The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-27
EXAMINERS
DODGE GEOGRAPHY FOF
SCHOOLS.
New rundown by Committee Paves
Way for Lively Session of.
Education Board.

For the second time in the last two
months and the only in the
history of the educational body of this
city the recommendation of the board
of examiners was ignored by the text
book committee of the Board of Edu-
cation last night, when that commit
tee decided to add the Dodge geog-
raphy to the list of text books to be
purchased, turning down the Frye
geography, which had been approved
by the board of examiners. This, to-
gether with the action Of the commit
tee some time ago In r~epudiating the
action Of the examiners and recon-
mending the Modern Music series of
music books after they had peer re-
ported u~nfavorably by the latter,
promises to make things interesting
at the meeting of the Board of Edu-
cation Friday night.
r. A. Smith, Frank f. Crissey and
Henry A. Swami, were absent last
night. and not a dissenting voice was
heard when DIR. II. A. Glatzmeyer, at
the close of Chairman Claude E.. Scat
t%ergood's speech of recommendation,
moved hat the books be added to the
list.
1AC @At@A - 80 OA1 AAt bOph
II bad points in each book. telling
the position taken by the board of
examiners in eacb instance. MIR. Scat
tergood went on with his comparison
of the two books, giving 1t as his opin-
ion that the Dodge book was in many
ways better for the use to which the
committee intended putting 1t than
was the other book. When he got back
to the subject of the board of exam
liners he said:
"They always send us a unanimous
decision. We are never told how the
members of the board stand ON a ques-
ton. Yet l know that they do not al
ways agree, for 1 have attended their
meetings. One of the members told me
at one time hat he was going to make
his fight over a certain matter in the
meeting. Then, If he vas beaten, he
would vote to have the decision mad
unanimous in order to preserve the in
tegrity of the board"
Commissioner w. H. LeFrancis
asked the chairman If he had under
stood him to say that the board
of examiners, in his opinion, had not
given the geography question sufficient
consideration. Mr.. Scattergood said
lidl ie Hdu hOl 81 StdItus
"Well, | don't think they did" Lee
Francis interrupted. "To my mind the
persons who wrote the story in the
papers gave more thought to it thar
the examiners"
Commissioner Andrew Stewart COIN
cided in the views of Mr.. Scattergood
concerning the practise of the board of
examiners in always returning a
.-... t...,. .AaGz u - -f-It
he said, that they should keep the
committee In ignorance as to what they
really thought, as their opinion was
likely to sway members of the commit
tee unduly.
At the close of the meeting MIR. Scat
tergood stated that he would make
every effort on Friday to have the
books he recommended adopted.
SHOULD the Board of Education go
against us them" he said. 81 would be
in favor of having the authority placed
directly in the hands Of the board Of
examiners and be done with it, were It
not that / do not think 1t a good plan
to give such power to a continuing
body. AS chairman of the textbooks
committee | do not care to be a stamp
ing machine simply approving de-
cisions made by the examiners. As
long as we continue doing that the pub
lie will hold us for n acts of that
board of which it does not approve,
while in reality we VIII have nothing
TO do with it,
A resolution to be presented at the
Board of Education meeting dropping
the Natural Music Series from the list
was signed by the committee last nighr.
The Natural Series was also recon-
mended by the board of examiners some
time ago, but after a hot fight in com
mittee the Modern Series was substi.
tuted. The Board of Education will
have an opportunity Friday to how
whether it intends to leave the final
word on the choice of textbooks with
its own committee or with the State
Board.
One of the commissioners said last
night that Philo G.. Noon, whom that
body threw out on his examination for
the position of school principal, and
who was later turned down at his trial
by the teachers committee. had passed
the examinations for the same position
In Boston and stood third in the list.