Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-02-12
TEXTBOOKS AND ORTHOGRAPHY.
An Interesting Discussion of Some Of
the Grave Questions that Confront
Educators.

The following deeply interesting dis
eussion of school textbooks and spell
ingreform, is extracted from the report
Of the textbook commissioners APP
pointed by the Wisconsin legislature to
examine into these vexed questions.
These are subjects which interest every
body in the land The commissioners
We're at work on the report for nearly
year. The chapter on State Uniform
ity" Of textbooks is as follows:
STATE UNIFORMITY.
The class system of tuition, as COM
pared with the purely individual, is so
firmly established in our school work
that it would be idle to discuss a change.
Granted this method, and the question
of facilities and obstacles is of high i'm
portance in the economy of the six
thousand schools of Wisconsin.
The abilities of a teacher, even under
the most favorable conditions, are
severely taxed in the endeavor to con-
troll the attention of the Different men,
bers of a class that each thing done
and every thought expressed shall profit
ALL No other feature of school in
struction fails SO seriously in its aim, as
this effort to economic time and labor
by dealing with a score of minds as q
unit. Whatever tends needlessly to
embarass class work, is wrong whose
removal will prove blessing,
In ali lower grades of culture, the
gaining Of definite knowledge through
stated facts, is greatly impeded, by I'M
perfect conception of the significance
of language. 1t is, therefore, very i'm
portant that Identical phrases be en-
ployed in imparting thought to the
members of such classes, if they are to
profit each other in united work.
Different texts usually mean divers
ity IN language and confusion Of class
work to the young mind So far, then,
as textbooks constitute the base of class
work, the need of uniformity must be
considered beyond question. Teachers
realize this so keenly that, when ade-
quate provision for class uniformity
has not been made, classes are divided
and subdivided, until classes or one
pupil each are common in a majority
of ungraded schools. In graded schools
there is practical uniformity of texs;
but, according to latest statistics, four
ffths of the public school pupils Of
this state are in ungraded schools
Sparse population must ever require
the teacher to instruct more classes
than one person can properly manage.
Add to this needless diversity of texts,
with the frequent lack of books, and
the conditions insure work SO imperfect
that the term degraded, rather than
ungraded, school would not be inappro-
pirate.
The waste in the schools of our state.
through dissi patton of effort and the
lack of class emulation, is SO great that
the profits of book publishers sink into
comparative insignifcance, when esti-
mating the loss. a-51
These conditions point to but one
conclusion; that uniformity in texts
should be made obligatory upon school
officers TO secure, both by adoption and
by exclusion Of all texts that interfere
with proper classification. In addition
to present requirements, the certificate
of the teacher and clerk that the law
had been observed, might properly be
made condition in the distribution of
the school fund income.
UNITY OF UNIFORMITY. .-
The spirit OF our government reserves
control of local affairs and interests to
the smaller units of society, and dele
gates to the larger only those concerns
IN which a diversity of management
would work mutual harm to the several
communities. Thus each family deter
mines the nature of its diet, and the
quality of its clothing: each district the
excellence of its roads, and the charac
ter of its school.
Even though, in these particulars,
the mlsmanagementO often extends its
evil Influence to many not directly con-
cerned, still the judgment of the states
men ard the pref udice of the people
have united III maintaining these ar
rangements, with but the minimum
of direct control by the remoter gov
eminent.
Bv establishing minimum of at
talnment in the teacher, the state has
endeavored to limit the penurious ten
dency Of communities to render the
chOol carrlcature. 1t has also en-
deavored to secure a reasonable amount
Of school session In each year, by an
ShPbCfsi W VIC oIill oCIibilliSlIt, III WILL
holding the "public money" from all
districts that fail to compy with the
law. ..E EH.
In each Of these requirements there
is wide range for local choice beyond
the limit fixed by the state and com
paratively few ever feel the laws to be
restrictions.
In the local management of rural
schools, the EVIL of diversity in texts
has diminished but little, if any, during
the last half century; but rather, by the
multiplication of published series has
been aggravated. The statutes of the
state are ignored. and Individual need or
narrcwness has prevailed against the
wisdom OF the majority, and to the hurt
of ALL
La the wide spread conviction that the
state must interfere to secure the need
ed reform, two schemes are suggested.
Both agree IN enforcing uniformity, but
differ as to the extent to which uniform
ity Is practicable or desirable.