The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-01-17
The School Book SWindle.

| A few days since the Milwaukee Ne'os
contain ed an article condemning the win
die perpetrated upon parents of school chill
| dren in the matter of school books. Upon
| this suggestion correspondent OF the
Union gives some interesting facts showing
the extent to which the swindle Is perpe-
trated by the publishers of these books and
the expense to which the people of this
state are suljugated to fatten these cor
| morants:
School books of all kinds are printed
from stereotype plates, 50 that one outlay
| for engraviugs aud type-setting sufhces Tor
| any number of publications.. Taking an av-
erage OF these books, double medium
sheet of paper would give 4S pages, SO that
the smallest class Of primary works rarely
contain more than two sheets OF paper
that Is, SO pages.
Books of larger size would have 80
pages TO sheet, or say ten sheets to $40
pages, if any of these works contain so large
number The paper, then, used in the
smaller works would cost about two cents,
while the printing and binding could In no
event exceed six cents each 10y the quantity
making the prime cost about eight cents.
| The larger works, at ten sheets to each and
covers at eight cents each, would cost at
| the outside, Is cents per copy. That is to
say, school books which cost eight cents
apiece have retalIed for years at from 25 to
80 cents, aud those costing Is cents at from
| IS cents to ST. co.
! with such profits per cory the multi
! plicatlon OF series In zach study-taklng a
half dozen books, when two would be much
| bettcr-was a big thing TOR the publisher.
DllutlOn upon dlutlon Is the result OF this
educational quackery, and the scholar ana
teacher are booked with trashy volume. fill
ed with the absence of brains. All there Is to
it, is the drzz!e pays, ana whole communi-
tics are victimlzed 10 the ayarlce OF school
officers and publishers.
1T is supposed We have some 900, 900
school children In this state, and II We aver
age the cost Of their books at one dollar
each, we shall see that $500, 600 of it II u
donation to Solue one. Quack nostrum>
are mild In comparison to these produc-
tions. 1t would be idle to crltize their
literary merits. Generally utter nothing
covers their pages.
The correspondent of the Unioa suggests
a remedy for the evil, with possible cat
under the meal"
"W hat is the remedy for this? If the
superintendent of pubic Institution were
authorized To prepare, or procure to be
prepared by competent persons, the neccS-
Sary series of ali kinds of school books,
with proper engraving-, and to have the
same s:creotyped, SO that plates could at
Says be ready for use when needed, cou
tract could readily he let to some OF our
own printers and binders and the books be
furnished the people at first cost, with, say
would improve the books, and save the pa
rents in Wisconsin at least $3.50, 900 year
ahch Is now wasted. In any event the
authority to this would make big spa>ul
| IN prices.
There is not text book used in the
| common schools OF this state which can
not be furnished at about one half the
price charged for it now, and if the egisa-
ture will authorize the preparation OF
these text books by some competent
person or commission, and let the work
of printing to the lowest bidder, the result
will prove the truth of the assertion. One
of the worst features Of the present plan is
the immense sum paid out fer these works
in this state Annually goes ont of the state
to enrich men whose interest in Wisconsin
is limited by their capacity to swindle its
children.