The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-09-11
NEW sCHooL-BooKs.
The Colossal Labor Involved In Supplying
the Sehoola


The amount of noise which the schoolbook
trust and its agents have been making for sew
eral weeks past may have led many people to
suppose that there was widespread opposition
to the new school-book law and that great
deal of difficulty would be experienced in intro
ducing the new books into the schools. The
TACT is, as shown by the tremendous demand
for the books, that the opposition is mainly
imaginary. A member of the Indiana school
book company recently gave SENTINEL
reporter some interesting facts and figures,
showing what has been and is being done to-
ward supplying the three-quarter OF million
pupils of the Indiana public schools with the
new books. THE contract" be said, was
awarded us on the 10th of July. The
governors proclamation announcing the
award was not issued until July %.
The law allowed school trustees thirty days
from that date in which 10 make acquisitions
and gave us ninety days after the acquisitions
were received in which to fill them. We de-
termined, however, not to avail ourselves OF
this time, but TO put the books into the schools
throughout the state at the opening of the fall
term. Men familiar with the publishing and
printing business said that this simply could
not be DONE but where there's a will there's a
way, and tina, which they pronounced impos-
sible is practically accomplished already. The
first requisitiOn was not received until Aug. j,
or little more than thirty days ago. Ii was
not until after the middle of August that they
came in large numbers, and many OF the
heaviest ones were not received until last
week. When the contract vas awarded us,
however, we took immediate steps to secure
the immense amount of material and labor
necessary 10 the publication and delivery of
the books in time for the opening OF schools.
We bought by wire the entire stocks OF three
of the largest paper mills in the country and
engaged their product for several months
ahead. These mills made the kind OF paper
shown in the sample books fled with the board
Of adj nd Nrh nnr
for. We had six extra sets of
plates for the books made, so that
work could be carried on simultaneously in as
many different establishments. For two weeks
past seven Of the largest printing concerns IN
the West-at Chicago, st. Louis, st. Paul and
Minneapolis-have been running night and day
with a full force, on the books. Altogether,
about four thousand persons have been at work
on them.
There are over thirteen hundred school cor
porations in Indiana. acquisitions have been
received from LOO OF them. Our policy has
been to supply these corporations in the order
of the opening of their schools. Last Monday
about 5000 school-houses in Indiana opened
their doors in Indiana For most OF these
schools the new books had been ordered, and,
save in few cases, where there had been delay
in transit, the books were ready for the chill
dren Monday morning. Next Monday still
larger number of schools will open, and think
il is safe to predict that very few OF them VIII
have to wait so long as single day for the
books. OF course, there have been and will
be delays and errors in some ship
ments. These are unavoidable and the
wonder is that they have not been five times as
numerous. When l consider what has been
accomplished during the last thirty days, can
only say that when American capital, pluck
and energy take hold of an enterprise, how
ever formidable il may seem, there is no such
word as fail All but FIVE counties have made
acquisitions, and great majority OF them are
for the entire number of books that will be
needed during the school-year of $3.50. We
have already reports from many places show
ing that the books are we'll thought of, and
their cheapness, as compared with the trust
books, of course impresses parents very favor
ablv"