Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-08-04
THE TEXTBOOK MATTER.

III @DOOh AVA n Il EAAe
The textbook committees have per-
formed the work assigned to them, and a
new set of books has been prescribed
for the use of the pupils of the common
schools for the next five years. The
work on the part of the committees has
been perplexing and arduous; large
number of books on each of the common
school branches have been before the
committees, and it has been great task,
if not an impossibility to decide which
possessed the greater merits. Rival
publishers have striven hard, not only
to make the best books, but have pressed
the claims of their books with great per-
VouaoIUy. me result, IN most cases, has
been that very excellent set of books
has becu 51lecJeu. The b~ol~ 1uvu-
ern and fresh, we'll bound, and cheaper
than formerly. By favorable prices OBJ
tanned for exchange, and introduction,
the cost of getting new and good books
is not heavy, and the Wholesale prices
are low. The sharp rivalry between
publishers has been the means of reduc-
ing prices to a low figure, and while
there will be some expense in making
changes, the prices will be SO much low
er for the whole period that there will
be great saving to the State.
Interested parties are trying to make
it appear that the law was a mistake in
permitting change in books. Teachers
and educators, almost without exception,
have desired a change in this State. The
French arithmetic. the Guyot geography
and Green's grammar are very generally
disliked, and are considered failures.
The readers now in use, though not ex-
tremely faulty, are not equal to those
generally adopted by the committees.
The new ones will be fresh and interest
ing, while the old have, at least, lived
out the period of their usefulness.
Uniformity, though desirable thing.
is not a necessity, and might not greatly
benefit the schools. Some intelligent
teachers and superintendent have claim
ed that reasonable diversity in books
would be an advantage in an educational
sense, inasmuch as it would compel
teachers to better fit themselves for their
work, and might create rivalry between
scholars of different sections. Uniform
ity would certainly be an advantage in
pecuniary sense and a convenience
There was brave attempt on the part
of most committee men to procure uni
formity in counties, but their efforts have
failed in many sections. Sixty men
make too large body to come to per-
feet agreement there are too many
opinions, piques and notions to be blend,
ed into unison. All these men were more
or less influenced by the many agents
who labored with them, and they may
have been led to make some mistakes.
In this section there will be pretty
| good uniformity on grammars, writing
books, histories, spoilers, and books fol
higher studies. In arithmetics the Fish
and the Greenleaf have the field. Geog
raphies are not so uniform; on readers
there is not uniformity. In Orleans
county the Independent will be used il
the northern and western towns, excep
Holland the Munroe will be used il
the southern and central portions of tn
county, the Franklin in the southern ant
southwestern portion, and Holland use
the Appleton. Caledonia county is abou
equally divided between the Appleton
and the Franklin, st. Johnsbury Dan
Vile, and some other towns using th
former. The State Is divided on reader
chiefly between the Appleton and Frank
lin, though some of the important town
have selected the Munroe.
By the law these new books becom
the authorized books of the State, Noven
Der lst; but it is probable it will tax
some months to perfect the change. Pull
! fishers give reasonable time for c,
change and introduction at low price
and then fall back ON to the regular pr
ces. 1t will be policy to make tt
change before the next term of school.
l We cannot but think that the chang,
to be made, the agitation about book
and the interest awakened in them, wi
be a benefit to our schools, and TIL
much as has been the talk and complain
about the new law, much good will r
suit from it.
u 1t looks as if the Federal Governme