the
hllc that all these articles have cma-
atcd from one and the same source.
ne nvariable conclusion being reached
n every instance, namely the SUPERIOR
' OF GrecnleafS ArithmcticS. If any
erS"nS have wondered why the Board
ave kept silent 50 long while 50 much
randal has been i'll circulation. it has
cen owing to their reluctance to he q
arty Ill such Il deSpicahlc warfare.
FRENCH'S AKITHMETICS.
An attempt has been made to rouse
uhlic prejudice against the action of
he Board because they adopted the
TlthmeticS of their own Secretary.
heN did so for two reasons first be
lIlse every member of the Board CON
dered them ON the whole the best
rlthmetIcS for Vermont. and secondly.
HcalISe five out OF the six teachers con
lltcd, advised their adoption. 1t seems
hrdlN respectful to the good sense of
If people to he obliged to saw. that in
II Judgment 1t WAS no insllperahle oh
cuon to good book that its author
us IA resident of the State. and Secre &;
ny of its Board of Education.
PROFITS ON SCHOOL BOOKS.
Statements have been made which
e entirely unwarranted, and mdi-
"uslE eNtravagant, respecting the
'ohts made on school books. The t
lpllsherS of textbooks extensively Il
,Gu. no dom ht ln.l.n :, .......l 1911. =. ! I