The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-03-06

take it, would not be conclusive up
on the subject. Mr.. Elkins is doubt
less inclined to favour the abolition
of this department at some future
time. When the university has
grown sufficiently, by reason of the
fact that too much preparatory work
lowers the general standing Of I'M
iversity. But very few of the great
educational institutions of this coun-
try have found it expedient to en-
tirely abolish their preparatory de-
partments. Not until the several ed
uc..ssii,saal institutions of this State,
from the primary school to the uni
versity including of course all grad
led, high and normal schools), are
thoroughly graded and classified, so
as to form one complete and harmo-
NOUS whole, so that each intermedi-
ate school shall have its sphere ac-
curately prescribed and circum
scribed, so that no one course of
study shall overlap that of another,
so that no school shall set itself up
as rival of another, so that the
preparatory work of the intermedi-
ate graded, high and normal schools
shall prepare students fully for the
freshman studies of the university
and shall not leave them deficient
and unprepared in some one or more
branches, so that all the schools of
the State shall be placed under one
general management and not under
control Of different and rival boards,
not until all this shall have taken
place and more will, it be the part of
wisdom to abolish the preparatory
department at the seat of the high
est institution. If the House doesn't
call in that proviso the Senate is Ii
able to run a pencil through the
amendment. The whole movement
is based upon a misunderstanding of
the facts in the case. The support
ers of the proviso profess to be grea t
friends of the University; but one
would have thought they would not
have acted with such impetuous
haste as to preclude full and fair
understanding of the truth and facts
necessary to support intelligent ac
tion in the premises. But here again
is one of the resultant evils of lin
tied forty five day session Men
from mere force of necessity become
accustomed to taking action, upon
insufficient understanding of facts,
for want of time to fully investigate
and become familiar with the facts.
One all important fact l must refer
to: Nearly half of the students in
the preparatory department credited
to Monongalia county are members
of families who have moved to Nor
gantown for the purpose of educa-
ting a whole family ranging all the
way from childhood to young man
hood. / am told there are no less
than seventeen families of this char
acter who are nominally residents of
Monongalia county but only for the
temporary purpose of educating a
family of children. When the
AoRGANTowN SCHOOL DISTRICT
in its enlarged plan and scope shall
have become an established fact, con
sisting of from three to five primary
schools and one central high school,
graded from the primary grades so
that completion of the course of
study in the high school shall embrace
all the studies of the preparatory de-
partment of the University, the in
ducement to families to come into
our community and live among us for
the purpose of educating their chill
dren will be even greater than at pres
ent.
SCHOOL BOOK LAW.
The bill to provide for a county
school book board, asynopsis of which
was given in a former letter, has pass
ed both branches and / presume will
become law. 1t is fundamental
principle, upon which all republican
forms Of government rest, that the
best and most satisfactory results are
obtained by allowing to the people the
largest degree of local self government
and control consistent with strength,
durability and continuity. While we
have state system of education our
policy has heretofore left to the people
the determination for themselves and
by themselves of almost all questions
of detail. With what result? Edu-
cation has made progress in West Vir-
[ginia with a rapidity second to nc
state in the Union. Would any one
ror;ouclu oopfap1 for n r,,n,nant fbot
the average member of state legisla-
ture is prepared either by experience
or training to make selection of text
books for the schools? Would any
one desire to see the selection of series
of textbooks for the whole state, EN-
bracing nearly six thousand schools,
placed In the hands of three men,
two of whom might have it in theil
power to make contract which would
make the publishers fortune? Does
any one suppose, if state board were
created, that publishers, in this venal
age Ono worse perhaps than Other
ages, would not resort to such means
as might be necessary to control the
state board? What men of integrity
and ability would be willing to serve
on such state board and be subjected
to the insinuations of interest which
!, such contract carrying so large a
margin of profit, not only in amount
but in point of time, would suggest:
, What is the logic of facts and eventst
Relegate the question to localities
where it belongs. l admit there are
some objections to local control OF
this question; but those objections
are few and of a minor character
when contrasted with the larger an6
mightier questions involved. Under
the new act every county is required
to make selection and let contract
on the same day. Itwould hardly be
; possible for publishing companies 4
corrupt any number of the loca
boards under the provisions of this
! act. There will be also little dispo-
b ition on the part Of local boards toe
} depart from the series of books thai
have been in use. / shall be disap
: pointed if the law as whole doe:
not prove satisfactory when the peo-
pie become thoroughly familiar will
it. After all textbook is only in,
, tended as an aid to understand sub
ject as ontradistinguished from 8
book. Different teachers have differ.
ent methods of presenting and teach
ing subject. No text book is equal
ly clear upon all subjects. Teachers
should comprehend the subjects they
profess to teach. Too many are sat.
isfled with teaching child to repeat
} parrot-like, the contents of the book
\ falling to imnart. an Indarsta ndinu M