Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-02-12
The State Text Book Folly.

fraught with great evil. We refer to
The Bill just introduced 10 provide
for uniform system of textbooks
throughout the States. 1t provides
that the Governor, Sec. of State, Atty.
General and Supt. of Pub. Instruc-
ton shall advertise for bids on school
books and they shall select one Sc
RIGS which shall be used in all the
Common Schools of the state for five
years without change. The evils of
this scheme are many and great as
has been fully demonstrated by sew
eral s ates which have already tried
it. The bill ought not TO pass and
should be showed under by the earn
est protest of all citizens.
The following from the Lexington,
Ky., Advertiser sets forth clearly the
experience of those States which
have tested the matter;
"The Legislatures of the several
States are this winter being annoyed
with new presentations of the old
war of the outs against the ins in the
textbook struggle. These contests
have for twenty years consumed the
peoples money by taking up the
time of the legislatures when most
needed for more important work.
Virginia passed through the strife
in 1874, changed her textbooks to
the specious pleadings of uniformity
at an expense of nearly a half mil
lion dollars, arrested the progress of
her public school system for three
wears, and after the throes of another
revolution in February, 1877,
REPEALED HER "UNIFoRMTY" LAW
and went back to the old common
sense plan of allowing each county
or district to select the books best
adapted to the schools in which they
are to be used. Now an effort is be-
ing made by the publishers of inferi-
or books to folst themselves upon
the people of that State through the
agency of the Legislature now there
in session.
The same scheme is now in prog
ress in Iowa, where the district
board" plan has prevailed so long
that they have succeeded in secur-
inc one of the most successful school
systems in the West.
1t is noticeable fact that where
these textbook wars have been al
lowed to distract public attention,
consume the time of legislatures, and
finally on the specious plea of econo'
my, fasten inferior and unpopular
books upon The people at false prices
the school system has weakened and
waned so long as the incubus has
been allowed to remain.
q Superintendent j.. P. Wickersham
9 of Pennsylvania, in his report to thu
, legislature Of that State in January
: 1875, says:
9 'The experiments made in othe
= States TO Introduce State uniformit,
}. of textbooks have all been failures
This is true in Vermont, Maryland
{ Missouri, Minnesota, California, Or
egon, and other States. The histor!
=, of all laws concerning the subject
l briefly written, is: their passage
' abortive attempts to enforce them
I breeding antagonism everywhere il
/, the administration of the schoOls,and
checking for the time all educationa
I progress, and their repeal
Since that time all these State
have gone back to the county or dis
# trict board system except Minnesota
It That State is still laboring under
S load imposed upon it by legislator
o deceived and misled by the speciou
: arguments of a publishing house pu
o in the disguise of appeals from tn
e ''widow and orphan"
=
In Michigan they have no centra
J. board to usurp power and rob tn
u people of the right Of local self-goV
III eminent. There the law says, thu
&c text books shall be selected by eac
l. district board for term OF fiV
ne years, or changed sooner only by
;! majority of the legal voters OF IL
s. district at an annual meeting. Sic
We by side with this we see the utmo
harmony and the most successf'
school system in America. Nor
81 this an isolated case, In every Sta
III where the corrupting influence
ne great monopolies Is eflectually sh'
OF out and no dangerous localization
" power exists, there is peace, prospe
IN ity and success. We sincerely no
o. the legislature of Virginia, t
DC the legislature of Iowa and {
nj other legislatures afflicted wi
the schemes of unsuccessful pu
fishing houses may be able to resi-
i'll all such appeals and every possit
tn Establishment that may be present
nc to them"
1T" sauguaaazer-z.n.--..-nna