Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-07

characters called "aitch" or "doubleyou,
etc.
Many Minds Better Than One.
No man even of education and ability
can decide with absolute certainty what
book is the best for class. All are good;
none are perfect Each author attempts to
give something different, or at least to give
it in different language from others, and by
having variety of books we get the benefit
of all.
The objection is made at once that our
teachers could not manage class exercises
with a multiplicity of books This may or
may not be libel on teachers, but it GER
tainly is an impeachment OF their ability,
for there isn't good teacher in the State
who would not gladly welcome the intro
ductlon of a half dozen good text books in
any branch Instead of one. As the law now
stands, the directors select a text book, which
book, and no other, shall be used for q term
OF three years. If it doesn't happen to be
the poorest book offered it will, in a major
ity of cases, be simply because the best
agent didn't happen to be representing that
particular book; because it is a stubborn
TACT that merit has but little weight with
the average director-not because he doesn' t
mean well, but because he doesn't know,
and he ought not to be expected to know.
Abolish Present Uniformity Altogether.
When book is adopted, no matter what
the price, it must stay three years or the law
is violated. Instead of this plan, let the
law of uniformity be abolished, both as a
hindrance to education and as a vantage
ground for high prices. If each pupil must
buy his own books, let him make his own
choice, provided the grade is right. If the
better plan is chosen OF having books bought
by public money. let the directors buy as
great variety of the best books as they
can, but in no case let US have anything to
do with the dead law of uniformity.
If school books are placed on the dealers
shelves subject to the same free competition
as miscellaneous books, we shall have no
trouble about high prices, and under the
variety plan no growing about frequent
changes, Then, and not till then, will our
boys and girls be inspired with the spirit of
investigation, and not till then will some
of our teachers comprehend that it is not all
OF teaching to ask few questions from a
book and see that they are answered in the
language of the book.
From Superintendenes Report.
We append an extract from a report made
by us in 1882, when County Superintendent,
and, Judging from the commendatory letters
we received from State Superintendent Hig-
bee, Deputy Superintendent Henry Houck,
Superintendent George j. Luckey, of Pitts
burg, Superintendent r. NJ. Streeter of
Tltusville, and Others it must be concluded
that II we are crank we occasionally get
into good company:
The kind consideration of uniformity was
made, no doubt, for the "traditIonary'' teacher
who knew just enough to read the questions at
the bottom of the page and them glance up
ward to see that the answer was given in the
exact language of the book.
Uniformity is q god-send to such teachers
natural outgrowth of the one-book idea. 1t is
certainly not requiring too much of our teach
ers, IN this. age of advanced ideas, to expect
them to teach 10y subject rather than by cer-
tam number OF pages IN particular book.
Variety the Life of School Work.
1t is an old saying that variety b the spice of
life, but it is the life itself of school work. and
we submit 1t to tile judgment of any teacher
whether greater variety may be secured in
recitation by having different books in class or
by having but one book.
To say that school cannot be successful be-
cause the pupils have different books, is to con-
Tess that poor teacher is in charge. Why in
some of our best schools can be found five or
six different books in the same class all used
by The advice of the teacher. The idea that
John must throw aside tile book he has AMI
get one like Samantha's, merely because his
book uses little different language in de-
scrlbIng the same subject, is too absurd to
talk about
Instead of sitting all inclination to research
on the part of the pupil let US stimulate it. In
stead Of saying, 'for the next lesson begin at
the top OF the twenty-tifth page and learn every
word to the bottom of the twenty-sixth," sup
pose we say, Tor example, "the next lesson will
be description of Holland. Learn all you can
of it."
Search the Whole Field of knowledge.
Get your information wherever you can-in
geography, history newspaper, or book of
travel" Then we give the pupils an oppor-
tunity for research, and when they come to
class they won't all have the same stereotyped
story found on the twenty-tfth and twenty
sixth pages of the same book.
Boys and girls, no less than men and women,
dislike to play the part of mere machines, to
repeat parrotlike what some one has already
repeated. Give each one a chance to learn
something a little different from the Others if
possible, and they will all learn more and
learn it better.
Take for example, Holland as an fllustra.
tion. have five Biographies at hand-leading
books on the subject The one that has least
to say of Holland devotes but three lines to it.
The one that has most gives about IS lines
Now, il the first of these books happens to be
the legal one, pupils won't get very extensive
knowledge of Holland If the second is in use
they will get much better idea of the country
but not good as il the class had all five
books. because each book, except the three
line one, gives some interesting thing that the
others do not.
Good Case in Point
For example: Four of the books say that
Holland was once overiowed by the sea; only
one. however, states that the overflow was only
at high tide. Only one states that i. is pro-
tected from the sea by dunes as well as by
dikes. Only one says that Holland is one of the
best cultivated countries of Europe. Only one
toS that the fartIla Re sboe
or lakes, and after being surrounded by dikes.
the water was pumped out by windmills. Only
one says there is no coal in Holland, and peat
is used for fuel, and but one states that Holland
has foreign possessions with a population equal
to six times her own. These are few of the
points that would be brought up. if all five
books were in class, but which would be lost if
books were uniform.
Reading is the only branch in our opinion,
for which any substantial reasons can be urged
in favor of uniformity, and if it be thought nee
essary that we should defend variety of read
ers in order to be consistent with our theory
we are willing to undertake the task.
A. ]. PALM
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