The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-09-03
gratulations to the young folks, &C.
companied with best wishes for a
career of prosperity and usefulness.
PRINCE SERIES ADOPTED.
The School Board Makes Change
In Arithmetics
Everything Is in Readiness For the
Opening of the Schools.

There was full ATTENDANCE at the
| last regular meeting Of the Old school
board last night. Nearly the entire
session was given up to the coDsidera-
tion of the proposed change in arith-
meticS.
The committee On schools recon-
mended change Id arithmetics in
the schools, but with no recommen-
dation as to books.
Superintendent Varney spoke on
the subject and said that many think
that the books in use fifty years ago
are good enough, because the pupils
F., then were better mathematicians than
those of the present day are after
eight years of work Then the boys
went in with a mind to work and
completed arithmetic in three or four
months. Until recently arithmetics
have been divided into topics. The
present plan is to take each grade a
little deeper into the entire subject,
instead of combining it to single new
topic. CHM & Co.'S Prince series and
Heath's Walsh series are on this plan,
The Prince system has eight books,
all of,which should be used in the
Mankato schools except the first two
and the eigth. The Walsh series is
in three books, which cover the
ground of the eight of the Prince
series. There is some algebra in the
seventh and eigth books of the Prince
series. B 9th series have teachers
manuels free. The books of the
Prince system can be had for twenty
cents each and the company will al
low ten cents for the Essentials and
fifteen cents for the v entworths
now in use. The Walsh series cost
30 and As cents, and with the eX-
change off cost Is and q cents, and
the books cover two years work. The
total cost of the new books of the
Walsh series to the pupils would be
S270, and the exchange price would
be $40. Estimating that seventy per
cent of the pupils will have books to
exchange, the total outlay for two
years would be 5000. Under the
Prince system it would be S7S for one
year. Prof. Varney said that he had
used the Prince system and favored
it, and other people in whom he had
confidence favored it. He was not
familiar with the Walsh series, but
had studied it for four hours and did
not think it was as good in some re-
spects as the Prince system. The
latter system is used at Winona, Aus
tin and Duluth, and the Walsh sys-
tenn at St. Paul.
| Two agents were present, Mr..
Chandler for the Prince series, and
Mr.. Vose for the Walsh series.
They both said that they would
take the books in the hands
of the dealers. Each spoke for
his own series and answered questions
from members of the board. Mr..
Chandler said that the Prince series
is in use in the Mankato and Winona
Normal schools, and that after three
years trial in 'the Winona Normal
school the Winona public schools
| had adopted it.
The agents retired, and on motion
of DR.. Davis an informal ballot was
taken, resulting in the Prince series
receiving five votes and the Walsh
series three votes. A formal ballot
resulted the same way, and Capt.
Keysor moved that the Prince system
be adopted. This was carried, Messrs.
Davis, Keysor, Coughlan, Jones, Cray
and Williams voting yes, and Messrs.
Fletcher and Parry voting no.
The matter of insurance on the
high school building was left with
the finance committee with power to
act.
| The committee on property and eX-
pense was instructed to have new
stone hitching post placed in front of
the high school building.
Superintendent Varney took up the
matter of the regarding of the Pleas
ant Grove school, and recommended
that Mr.. Gregg be transferred from
the sixth to the fifth grade, that Miss
Lewis be given the lower sixth, and
Miss Iceberg the upper sixth and all
of the mathematics. This was ap-
proved, on motion of Capt. Keysor, af-