-AND SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION. A Monthly Magazine conducted by leading | The OFFICIAL ORGAN for State Departments Teachers of the Southwestern States. of Public Instruction. T. C. H. VANCE, Carlisle, Ky. EDITORS: H. A. M. HENDERSON, Frankfort, Ky. STATE EDITORS: H. A. M. HENDERSON, Frankfort, Ky. M. A. WARREN, Columbia, S. C. TERMS-One copy, one year, in advance, postage paid, $1; single copies, 15 cents; specimen numbers free. Remittances-Single subscriptions may be sent at our risk; in remitting sums greater than $1, obtain check or draft, or inclose in registered letter. All business communications should be addressed "Eclectic Teacher Company, Carlisle, Ky." Matter for insertion, either in the general or advertising columns, should reach us by the 15th of the month. CARLISLE, KY., MAY, 1877. SHOULD you not get your ECLECTIC by the 15th of the month, drop us a postal card. SUBSCRIBE for THE ECLECTIC TEACHER, the only educational journal south of the Ohio river. THE State Teachers' Association of Kentucky, in all probability, will be held at Louisville, at the same time of the National Association. If so, no doubt it will be more largely attended than ever before. We suggest a short programme, and that the meeting convene Monday evening, August 13, and continue during the forenoons of Tuesday and Wednesday. Let the ten thousand teachers of Kentucky turn out en masse. SINCE many persons attend more than one State Teachers' Association, we should be pleased to announce in next issue the time and place of all meetings of the Southwest. State Superintendents will please favor us wish the desired information. THE National Educational Association will hold its seventeenth annual session in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 14, 15 and 16. An invitation was tendered by State Superintendent Henderson, at the Baltimore meeting, which invitation was referred to a committee, with the above conclusion. The teachers and local authorities of Louisville will sustain their former reputation for hospitality by having a well digested plan by which to entertain all delegates and representatives, and to give an excursion to Mammoth Cave. The programme and details of arrangement will appear in our next issue. SO FAR Minnesota is the only State that has matured a law regarding the "enormous" (?) cost of school books, and, in all probability, it will so remain until that State has given it a trial. Whence comes this complaint? From the same source that comes the cry that teachers' wages are too high; from those who have no children to educate, and those who have many reasons--and "for good reasons" never made known for not sending their children to school. Ignorance-yes, inexcusable ignorance is the cause. An intelligent, enterpris ing man never objects to cost of books or wages of teachers. He wants the best books and the best teacher, let them cost what they may. We doubt not that Minnesota will, in less than a year, be the worse by far for the "cramming," "daily routine," "machine work." Certainly Minnesota would be the machine. The law provides that the State shall open up a book manufactory. Textbooks will be fashioned by some one friendly to such a measure, They will all have the mark of a cross between the State and the newly-made author. It is a well established fact among book publishers that a whole series of books-texts on reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, grammar, history, etc.,-should be from the hands of a single author; therefore any State máy secure the service of one man at a salary of twelve or fifteen hundred dollars a year, and set him to work. ' Any one who would be so presumptuous as to undertake the task never commanded a salary of more than one thousand a year, and would therefore be a cheap workman. The idea is ridiculous. No person could ever conjecture the evil that would follow such a plan. In order to have text-books of superior merit, we want active competition. Without further comment we write the law a dead letter, from the fact that no teacher of real ability would hazard his reputation by using a set of books written by a single individual. THE editor of the National Teachers' Monthly, in the March number of that journal, says," It would make an interesting catalogue, if the names of defunct (educational) journals could be published." No doubt it would be interesting to many of our readers to know something of those that have not yet yielded up the ghost." Not having the exact data by which we can determine the age of our educational exchanges, we shall make the number of the volume the basis. No -AND SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION. A Monthly Magazine conducted by leading | The OFFICIAL ORGAN for State Departments Teachers of the Southwestern States. of Public Instruction. T. C. H. VANCE, Carlisle, Ky. EDITORS: H. A. M. HENDERSON, Frankfort, Ky. STATE EDITORS: H. A. M. HENDERSON, Frankfort, Ky. M. A. WARREN, Columbia, S. C. TERMS-One copy, one year, in advance, postage paid, $1; single copies, 15 cents; specimen numbers free. Remittances-Single subscriptions may be sent at our risk; in remitting sums greater than $1, obtain check or draft, or inclose in registered letter. All business communications should be addressed "Eclectic Teacher Company, Carlisle, Ky." Matter for insertion, either in the general or advertising columns, should reach us by the 15th of the month. CARLISLE, KY., MAY, 1877. SHOULD you not get your ECLECTIC by the 15th of the month, drop us a postal card. SUBSCRIBE for THE ECLECTIC TEACHER, the only educational journal south of the Ohio river. THE State Teachers' Association of Kentucky, in all probability, will be held at Louisville, at the same time of the National Association. If so, no doubt it will be more largely attended than ever before. We suggest a short programme, and that the meeting convene Monday evening, August 13, and continue during the forenoons of Tuesday and Wednesday. Let the ten thousand teachers of Kentucky turn out en masse. SINCE many persons attend more than one State Teachers' Association, we should be pleased to announce in next issue the time and place of all meetings of the Southwest. State Superintendents will please favor us wish the desired information. S. VE THE National Educational Association will hold its seventeenth annual session in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 14, 15 and 16. An invitation was tendered by, State Superintendent Henderson, at the Baltimore meeting, which invitation was referred to a committee, with the above conclusion. The teachers and local authorities of Louisville will sustain their former reputation for hospitality by having a well digested plan by which to entertain all delegates and representatives, and to give an excursion to Mammoth Cave. The programme and details of arrangement will appear in our next issue. SO FAR. Minnesota is the only State that has matured a law regarding the "enormous" (?) cost of school books, and, in all probability, it will so remain until that State has given it a trial. Whence comes this complaint? From the same source that comes the cry that teachers' wages are too high; from those who have no children to educate, and those who have many reasons—and "for good reasons" never made known for not sending their children to school. Ignorance-yes, inexcusable ignorance is the cause. An intelligent, enterpris ing man never objects to cost of books or wages of teachers. He wants the best books and the best teacher, let them cost what they may. We doubt. not that Minnesota will, in less than a year, be the worse by far for the "cramming," "daily routine," "machine work." Certainly Minnesota would be the machine. The law provides that the State shall open up a book manufactory. Textbooks will be fashioned by some one friendly to such a measure, They will all have the mark of a cross between the State and the newly-made author. It is a well established fact among book publishers that a whole series of books-texts on reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, grammar, history, etc.,-should be from the hands of a single author; therefore any State may secure the service of one man at a salary of twelve or fifteen hundred dollars a year, and set him to work. Any one who would be so presumptuous as to undertake the task never commanded a salary of more than one thousand a year, and would therefore be a cheap workman. The idea is ridiculous. No person could ever conjecture the evil that would follow such a plan. In order to have text-books of superior merit, we want active competition. Without further comment we write the law a dead letter, from the fact that no teacher of real ability would hazard his reputation by using a set of books written by a single individual. THE editor of the National Teachers' Monthly, in the March number of that journal, says, It would make an interesting catalogue, if the names of defunct (educational) journals could be published." No doubt it would be interesting to many of our readers to know something of those that have not yet yielded up the ghost." Not having the exact data by which we can determine the age of our educational exchanges, we shall make the number of the volume the basis. No doubt, in most cases, priority of existence will be correctly determined by the number of the volume. Age before beauty; therefore we shall give that honor to the Pennsylvania School Journal. As a State journal it not only ranks first in years, but also among the first, if not the best, of monthly publications. It is always freighted with valuable contributions, but specially full of that class of matter calculated to make it invaluable for the teachers of the Keystone State. The March issue has the imprint of " Vol. 25, No. 9," making it more than a quarter of a century old. The Indiana School Journal was next to advance the cause of free schools, having began its career of usefulness in the year 1857. Many winters have not only given honor and stability, but have created it "a little lower" than its predecessor. It is in the strong sense of the term a State journal, without which our brother Hoosier teachers would be lost. On its title is found 1856-1877, Vol. XXII. Ohio is entitled to the next position of honor. The Ohio Educational Monthly for March, bearing "Vol. 18, No. 3," indicates that this valuable magazine had its being more than eighteen years since. It is the first paper for which we became a subscriber. It is so thoroughly an Ohio paper that no "consolidation" could approximate filling its place. All terms of praise that could be bestowed on her Western sister could with equal propriety be placed to the credit of the Monthly. A short time since we had an introduction to the Educational Journal of Virginia. With the March issue it announces "No. 5, Vol. VIII." This paper bears acquaintance and indicates by its make-up that it is of healthy growth and of much real value. With the March issue we have "No. 3, Vol. VIII," of the Wisconsin Journal of Education. The title page bears the State coat-of-arms in which the word "Forward" is prominent. The thrift of the State is no libel on the motto, nevertheless this journal could not see that it would be "going forward" by "consolidation" and respectfully declined. West Virginia Educational Monthly has issued No. 3 of Vol. V. With the January number it increased the length of its name by adding "and Home Magazine." My dear brother, you cannot serve two masters. Either the teacher or the home folks will be neglected. Very naturally, too, since it has become a home magazine it presents a clean face and a homely appearance. The Common School and Iowa Journal of Education may have “consolidated" as we have not received it since January. With that issue we find it a most competent six-year-old. It certainly is invaluable to Iowa teachers. We hope to see its bright countenance again. The Maryland School Journal is in its fourth year, being but two numbers older than the National Teachers' Monthly. The former is a highly respectable State journal, edited with superior talent, being always replete with choice productions, while the latter, published by a Book Concern, claims to be national. There has been a decided change in the tone of the National since the January issue. Brother Henkle, of "Notes and Queries," puts it thus: "Rumor says that the coruscations of the retiring editor were too brilliant for the publishers. We feel sure that our modest friend Allen will dispense serener light." |