The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-12
FEW CHANGES IN TEXT BOOKS.
supt. Bakers Report TO the Board Of
Education.


In the absence of Col Mercer from the
city Mr.. J. B. Read, vice president, pre-
sided at the May meeting Of the board of
education last night. The other mem
bers present were: Messrs. Blum, Estill,
Lee Roy Myers. Tattnall O'Byrne, Stovall
and Saussy.
Messrs. Myers and Saussy visiting COM
mittee to the Henry street school, Capt.
Blum, to the st. Patrieks school, and Mr..
Stovall to the Massie school, reported that
they had visited those schools during the
month
bolt, asking that the sehool at that place
be put on the same footing as the city
schools, and that it be kept open FOR nine
months was read, and on motion of Capt.
Blum the petition was granted.
A letter was read from Dr. j. IL. HERS,
requesting permission to present a gold
medal during the commencement exercises
to the first honor gradute of the High
school. on motion the thanks of the board
was returned to DR.. HERS, and the super
intendent was directed to inform him that
it Is against its policy to allow special
awards for scholarship to be made by
Col. Estiil reported that the finance com
mittee went before the grand jury and
asked that the amount in the county COM
MISSIONS budget for educational purposes
be increased to $4,000, and he hoped that
superintendent Baker in accordance
with a resolution of the board, passed at
the last meeting, read the following re-
In obedience to the resolution passed
at the last meeting of the board, l re-
spectfully submit the following In regard
to the changes in text books used in the
public schools of this city and county: II
would be untrue to state that during the
thirty years of the existence Of our sys-
tenn of public education, no changes have
been made in the books. Indeed 1T would
show a very lamentable want of progress
in the schools If it were true. In the
subjects of geography natural science and
in fact, every department-neW discoV-
cries and new methods of instruction have
made it imperatiVely necessary that obso-
lete books should be replaced by those
which are up to the times. In all the
changes the board has been Influenced by
these considerations. 1t Is thought that
changes have been more frequent in Sa-
vannah than IN any other city. l have
reason to know thatsuch Is not the case.
The text books most numerOusly used
in a system of schools are those on read
ing, spelling. geography arithmetic and
English grammar. In reading and spell
ing we have used the same books for more
than twenty years in the grades having
the largest number of pupils. In the high
est two grades there was a change one
year ago for a book which cost 20 cents.
The use of supplementary readers be-
came a necessity in the primary classes
and they were accordingly introduced.
Little children in graded schools became
so familiar with the text of one book that
it becomes important to give them an
other book Of the same grade, and by
different author.
We are using Robinson's arithmetics,
the same books that were used at the or
ganzation system. OF course. there have
been new editions. In geography, there
was radical change last year. This was
made in the interest of true progress.
Very nearly every system in the country
has adopted the book now used in our
schools.
The late change made in Latin was rem
dered necessary by the fact that the types
of the text book which had been used for
many years had quite worn out. In some
instances. we were Informed, that they
could not be supplied by the publishers.
There has been no change in English
grammar in twenty-five years There
have been some minor introductiOns,
which are of little importance.
In truth, 1 believe 1 am correct in sta
ting that there are few systems in the
country which make fewer changes than
we do in this county,"