Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-03-06
Publisher Herald and News;

III an
editorial article published in your last is
sue entitled "Another Tax to Pay there
are few statements which demand cor
rection. The writer among other things
says, speaking OF the recent action OF the
County Boards in adopting text books
zone striking feature of these adoptions is
the variety of books adopted, the lists va
| rying widely in different counties, but
/ still more startling feature to the tax pay
ers and parents is the fact that, without
exception, the books adopted are radical
changes from the books now in use,n and
farther on he says the books adopted, "of
the same name, have invariably been a
new or revised edition of the old book,
which will necessitate the purchase of an
entire new outfit by the parents of our pu
pills in every town in this state, etc. Now
the writer of the above simply didn't know
what he was talking about. He should
have been posted, at least in his own coun-
" before he indulged in such statements
in regard to every town in the state. He
should have known that in Orange county |
the books now in use in the two leading /
studies, Arithmetic and Geography were |
re-adopted, the former without any change l
whatever, and the latter with only such 1
corrections as are necessary to bring it up /
to date, and when he becomes posted he
viii also find that these two are not the
cnly books that were re-adopted without
NAAAiEN* ne MLliGE HNtluh 10 overlook. al ]
ogether. the fact that by the new law,
ounty uniformity is required so that a
greater or less number OF towns in each
county must change books to bring about
such uniformity. And yet he criticises
the County Boards in this wholesale fash
ion for doing just what they are compell
ed 10 do. In Orange county it was found
that Greenleaf's arithmetic and Harper's
were in use in more towns
than any other book on these subjects,
and hence they were adopted. In the case
Of the geography j. was taken almost en- :
tlrely because it is in use now so generally
and not on account of its merits. In the !
case OF readers there are variety in use
in this county and probably. this is the
case in all the counties, so that many
towns must change. But any one con-
versant with school work knows that five
years is long time to use the same read
ers and that the best schools drop the reg I
ular book and take supplementary" read
ing long before the five years are up and
other schools would be glad to do so if
Ihey could. As to the cost of exchanging
books, it is generally greatly overestimat-
ed and is in the article referred to. Many
new books must be bought each year, re-
gardless OF any change. And when {
change is made old books, no matter how 7
badly worn. il only some parts OF them {
can be exchanged for new ones by 7
'el liAb Atelll udlA ~ AAo-lHlFus lHt price a
II the new book. This is in many cases an !
advantage instead OF a hardship to the pu-
li. As TO "eight dollar dictionaries il
would be interesting to the frank and
lie of the county boards il the author of .
he article would give names and dates. If :,
he should look around the premises of the
'uilty members he would find plenty of
looks left for examination which are now \
imply rubbish, not salable even as pa
'er rags he would find front gates torn OFF,
ences and shade tees gnawed and ruined
" livery horses and many other signs of
he encounter but ~eight dollar dictiona-
les would be as scarce as hens teeth.
here IS cause enough for complaint in Il
egard TO school books. Their cost is sim b
~ outrageous. They are a common ne u
esslty as much as sugar or -four and
hould be furnished at the least possible b
dvance above cost of manufacture In l-al
lead OF tins we not only pay such cost IL
NJ more than one hundred per cent. in
ddition in the way OF salaries and expens :,
) OF the horde OF agents employed by the VI
ubiishers. The only way out seems to be -
n the state to make and furnish free
,hool books and there ought to be com
ined wisdom enough in this State to per
ct and adopt some plan for doing This. IL
4 the meantime IL don't seem reasonable :"
pile the blame on the County Boards le
nd call upon the voters to go to the polls | II
next Tuesday and censure them for
mply doing what they were compelled to q
. and doing il, probably in most cases dl
'eording to their best judgment, after =
Iretul consideration Of the circumstances. A
READER.