Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-03-14
THE TEXT BOOK QUESTION.

EDITOR INTELLIGENcER:--If your
space is not in too great demand this
week, would like to have enough TO
add my mite to the discussion now in
prog, ess on the matter of text books,
and how they should be furnished to
the people.
You published last week the full
text of Representative Carter's bill now
before the legislature-and you cali 1t
a good law. In many respects 1t Is
good, and in many others decidedly
bad. Altogether it should not become
q law. Unless this bill should be
amended before its final passage, it
would involve the county OF Lafayette
in a serious difficulty with "the said
cont, actor" spoken of in the bill or
with the publishing houses with which
this county contracted last january.
The contracts were duly made with
VanAntwerp, Bragg 81 Co., and others,
to furnish this county with books for
five years, and no law that the Mis-
souri, legislature can pass can annul
those contracts.
The idea of giving the state contract
to the first reliable publishing house
that offers is bad one. The law would
fasten certain series of books upon
the people for ten years; and this also
ia bad when fully considered. The
law just repealed is fully as good as
the one Mr.. Carter proposes, if as rea-
sonable terms could always be had OF
the publishers as were secured by the
county text book convention last Jan
uary. To illustrate,-in the Fergu'
son school where l am teaching, we
have Just introduced "Ridpath's Gram
mar School History of the United
States" In my judgment this is the
very best school history have ever ex
amined. We got them OF Chas. w
Loomis, of Lexington, and they only
cost us 80 cents exchange and 80 cent
introduction, and the guaranteed pric'
t for same book hereafter is only 80 cents
do not believe that such well writ
ten book, and one as neatly executed
and as firmly bound, could be sold 10
less money and afford the publisher
and dealers reasonable profit.
| want to suggest an idea by IL
means new, and yet the one that oc
ours to me as the only one that Wi
fully solve this much veXed text boo
problem. Instead OF Mr.. Carter's Law
let us have one authorizing each schot
district to buy and own the books use
V in its schools, and furnish them to tn
= pupils thereof whenever needed. Th
" would secure perfect unitormit
l. throughout district and that is all th'
Is need be desired: for what does it cor
O Germ my school what books are used
:, Prof. Bowman's school in Bates City
Make the district clerk the district /
e barian and pay him S25 year for b
servlces-he ought to have it and it
h not cent too much.
~ The principal objections TO such
~ system would be these: l, That p
OF pills would handle the books more rec
h, lessly than if they belonged to ther
as But a trial will demonstrate that und
" a careful teacher, pupils will be mo
We careful with the books that belong
at the district; and if pupils unnecessar
in ly damage book their parents shou
H. be held responsible for it. 2. y
rs books might eventually collect on t
IS, districts hands and keep out nc
he books revised and up to the time
r. There is not bit of danger OF tn
b, With the field open to competiti
he publishers will constantly stand rea
x to take up old books and replace the
of with new for reasonable consider
mt ton.
After all, then, there is but one cl;
mt of people that could complain OF su
80 a system-the class that have no ch
he dren to be schooled. The benefits
DC be- derived are many. Whereas, n'
rm books that have been used by fam