Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-03-10
From the School Monthly.
Change of Text Books.

our L uDIlc ocnOOlS, Is tue exhOrDit-
ant cost of, and the frequent changes
in, our school text books. These
complaints are generally not made
| by constitutional grumblers," who
are prevented by native spleen from
seeing any good in any undertaking
except their own but it comes more
frequently from those who are most
| deeply interested in the cause of
public education, from men of small
means, who are lily prepared to pay
more for . thing than it is really
worth. They feel justly enough,
that, after paying their taxes, spar
ing and saving everything that their
children may, by-and>by, be present
ed TO the State as fitted. responsible
citizens, they have a right 10 claim
a fair return on their investment,
aud to get q fair equivalent for
their money.
do not propose, at this time. to
| discuss or even to mention the ele,
ments which prevent a realization of
the proper fruits of cur school sys-
TEN. In future article | may be
tempted to consider them. Neither
do | desire to discuss the merits or
dement's of any set OF books now in
use. The rapid increase Of popula>
ton and the proportionate increase of
schools, have developed a compare
tive y unimpOrtant branch Of bust
ness into more profitable one
School books of every description
flood the country. Agents swarm
everyw here, and, with their oficious
blandness, beg the honor TO present
&c, as well as to point out the excel
lcncies Of ''our books" Failing with
committees, they attack the profess
ion. Schoolmasl ers are petted, coax
ed, or driven schoolmasters are
iattered and gallanted, into belief,
at least statement, that sour books
are the books, and a consequent re-
quest to the committee to ''change
ont even," or to Introduce at half
price" Meanwhile the father Of
godly family of children, with gar,
ret already full of Old books which
have been used. on an average, less
than one year, finds that his chil>
dren, like Miss Flora McFImsy of
Madison Square," 'have nothing" to
study. There are "McGuffey's" two
series ISLANDERS ditto; INA ,ional,"
likewise Rays DID," and ''Ray's
new )" Davies, and davies revis-
ed" "Thompson's" "Greenleaf S"
and "Adams," Coltan's," Smiths"
Camps" and '.Mitchell's;" "Clark's $"
"Kerl's, y 'Pinneo's," "Green's," and
"Murray's,' - all noted and honorable
names in the '.fraternity," and, in
each book, many valuable sugges-
tions for the use OF the live earnest
teacher
The father looks upon all these,
examines the newly introduced books
goes down town wondering why |
it takes SO many words, now days,
to say so little. He very naturally |
feels that he has been ''fooled out of |
MS money" without his consent.
Now, to show that | am not alone
in believing that this man has not
only been fooled but cheated, | call
attention to the following extracts
taken from our leading daily papers
"School books Cf all kinds are |
printed from stereotype plates, so
that one outlay for engravings and |
type>setting suffices for any nun ber |
of publ cations. Taking an average |
Of these books, a double medium
sheet of paper would give As 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 the sheet, or say ten
sheets to 800 pages, if any of these
works contain so large o 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 by
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 reiaiied for some
years at 25 10 80 cents. and those
costing Is cents at from rs cents to
$500
With such profits per copy, the
multiplication series III each study
taking half dozen books, when
two would be much better-was
big thing tor the publisher. Dlution
upon dilution is the result of this ed
ucational quackery, and the scholar
AID the teacher are booked with
trashy volumes filled with the alb
sence of brains. All there is to it,
is, the drizzle pays, and whole COM
munities are victimized to the ava
rice of school officers and publish
ers
1t is supposed we have some 300,-
900 school children in this state and
If we average the cost of their books
at one dollar each, we shall see that
$500, 600 of it is donation to some
one. Quack nostrums are mild in
comparison to these productions. 1t
would be idle to criticise their liter
airy merits. Generally, utter Moth
ing covers their pages.
What is the remedy for this ? If
the superintendent of public instruc>
ton were authorized to prepare, or
procure to be prepared by competent
persons, the necessary series of all
kinds OF school books, with proper
engravings, and to have the same
stereoiy ped, SO that plates could all
ways be ready for use when needed.
contract could readily be let 10
some of our own printers and bind
ers, and the books be furnished the
people at first cost, with, say, 10 per
cent. added for contingencies. This
would improve the books, and save
the parents Wisconsin, at least
Sl50,000 q ear which is now wasted.
In any event the authority to do
this would make big spasm in pri>
| cao