The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-05-02
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shall We changel


consideration from the Commissioners.
As one having general interest IN al that
concerns oar people Occasionally, and spe'
cial interest as teacher, in having the best
educational means employed in the instruction
OF their children, ! hope an earnest and hon
est opaiou, and aoarictioa, formed upon ex-
perieuce ID the study and use OF q number Of
books, aud practical knowledge OF the wants
OF our schools, will not be nnkindiy received
nor denied consideration.
| have used the arithmetic now in the hands
of the children, since their Introduction, also
the works which were then thrown out, and
am familiar with others, and base my judg-
ment upon q comparison Of these, especially
Brooks, with Appletons krithmeiics. That
4 comparison has not, in any way, abated the
/ high esteem in which have regarded Brooks
/ Normal Arithme,ies, which we now use, but Il
has rather placed them ia still higher estima'
1 ton. have consulted large nusuber OF
lellow-,eaehers, and find them united in the
/ opinion that they are the best arithmetics we
have ever had in Carroll county.
In Appleton's, Part /, Slate Arithmetic,
\ the pupil is met with want of simplicity and
classification at the very first step. The meth
{ cd Of presenting Enumeration aud Notation is
I tedious, heavy and mixed. Its steps are not
/ as plain, practical, progressive and thorough
as in Brooks, whose series everywhere show
shese marks of the skiIful teacher. Again,
/ the Primary kules all begin with three or four
pages Of tables, mental exercises, Nc, which
! are no more than repetition Of the same
matter, or similar TO that gwen in his Primary
/ Mental Ari;hmetics When this matter Is
given in two books especially prepared to
teach Mental Arithmetic, it certainly cannot
( be unreasonable to oppose objection TO buying
and requiring orr pupils TO 20 over this mat
| ter third time in another book. The pres
enee of this matter is hurtfal to the complete
success OF the book, because ii excludes from
/ the pages which il covers the same number oil
pages OF practical examples which should be
| given, and which are much needed for slate
practice In beginning Written Arithmetic.
Every experienced teacher knows what ex
tended practice is necessary to make young
pupils familiar and expert ia the four simple
rules, and yet ind in Appleton's, Part 1,
only 10 examples Tor the slate in addition, 81 in
subtraction, 10 in multiplication and 1856 in
division. Brooks Elementary Arithmetic for
the same class Of pupils, gives three or four
times this numSer, aud many business exam
pies. The graduation is poor. vi the 20 ex.
amples in addition the last i5are too difficult.
Ten columns, fourteen figures high, are some.
what discourag,ng TO smah children. No such
rash haste il made in the work now in use.
Nearly all, ninetenths at least, Of the arith
metic praciised in this county, and the coun-
try everywhere, is applied 10 ordinary bust.
ness calculations. The farmer computes the
price OF his products; the laboFing man his
wages and store accounts the miller his grain
and -four transactions, and the merchant his
purchases aud sales; so that United Money
and its use is practically one of the most impor.
tant rules taught from arithmetic in our county
schools. And yet | have looked in vain
through this book Part II for single page
on which examples in dollars and cents are
given. As impossible as it may seem to any
practical teacher, or intelligent citizen, that
such a grave defect should exist in any com.
mon school textbook, an examination will
reveal the truth Of this statement. Each pa.
tron OF the County Board VIXEN furnishing
supplies, must, therefore, purchase t,ro large
books Parts | and Ill, and every child study
two Written Arithmetics before be can learn
and have practice in the most simple calcula.
lions in dollars and cents, and that too when
otherwise one book only would be needed
Brooks Elementary, or first part for slate,
now ia the schools, has n full treatment OF
this subject, as well as many business prob.
lens and exercises in Bills, Accounts, &c.
Appleton's Primary has no methods differ.
ent from those we had in the old books that
we threw out Of the schools, while Brooks in.
PRODUCES suggestive, oral and object course
for the use of the teacher 1t teaches add.
ton and subtraction, also multiplication and
division in connection and Us reverse processes
This is an improvement upon the old plan by
which the progress of pupils is made more
t,a1,1rol Gradual md Inc IL,
troductory lessons to common fractions, be.
fore they are written with denominAior and
numerator, which materially aid the child in
overcoming the difficulties usually met in the
study Of this subject. Ii also costs less than
Appleton's Primary. BY the prices printed
on each book, Brooks retails at rs and An.
pleton's at 30 cents. Also Brooks Mental,
an excellent book, costs only 80 cents, whilst
the price OF Appleton's is As cents. Two
other books are given in the advertisement on
the back Of Appeion's Arthmetics, an Ele.
mentary, aud Practical, the former costing
80 cents, and the latter Sl.OO. Whereas,
Brooks Practical contains more aud superior
matter than both Of Appleton's, and retails at
70 cents. If Appleton's Arithmetics are in.
PRODUCED into our schools, will the publishers
and contractors send US those two additional
books, and run up the series to six arithme.
ties, and at the same time fill our schools with
unavoidable trouble and confusionY There
exist reasons toinduee this inquiry. The pub.
ilshers have prepared all these books for a
pnrpose, AID it Is natural to presume that the
object IS 10 require pupils to use many books.
Not only does this new series suggest the ex.
pense OF many books, and of higher price than
those in our schools, but works greatly infe.
nor IN their binding especially Part and II.
might go farther into this discussion, and
compare the treatments Of Fractions. Percent.
age and its application to Interest, &c, in which
our present work fully maintains its charac.
teristic superiority, but il is needless.
Enough has beea shown to indicate that the
county Dy the change will lose q better book
than it acquires, whether we consider merit,
adaptation 20 our schools or binding; that il
will lose in money, as the books are OF a higher
price, that it will lose Internationally, as the
books each contain less and inferiortrcatrnent
and that if we have to load our schools down
IN thee end with Appleton Primary Arithme.
tics, "Appleton's Elementary Arithmetics. =
" Appleton Part Slate Arithmetics. y /" An.
peton's Part ii Slate Arithmetics," Apple.
tons Practical Arithmeties' and " Appleionis
Mental Arithmetics," not to mention An.
pieton's Higher Arithmetic in course Of
preparation, il will be difhcnlt to decide
whether the schools or the tax payers will be
the most burdened.
have met many teachers and patrons Of
the county and find them satisfied as well as
pleased, some enthusiastic over the arithme.
tic now in the schools. They are used in the
State Normal School, and by every other
county adjoining Carroll, and they certainly
have not failed ia our schools, for the teach
favor.
With a firm belief that the proposed change
wonld not receive the approval Of the teach
ers, taxpayers, and all who are educationalIy
Interested, and would be present and lasting
injury 70 our schools and educational interests,
l hope that It is not too late for our worthy
Board Of County School Commissioners 10
give this matter that fair consideration which
they are disposed to give all questions that
come before them.
Respectfully,
J. W. DEHorF,
Teacher of Gram. School No. /, sixth
Election District