Enteret according to Act of Congress, in the year 1835, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 2-20-0. From the Jan. No. for 1828 of the JOURNAL OF Education. "A careful examination of this valuable work will show that its author has Compiled it, as all books for school use ought to be compiled, from the results of actual experiment and observation in the school-room. It is entirely a practical work, combining the merits of Colburn's system with copious practice on the slate. Two circumstances enhance very much the value of this book. It is very comprehensive, containing twice the usual quantity of matter in works of this class; while, by judicious attention to arrangement and printing, it is ren de ed, perhaps, the cheapest book in this department of education. The brief system of Book-Keeping, attached to the Arithmetic, will be a valuable aid to more complete instruction in common schools, to which the work is, in other respects, so peculiarly adapted. There are several very valuable peculiarities in this work, for which we ca not, in a notice, find sufficient space. We would recommend a careful examination of the book to all teachers who are desirous of combining good thory with copious and rigid practice." From the Report of the SCHOOL-COMMITTEE OF Providence. The books at present used in the schools are, in the opinion of your Committee, altogether above the range of thought of the pupils. Works of a naralive character would be better understood, would be more interesting, and would, of course, teach the pupil to read with more taste and judgment. The boy who pores, in utter disgust, over the book which he reads in schools, will hasten home to read with avidity his story-book. The true wisdom would than be, to introduce the story-book into school, and thus render his place of ed ication the place of his amusement. Nevertheless, as this subject is one in which time and judgment are necessa y for a selection, and as a change of this sort, through all the schools, would be productive of considerable additional expense, your Committee would recommend that no change, at present, be made in books, excepting only the Arithmetic. If a school, by way of experiment, be established on the monitorial plan, various school-books can be tried there, and, after a fair opportunity of testing the merits of several, those can be selected which scem best adapted to accomplish the purposes of education. Your Committee are, however, of opinion, that it would be expedient to introduce the system of Arithmetic published by Mr. Smith [subsequently adopted] into all the Public Grammar Schools, and, also, that all the scholars in arithmetic be taught by classes, and not individually, as is now the prevalent mode." The above Report was signed by the following named gentlemen:- WILLIAM T. GRINNELL, Esq. Dated April 24, 1828. This work is recommended by the State Commissioners of Vermont to be adopted throughout that state. It is likewise introduced into the public and private schools of Hartford, Conn., by the concurrence both of committees and teachers, and in like manner in variou other places. |