The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-03-08
TIE SCHOOL BOOK Bill.

| Prentis in the AtchisOn Champion: a
great portion of the session was taken
up yesterday in the house in discussing
a schOol.book bill. and such u bill was
finally recommended for passage. II
provides that "a series of Kansas school
books shalt lie prepared by the state SUI
perintendent and "tw0 other learned
men," TO be appointed by the governor;
said books 10 he printed 10y the state
| printer, and furnished by him AN the
acquisitions of the county superintend-
ents, who shall furnish them to the dis
trIcts for GASP at prices ranging from
ten cents 10 seventy-fi five cents.
The object OF the bill, To make school
books cheaper. is a very good one, and
the same might be said of law to
make states and dinner buckets cheaper.
The objections are that the stale Of Kan
sas should not undertake to do what can
be done by individuals; and that the
state, In endeavoring u furnish cheap
books, may succeed in furnishing very
poor ones. The commission To prepare
the books Is 10 consist of the state So
perintendent and two "learned men" 10
be appointed by the governor. l
doubt IL Mr.. Speer has time, in
addition TO his other duties, t. write
school books; and doubt Yet more the
ability of the present executive TO ap-
point two suitable Learned men" 70
work in connection with MIR. Speer.
The governors appointees would be
Democrats, of course, which would be a
draft ON the learning Of the party, and
fear that, in the preparation OF u United
States history, grave differences would
arise between Mr Speer and his col
leagues In regard Ia what TEACHINGS
should be Instilled iAtO the minds of
Kansas children. Mr. Speer would
think that full and free mi ormatIOn
should he given respecting the twenty
years which included the war for the
Union the crushing of The + .bellion
the serious Disagreement of thG Demo
cratic party, aud the emancipation of
the slaves, which years the governors
appointees would wish entirely iAOGted
out since they were years OF chteGtess
gloom and heart crushing despOTSdAscy
10 their chief. Another trouble ROal1
arise, too, over the poetic selections ia
the readers. Mr.. Speer would select
The Moon is Shining on the Grange"
which his colleagues would object 10, as
containiDg "a reference to illusions"
aud would insist. ON their part on moor
l'oratIng some of The poetry of Chief
Clerk Tomlinson, of the executive Of
flee, which poetry, may say, eclipses the
glowing verses of Peacock, Theodore +.
Price, old man Frye, of Columbus, and
all the other Kansas batds. Already 8
feeling of dread oyerspreads the COM
munity in view or the reproduction, in
the Kansas State First Reader, of such
lines as these. from the latest production
of the Governors Own Poet: +
"Out on the lousy beggar,
No office shall they touch"
Said one, prohibition shrieker,
Who had drop too much,
While rural Cowley's Hotspur
Spoke Of the "blear eyed Dutch"
Imagine the "young ones" reading
that "in concert"
These dangers do not appear to have
been considered 10y the disputaRls in the
house, but there is yet time Cheap
books are good but let as not discard the
million or so OF school books now in use !
until we are sure OF getting something
not only cheaper but better. My own
impression is, that il the state will hus-
band and Increase the school fund, the |
parents of Kansas will manage to squeeze.
along in some way ami buy their chill
dren's school books to suit themselves.