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Show AX I.HrORTAXT MATTER. Perhaps the greatest barriers to education edu-cation where children attend school? are irregularity of attendance and frequent fre-quent chauges of cla.-s books. The former is usually caused by indifference or the circumstances of the parents; the latter is too often the result of the whiuis or pedantic notions of teachers, where there is not a generally recognized recog-nized authority to decide in the matter, and sometimes even where there is. j Tlf rj have been changes of this character char-acter in this Territory until it. has been a seriou-! burden to parents desirous ol having their children educated, yet who are not over well supplied with cash, which could alone purchase the frequent changes of class-books that have been demanded At one time Monteith's Geographies would be the rage, then these had to give way to Guyot's ; and they in turn were sought to be shelved that Monteith's might be restored to favor. So with Read ers, Grammars, Arithmetics and other common class books, individual teachers teach-ers having their favorites, which pupils were required to adopt, and commence a line of studies in entirely different books, entailing no little expense ex-pense on parents and being a serious detriment to the progress of the pu-p;k pu-p;k We see by the Ogden Junction of Wednesday that another change is proposed, pro-posed, and a sweeping one, in the substitution of the National Na-tional Series of Readers, in place ofWillson's, now in use. If memory is not at fault, we remember Willson's Readers being as strongly urged fur common ue and as highly eulogized as the National Series is by our eon-temporary, eon-temporary, disjunction. This changing chang-ing of class books is uo trifling matter, and one that should be well weighed before being entered upon; and the advice of the Junction to procure a large supply at once seems somewhat premature. We would like to know upou whose suggestion this has been recommended; recommend-ed; and do not think it is the province of 'many leadiog instructors" to do so. Has it emanated from the Regency ol the University, the only proper authority au-thority by law, as we understand it, from whom it. should come? lias a proper examination been made of this New Series, and a due comparison with that now in use, before a change was urged which entails no inconsiderable inconsider-able outlay on the part of parents throughout the Territory ? It is obviously ob-viously the duty of parents to have their children provided with the Lest books lir educational purposes; but they should al.s.0 be protected against sudden and hastily considered changes, which may or may not result in benefit to the cause of education, but are sure to involve a large outlay of ready money. We are aware how these matters are managed in some other parts of the world but hope this Territory Terri-tory is free from similar motives. We cannot agree with the Junction in recommending this matter so hastily, hasti-ly, even though there are advantages offered in purchasing during the ensuing ensu-ing three months. Such advantages would be dearly bought one3, if the new supply of books did not equal, or were even not better than, the ones now in use. And before any such change is adopted, we suggest that the Regency take the matter under advisement, advise-ment, if such has not been done, and that a disinterested committee carefully care-fully compare the two series, or others, if necessary', and have the matter decided de-cided on permanently for the whole Territory. |