The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-06-08
The Public Schools OF Beallsville
and Sunsbury Township, Nom
roe County, Ohio,
By REV. L. B. KING.

BY REV. L. B. KING.
i wrote an innocent article for the
SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY, Nav 4.lor reasons
named therein ;and the editor m his edi-
torial column gives the proper comment
upon the same when be said: 1--WE pre-
sumo the opinions expressed are unprej-
udiced and given from an educational
standpoint
l. write now TO say, with other pa
rents having children to educate, that it
Is my business TO say what kind of books
I want put into the hands OF my chill
dren, and what kind ! do not want; and
no amount Of hluff-game shall prevent
my saying 20. I am told Il is not my
"pat an" Indeed!! Who are you ?
="You and the Teachers of Sunsbury
Township are not competent 10 decide
upon school hooks" Bosh!!
2 Prof. Cope falls into imaginary or
fictitious, Jack. the Giant Killer; Robin
SON Crusoe, Arabian Nights, Fairy Sto-
ries, Henry Cabot Lodge hallucina,ions
over nv article, in his communication in
The SPIRIT Of May Is What the mat
ter notuf Had ] stepped upon any bodv's
toes7 The confraternity Of Appleton's
have been letting loose the foodgates Of
their circulars upon the teachers and 9th.
ers Of Sunsbury township since my arti.
Gle Of May 4. l have been furnished
one, upon The 14lh page Of which my
critic had given himself up wholly to
Appieion's. I begin to see Why he comes
to the defense Of himself y But gen.
tlemen. save your circulars send them
to other places; Sunsbury township is
forever lost to your cause. The Boards
OF Education, Teachers and Parents will
have no more OF Aopleton's.
8. My article stated few simple facts;
my critic comes to the defense Of fiction
-and OF just such fiction as no right
minded parent would allow to 60 into
the hands of bis children, except under
very special safeguards This champion
of fiction wonld, seemingly, have the
children OF Monroe County placed un-
der The tuition OF such streams as issue
from the Boston hot.beds OF infiielity.
The child-mind Graves" fiction! All,
yes! just the reason that somebody,
who has more sense, ought to supply it
with something substantial! My critic
says. "fic,ion forms the largest part Of
our English Literature" Granted. But
Rev. Joseph Cook says, There are not
more than one thousand books in the
English Language that are worth read
ing the rest Is trash"
4. Who is Competent to Judge of the
merits OF school bookp My critic, in
substance, intimates that he is the only
one. He says, "One of two things is
true: either the trial Eof Appleton's in
Sunsbury TIL was not thorough and
impartial, or the judges were not compe-
tent to render a decision He says,
"The teachers Iof Sunsburyl are very
deficient" "Ose mast conclude" this
according 10 his dictum, because they
differ with him-me "One" The par
ties whom this Zone" puts under his
condemnation for the change Of Apple
toms Readers out, and McGufey's Re-
vised Readers and Spoilers in,the schools
here, are. 1st, Beallsville School Board--
DR.. j. W.. Reed, A. L Griffith and j. E
Dixon; ID; Township School Board
Dr.. J. B Shouse, clerk, j. s.. Mellott,
Wilson Stewart, B R. briggs, Jr., JOSH
ua Keyser, Aaron Headley, J. A. Keyser
Sd. Such teachers as Prof. McVey, NJ,
Lohmire, Josie Thornberry, ]. Jeffers,
R. L. Morris, A. W. Grissell, George
Pryor, ]. N. Jefiers, W. D. Citizens and
others whose good sense and quali6ca-
| tions as teachers enable them to resent
such egotistic criticisms as have been
very unjustly heaped upon them by our
pseudo critic; 4th. The parents Of our
schools, who say, q oar Boards and
Teachers Ia their work and this last
change, "well done!' The trial was
thorough and impartial. There was 6
leaning towards Appleton's by some o
the Teachers, until they examined the
Revised McGufey's-when they yielded
the superiority to the Revised McGuf
fey's.
| We think our critic is ignorant Of tht
merits Of the Revised McGufey's, pref
udiced, or not fair in bis Judgement
else he would do what others are doing
throughout the State, to wit: adop, tb'
Revised McGuffev's as the best schoo
book circulating and being used,
8. Look at the merits udfprice OF thu
McGufey's. do not put in a-defens'
for the McGuffey'sAthey need non,
from me They stand upon their owl
merits. Let them be examined. Extra
cost OF school books Is cemplaint o
the people. Compel them to buy |
dictionary for definitions while they fee
that the school book ought to have th
definitions given. and the poor; especial
lily, have canse Of complaint. / do no
Object to the use OF dictionary. / ad
vocate the cause Of the people. Max
the education of the poor as accessible
and cheap as possible, and yet we 6n'
many who were not in school last winte
because they could not. they say, buy th
books, without dictionary to boot. Civ
the necessary matter to be learned b.
the pupil in the cheapest, most compre
heusive manner, and for the least mon
ey-cost, and you thereby strike the righ
cord in the interest of common schoo
education-whether the book sharks
make large profits or not. Those VIII
will give their children higher educa
ton may afford to buy dictionary an
other competent appliances; but let th
poor have chance without overburden
| 6. Our critic hints slarge teachers q
us-,oe supposs he Judges Others by him
selft We have in our list among tn
most Industrious teachers that hav
met anywhere. Our teachers and pupil
are readers and thinkers. By thei
fruits we know them.
'. When o man says, "Appleton'
! Readers are the best ever published" !" .h