Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-03-02
LETTER FROM COLUMBUS.

Correspondence PsRRvssuR0 JoupEAL.
COLUMBUS, Feb. Il, 1877.
In my last a partial promise was made
10 give few facts upon the school book
question; for, much a. people have suffer
o from outrages perpetrSted upon them
in the change Of text books, few really
understand the extent OF the robberies thus
committed. Do not understand me as OPP
posing all changes Of text books, for Ger.
Ainly every lover Of our schools must
favor such changes IA may be essential TO
the securing Of che greatest possible bene-
FITS from the schools. Myopposi,ion is con.
fined 10 useless changes made for
per cent, rather than TO meet any want
Of the school-and may be better under
TODD by stating in my opinion that there IL
not 20 very much difference in standard
text books, where the teacher is master Of
his subject.
But to the facts. How are text book
introduced into our schools? Let me tel
you one way In which this IL done. The
where 4 large number OF books are used,
and where the books published by the
house represented by HIM are not in use.
OF course, he takes soundings and steers
clear OF breakers. In the first place, he
will endeRvor to make terms with some
one who can control the matter for change
OF text books. " here this cannot be done
without exchanging the new books issued
from his publishing house for the old ones
in use, the exchange Is made. New books
are given tor the old ones. The old books
are Just worth their weight for paper rags.
Thus, the publisher, for the sake Of intro
ducing his books into the school, thus
opening up new market for the future,
tupplies the entire school with one set OF
his books free, or substantially 80. Some
times the retail dealer In the village where
the change is made gets n liberal fee, or
per cent, for making the exchange. This
in addition to the gilt Of the books and the
forty per cent. allowed on future sales.
Thus II will he scen that where the new
books can be introduced without the ex-
change for the old onts, the publisher, can
afford to pay for such introductiOns quite
literally. They could we'll afford to pay
the party engineering the job forty per
cent, the same per cent. that is allowed
the retail dealer.
Thus, in change involving the sale
OF books to amount of So 900, the engineer
OF the job gets $500 and the retail dealer
$780, while the publishers get but $400.
Bat on subsequent sales, the publishers
will get 81 200 for every $500 received by
the retail dealer. A perfectly reliable
gentleman, one who has had experience rs
an agent for a publishing house, informs
me that he has known many instances
where Superintendents Of schools have re-
ceived n sum more than equal to their
years SALARY IN the shape OF per cent. ON
new text books introduced into their
schools. l confess that these facts sur
prised me, and they should be known that
the people may be prepared for self-pro-
lection. The State School Commlssion oner,
in speaking TO me about very radical
change OF text books recently made in one
Of the villages Of this State, remarked that
he was utterly surprised to think that any
inte lligcnt community would submit to 40
great an outrage. Those who understand
the secret workings of this system, are dis
posed to suspect a per cent. motive wher-
ever there is manifest a disposition to
change text books, and perhaps they some
times wrongfully Judge Superintendents
or others who may be instrumental
in securing such changes. give you
nothing but the facts, and only give them
that they may operate a. shield to pro-
tect the public against the wrongs men
toned.
Mr.. Dodge, OF your place, and Mr.. Mer-
ry, of Bowling Green, were here last week
to oppose the passage OF the bill intro
dnced by Representative Sage to attach
Wood county to the Lucas Judicial Dis
trict. think they went home with a
wrong impression of the views entertained
by the Judiciary Committee Of the Senate
respecting the constitutional authority OF
the Legislature in such cases.
| The Legislature is devOting much OF its
time, in both branches, to the revision Of
that part OF the work of the Commission
engaged in codifying the laws Of the State
now ready for consideration. This is a
most important work, since il reduces tho
laws into space not more than equal to
one volume of Swan & Critchfeld's Stat
utica. They are also greatly simplified and
will be much more readily understood by
the average Justice of the Peace. In many
instances, two or three OF our present
laws are boiled down into about as many
lines. This is indeed most excellent
work, and the Legislature il entitled to
great credit for the industry manifested in
perfecting it.
The Democrats of the Legislature held n
caucus Monday evening for the purpose Of
encouraging resistance to the Inauguration
OF Hayes, but only about half OF them
could be got to endorse such insanity.
Your readers will be interested in know
ing that Geo. Lindsay is we'll and that he is
highly esteemed as teacher and man by
all who are familiar with what is tram
spring at the Blind Asylum.
Wes. Brownsbcrger isheartily sick of the
guard business at the Peniientinry. Ipre-
dict that he will soon be in the Black
Swamp again. f.. A. II.