The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-01-11
Terrible Tax for Text Rocket

Terrible Tax for Text Rocket
Any one reading the indignant
'1outspoken indignation" Of one Of
our city contemporaries, would con-
cluds that our Superintendent or
Board Of Trustees" had been ma
king . cruel raid ON the pockets of
the parents and guardians Of every
scholar now in attendance on our
public schools But is it the facts
or has this erudite editor again at
tempted 10 drown himself in sBeav-
er Lake been fished up, and is it
only specimen Of the bottom of
that celebrated Lake and
other debris that he is scattering
about 30 loosely! If the managers
Of our schools are engaged in ma
king such numerous" changes, as
is charged; If our citizens are now,
or have been, subject to q tax from
this frequent change Of Text Books
and are bearing q burden most
grievous," they surely ought to KNOW
it quite a. well a. the writer of that
editorial and had the complaint
any other foundation, than in the
muddled brain Of that writer, our
citizens would have FELT the ssbur-
den" and thrown it of.
That editor ought to know
the parents and guardians of the
scholars rEM, and the Superinten-
dent and the Board of Trustees DO
Know, that the charges made are
fallacious, and without any founda-
ton whatever in fact During the
past six years, there has been but
one change made IN sText Books"
and that was in substituting Whites
Arithmetic for Felter's-and we be-
ieve that that change meets the en-
tire approval Of everybody concern
ed This change was made at half
the price of the book; and the
ssburden" was only HALF as heavy as
il would have been, had the full
price been exacted; at least, it has
not proved ssgrevious!" because, by
substituting Whites for Felter's,
we've got the work Of q WESTERN
man, who knows how to FIGURE to
FRACTION for the pupils Of the west,
and western talent has been, in this
instance, properly appreciated
That editor probably forgets
that we have graded schools in our
city, and, as pupils advance in their
studies they are promoted from one
grade to the other, until they reach
the highest; and, of course, the book
used in one grade win not do for
the next It il barely possible, how
ever, that the nuisance writer,
would have the scholars primary
books transferred with him or her,
from one grade to the other, and
thus have no change of '1text
books" Whatever, in order to save
the parental pocket from being IN
vaded and the parental back from q
book tax-burden!
The conclusion Of this sefcon-
stituted guardian Of the peoples
pockets, who talks so ignorantly
eloquent about numerous changes
in text books" &c, that Mr.. Walkers
bin. win be q panacea for all the
evils he complains Of as well as other
grievances" if it isn't Beaver Lake
mud. what is it The Board OF
Commissioners, it provides for, has
greater power than the present
Board of Trustees, in every respect,
particularly on the tender subject
of taxation for school purposes, IS
su;ne bonds, and providing Tor q
uniformity Of school books hcens-
ing teachers, etc. The power IN
these respects, is unlimited, where.
AZ, in that exercised by the Trus
tees, they merely recommend thai
a tax be levied for . certain pur
pose, or, if there is . deficiency m
the funds, that bonds may be issued
and the City Council act upon sucf
propositions at its discretion-be
inc q check upon the action OF tn
Trustees. To substitute for tn
present system, an elected Board Q
"reminiscences, with the power Q
increasing their own numbers witt
the hope Of remedying the cHASa'
in the text book grievence Nas well .
ali other grievances" would, "
think, be the quintessence OF folly
We subscribe to the sentiment tina
..the property Of the State shoult
1900 the children Of the State
hut TO TAKE the property, AS pr
-;aea for IN Mr.. Walkers BILL I
m.le those engaged in the educ'
t;onal profession have easy places