The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1875-10-16
School Books and Reading.

San Francisco Post mal.ca ;he follow
ing suggestion;
The frequent change of textbooks in
our public schools would probably re-
suit in confusion to the pupils and be .
burden to the poorer parents, but there
is no one but can remember how wear
isome the old books became al the end
of long term that had been conncd
over thousand times, and with what a
sense of relief short reading from
some new book was received by all, so
that even the class Ounce was awakened
to momentary interest. When it is
thought that the school learning is
but the skeleton of knowledge, and the
after reading its flesh and blood--and
that taste for reading good books is of
all things desirahle-would it not be
good plan to introduce a course OF read
ing, the same books being passed from
hand to hand until finished; Language
can only be correctly taught by reading,
and indeed grammar used to be taught
by this method alone, and in some
States history is always road in class,
rot sto tddi!iel, not Hmiply any great cx-
pense, rs the same books could be used
by many classes"
We have never had any patience with
that sold fogJ" class of individuals who
think there is no virtue in Il change of
books occasionally in our schools-wEo
suppose that the books which they used
twenty years ago are "plcnty good
enough for my Tom, OF john" We
live in age of progress and improve
ment, and new and improved books
are quite as much better for the schools
as are the improved patterns of plows
and other machinery for the farmer or
the artisan
There IS often substantial gain to
the schools in a change of books, this
is self.evident, but when change is
advocated for the purpose of bcncfittng
the book seller, or enabling some over
ambitious individual to unseasonably
foist into the schools new set of books
having no advantages over those al
ready in use, simply to create market
for m article for which there was pre-
viousiy no demand, those in authority
should take decided steps to prevent all
such school book jockeyng. Public
interests are often sacrificed for the pc
cuniary benefit of unprincipled spccu-
lators. We can endure with some lit
tie patience those who, through the
means of railroad, telegraph or steam
ship companies, manage to dcfraud the
people and rob the poor, but we must
cry cut "hands off" when they. for any
sucn r.ui purposes, touch the cdtca-
tional institutions of the country. OF
all places in the world let the schools
be free; free, not only from all private
or sectarian interference, but from book
sharps, who would sacrifice the public
veal to gain their selfish ends
New books and new modes of teach
ing from time to time judiciously intro.
ducrd, will always promote the best in
terest of the schools.
A reading book fresh and clean, with
new pictures and stories, will often in
fuse new spirit into a negligent boy
or girl. In an Illinois school they have
introduced the newspaper as a means OF
stimulating the pupils to greater energy
in their studies. They read of events
transpiring in all parts of the world, and
then go to their biographies and his
tories with greater interest than they
soud possibly have did they not thus
identify the distant countries of which
they study with the living, acting pres
ent, of which all are part. Take a
room full of boys and girls, ranging in
age from 10 to is years, when the af
tcrnoon drags slowly, let them lay
aside slates and books, and have handed
around among them the morning pa
Pers, containing te!egraphic news from |
almost every quarter of the globe, and |
under the direction Of the teacher, let
hal al hour be spent in reading or
hearing others read these papers. Math-
ematical and philosophical theories, to-
gether with historical. geographical and
scientific facts may thus, in the mind Of
the Young student, be often closely
identified with the living realities of the
present day.
True, some students OF the ages
above mentioned, will read the papers
outside Of school hours, but the major
~ will not, and the chief advantage 10
be derived is in tho change from books