| Show THE NEW TEXT BOOKS it will bea lc remembered by our readers readers k that tto wa have bare already made mention r n of the change books in eur our public schools made in the spring of 1882 pursuant to section 16 of an act of the territorial legislative adz assembly entitled tied an act for the establishment and support of district schools school and for other purposes approved 1680 1880 tho the territorial superintendent the Pies president ident of they the faculty acuity of the university of deseret and a minority majority OT til inu dents of district schools met in convention at salt lake citron city on monday april 1882 and after being in g duly organized proceeded a examination and comparison of the various sets presented to them to the adoption of text books for use in the district schools of the territory asa As a general thin thing D the parents and guardians ryno less and no more than those of other parts of the country are justly con serva tive V it with I re regard ard to school books this docs does not only proceed considerations as seme think but is well accounted for by the natural nver aversion sion of apo pie to change from what they are acquainted with to the unknown and ne ertain too frequent alterations te in the books used have also a greatly disturbing influence on the course of instruction perplex perplexing im the confusing those to be ud taught and thus violating the tile first law laty of mental development which is is consistency and continuity in the manner and matter of instruction st still itis equally true that conservatism ism can be carried too farre far resulting in degeneracy and retrogression gres sion while it is wi wisdom to hold on to a good thing tiling it would be folly tor reject the better while it is commendable to maintain a vantage ground it would bs be condemnable dem to marace opeo advancing when there are all tho the promises of im vf f I fi pro provement tr hence wo we think i that a change to the better is desirable when we arc are confident that the first change does not imply r another one ne shortly after these general remarks are ap prop in view of tho recent change of afy text books for the dis tJi schools f of the territory tea teachers ahers parents and pup pupils ils liv have c long since felt that text books in in use were cither either inadequate to t the ile requirements of the times or equally to the abilities of tile the tea teachers chora and the capabilities of tile icar learners n ers I now that the change to the better is taking place it would be invidious to point out the shortcomings failings and deficiencies in the former sets of books hence we will simply refer to the works been determined ned upon to rj J J t t u pees beeth I d brici ones we first refer to the read craw inch supply the material for the principal part of elementary education though our preference ever has been and still is the tle unexcelled and unequalled led series of wilsons Wil sons re readers wo we consider the change from the national to the independent set a step in advance the former has been woefully deficient by puerility in its lower parts and for the average schol lii m we the higher volu volumes c the independent is simple but sensible practicable and nt attractive in ita its elementary books and instructive though not abstruse ab in the higher parts ita its illustrations both in instructiveness and beauty are ar iti also 80 superior to the national 11 watsons speller which ich is a companion work to this se ries comes none too soon to supersede the tedious tiresome repulsive webster spelling book with its indigestible arrays off of formidable word columns children will from watsons attract I I ivo a and they will gain last lasting ing krowl knowledge edge ofa of a useful kind borc moreover aside of the superiority of the new series there is its greater cheapness its tot total tal cost being only against nearly 85 65 for th alie e corresponding despo riding set of nationals As to the opportunity offered by the publishers q to p parents arants and pupils to 11 exchange the old the new iries the teachers ind and the truit ces will give the necessary information tho the acris for tho the readers aa as well as for allibe all the other sets of tho the new books a r e very favorable and in themselves s aai aside ide of the intrinsic su superiority peri of the new works make the change profitable and ind welcome another improvement in our public school instruction will be brought about by the change of ofilio the previous rays system comprising many burdensome fatiguing parts to the new style which consists of the new E elementary le arithmetic and tile new practical thess these two volumes encompass all the arithmetical information desirable and alece necessary WL ry for the young people who visit our public schools and if they are masters of the contents of these two books they are well prepared for any emergencies of business life as far as a knowledge of figur figures es is con the subject matter Is is handled more lucidly more attractively and more practically than in the tho old series and the needful brandies branches of the science arc are given the deserved prominence bedora ahn ilna carfa alo p p too of the new set is not more mor e t than h a n half that of the discarded series saries with all tho the abovementioned above mentioned advantages of exchange and introduction terms in addition space forbids us going into more details but we cannot refrain from pointing out the tile vast excellence of the two books forming Apple tons standard geography set over the monteith whose illy executed drawings clumsy maps dry text have long enough been a source of disgust to our teachers and a cause of dislike of study to the students etu dents to summarize the convention that made the change has done well its elections thou though h they may not have reached the pinnacle of perfection fec tion tiou have wo we believe been as judicious progressive and enlightened as the circumstances admitted the change will not be a financial burdenie burd lif we take into consideration tho the inestimable advantages in the education cf our youth the only desire we can have i is s that the parents will at once and cheerfully accommodate themselves to the change they will be am amply ply rewarded by the greater i progress their children will make with the new text books if they are given an undisturbed disturbed ua probation of say at least six or seven years |
