Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1875-12-28

Na
luded 70 the recent action OF the State
Board Of Education in the matter Of the
proposed changes of text books In the
public schools. We Endorsed their ac-
ton and promised to revert to the sub
ject. We have examined into and con
sidered somewhat of the matter, and
we now most unqnalifiedly, commend
the action of the Board upon most of
the mooted questions. The matter is
settled for the coming year and, ordi-
narilv, would call for no further notice
at our hands; but we could not be
heard before the determination OF the
question as we had no notice of its
p%endency; and u journalistic Pho
Mono, of the Enterprise, uttered such
pronounced and Enthusiastically in
fallible dogma concerning the PROPER
course for the Board to follow, and
ranted SO like a very Arab when the
Board declined to follow that course,
scattering broadcast hastily conceived
and ill-founded charges of bribery and
ignorance, that We feel it our duty to
put the facts before the public in their
true light.
The Board, in the first place, SUBJ
stituted Robinson's Arithmetic for
those now in use (Eaton's). Concern
ing the a~dyisability of this change,
there is, we believe, no dispute. We
have noticed no opposition to it in the
press of the State. Professor Flint, of
Storey, approves it; the Enterprise in
dorses Professor Flint, and our educa-
.tional authorities in Eureka heartily
commend it. The Board also substi-
'tuted Cornell's Biographies for the Ec-
.lectic series now used. Concerning
this substitution, let us say that some
change was absolutely necessary. The
Eclectic series is simply into!erable;
the system of map drawing is false;
the petty attempt at II or W chap,
tiers on physical geography is a failure,
and the latest editions, whiuh are even
now being received, are, one-half OF
them, silent concerning the politico-
geographical results of the Franco
German var; the recent discoveries in
Africa, aud the returns OF tho oensu> OF
1870; and still represent France as an
Empire, and Florence as the capital OF
Italy. On all this Cornelrs series is
undoubtedly q great Improvement, but
we think the Board wou4d nave done
much better in adopting Monteith's.
But it was against the McGuffey
Readers that the war was declared; it
MAS in defense of the Pacific Coast
Readers that Professor Flint put his
lance ia rest, and il Vas because of the
refusal OF the Board TO Substitute the
latter series hat the ire of the Enter
prise was aroused. Now, we do not
charge the editor of the Enterprise
with entertaining the opinions son.
corning the merits of Bancroft's Read.
ers advanced In the columns Of that
journal. We know him to be a man oi
taste and cultivation, and also a ma
OF truth; and we know that ii he had
read or ven glanced over the
selections In Bancroft's Reader
he would never have expressed an
opinion favorable to their introduction,
Nov, MEG uffey's readers are far from,
q perfect. The selections in the ele-
mentary works, particularly, might be
greatly improved upon. Again, the
higher readers were compiled before
the war, and many grand u~tterances
OF Lincoln, Sumner, Whittier, Davis,
Of Maryland, and u of others,
which deserve to live through all
time, have found no place therein.
But let the editor of the Enterprise
borrow = sixth reader from one of th.
Virginia boys, and open it where be
will, and the chances are ten to one
that he will light on words familisi
from his childhood as those of the
choice passages Of the great masters OF
7 English poetry and prose; that he will
again be transported to the school
where his own mind and taste were
formed and his pen trained o the elo-
quent and pathetic words which 90 Of
ton sdorn the columns OF the Enter
prise in its better mood. Then, let
him take . reader Of the Bancroft
series and compare, and We promise
he will lay it aside In disgust. We
have not tho most advanced Of The Pa
.cifc coast eeries by us, but we have
read it, and we promise that it IL not
one whit superior TO the next in the So
.riss which we now propose to refer to.
In this book there are forty-three
prose selections. Among these We
ind lass than q page respectively
from Lincoln, e. u. Baker and Judge
Story, . portion Of . from Henry