Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1889-06-26
WEDNESDAY, JUNE %, 1889.
Free Text Books.

Free Text Books. Z
President Edward Soaring con-
tributes to the Student Of recent date
an able article on "Free Text Books"
which 30 nearly accords with the
ideas expressed by the TRIBUNE ON
the same subject, that we publish be-
low the article entire:
Considerable newspaper notice OF
the plan OF free-text books in the
public schools has been observed dur
ing the past winter, and the COM
msnts have been very generally
friendly. During the past fifteen
years, with little special effort on the
part of educational men, there has
been q steady but gradual drift OF
sentiment and practice towards the
removal of the last exception to the
absolute freedom from money cost OF
public school instruction.
This drift Is partly q corollary OF
the compulsory education enactments,
now found in the statute books OF
most of the Northern states. Com
pulsory attendance is probably logi-
cal outcome of our theory of popular
education, but among the difficulties
that have almost everywhere pre-
vented the enforcement of COM
pulsory law, the cost of textbooks
has been found one Of the most prom
inent. With the multiplicity OF re-
quired subjects now taught and books
needed therefor in the public schools,
the cost of these books, imposed upon
the parents, is found to be burden
too great for those whose children are
mainly the subjects OF state soiicitude,
These parents are almost uniformally
both poor and prolific. Forcing their
numerous offspring into the school
room without the necessary means OF
obtaining any benefit there, is much
like leading horse to an empty pail.
The incongruity is manifest and
hence the general aequiescence in the
non-enforcement of an impraetice.
able law.
The cost of textbooks in modern
schools in which SO many more books
are found than in those Of genera
ton ago, and books more costly In
elegance Of illustration, paper and
binding. nearly equals, In many
cases, the rate-bill payments of our
fathers and grandfathers. So long as
this individual and heavy tax is Inn
posed as a condition precedent and
attendant, the children of the very
poor cannot be expected to attend
school with desired regularity and
persistence. The single burden OF the
cost of suitable or decent clothing for
the children, while in school, is all or
more than many parents can meet.
That the public schools cannot
properly be called "free" so long as
this tax for books is imposed upon
those who enter, and that this tax is
an unnecessary restriction of their in
fluence in the community, are truths
fully recognized by many intelligent
people, and destined to be more gen.
orally admitted hereafter. Nor have
they by any means been recently dis
covered. The city Of New York has
for more than half a century furn-
ished free of cost the textbooks
needed by pupils of all grades from
primary to the high school. The city
of Philadelphia has done the same
for more than generation, as have
the cities of Paterson and Newark, in
New Jersey, Bath and Lewiston in
Maine, and many other towns In the
East. Many cities in Wisconsin, In
Guiding Lacrosse and Watertown,
have for several years had in success
full operation the free textbook sys-
tenn. Multitudes of smaller towns
and country districts all over the
Union have adopted the same. But
by far the most important and Inn
pressive example in this line OF school
: economy has recently been furnished
by Massachusetts, whose Legislature
two OF three years ago enacted law
making textbooks compulsory in all
schools of the state. This action at
tracted wide attention at the time,
and gave new stimulus to the grow
ing sentiment for free books all over
the country.
The uniform testimony from the
places where the free textbook plan
has been fully tried, is strongly in its
favor on the points of cheapness,
uniformity, full and prompt supply Of
books and increased attendance Of
pupils. It is interesting, and must be
to many surprising, that the testi.
mony also generally proves the
better care of books when owned by
the district than under the plan of In
dividual ownership. In fact, careful
investigation of the subject shows 9
surprisingly strong array Of testi
mony and argument in favor of free
books. When there is anything like
reasonable, competent business man.
agement, on the part of school officers
and teachers, there are no serious oh.
jections whatever, that have stood
the test of experience. Hence the In
evitable conclusion that 1t is only 6
question Of time when textbooks
will be universally free in the public
schools, as are now seats, desk, black
boards, crayon, and tuition.
Bunker Hill monument was begun
In 1928, but the building did no
make much progress until 1927. I
~~Av. ak1,@r,o1 Rox. 10 81 IL VXYorI