Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-01-31
TEXTBOOKS.
The SeAehers Of Fort Worth Appeal
to Legislative Action on
the Subject.
They Favor the Bill Creating the Office
etOOunty Superintendent.

SsVN III tue puollc schools and
creating the office OF county
superintendent Of public schools
nave crested considerable interest and
discussion among the teachers in this
city. They generally do not approve
oil the one relating to the books, but
are unanimous in their APPRECIATION of
the one creating the Office Of county
superintendent.
a GAZETTE reporter last night met
Proi. hugg, superintendent Of the clty
schools, and several Of the principsls
az the ottioe OF thes superintendent, and
sollclted their views on these two bills.
Prof. Hogg said II regard the ofilce
OF county superintendent a necessity
In Texas. There should be a head To-
everything where order aud discipline
are desired. Banks, railroads. stores and
all Kinds Of business have heads and
departments. There 1, no denying
that the present system Of having the
cum y Judge TO act az school superln.
tendent Is not success. The Judges
nave too much TO perform and cannot
give that attention TO the
schools which will insure dis.
etpiine and Or1er. The Of
ttce OF county superintendent would
elevate the standard OF the schools.
The uperintondent would necessarily
be man well vereed in school matters.
he would obtain the best teachers boa
slble, and in many ways could improve
the present system. The county
judges are behind with their reports
according TO the statement OF the state
superintendent, and this Ia 10 be ex.
pected from the arduOus work they
have 20 perform. You may say I an
warm advocate of the bill creating
the office
IL am opposed TO the bill providing
for q uniformity In the textbooks Of
the public schools throughout the
state In the first place, men who are
not teachers will select the books, and
this takes away from the teachers that
which really belongs to them. Uni.
formity in city or county Is a neces-
sity, and the superintendent ought to
be competent TO make the selection.
The state adoption means monopoly
TO that bOOk.house which can offer the
greatest Inducements. II Is not best
for those who buy books 70 give
entire control to any one book-house
or syndicate OF book-houses, simply
because they GEEK these adoptions 20
make money. 1t Is far from being
cheaper TO use certain book for q
number OF years and IL Is really less
expensive to have frequent adoptions
l DO not believe the legislature should
say what books the various school dis
tricts should use, il would be Just as
proper for Senator johnson OF Collin
- 81 L..
should use one pillow. There are
Improvements continually being
made In text books, and uniformity
OF books would give monopoly TO one
set Of authors and have tendency to
prevent others from becoming aut hors
nhe schools want the beat books, best
methods and latest methods, where
they are Improvements. As q teacher
l would be unwilling to give up the
privilege, in this age OF boOk-making, Of
selection OF books
Prof w B. Gerard, principal Of the
high school, said;
at Ia proposed that there loo a law
passed establishing uniformity OF text
books throughout the sena orisl dis.
trlcts OF this state. / am opposed 10
the law, not because do not think
uniformity desirable, but because 10
woulu enable certain Arms TO secure
monopoly Of the schOol-bOOk business
II Is argued that competition will
keer down the price of books. Every
argument In favor OF the proposed
law can be C implicitly answered by
citing its advocates to those states
whose legislatures have already en-.
acted such laws. In Missouri, for
example, the book firms are
not in competition. Five years
ago they secured a monopoly
OF the business in the different coun-
ties by sending out an army OF agents,
who divided up the state among them.
selves, The eople are now clamoring
for the legislature 10 free them from
law which compels them to pay enor-
NOUS prices for books which should be
the cheapest in the land. believe
that the same state OF things would re-
suit here. II any law at all Is passed
in regard TO this subject, II should be
80 arranged that no gTasping hook
monopoly could control the sale Of
books aud force the people to pay high
prices for books 30 necessary for the
use OF the children"
| believe that the movement in
favor of the law establishing the office
of county superintendent IL u good
one. BY this agency better teachers
would be secured in all the schools,
and the people would be more aroused
upon therubt ct Of education. Through
his influence the terms would prOOa-
bly, be heightened, and school cOmmu-
mites would see the necessity of levy
ing tax upon themselves for school
purposes The superintendent ought
10 be a man of education and ability,
and such a one could do great good
In recommending good textbooks, In
holding institutes. a id in instructlng
the teachers in the principles OF the
art Of teaching. Let the law be passed,
and let the superintendent be paid a
good salary. and let him devote his
whole time and attention 10 the busi-
ness
Prof. r. p. Willing, principal Of
school No l, said:
II an opp lsed to the bill In relation
10 stext-boOks for several reasons. l
heiteve IL would raise the price Of