The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-07-20
oW each member voted.


were the undersigned members divid-
ed in their final vote. These were the
basal set of rea ers, the Biographies
and the English books below the high
school. The following voted for the
Wheeler Primer: MessB. Daniel,
Glenn, O'Driscoll, Rembert, Thacks-
ton and Toms. In the case OF the
first and second basal readers, Messrs.
Glenn and Rembert voted for the
graded classics of B. F. Johnson &
Co. as a solid basal set. Messrs.
Daniel, O'Driscoll, Rice, Thackston
and Toms voted for the Wheeler first
and second readers, as adopted. In
the case of the biographies, the final
vote stood for Maury;; Messrs. Daniel,
O'Driscoll, Thackston and Toms; for
Frye, Messrs. Glenn, Rembert and
Rice. In the case of the grammars
the following voted for Kinard and
Withers books: Messrs. Glenn,
O'Driscoll, Rembert, Rice and Thacks-
ton. The following voted against
these books: Messrs. Daniel and
Toms. In each such instance, how
ever, those who opposed the books
finally adopted cheerfully accepted
and approved the verdict of the ma
jority. In the final vote on all other
books adopted the undersigned men,
bers voted alike.
Change of Text Books.
: In reference to the change of text
books, it must be remembered that
the law itself anticipates the necessi-
ty for change in providing for pc
riodic adoption. The object, more
over, in inviting bids is to secure not
the cheapest books, but the best
books at the lowest prices. The
board showed it's recognition of this
principle as a primary end in the
fact that, at it's first meeting and fire.
uuently in the course of the adoption,
it was repeated with emphasis that
the first duty was to get the best
books irrespective of reasonable diff
ferences in price. One of the most
dangerous doctrines implied in Mr..
Swearingen's protest is that which
tends to establish the principle that
books should not be changed and that
cheapness is the chief object.
No mans child should be COM
PEELED to use inferior text books even
though such books were furnished
free of cost. Time once lost by the
child, through poor books, is never
recovered and the damage done is ir-
'reparable. People living in the coun-
try, are, as a rule, not in position to
keep up with the advance in text
book improvements. These advances
are on a par with, or ahead of, i'm
provements, along other lines; and
books that were relatively good four
or five years ago may be relatively
poor to-day. Surely the country chill
dren are entitled to as good books as
the town children are. This advan-
tage the board was fully determined
they should have without regard to
criticism.
Increase in Prices.
Most of those who have made COM
PARSONS between particular books OF
the old and the new adoption have
fallen into serious and misleading
error.
Primer and Reader.
In the case of the primer, although
the one adopted costs 13 cents more
than the old one, it contains $500
words of reading matter, whereas the
old book contains only 1900. Thus
the old primer, pasteboard bound,
cheaply made, poorly illustrated, gave
only 10 words of reading matter for
one cent, while the new primer, cloth
bound, fully and beautifully Illus
trated, gives 225 words of reading
matter for one cent. The judgment
of the school world upon this new
book may be inferred from the fact
that it has been adopted in II States.
So, also, are the readers adopted su-
perior to those discarded.
Reading is the most important sub
ject taught in the school, because the
child's progress in all other studies
depends upon his ability to read.
That series of readers which enables
the child to gain the power in the
shortest possible time is in the end
the best and the cheapest. Such a
series the undersigned members of
the board claim to have adopted.
Biographies.
In the comparison between the old
and the adopted primary biographies,
the following is the fact: The book
thrown ont was chnfessed1v 11nsuit