The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-08-31
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
The book men are after Supt. Harvey
because of use in teachers Institutes OF
pamphlet prepared by Prof. Patzer un-
der the direction of Mr.. Harvey, in which
extracts from history by John Bach
McMaster are printed The school hist
ory is issued by the American Book com
paHy and the advertising which this con
Germ receives because of the extracts
mentioned and notice of the house print
ed in the pamphlet is the cause of the crltl-
cism showered upon the superintendent
by rival concerns Mr. Harvey's actions,
they say, is in contravention of the law
which prohibits him from having any in
terest in procuring the adoption of any
text books used in school.
The little pamphlet is entitled Lesson
Plans in L. S. History" 1t is an excel
lent guide for teachers and the extracts
taken from the textbook mentioned are
designed to he illustrative. Without
them the suggestions would be incom-
plete or rather, application could not be
So readily made. Mr.. PatZer in prepar-
ing this work asked some other book
houses to furnish printed extracts from
histories which they declined to do.
incidentally the American Book Com
pany will derive some advantage from
the publication of the extracts in this
pamphlet 1t is advertising just to the
same extent that extracts from some
work of literary merit printed in text
book on rhetoric is an advertisement of
the book from which the quotation is
made The school readers in use in
every school are open to the same OBJ
lection this pamphlets, as they all have
extracts which commend the work Of
which they are a part Antonys Ora
ton would be excluded because some
struggling author might raise objection
to the advantage Shakespeare is thereby
given.
This little pamphlet is an excellent
guide for the teaching of history in low
er grades. Its value is enhanced by the
extracts il contains from textbook.
1t is the business of the state department
TO improve the character of instruction
and if any dealer in books finds that this
Improvement works to his disadvantage
80 much the worse for HIM 1t is cel-
talnly not proper that progress ON educa
tional lines should be checked in his be-
half. There is no teacher and no man
having deserved connection with educa
tional work, who does not recommend
certain textbooks, not to benefit the
publisher of the book but to assist TIE
student The man who would decline
to do so is remiss in his duty. The
schools are established to give instruction
AM not to create market for books
and if in doing the former properly the
superior merit of text book becomes
apparent it is the one to use regardless
of all the protests which may be raised
by those having an interest in some 9th
er book deemed less suitable for the pur.
pose intended.
The pamphlet under discussion has
value which a teacher will readily rec
ognZe. BY reason of it history will be |
Mught much better in our schools Mr.
Patzer deserves compensation for hay |
fua prepared so excellent a guide. He
had ND purpose to aid the American
Book Company any more than he had to
assist the paper house which furnished
the paper on which the book is printed
No one would approve the policy which
would deter Mr., Patzer from preparing
this Work because through it book con
Germ derives some advantage
The pamphlet cost the state nothing
Other book concerns had an opportunity
TO secure the advantage they denounce
so bitterly now that it has passed from
them, They did not regard the advan
tage sufficient to compensate them fer
the expense of furnishing the extracts.
Ii it WIS a poor business venture for
them it must be for the house which &c
cepted what they had rejected. They
must have thought that Mr. Patzer ask
ed that the state be given the big end |
of the bargain or they would have not |
rejected his terms Consistency would |
now make them censure him for having |
victimized the American Book Company |
as that is what he sought to do with
them had not their business sagacity
saved them From their standpoint the
American Book Company has made a
very poor bargain.
NOTWITHSTANDING the scarcity of
help and the demand for labor at good
wages, the tramp nuisance has not suf