Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-14
s49,7o6.3o
W DIR.
By amount paid for teachers

~ aihVuiib paul lpT teachers
:, salaries ........;.: 0,osf45
BY amount paid for officers and
lanitors salaries. .............. 1852
BY books and stationery. ........ DAG. 73
!By repairs: $3.50. -............... 1,069. "a
BY manual training ............. All. 81
by night school. ............... 3i.S7
by Iuel ................... 035
Dy new buildings. ............... ,f52.67
Bny miscellaneous DIS. :......... l3S.ll
By balance on hand December
3lst, 1891:
For current expenses. ........... 2o,sl22l
For new buildings. G,4sl 0s
SiD, iG6I0
A motion made by DIR. Shortlidge
ome time ago and on which action had
Deem postponed several times, was taken
up. 1t asked for the adoption of Max
wells Introductory Lessons in English
Grammar in the first, second, third and
fourth grades, to replace the grammars
now in use
MIR. Baynard disapproved of the mo-
ton, and as substitute moved that the
grammar used IN the second grade be
substituted by Longman's.
DR.. Shortlidge declared Longman's
grammar IS not good enough. Why,
said he, the author is British and thc
cpSiiihS A4ht3liSh. IL sptllS nOlOT ana
labor" with "u," and "analyze" with
an "s. Its punctuation is bad; it has
no rules for capitalization, except the
statement that proper name begins
with capital, and it contains Mother
Goose stories. 1t does not begin itali-
cized words with capitals, and its adiec-
tives are higher and highest. The print
8 bad for the eyes, and its author Is a
nr cnh I.
He had visited II grammar school
teachers, and not one of them favored ii
II necessary he could point out more
objections. He thought all the gram
mars used in those grades should be
thrown away and the Maxwell book
adopted. Its author is connected with
the Brooklyn schools and is an excel
lent scholar. He could not understand
why we should want TO teach British
ideas and principles.
MIR. Baynard said he could not under
stand DIR. Shortlidge. He had visited
various teachers and was convinced the
best thing to do was to adopt the recon-
mendation of Superintendent Harlan,
put LonGman's grammar in the second
grade.
DIR. Shortlidge stated that he would
say frankly he believed the book had
no right TO be in the schools. He did
not think il is in any public school in
the country. The best way to get at
the matter would be to call meeting of
the grammar school teachers and the
superintendent and there ascertain the
objections to the Maxwell book. Tho
cost of the book would be triiling, not
exceeding S25. He had no interest in
the publisher. II was singular the
teachers told him one thing and Mr..
Baynard something else.
MIR. Baynard inquired whether criti-
cisms on the Maxwell book had been
sought.
s. Redmond Smith said he did not
have the knowledge he would like to
have before voting on the proposition.
When he went to school he had old
Browns grammar, and he would put il
against any of them $50 would IT. in
terposed DIR. Shortlidge. Continuing,
MIR. Smith stated that if the book Ia
present use is open to criticism the
ther had better be adopted. He would
e to have the sentiment Of the gram
r teachers.
DIR. Morgan said he was disposed to
recognize the ability of the superinten-
dent. If the teachers were allowed to
dictate in this matter they would want
to dictate in other matters. He hoped
that would not be. After compl1-
menting the superintendent he expressed
wish that Mr.. Harlan would be sup
ported.
Mr.. Smith said he understood that
Mr.. Harlan was almost as well satisfied
with one book as the other; that either
is good enough. Both books might be
indifferently good, yet when it came to
the practical part one might be better
tb4n the other. 1T would be no dicta-
ton to ask the teachers their opinion.
Superintendent Harlan was allowed
to make statement. About two years
ago he consulted the teachers OF the
third and fourth grades and they
agreed with him that Harvey's Gram
mar was poorly adapted. He looked
around and found Longman's Gram
mar, and il corresponding with
his ieea of teaching grammar
he took it to the teachers and they
favored its adoption. They thought it
much better than Harvey's. Swinton's
Language Primmers are wearing out,
and he recommended that they be
gathered up and put in the first
grade, and that Longman's Gram
iltoit WIN 10 III int llllu
and fourth grades, be put in the second.
He believed Maxwell's is a good gram
mar. He had gone to the committee and
suggested the use Of Longman's, the
committee not being able to agree on
Maxwell's. He did not think the former
contains one sentence out of every 100
that is entirely English. 1t is as much
American as English. Quite number
of its passages are taken from juvenile
literature and for that reason he likes
the book. He likes its parsing and
analysing. Both books We're written
by Englishmen and Maxwell quotes
English authorities. For 10 years he
had heard from the teachers that the
grammar taught in the lower schools
does not exactly fit that taught in the
high school. He believed both books
under discussion are good and he would
gladly work with either.
DIR. Shortlidgc said he wants q regu-
lar series. He does not care whose it is,
but not Longman's, so that he has
series. Longman's, he asserted, is not
fit to be in the schools; it is too simple
and more suitable to the nursery.
Hr no .-If y 4 tn1