Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-21
Maintain the Standard.

the total yearly supply All these
houses maintain keen, untiring strug-
gle with their competitors. AS in all
legitimate competition, the earlier ad-
vantage sought, was to cause to be pre-
pared and introduced series of text
books in the branches studied in schools,
the best adapted to improved methods of
teaching, and the demand for broader
and more exacting system of education.
The aim was to surpass competition in
the quality and school value of their
books. There is no well founded COM
plant that the full series of books for
the course of study in graded schools
does not fairly represent the advanced
scholarship of the day, and doesnot meet
the wishes of teachers and the require
ments of the friends of education. Com
petition displayed itself in improving
the character Of textbooks, as TO con-
tents, paper, illustrations, Typography
and binding, and then turned itself to a
reduction of prices.
These books have stood the ordeal of
the graded school room, which first de-
handed the books best in educational
properties. That demand has been met
for one class Of schools. Within a few
years, publishing houses have been en-
ployed IN the preparation and publica-
ton of a series of books especially calcu-
lated for the shorter course of study in
ungraded schools. These series are as
well graded as the more ambitions series,
prepared for the nine years course of
study in the other class of schools. The
methods are the same. The treatment
as satisfactory. The books are as well
made When these series are COM
pletcd-and the work is well advanced
the shorter series for ungraded schools
will cost only about one-half as much as
the corresponding series for graded
schools.
But such a series cannot be eXtempor-
lied. From two to five years are spent
in preparing the copy for one book in
the series, and the expense of a book be-
fore it is put to press, may run high into
the thousands.
Very properly, the first object has been
to prepare books for the shorter course
of study in the common school, which,
in character and quality, shall be as good
as possible. Competition has prompted
untiring effort to keep up the education
al value of the brief series, both because
the district school demands the best
books, and it is the interest of publishers
to minister to the usefulness of the
schools.
This has been the first fruits of COM
petition. Compare the books in any
school with the books in use, thirty years
since. Contrast the contents, the grada-
ton, the treatment of topics, the deini-
tons, and the mechanical department.
What teacher would desire a return to
the school books of the "daddies ?"
What parent would, of choice, put them
in the hands of his children. in prefer
ence to the school books of to-day?
About as many as would discard the
reaping machine for the scythe, or the
steam thresher for the hand fail.
Competition has secured the prepare
ton and publication of series of books
of the best educational character. So
generally is this recognized, that in any
demand for books cheaper to the buyer,
there is no intimation that a book of
less school value, will be tolerated, even
though it is commercially cheap. The
present high standard must be maintain
ed. There is no hope for a publisher
who does not The want is for series of
books as good in all respects as the pre-
sent ones, vet at reduced price, though
there may be instances of school boards
who have no capacity or qualifications
lating to textbooks, save as to the price
paid for the separate books, and base
their preferences among the books offer
ed for their approval on price alone.
There are the exceptions, and it would
be inexcusable to legislate for all, with
reference to these few incapables. There
is encouragement in this, that this want,
does not contemplate poorer series. It
does not tolerate the idea. The sole in
quiry is as to means to preserve the high
character of textbooks, and reduce the
price. Let one imagine the want is for
an arrangement which will reduce the
cost of the entire body of textbooks
pupil must have in his ungraded school
course. The obvious way is to use books
from which has been expurgated the
matter useless for his purpose. There
has been reduction in the number of
books in bis course; there has been
compression of the essential matter in
two books or more, into one book. By
this method there has been reduction
in the cost of his books, and the work of
reduction in this line is still going on.
The late variation in the price of the
labor and crude materials in book-mak-
ing has been too rapid for permanencyA
The upward tendency has set in, for the
influence of over production has been
stayed, and no publisher can prudently
venture to engage in vast enterprise to
run for years. on the basis of the quota
tons Of to-day. There may be a reduc-
zion in the cost of books, but il there be,
it will come through the agency of COM
petition. Each publisher will sell his
merchandise as cheap as he can afford
it, and his profits will come not more
from the price, than from the extent of
his sales. He wants quick sales and
large ones, and with these he will sell
each article cheaper than otherwise, to
keep his market. Certainty of a market
is also an element in fixing prices;
threaten him with fat legislation or in
reference, and he must raise his prices
to protect himself from it. Let him
alone, and he will sell his books so cheap
that no competition can undersell, and
the buyer will reap the legitimate
benefit.
There is not, nor has there been
combination to keep up prices.