Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-04-13
The Raid of the school book Lobby

Inc hhf0 Oh the SchOOi-bOOk Lobby
The city il Overrun with the drummers aud
lobbyists of the different school-boOk publish
ing houses Of the country, who have come here
to operate for a change OF text books in the
ubiic schools The degree of pressure brought
To bear by these different interests may be est
mated by the fact that the publishers of one
book "a geography have sent here, in ad lition
i0their gular trummers, one of the most a ir,it
and pushing operators OF the famous ''c1s.om-
house ring" of New York, and have also enlist
I'd eis 1t sr ten Of local LOBBYISTS ioeIu,.ing
a member or two OF the District Legislature
TIE preliminary move in the tactics OF the
book men comes up to morrow night before the
Board OF Trustees in the shape OF q proposition
for change in Biographies; and this carried.
the other changes will follow in due order. At
this stage OF the game the different publishers
make common cause for a change; proposing
afterwards to fight it out snongs; the Esslves as
10 WHO shall get the benefit OF il by the intro
duetion Of their own books. la the case OF pub
hshers hot having Interests in text books on tae
same branches of study, OF course a log rolling
combination naturally comes in play. Thus the
publisher OF geography, the publisher OF an
arithmetic, and the publisher of a reader wolId
work together tremendously 20 get ths present
biographies, arithmetics and readers displaced
and their own substituted.
Ihe sale o. school books in this country has
grown to be something enormous, and the
united pressure Of the publishers upon any
given locality, as in this instance is of CORES
bonding force. 1t should be added that IL is not
the money value of the transaction in any
single case in getting q textbook substituted
that accounts for the emendous efforts to carry
the point. IL is the value as an adyertisem,n ant.
For instance should q change be voted by the
trustees to morrow night in any textbook, the
publishers Of the book substituted would have
the fact advertised forthwith in every school
district In the country. This city Is flooded at
This time with " schedules Of text. books used in
the schools Of the United States from 1854 to
1s'4," &c, &c. Issued by different publishers
to show how their text books have displaced
other textbooks, year by year.
As we have urged heretofore in this column,
there is not q shadow of an excuse at this time
for change in text books in our city schools
The present books were introduced not many
months ago by precisely the same Dirt IN ming that
Il now brought to bear TO displace them. They
are no better. and no worse, than the new one.
proposed. All have some defects and some
sreeial good points. To our mind, the law
ADOPTED in some of the states fOrbidding q
change in school books oftener than once in d We
years, u very proper one. In this way parents
and guardians are relieved from the heavy tax
upon them by these continuous and senssless
changes In books, solely in the interests OF the
book publishers We have no doubt however
fhatthe capable and intelligent gentle men com.
posing our school board will see the matter in
hsProper light, and turn deaf ear to the bland
ailments Or the book charmers