Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-05
TIE SCHOOL BW0k CONTRACT.
Written for the Posr ISrstl,s.Scy.

Written for the Posr ISrEILrsEScyE.
The school book question is of great
er importance than most people imac
inc. The choice of books will affect ths
| intelligence of the rising generation
and reach the pocket of every parent
however poor.
The difference to the school ieache.
between coed books and poor ones, i.
precisely the difference between good
tools and poor ones TO the mechanic. 81
far as results are concerned. The
teacher with poor books labors under
a disadvantage like that of the farme,
working with dull aka or scythe.
Adams, the agent for the publishers
OF the books now in use, has been giving
the Board of Education iaify. This is
the last year of the five for which these
books were adopted.
When these books we're saddled upon
as five years ago. there was general
kicking all over the Territory. Parents
kicked at being Obliged to exc ange
books for those of less value. Teachers
kicked ut being obliged to teach from
incomplete works full Of plumbers and
mistakes. Local dealers lisked because
the lions share of profits went out OF
the Territory. All this kicking did nc
good.
g The publishers held the rcins in their
own hands. The more the people
kicked, the tighter the sinch was drawn
Adams hopes, by giving taffy and
loOsening the sinch little, to persuade
the Board of Education to saddle these
books upon US for the five years to come.
That Barnes d Co. have had good
thing, is seen from Adams letter in the
Posi- iNrELIIGESCEg. The fac. that he
offers to reduce the price, shows the
enormous profit they have made. con
sidering that money will be made at the
reduced rate.
The price Of Complete Arithmetics'
drops from Sl.40 to 80 cents. and copy
books from - cents to IL cents.
The reason given for the proposed re-
dnction Is that freight will be less in the
future. Very thin; extremely gauzy.
Because freight is reduced they can
afford to charge ten cents less on a
writing book when that same hook
could have been sent to any part OF the
Union by mail for one cent
The Arithmetic is lowered Is cents in
price, on account of reduced freight,
when ten cents postage would relieve
all freight charges.
Adams sees that the people under
stand the 0veroharge, and he admits il
by this reduction in price of the books.
The copy book is made of five sheets
of paper and thin green paper cover.
and sold for twenty-five cents. This
means that the poor man who desires to
have his children learn to write must
pay such sum that the publisher can
realize 800 or 600 per cent. profit. And
for an arithmetic one must pay -
cents to reimburse the publishers for
ten cents postage.
The whole thing is too thin. The
books are inferior both in subject mat
ter and material. They are so made as
to fall to pieces in short time. A
glance at the books in use in any school
room shows this. In the school room
where now write, tlree-fourths of the
arithmetics have lost leaves. These
books are not old books, but were made
in.that way on purpose, to compel par
ties to keep getting new ones.
This proposed reduction of xS per set
Of school books, simply lets the cat out
of the bag"
We look to the Posr- INrELLIGENcER
to protect teachers and parents from
imposition in this matter.
A TEACHER,