Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-12-18
FREE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN +?
THE TEACHERS OF BEVERLEY
MANOR AND ERHE ADS
GIVE Il MAJORITY
AGAINST II.
THE DEBATE ON THE QUEsTION-OPIN-
CLOSE VOTE.

Friday evening was very Interesting one.
its proceedings being in great part COM
posed of debate on question now before
the State at large and on the f)or of our
shall free books be furnished
to the public school children :?
The session was opened by County Su"
periatendent Roller, who made an earnest
appeal to the teachers not to persist in
asking him to excuse them from further
attendance upon the In titute, for,
although he would gladly oblige them,
duty compelled him to refuse such re-
quest, and he would ask the teachers
as a personal favor not to force him to
refuse them.
The hour having arrived for Mr.. g. Fl.
Gilkerson to open the discussion upon
Arithmetic. Mr.. Gilkerson stated that
the Institute had heard so much On this
subject that in order to know whether the
teachers wanted to hear any more he
would move to pass by the discussion.
The body voted to hear Mr.. Gilkerson. He
then illustrated his methods Of teaching
elementary Arithmetic, by means OF bum
dies of ST icks, straws. &c.
Mr.. J. r. SwartZel then worked an ex-
ample. pulling several by the addition OF
25, for which he could give no reason. yet
declared that by its addition any similar
example conld be worked. AS, judging
from the procee iings of this Institute,
this locality seems to give mathematical
turn to the mind, we will give the exam
ple: ga man sold horse for $1,000 and
made as much per cent. as the horse cost
in dollars. What did the horse cost !?
Ans. s7O''
Mr.. Towberman then explained an ex-
ample in interest, when Supt Bowles
was called out to illustrate the method of
Position. He said he did not rise to
commend, but to condemn Position, and
would show a shorter way to work class
of problems which were very long by
position. He then gave an ingenious
solution of several examples by means of
aline.
The subject of 'Penmanship'' was then
introduced by Mr.. J. q. Fisher. After
referring to Mr.. Spencer's having claimed
to get his movements from those of the
waves, Mr.. Fisher made an analysis of
the system showing the movements TO be
parts of circle and its radn.
NIGHT SESSION.
The night session was opened with
Glove" defamation by J. b. Amiss
'-srdcation,' an essay by Miss Maggie
Waddy; Education in the South" an
essay by Miss Ellen Cameron; "a recita-
ton" by Miss Lucie G. Turk; "Eliz sbeth
Eliza writes for the paper" an essay by
Miss Lille OFT; The Last Command a
recitation by Jas. F. Watson, and Teach.
ing Children an essay by Mr., Tyler.
THE QUESTION OF FREE BOOKS FOR THE
PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN.
Mr.. George P. Perry offered for adop-
ton paper, in the form of petition to
the legislature, requesting that body to
consider carefully the making of law
under which free books would be- furnish
ed to the pupils of the public schools OF
Virginia, and expressing the belief that
such law would be disastrous to the pub
lie school system of the STATE. Mr.. Perry
said the passage Of such law meant one
of three things, Ell her the salaries Of
the teachers must be cut down, the length
of term shortened or an additional tax
levied. He thought the people would not
submit to an additional tax, 50 either the
salaries would have to be cut down or the
length of the term shortened, either OF
which would result in the destruction of
the public schools. Should such a bill
be passed, the only hope he saw for Tie
schools was in the passage of the BaiI
bill, and this was only bird In the
bush.''
Mr.. Perry was followed by Mr.. J. G
Fisher, who thought it would be economy
for the State to buy the books, as they
could be bought SO much cheaper il
bought by the large quantity. He said
we had by our votes endorsed our plat.
form; that Our representatives were going
to Congress next session almost pledged
to vote for Lhe Blair bill. and unless We
stood by the platform which we had en-
dofsesl By our votes we could not expect
our representatives to stick to theil
pledges.
Mr.. ]. L. Hutchens then dwelt upon
the effect such law would have upon the
pupils of our public schools. He sale
children you'd soil their books, and wher
these soiled books we're given out the next
session there would be great dissatisfac-
ton, He said some Of the pupils wouit
want to seVieW during ths summer, bu
this would be impossible, IS the books
having been taken away at the close o.
the previous session would be stored ava!
out of their reach.
Mr.. S. w. Huff thought Mr.. Fisher :;
argument, that 1t would be economy fol
The State to buy the books by the large
quantity. was not as strong as it seemed
upon first thought; that the difference be
tween the amount for which Individual
buy the books and that for which tli
state could buy them, is only what ou
retail merchants make upon them, an(
for the State to buy them would be tt
depress com erce 10 that extent, and thu
benefit the State at large very little. HI
said if we would allow So for the book
of each child IN the public schools las
3gear. the whole amount expended 70
books would be 1854, 900 90, and allowing
for the waste Of books which will natural
Nv arise from the books being free, and fo
the salaries of men to distribute thess
books, iU would amount to about one mil
dion dollars This must be raised by tai
which will bear heaviest upon The pool
man. whom this bill claims to benefit
And will it pay the people TO pay ou