The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-16
From the Springfield Republican.
OLD SCHOOL BOOKS.
What Our Forefatbers Learned Lessons From
Reverentially Treated, by a Book-Collector.

What Our Forefatbers Learned Lessons From,
Reverentially Treated, by a Book Collector.
Among the things literary which, with
old newspapers and almanacs, are chiefly
interesting from association, and as show
ing the atmosphere of their time, pretty
books every one will regard an old latter
ed volume of the kind which he used TO
neglect, or an older one which his father
and mother did not neglect, with at leas,
an eye of friendly interest, and books OF
the class are valued and preserved from the
paper-maker to remarkably sane ex-
tent They are not generally regarded as
having any commercial value, but, although
very few book-collectors make them a
specially, the demand for them is such that
the secondhand book seller generally gets
high prices for them, an American book Of
the kind in good preservation, printed 90
years ago or more, selling for So or So
commonly enough. while prices as high as
So, for volumes of no great degree of rar-
ity, are by no means uncommon. OF course,
they are generally in shabby condition, the
material used in making them being coarse,
and the mechanical work bad, besides
which, though used with a degree of care
to which the children of these days are
strangers, their long years of service have
left them worn and often imperfect.
Until within comparatively few years,
school books were conceded by professional
schoomasters, often by those of modest
station and, the absence of machinery
making all printing Offices pretty nearly
| free and equal, were printed and published
Iat, nt r,la N nnntalar nf n
| appearing almost simultaneously from half
dozen different offices; the printers either
setting up the types from which the small
| editions were printed, or, In the later years,
buying the stereotype plates from a city
| office. They were made cheaply and sold
cheaply, but it was good many years after
| the country was settled before they were
very plenty in the land. In the early days
| children went to school, when they had any
school, pretty much without books, and, no
more than so years ago scholars being
taught the alphabet and droning out, "No-
| man may put - off the -law-of-
God" as the invariable first reading lesson
from Webster's speller, and, afterward, hav.
ing the American Preccptor to use as read
| er, and Adams arithmetic from which to
gather mathematical stores, were, in this
part of the country, at least, thought well
| provided, although grammar and more
rarely, a geography were sometimes added,
Being used without change from first Ia
last, and the dialogues in the readers and
fables in the spoilers comprising, with the
Entertaining Anecdotes" in the yearly
almanac, almost all the light reading to be
| had, the books were learned almost by
heart, and it was, in fact, not uncommon
for bright boy, or oftoner a girl, to be
| abt to no tallaa apl nth tar-
in Webster's speller-the book most used
almost word for word. from one end of the
book to the other. Naturally, the volumes
held no inconsiderable place amongst the
portable property of the owner, and were
cared for accordingly. The young man
wrote his name therein at full length, with
the words ''ils Book" and perhaps an adj
monitory line or two, as
Steal not this book, for fear OF shame,
For here you see the owners name,
added, and his careful mother sometimes
pasted on protection of sheepskin to theil
covers; which covers were generally made
of wood and Goa Sc, blue paper but ever
when the binding is of leather, the "bind
ers board" was still of white-ash. Tn,
wood for this kind of book cover WAS for
TING prepared at little village In the nortl
part Of this town (Which was then, and ough
10 be now, called Snowsville), being cut lh'
right thickness, shaving fashion, from asl
logs, in strips about two feet long.
But what | started to write about wa
not so much old school books in general a
the particular volumes in little parcel nov
before me. 7 he first book we come to
which is, strictly, hardly to be considered
school book, IS a pretenious two-volnm
octave affair, entitled 1.-The Preceptor, con
tanning general course of education, where
in the first principles of polite learning ar
laid down in r way most suitable for tryin
the genius and advancing the instruction q
youth by Robert Dodsley; published a
London in ITO 1t is divided into twelv
parts, the subjects treated including prett
much everything, from reading and arith
metic TO natural history and logic, closin
with chapter on "human life and man
ners.' 1t is dedicated to the Prince
Wales. aud has a formidable preface an
other impressive features, but 1t seems 1
have sold pretty well, this copy being o
? the sixth edition. II is well printed on es
cellent paper and strongly bound in fu
calf, and Ia illustrated with 'maps ali
cuts the cuts being credilable copper en-
cravings. In the fronlispieae to the frs
| volume we find the original Of the WOO
cut representing Wisdom leading yout
c up the rocky side-hill TO the temple of virtu
and go TO fame which adorned 30 man
of Webster's spoilers. The second volum