The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-05-16

month. You don't enjoy reading book
more than few times anyway, and just
think of teacher, with brain exhausted,
reading in the same book for months
and months. No wonder they get tired
and want change of books. Then they
brace up and go ahead with renewed
spirit. So the only way to have teachers
do good work is to have them feel real
interest IN teaching, and a change of
books is just the thing for them, and any
change is welcome. So the school board
makes a change, of course, when the
teachers feel they need different books
and that's all there is of it and we hope
you are satisfied"
Satisfied! Now see here. There is
another side to this question. 1t is not
so much what teachers want, as what
parents can afford. If new books
did not cost us anything, they might
change every day; but 1 am like most
people who send children to school, not
able to buy books or anything else that
is not an absolute necessity. New read
ers to interest the teachers! Why, sir, my
wife and children need new shoes and
new clothes, and so do 1, more than any
teacher in Emporia needs new readers.
Brain work is good enough; but have
to work with brain and body ten hours
every day, Saturdays included, and there
areno holiday spells for me. 1t takes
every dollar can rake and scrape by
hard work to keep my family in clothes
and victuals, to say nothing of taxes,and
other expenses, and God knows that
there is many thing my children and /
need more than new readers-and if any
teacher wants new reader or any other
new book, they ought to pay for them,
and not ask men like me to. Why, sir,
can't pay my doctors's bill. 1 owe now
for the new readers 1 bought my boys
last month, and for a new grammar my girl
had to have, and here are three new
tangled readers to buy just to keep the
teachers interested. l never heard of
such an imposition. It's an outrage, and
we can't stand it. Don't we pay these
teachers their salaries, and better pay for
the work than they can get at any other
business, and isn't this enough without
making us buy lot of new books just
because they get little tired of book
after using it awhile. Don't l get tired
of my work, and of my tools. go
home tired out many night, but no one
buys me new books to amuse me, and
can't buy new books to amuse teachers.
No, indeed, cannot afford it."
"But the cause of education is supe-
rior to"
"Yes-education. Now see here. Who
pays these teachers their wages? Who
keeps them in good clothes, and good
living, and good, easy situations? Tax
payers like me and you. Who pays
them for their work-their brain work d?
We do, and pay them pretty we'll. And,
then, they ought to do their work with
the same books they have been using, or
quit. Plenty of other teachers Just as
good would be glad of their places. If
they get tired of using a reader OF
history or any other, book they had bet
ter quit and let some one else use it,
than to make us buy a new lot. Don't
carpenter get tired of using a saw or a
plane, or a mason get tired of his trowel ?
But no one buys them a new and easier
kind. They just have to keep on using
the old tools, and let the teachers do the
same. The books are good enough. Just
as like as not the old books are better
than the new ones. Pretty soon the
same teachers will get tired of the new
ones. If they can't keep on using the
books they have got they had better just
resign and let some other teachers wEo
amt so easily tired take their places.
Every teacher in the city had better step
right out than to make us parents buy
another new book. That's the common
sense of it, and the sooner the board
adopts that rule the better"
And with this the conversation closed
We learn by inquiring that the board OF
education did on Monday evening, &C
quiesce in demand of the teachers, thai
the present readers be discarded and
some new variety provided in thei1
stead, and further that this unexpected
action on the part of the board, has caus
ed quite an amount of feeling ON the
part of the parents who have to pay the
expense of the books. So far as we can
learn, the board had had no idea of tax
ing the action it did Monday evening
but was surprised by visit from a mum
Der of teachers, who came in requesting
that the readers be changed, and the
board, without taking vote direct, but
by sort of general assent, sort of be
wildered and bull-dozed, as it were, by
the array of educational talent, gave
way, and assented to the change OF
books asked. What more changes the
teachers contemplate we do not know
but we submit that the parents of the
pupils who have the books to buy have
decided interest in the school book
business, and that in these hard times
they ought to be consulted with reference
to any change IN books. As our hard
working friend says, they haYe to pay
for the books, and there are hundreds OF
them who are really unable to expend
dollar that is not absolutely necessary
Neither the school book agent or the
teachers whom the agents appear to
manipulate with perfect ease, have any
real right to be compared with the rights
of the parents, who have to buy all the
new books ordered. School boards owe
duty to the parents and tax payers in
this matter-an important duty which
they generally lose sight of when g
book agent or tired teacher who wants
a new book to use, comes around; and
we assure all such boards that probably
nine out Of ten parents have Just the
feeling on the subject which our friend
expressed in the above conversation.