Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-09-26
CHANGING THE READERS.

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AS the public press il one Of tic
b st methods of expressing public
opinion, ask the privilege Of Of
fering 70 the Superintendent and
Board Of School Commissioners a
few practical reasons why a whole
sale change of rea iers, now In use
In our public schools, should not
be made.
First Because we are now being
very heavily taxed 10 purchase lots
and put up suitable school build
ings.
Second We are yet very sens
bly, feeling the effects Of the late
panic; the wages of the mechanics
and laboring classes have been re-
duced ten per cent. and one-tenth
of the time cut off.
Third But not least, we have
nothing to gain by the change, as
| the readers now in use have no SUI
perlor In the market. They are
| modern; have been as lately re-
vised as any other series, and are
as widely recommended by lead
ing educators as any other readers
now in use.
The author of them, the late
Prof. McGufy, Of Va, was one of
the ripest scholars of our times. -
For thirty years he held profess
sorship in the University Of Vir-
GINA. Scarcely have the flowers
faded on his new-made grave,
ere we cast from us the labors Of
his life to edopt another that we
know not of.
To show the popularity Of Nc
Guffy's readers, which are not
good enough for us, allow me to
quote from few of the hundreds
of commentator OF leading cities
now using or which have recently
changed from other books to them.
McGuffy's readers have been Of
| ficiaIly or individually recommen-
de1 by the State Supcrintents Of
West Virginia, Maryland, Nilsson
ri, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, In
diana, Iowa and Minnesota. They
have been recently adopted by the
State Board of Education of the
State OF California for exclusive use
in all the schools of the State, hav
ing been recommended by over
forty county superintendent. Nc
Guffy's readers have been recently
adopted by the State boards Of ed
ucation of Maryland, California,
Arkansas and the Territory OF
Wyoming. The text book
committee of the Board of Educa-
lion of st. Louis made the follow
ing report, which was unanimously
adopted:
Your committee have spared no
pains TO be put in possession Of all
the facts. They carefully examined
all the books, listened attentively
to all the arguments urged by the
advocates Of each particular work,
and, at a called meeting Of all the
principals, heard their opinion as
to the merits, not of one, but of all
the books presented, as we'll as of
the books now in use. The weight
of testimony Of the teachers accords
with our best judgment in recon-
mending McGufy's readers. IL
urging their adoption by the board
we feel assured we are asking the
trial of no experiment, but are rec
ommending books that are approx
ed by the best educators Of lne
country. We believe these rea III
possess more of those fea de
which our schools require tnan an
other presented for our examina-
ton.
McGuffy's readers are now in APP
proved use in the cities of st Louis
Richmond, Wheeling, Frederick,
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Day
ton, Sandusky, Columbus, MARI
eta, Milwaukee, and Brooklyn
They were re-adopted by the board
of New York city in 1870, re adopt
ed by the board of Harrisburg, Pa,
in August, 1870. These are but a
| few of the hundreds of cities now
using them with great satisfaction.
DIR. d. w. Clark, Bishop of M. K,
Church, gays of them: / have
had frequent occasion during the
past few years to examine and re-
examine McGuffy's readers as
whole, they are unquestionably the
best series of readers in America
1t would seem as ii this were
evidence enough to prove to our
Superintendent and Board of Ed
| ucation that the books now in use
arc equal, If not superior, to the
ones they propose to introduce,
| with saving. in these close times,
| to those who most need it, Of from
five to six hundred dollars, with
out particle of good to any one
except the book agent. For, tho
the Board may introduce them at
| half price, they must stop at the