The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-03-02
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THIS COLUMN Is OPEN 10 ALL.
FOT IN- NtCII " Il
THE SCHOOL.BOOK SWiNDLE.

TIE Wig of the 23rd has an article that
|, for one, hope will not be allowed to end
just there. | don't have any idea who Tax
Paying Patron is, but can sympathize
with some of his complaints, while differ
ing widely with others. l will take his
questions i'll order.
To the iirst will say that in seven years
acquaintance with the School Board have
seen nothing to Justify the terms he applies
to It's members To the second, it is safe
to reply that trustees are appointed on tie
gr0und Of QUdbFcGtlOn alone, OF at least of
supposed quHLifcations. Without knowing
anything OF the political aspirations of the
Commissioners, | will risk the assertion
that there are rs many political opponents
OF the Comm sS!one!s acting as trustees as
there are friends. 1t is pity that, in deal
my with school affairs, the public can not
divest itself as completely of partisauship
as the School Board tries to do
AS 10 question thee, let me request that.
i'll case any teacher has been oppressed for
straight forward honesty" the public be
favored with his or her name. IL is Sc
we're Insulation against the teachers as a
body, that they are afraid to be honest, lest
they incur the displeasure of the School
1
Question four lndolse, and will 90 fur
tier than " Patron has done. The whole
school book business is a fraud of con.
stantly growing proportions. Cecil county
Is being Systematically cheated in this mat
ter, 10y the firm supplying the books g. Ms-
dairy " Bowers . J.. without, | prefer be-
lleylng. the Knowledge Of the School Board
not but what 1t is their duty to know. If
the Commissioners will demand the same
quality i'll the books they purchase for the
county, that they would demand in a NOW
lug machine for themselves. they will save
he public money, their own good names,
aud good deal of bad temper on the part
of teachers. Last term the only ink that
| could get seemed to be compound of
coal dirt and water, with which writing
was impossible. | have seen none of the
pine framed refuse states; the states are
good enough and SO ara the frames, were
hey put ON SO as To stay; but they are sent
out with the frames neither pinned or glued
at the corners-result the frame comes off
aud the slate breaks. Mifchells geogra
phies, the new American spoilers, and the
iitst two numbers of the Readers are as
dtsgraceful specimens of book making as
ever left the binders hands, and SMITHS
2rammars are little better. spe0k achat
knon. My experience has induced the con
uctlon that book issued by Butler & Co. !
is worthless, either as regards literary or |
mechanical execution | know nothing of |
This firm but tue name, but if they care for
their good name, there must be a change
III their books The Arithmetics come
rom Sewers * Potts. and are little less
open to complaint, but it is safe to say that
all these books are made chiefly to sell
am not sorry this question has come up
again. Last Spring. at the Institute,
attempted to rldcule the book business
noping to arouse IA discussion that would
lead TO an Improvement alike in the books |
'hemsels and the quality of binding. Be |
fore reading the article, | secured the III
dorsement of it by the President of the
school Board in everything but my attack
IN Smith 5 grammar. My failure was com
plete. More than once last term, when
nred of trying 10 write with coal dirt ink
n cipher with flint pencils On framees>
states from backeSs aIirhmetics, | hav.
nren on the point of writing an angry de
nunclatlon of Medairy i Bowers as swim
dlers. Now the question is up again,
hope it will not END until there is a change
t"i the better. one Is sadly needed
Question five is add eSSed directly to the |
chairman of the Board aud leave him 10
reply. Tie scho05 lac gices the patron the /
option Of buying his o1cn books or rayiaq the !
6ook fee. 10 say that, because teachers |
ny to collect the book fee, they are train |
tng a race of raScalS, is new combination !
Of cause and effect. The fact is that the /,
teachers must collect the book fee, get IA
permit, or pay it themselves. Is has been
my fortune, as q teacher. to ill out four /
'een term reports in Cecil county. In only /.
hree caseS have done it without charg
ing myself with mere or less unpaId hook
fees. There is one Cecil school against
which hold S2G worth of bills for unpaid
book fees, as a result of seven and half .
months teaching. Whether to suhstitnie
he purchase of books by patrons will i'm I
prove matters. is an Open question, as it /