The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-10-30

eltef Lp6 LEU VIII US
There Is no monopoly in sChool-books
the trade in aChool.books Is absolutely
free. Any one has the right 10 enter init
the publication or sale Of such books. HI
msy make them as he likes, sell Rt any
price he chooses, and any school In thil
State that approves them may use them
The seventy.tive firms engaged in thu
publication OF school-books issue IS series
OF readers, l26 spoilers, 70 gEammars, 81
series Of Rrithmetics, 81 series OF Re0grs
phieH, 80 series Of .copy.books, and N his
Ioiea-all applicants for popular taVol
and approval, and all claiming sonC
peculiar excellence.
Ths Board Of each township district Of
independent district in the State may
adopt and use In the schools under theil
charge any one Of the hundreds OF school,
books published in the country, They
may select on any principle that should
govern men having public interests IN
charge. Price, quality, adaptation tn the
schools, may all nave due COntroli but II
ID not conceivable that the four thousand
school Boards, elected by the people from
shslr own number, shall not have the In
terests OF their own neighbors, friends
and children at heart more nearly
ihan the interests Of any publishing
uOuse,
The insinuations sometimes made that
Boards OF Education, superintendent
4nd Teachers are aCluated by improper
nerCenRry motives in selecting these
books In preference 10 others ia an insult
20 them and to the people who elect
them to important trusts, These ISLANDERS
| always emAnAte from persons who would
eek by ialsehood aud libel to obtain
zone advantage which they fail to secure
oy honorable, open competition, Boards
II Education are usually composed oil the
oest men in the country, men OF honora'
| lle standing among their ielloW.Cltizens,
4leCted for their knowledge Of eduCa'
ional affairs and their fitness for the du-
lies Of the Office. The Superintendent
and Principals OF schools are men Of high
standing for their integrity and honesty,
and such imputations upon their char
AOter deserve the Reproduction Of all honest
men.
10 transact oar business We employ
tgents-so do the grocers, the hardware
merchants, and all extensive business
nouees OF the world. We believe those
agsAts to bs honorable, intelligent gentle.
nen. We intend to employ no others,
Its the duty OF our agents to keep US
thor pughly informed OF the progress Of
the schools-what new methods OF in
strAction are being developed, what new
processes are on trial, what the tendencies
4 educational movements In order to
adapt our books properly to the use Of the
,chooIs. A successful schoOl.boOk must
,rcupy position in the direct line Of I'D
yslce; the schools will not readily adapt
themselves to q book that ia not in accord
with the best thought Of the best teachers,
It is also the duty OF our agents to call
the attention OF sGuOOI officers and teach.
IRA to the merits and low prices OF our
publications, and TO recommend their
adoption and use.
We also send out sample copies Of our
books for examination with view to in.
PRODUCTION, and We advertise our books In
ine professional periodicals and by clrCu-
lara with the intent to secure their intro
iuCtion.
The question Of too frequent changes OF
school. Jooks Ia one that Is entirely within
the control OF the people. In nearly every
STATIC the law provides that book, when
once adopted, shall remain unchanged for
term Of years. It Is our experience that
BOOKS, il worthy OF use, do remain much
longer than any legal enactment requires
In the spring Of 1874, we sent out blanks
tn the clerks Of all the School Boards OF
Ohio, asking for information on this point.
We received answers from two thousand
anil knBnahinu nhnWtD0s
|. That 1t Is not true that books are ire.
quently changed; hundreds OF these re.
ports show that the same books have been
In use from ten to fifteen years.
II. That the Law forDiddtnG changes
oltener than once 10 term Of five years,
ia generally observed.
III. That Boards OF Education and
teachers prefer the books they havs So
eOtsd and adopted.
". That there is as much uniformity
In books as ia practicable or desirable.
II ia continually charged upon the auth.
nts and publishers OF school books that
they make frequent changes In the texts
for tho purpose OF compelling pupils to
hny the new editions and throw away the
nld-thus securing increased sales OF the
books.
II the assertions were true, the results
would be tho opposite Of, the end desired.
Those school books which have oftenest
been revised, have for that very reason
lost their popularity; aud wise publishers
have been taught by such examples to
make their books az perfect as possible at
tirst, 80 that changes will not be necessary
for many years.
We attribute the great popularity and
long continued sale Of our own publiCa.
tons largely to two facts: ~ Practical
and experienced teachers, men OF accuracy
aud sound methods, were selected to
write the books, 80 that they should exact.
ly meet the requirements OF our public
schools: and (2l No changes have been
made in the texts except In the correction
Of errors In typography and statement, or
to make them accord with the progress oil
aCenCe and ditCoveTy. Such changes as
these are absolutely necessary, and no
sane man eau object TO them.
MOGutley's Readers and Rays Arith-
metiCg remained unchanged for twenty
years, and many schools have used these
books suCC esaiuly and satisfactorily all
that time. Q1lte recently both series
have been thoroughly revised, hut
this was demanded by the best edu.
CAtora all over the land, as is shown
Conolusively by the marked favor
with which the new and beautiful
editions have been received. The
former editions, however, are kept
IN print, arc still largely used, and
will he published as long as there Is Dc.
mand for them. Such Is the case when.
ever II Is found necessary to make a rAdl.
cal revision Of any hook on our liat,
We have attempted to place before the
public our manner Of doing business
We have, 10 the hest Of our ability,
PLACED our publications In as many
schools Of the country as we could We
have, in face Of the most persistent com.
petition, established q publishing huainess
second to none in the world II has been
our ambition to make the best books al
the cheapest prices, and We ask from the
public their continued support go long as
the merit Of the Eclectic Educational
Series remains worldwide aud unChal,
| lpnpeO, and 40 long AZ no CheaDeT texts