Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-06
THE TEXT BOOK BILL.
THE ACCUMULATION or OBJECTIONS.
The Errors and Danger of the Present Law
Exposed---How the Supplemental Bill
Proposed will Work--That Burlesque
Observation-Disclosures Houses Offering to
Supply at Same Rates for Fifteen Years as
the Merrill Bill.
The Iert Book S,vinlte

inc IeEt BOOK Slc1NHte.
Editor of the Daily GLOBE:
10 call the text book law a swindle may
seem rather harsh, but it is no less true fol
all that.
In our district schools there are books OF
the first class, which have cost the people
probably 100000 or more. Nearly all are
in good condition, as many of the schools
have had them introduced within the last
ties, as was the case in Ramsey county.
Some of these books would last several
years, but to accommodate the contractor
they are to be Immediately laid aside and
the people needlessly taxed for his
benefit. If it were not SO
why not permit districts to use
the books they now have until new ones are
required, and introduce the State books as
classes are advanced in their studies.
The law is a swindle in that it forces on
the rural school districts books that they dare
not try to put i'll the schools of st. Paul,
Minneapolis, or the other cities of the State.
The law is swindle in that it bound the
State by contract to one particular indi
vidual, by name, at stipulated prices, without
allowing competition, by which the State
might have got books they need not be
ashamed of, as is now the case.
The law provided that the books should
be equal in size and quality, as to matter and
material, to certain books specified, and ap-
&ol ,f
were to determine what book should be
adopted.
From the report of the State superintend-
ent, and all examination of the books fur
nished as textbooks by the contractor, the
commission have lamentably failed in their
duty and followed in the footsteps of the
trainers of the law by playing into the
hands of the contractor at the expense of
the State.
With the exception Of Patterson's Speller
and Quackenbos' History of the United
States, the books are unworthy the name of
Minnesota State textbooks.
The geography is an old one, giving the
population of St. Paul and Minneapolis at
10000 each, and the children of the State
will be taught so five years more. If you
look at the title page you will see it is dated
1877. Had the title page borne date
previous to 1875 every one would know that
it was taken from the census of 1870.
The objections to the arithmetics are seri-
we are bound to keep them for fifteen years.
The practical arithmetic lacked 81 pages of
coming up to the standard, and the con-
tractor was allowed to insert that many
more pages additional without being re-sub-
mitted to the commission, SO that
in its present form it has not been
adopted, and it is not legally a text
book of the State nor binding upon them.
The ILLUSTRATED Lessons in our Language
is intended for primary grammar, but nei-
Their primary nor yet an advanced gram
mar, but mixture of both, and like the
practical arithmetic fell short in the number
of pages, and the contractor allowed to in
sert 80 pages of matter to bring it up to the
standard without it being submitted to the
commission for their approval
Ihe English Grammar, added to Its other
defects, lacked q pages, and had to be
patched up as the two former were.
G. P. Quackenbos, though he may be a
good writer on history, has sadly mistaken
his vocation when he undertakes
the grammar and arithmetic business
Neither will he help the sale of his worthless
trash by coming up to Minnesota and print
ing and circulating his pamphlet, abusing
our State superintendent for honestly per-
forming his duty.
We want to give our children good educa-
tons and to do that we must have good
books. We want to get them as cheap as we
can, but we have sense enough left to know
that poor ones are dear at any price.
WHITE BEAR, Feb. 4th, 1873.
DANIEL GETTY,
Clerk of School Dist No. 5, Ramsey Co.