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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1884)
THE WEST SHORE. Vol. 10. Portland, Oregon, November, 1884. No. 11. ESTABLISHED 1878. THE WEST SHORE, .4n llluttruled Journal qfdeneral Information, rfrmtnl to Inn drwliipmrnf . the Unut W ent. Huhcriition prim, pernnnum Mm To fcirmxn oimiuruw, incluilinic poatiure , , 2 i Single oopiee j!5 Hiilmcription win he forwarded hy ni(n.l letter or xill nnler at our rink. roHtinuaUint ami New Agent will reoeire nubaariptioiu nl minim rale, (lenernl Traveling Agont-Crnigie Sharp. Jr. I" NAMUKL, I'ul.ll.lier, 11 Front St., mir. Wellington, 1'ortlanil, Or. TA11LK OK' (30NTKNTK. An Kxpenniv Kolly ' Hurieil Trenmire ofthe Minee j" 01iiiii of Willamette Valley t n', Hop VixIcUof Puyallup anil While Kier , 81. Meehiinie rair.. ; tv rianu ior me ninuow tinmen a mla Oueen Charlotte lxlumU, No. I iu Something for Nothing , ; nil 1 he I ouk or Miruoo Saw Mill dti True Jourualum m, A blue X on tlila paragraph IimUphIm flint your ubacrliillun el plrea with tlila number. I'Ikhm renew at oime. The Christmas number of The Weht Siioiie, which which will lie lernly early in December, will bo an elegant one in every resect, superior to anything which has over lcen produced on the Pacific Count The year is now rapidly drawing to a close, and one more number will complete the tenth volume of The West Shone. The great superiority of that volume over tin mo of previous years has won for it mauy flattering com ments, which can but be highly pleasing to tlie publisher, This gratifying evidence that his efforts are appreciated has caused him to make extensive arrangements for still greater improvement in the volume for 1885, by additions to his artistic and editcrial corps, and an increase in his facilities for doing more and better work in every depart ment The magazine is now superior to any other pub lication with a ubscription price of but two dollars Mtr annum, and this superiority will lie rendered more marked and evident during the coming year. A movement is on foot to oroct n monument to the memory of General Joseph Lane, Oregon's first Territorial Governor. General Lane distinguished himself in the war with Mexico, earning the soubriquet of " The Marion of the, Mexican War," and when seltnited by President Polk to organize tlie Oregon Government, left his home in Indiana within forty-eight hours after receiving notice of his Appointment, crossed the arid deserts of New Mexico And Arizona, resisting in his passage through California the influences of the gold excitement, which caused the desertion of all but two of his companions, and reached Oregon ir time to proclaim the organization of the Territorial Government on the !)d of Murch, 1819, just one day before the expiration of President Polk'i administration. His subsequent devotion to the interests of Lis Adopted State and his national prominence as a candidate for Vice-President ia ISM, are well known to all. It is fitting that the people of Oregon should erect a suitable monument to his memory, and we hop the Legislature will make an appropriation sufficient to sup plement the lilieral private donations which will doubtless te made. AN EXPENSIVE! FOLLY. Not to characterize it in stronger terms and the net often deserves a more forcible expression of condemna tion- tho changn of school text Ixniks from one series to another is an expensivo folly. Often, by some mysteri ous influence brought to War upon those in authority, a set of text books, such ns readers, geographies1, histories, arithmetics, etc., and frequently several of these series, are arbitrarily thrown out and others adopted in their place. Yet A little thought seems to Iki taken of the hard ships thus forced Uxn the parents of the thousands of school children who are affected bv the chance, find a balm is offered by. the publisher to s sit he the outraged feelings of the indignant parents culled iinui to HtipKrt these little ofllcial eccentricities. This is called "ex changing." To get the old btsiks out of the way, simply to show his "good faith" in trying to " foment " the schools by supplying them with these "very snerior" books, he offers to "exchange" the new foioks for the old ones ami a little money consideration, just enough to cover tho "bare cost" of the transaction. This is not an original idea of the school hook publisher. His slender stock of originality is entirely exhausted in making " im provements" upon the old editions. Tho exchange idea was nn old dodge of tho suwing machine agent long before tho publisher Is-camo enamored of its beauties and a convert to its purely philanthropic principles. There is, of course, constant Advancement being made in methods of imparting instruction to tho young, and tho evolution of tho text book has been sternly and marked. To Ixi sure, sound reasons may bn advanced, in casa a soloction lietwoen contending series of text hook foeome necessary, why tho choice should fall Umii tho most modern and most practical; but when a series lias already been adopted, when it has foion in constant use for a sufficient length of timo to test its value, And is pro nounced good by tho prnctiild teachers under whose suMrvision it is used, no satisfactory reason, that is none which is convincing to thisto ajsin whom tho burden of (Miying tho bills rests, can 1st advanced for changing it Our xplo have built commodious and comfortable school houses, have employed comix-tent teachers in every department, and have cheerfully paid the heavy taxes imposed for educational purposes, and their reason able demand thai the unnecessary expense of exchanging text foioks li hot forced upon them should be heeded; also their demand to lie relieved of the constant annoy, nnoe of a reflated and persistent Agitation of the school book question.