The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1893-06-29

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mild protest against uniformity of
textbooks il our public schools.
No doubt the professor is right SO
far as such a course would subserve
any educational end or maxim; but
he seems to entirely lose sight Of the
true ends that have been aimed at by
such an adoption. Among the large
and various numbers of textbooks
that have been thrown upon the
market, many of them are almost
worthless, end should have been
strangled long before they ever saw
the light of day. We have only few
competent textbook makers, and few
er still who are competent to make o
wise selection from the large variety
offered. 1t was in view of this fact
that Mr.. Macintosh warned the
school boards of the county to be-
ware of the numerous agents that
would invade them for the purpose
of securing an adoption of their
books. Many of our directors are
men who haye given the subject of
textbooks scarcely any thought, and
can see but little difference between
them. They seem to embrace the
large charity of Byron's apothegm,
that, ga book is a book although
theirs nothing in il" .1.3
1t is quite reasonable then, and al
most necessary that uniformity
should be aimed at, and that our
school boards have some list of books
placed before them that are worthy
of their approval. Many of the
school books throughout the county
have found a place in it, since the ex-
piration of the contract, simply be-
cause they we're in use in Morris, or
some other school worthy of recog-
milton. The school boards have,
many of them, trusted to the judg-
ment of others in this matter, rather
than their own, and we think they
are again willing that a selection
should be made for them by those
whose EDUCATION and experience en-
title them to the highest consider
alton. 1t may be that the selection is
not the best in the world-although
we think it is good one-still, it is
vastly superior to any that would
be made by leaving directors to silver
tongued agents. 7-
Mr.. Macintosh and the committee
are to be compEmented on their Sc
lection of books, and we hope the
school boards of the county will
strictly adhere to the adoption made.
We see no reason why the course pur-
sued by Stevens county could not al
SO operate with the same effect in
other counties, and that uniformity,
instead of being impossible" as
Supt. Kiehle states, would be prac-
ticable and easily attained.
Prof. Childs tells us that 'he was
at the court house meeting of June
3, and took an active part in showing
the advantage of free textbooks, and
also was instrumental in getting a
committee appointed" This was de
cidedly right; but what change has
come DER the spirit of his dream since
then7 Why did he agree to have a
committee appointed to adopt q uni.
form series of textbooks, when he ig-
nored his action again almost as soon
as it was possible for him to do SO!
Did he not favor uniformity at the
court house meeting when he con-
sented to such a committee, and did
he not contradict himself afterwards
when he rushed into print to inform
us that after all uniformity is not
such good thing as we might sup
pose! We presume he was simply
looking after the interests of the
country schools, for he abruptly tells
us that the "village committee are
as competent, and may be as fully
trusted to make selection, etc" as
the county committee. He offers this
as an excuse for not joing hands
with the county, and the still more
flimsy one that mot single member
of the village committee was con-
suited in the choice of books" Surely
this is q matter around which there
should pot bewoven much "red tape
and we fail to see why the village
committee SHOULD receive any special
consultations more than any Other
part of the county. Morris is in.
cluded in Stevens county, and her in,
terests are identical with it. -
No one, we think, Will deny the
fact that the able superintendent Of
Morris and his efficient corps Of
teachers are fully competent to make
such selection as suits the highest
welfare of their schools; but the same
is also true Of some of the country
districts. The teachers are just as
competent, and the directors are just
as intelligent. Some of the Morri:
teachers, if we mistake not, have beer
recruited from the country districts
and we find they have given ,entirt
satiafactian, as their retention anG
promotion plainly show. Most of thu
teachers of the county, however
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