Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-04-04

President Specht in the char. ,r.
The President informed the Board thai
the object Of the special meeting was to
hear the report of the committee on free
text books a@ .agla @
! The committee appointed at the regular
| meeting of Jan 3D., 1877 TO report whether
| 1t would be advisable to adopt the plan of
free text books for the Public Schools oil
this city reported as follows: IFS &w
TO The Honorable Board Of Education of the
city Of Watertown: %. .a
Your committee, appointed for the inves-
tigating OF free text books, has, by the kind
aid OF the State Superintendent and of the
Principal of our High School, gathered the
following material:
/ CHAPTER 3l5.
Section /. OF the provisions Of the State
Flaw, published March 23d, 1875, allowing
any School Board to purchase text books
and to loan them as district property free
to the pulpi.s, there have 1877 school dis
trcts already availed themselves. Not
much experience could be gained in SO
short a time. our committee directed,
therefore, their attention principally TO
eastern cities, where the plan of free text
books has been practiced much longer
]
tendents give the 70 Lowing information:
/ Section 2. In New York City, free text
j BOOKS have been furnished to the pupils
/ upwards of 40 years; the teachers find by
this system great economy Of time, tend
ance of pupils larger, schools more ethclent:
no dissatisfaction has ever been expressed
with the school law on this account.
! & Section 3. At Newark, N j I, for the last
.hten years text books and stationery have
Geen furnished free to each pupil at an av
erage cost Of less than IS cents year. The
attendance was more regular and pupils
progressed more rapidly adding greatly to
the efficiency of the schools. Tie pupils use
the books as well as if they were their own.
Section 4. A. Paterson, N. j., free text
books were furnished since the schools were
organized 1t is found a great saving, and
The results of it, IN respect to school cffc
iency, Attendance, ETC. are excellent The
books are used we'll by the pupils, and the
plan gives general satisfaction. Lost, dam
aged er destroyed books must be rel laceG
by The respective pupils. .s
J. Section 5 At Fall River, Mass, all books
and stationery have been furnished tree TO
the pupils for nearly four years The cost
under this arrangement was not half
what it would have been it each pupil fur
nished his own. The books are now ready
on the first day of each term, and the at
tendance is very much improved. 1t may
seem strange, yet it is a fact, that the pupils
take care OF the books very much better
than if they were their own. The plan
gives general satisfaction; informant has
yet to hear the first compaint against it.
Section 6. Lewiston, Me-, furnished free
to each pupil all the books, stationery, ETC.,
for the last years at an average cost OF
81 90 II year This plan has improved the
schools in atten dance, Classification and in
a great saving of time The citizens fully
approve the measure. E g ID @
Section Z. AT Bath, Me-, the free book
plan has been in operation these years al
an expense Of about IS cents year for
each pupil. 1t has served to improve the
condition of the schools. The citizens are
tally aware OF lite efficiency, and endorse it
Parents have to pay for wanton destruction
of books. $3.50.
Section s: The superintendent of Troy
N. Y, Trenton, N. j., and Bayfield,, Wis.
state of their respective places that the free
text book plan is only partly in operation
yet they all agree in believing it a matter o
economy, and decidedly favorable to the Ell
6ciency OF the schools if carried out complete
Section 9. Our State Superintendent ex
presses his opinion with regard to this mat
ter as follows: e''After very careful in
quiry and much consideration, l am entirely
persuaded that the flee book plan, under
wise restrictions, is, for cities and villages
at least, every way better than the old per
sonal ownership plan. I commend it uni
versally to your city, and hope Watertowr
will have the honor and advantage of being
{ the first city in Wisconsin to !naugurats
the reform ~ fer
! Section TO- With regard to what cu
E own city would need in case OF adopting The
free book plan, your committee has ascer
tanned that, to furnish our Public Schools
with Tree text books throughout, it woule
require the first year not more han abou
$3sO00, and afterward about $4,000 {
year, or not quite 80 cents for each child
ed This last section completing in substance
the information on the question of fres
text books, gathered from the proper au.
i thorities, your committee has drawn there
from, and beg leave to lay before your hon
cradle body, the following conclusions:
/. AS in modern times the education o
children is o more considered an exclusive
benefit Tor said childreH, but an advantage
for the whole community in which they
live; as we hold general education the
safeguard of our republican institutions a:
we furnish for that purpose not only free
school houses with their equipments but even
free instructors, the adoption Of the free
book plan would be nothing but the logical
result from our theory Of free schools. -
O.. AS b. this plan every child is supplied
with all the books needed as the books are
uniform; as they are ready at the proper
time as this plan increases both the mum
Der of pupils entering school, and the aver
age length of their attendance, it is eviden,
that the free book plan makes schools more
Efficient f9a vraya nils
3. As the books are purchased in guam.
titles at the lowest wholesale prices; as they
are used by the pupils with the utmost care
as book is not laid aside when used by
one child, but used continuously until worn
out, the free book plan is certainly the mosl
economical one ever adopted. 81.
4. AS the plan has been in operation fol
many years in some of the eastern cities
as not a single complaint has ever risen
against iii as, on the contrary, it gives
general satisfaction, the plan of free text
books may be considered decidedly pop.