Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-02
FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.
Mr.. Oppenheim Plants q Sumner on the
p.

To the Editor OF the Pioneer Press.
ST.. PAUL, Nov. 30.-You indicated at
the time of my election as school inspec-
tor that you proposed to watch me to dis
cover what hoped for crookedness in
duced me to run. It being part-of
your duties as editor Of large and infu-
entail journal to watch all public ser
wants, including, of course, the "ingen-
ious Mr.. Oppenheim," and report their
shortcomings, etc., to the public, I found
no fault with the course you indicated
that you intended to pursue. and am
much surprised that you entirely over
looked me and my acts, and put your
watchful eye on Sunday editorial in the
st. Paul GLOBE, and thereby gathered
the material for the editorial published
by you to-day. At the last regular meet
ing of the board of education, / offered
the following resolution, which was
UNANIMOUSLY adopted and referred to the
committee.
WHEREAS, Free books are an important ad-
junct to free public school, be it
Resolved, That the committee on schools be
and are hereby authorized to inquire into the
feasibility of adding to the financial estimate
for the year 1888 sum sufficient to purchase
text books for the pnpils of our public schools
to be furnished to them free of charge.
Yeu will notice that there was no penal
proviso nor any rule or plan for their in
PRODUCTION connected with it. The COM
mittee have taken no action up to the
present time, and the only public mention
made of it, since the date of its intro
duction, was by the GLOBE ON Sunday
morning last, and undoubtedly the source
wherefron you gained your information
for the ingenious editorial of to-day
Nevertheless, l am well satisfied that you
have called the attention of the public tc
this question, and request that you viii
grant me the space wherein may defend
this ..jebbery," as you call it. The city
of New York has for the pas,
thirty years furnished free books
and in fact everything else needed
for school work, free of charge, to every
pupil in the schools of that city. As one
of the students Of the schools of thai
city will say, without fear of being in
error, that in any class in any of the pub
lie schools in the city of New York, the
books are kept better and are of more
schooling service than are the books il
the best class Of the best school of the
city of st. Paul. With q teacher to b.
responsible, too, for the proper treatment
of our books, in addition to home
dicipline, books were taken care of
1t meant disgrace and punishment
and it had its effect. Were it no
for the rule in vogue in the schools Of thi
city that unruly pupils shall BIO expelled
our classes would not be IS orderly a.
they now are. Would not the same rul.
apply with equal force to the destruction
of books? In almost every city in tn,
land, free books are a part of fret
school education. Shall it be stamped a.
"jobbery" when modest attempt il
made to put st. Paul on the same footing
as other cities? Many children in thi'
city cannot take advantage of our schools
for the reason that their parents are un
able to spend the amount needed TO-
books; and if by any act of mine Car
give them that benefit, even at the ex.
pense of the public, shall consider
that my career as school inspector
has been success. was born in New
York city and have never been out OIL
the United States, and am consequently
ignorant of the educational systems Of
| foreign lands, but believe the writer Oi
the editorial in question gained his In
formation Of school topics from some
such source. The American plan Is tt
educate the poorest as well ss the more
opulent, and by free books, and by free
books only, can this end be attained. Cry
down "jobbery" when you find it, but d.
not crowd down popular lneasure-s
beneficial measure, in order to vent I'm.
called for spleen upon the
"INaENIoUs Mr.. OPPENHEM."