The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-08-14
CHANGE OF READERS
DISCUSSED BY BOARD
From Thursday, Daily.

From Thursdays Daily. ....
After no little argument, the school
board last evening decided TO dis.
place from the public schools for Cyr
readers. which have long been in
use In all the grades, and to sub
stitute for them In the first three
grades the Horace Mann readers,
published by Longmans, Green and
company, and In the other grades
the Carroll and Brooks readers.
published by d. Appleton and com
pany.
This action was taken on the
recommendation of F. J. Sperry, the
superintendent, and the committee
on schools, Of which Mrs. b. ID.
Smith is chairman.
Mr.. Sperry, In broaching the sub
ject. stated that the Cyr readers had
been In use in the Mankato schools
for the last twenty years. For five
years or more the teachers had
been anxious to change the readers.
l.. T. Jefferson wanted to know
the reason why change was
recommended now, and Mr.. Sperry
said the pupils found the Cyr read.
ers embarrassing.
Statement Of Or. Beach.
DR.. W. A. Beach remarked that
since he had been on the board a
change had been made in the Cyr
readers. one series being substituted
for another At that time many OF
the children had to discard their
old readers and buy new ones. He
did not see why a good reader
could not have been adopted then.
Mr.. Sperry said he thought II
would have been a good idea. II
was something. however. that had
been done before his time.
Dr. Beach said he did not like
to see changes made in the text
books, as there were so many
families In which the older children
handed down their books to their
younger brothers and sisters.
Mr.. Jefferson remarked that there
had been no little kicking" on the
changes that had been made I'm the
drawing crayons and other things.
However. he was of the opinion
that the children ought to have
good readers. Incidentally. Mr.. Jeffer-
son observed that the parochial
schools were away ahead Of the
public schools in the matter OF
reading, on which subjects the
parochial schools put in about half
of their time.
Mr.. sperry said the parochial
schools did not beat the public
schools on other things.
New Cost Same AZ Old.
In reply TO an inquiry, Mrs. Smith
remarked that the new readers In
the respective grades would cost
about the same as the old, and
when the children traded in their
old readers for new ones, they
would get a reduction on what they
paid for the new ones.
When the vote was taken on the
proposed change Of readers, DR.. J..
s. Holbrook, Judge Evan Hughes. l..
voted for the change and Alexander
Bashaw and DR.. W. A. Beach against
II.
Other changes were also made In
the text books on the recommends
ton Of the superintendent and the
committee on schools. The Gunnison
and Harley Beginning Latin book
was displaced and Smiths Latin
Lessons. published by Allyn and
Bacon, was put in its place. Mr..
Sperry remarked that the Smith text
book gave a better preparation for
the study of higher Latin. In response
TO an inquiry whether there was any
likelihood Of the study of Latin
dying out In the high school, he said
forty to fifty had registered for the
study of beginning Latin next fall.
Why Changes Were Made.
Some changes In the text books
were made necessary by the adop.
ton of new courses in the high school
in the bookkeeping department a
change was made from the half-year
course offered by the Ellis System
to the Twentieth Century Book
keeping and Accounts, which is a
full year course. published by the
Southwestern Publishing company OF
Cincinnati.
For the new course in shorthand
the Euclid Shorthand Manual was
adopted. This is published by the
Burrows Brothers company Of Cleve,
land. For the typewriting course
Gardeners Scientific Touch Typewrit
ing. issued by the F. II. Bliss publish.
ing company OF Saginaw, Mich, was
prescribed. The textbook adopted
for business English was Buhlig's
Business English, published by d. C.
Heath & Co. .. %.
The Ellwood Sociology, published
by the American Book company, was
adopted for that department OF
study. For third year German. the
board adopted d. c. Heath & Co.'s
edition of, wilhelm Tell, the Heath
edition OF Hoefeld's German Lyrics
and ballads and CHM & Co.'s edi
ton Of Hermann und Dorothea.
49, Election OF Teacher. ".
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