The record-union., 1896-01-07
TIE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
1t Takes Up the State Textbook
Investigation.
Secretary OF State Browns Report-He
Shows Why the Biographies Low
cred the Revolving Fund.

The State Board of Education held
meeting yesterday, Governor Budd,
President Kellogg, Professors Childs,
Purnell. Pierce and Brown being pres
ent
Mrs. Culver presented to the attention
Of the board the Caxton chart, and
asked it's Endorsement by it. The matter
was referred to State Superintendent
Black, with power to act.
The report of the editor-in-chief of
the State textbooks was read. It
quoted the Act of 1893 in relation to the
revision by the board Of the readers,
grammar, arithmetic and history. In
compliance with the Act the series of
readers has been revised and printed
four books in all. The grammar has
been prepared and submitted to the
criticism of the most eminent educators
of the State, and specially to the criti-
cism of Professor Lange Of the State
University. The criticisms offered by
them were almost universally COM
mandatory. The revision of the arith-
metic is under way.
An agreement was made with Profess
sor Kies of the Throop University. to
prepare a revised history for $4,000.
which was to be finished and presented
in April, 1896, but the work has not yet
been submitted to the board.
Professor Lange, who was present,
was called on by the Governor, and
made a report of his criticisms. He had
not applied the absolute standard of
pathological pedagogy to the book, as
he did not know of any one living who
could make a perfect book on that
basis. Professor Whitney Of Yale, he
thought, could come more nearly to it
than any other man.
He thought that the book was hardly
ready to be placed in the hands of the
pupils, and would still need some re-
vision. In preparing book like this,
attention should be paid to several
things First, to grammatical facts;
second, to definitions, explanations and
Technology; third, omissions fourth
proportion and distribution of empha-
sis, and care that the easy portions are
not more fully treated than the more
difficult
He thought that the system or syn
thesis of the book was not, on the
whole, strong, as it does not give the
impression of unity His suggestion
was to group the various infections,
synopses and comparisons together, SO
as to give the pupil an idea. of their re-
lations. He gave some illustrations of
his ideas of what belonged and did not
belong under the head of infections.
He also criticised the division Of verbs
into regular or weak and irregular or
strong, holding that some regular verbs
have become strong. and some irregu-
lar ones weak.
Professor Childs asked if it was not
true that the same criticisms could be
made on any other grammar in use,
and Professor Lange said that in some
respects that would be true, but in
others he thought not.
Superintendent Black said that he
had thought he could write an eIemen-
tary grammar for young children, but
in view of these criticisms he was salts
fed he could not.
In response to a question by Professor
PenneH Professor Lange said that in
order to make the book basis for scho-
larly and scientific study, he thought
that some such revision as he had indi-
Gated would be necessary. The many
selections, he found, had been made
with excellent care, literary taste and
judgment. He rejoiced when he saw
certain exercises in the book that are
not usually found in grammars-name-
y, thought study.
In response to a question by Professor
Child, Editor-in-C Raymond stated
that the criticisms of Professor Lange
and others on the grammar had not
been more numerous and sweeping than
have been made upon every other book
that has been published. There were
full as many on the geography, and
many of them were adopted. In re-
sponse to a question by the Governor,
Mr.. Raymond stated that the authors
commenced work on the grammar
about July, 1894, and it came into his
hands for editing last July.
Then the manuscript of the book as