The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-08
BECKTOLD'S SCHOOL BOOKS
Commissioner Conner Tells His Col
leagues What He Thinks of the Law.
As II Resembles Strongly the Good Prussian
System Commissioner Frenzel Says 1t Is
ALI Right and Ought to Be Upheld.

The first thing to attract any attention,
last evening at the meeting of the School
Commissioners, was a little resolution in
troduced by Mr.. Frenzel. 1t read as fol-
lows:
Resolved, That the president and secretary of
this board be authorized to sign requisitlon for
State Board of Education as will supply those
classes which are TO begin the studies covered
Dy those books.
The resolution brought Mr.. Conner to his
feet. This board" said he, lis left the
poor privilege of protesting against the
new law that binds u.s. body and SOUL to
adopt these books. Since the foundation
of our school system till now, the law has
given perfect freedom to school boards in
| every separate community to lay all
thought under tribute for the common
good. School boards, constantly in con-
tact with local conditions, could know
what books were best adapted, and the law
gave them perfect freedom to do the
best in selecting them. This new law
reverses this natural order of adaptation to
local conditions. Not only so, but it COM
pels a central board, wholly apart from
local contact with the people, their needs
end demands to select for all communities
the productions of one man-One mind. 1t
is turning the wheel of progress backward
toward China, where one mind shapes all
thought in law, in literature, in medicine,
in commerce and in religion. Let us hope
and pray that some legislative body may
rescue the State before it adopts wooden
shoes and chop sticks. The country seems
occasionally blind to every phase of things
but the commercial side. The SUI
is now giving the world its inven-
| ton and mechanism, is due to the
fact that it has not been dwarfed by being
compelled to think after one man only.
The nursery of this genius is our free
school system. Whoever has a worthy
| thought, here has free entrance. The doors
heretofore have not been bolted against
| any help or helper in order to put $4,000
annually into any mans pocket, or for any
other purpose.
THE State Board of Education is limited
| by the new law to a standard of books
| which this board and most others of the
State have long ago discarded as not up to
the requirements of the schools. and there,
| fore no criticism can lie against that board
| for its adoption of these books. Like our
| own board, it is bound hand and foot
| by the law, and prOnOunces shibbOleth be-
! cause the Legislature took it by the throat
| and made its members Ephraimites. If
| there are or have been schOOl-bOOk CON-
Dimes denounce them. for they destroy
| the law of supply and demand. But the
| incubus of inferior helps which is put upon
| the children of this city and the State for
| the next five years is matter of much
more concern. A book that may cost but
| nickel, as compared with one that costs
| ten might be very dear. l insist that there
are other than the commercial side to the
school question. Our hope in bridging
| over this temporary departure is in the in
| PRODUCTION of supplementary reading, No
abnormal condition can last long, and out
of all this will at last come free school
| books to be added to free buildings and
| free tuition"
Mr.. Frenzel replied to Mr.. Conner by
pralsng the ne new h sch psn.6;" law lie
| which he spoke glowingly. The Prussian
| system" said Mr.. Frenzel. eloquentIy,
Stands very nearly as model. The selec-
| ton of textbooks there is left with the
| local boards of control, so far that all text
| books introduced must be approved by the
Minister of Public Instruction, and he says
w neither they shall be used or not" Mr..
| FrenZel concluded with an attack on
| Whites arithmetics, now in use in the
| schools, and violent invectives against Van
| Antwerp, Bragg IL Co., during which he
| charged that county superintendents were
bribed or influenced to select and adopt
| schOol-bOOks.
| Mr.. Conner corrected him by showing
| that under the law the county superln-
| tendent had had nothing to do with Sc
| lecting or adopting books.
Mr.. Baker said he was disposed to let
, things 60. and trust 70 the future to set
matters right. The resolution then passed
The committee on furniture and supplies
| then recommended that the Bowen Merrill
| Company be awarded a contract for 500 gross
| pens at S3l.72; 1900 manila envelopes at
| 7Sc per thousand: 600 gross cray ons at &c a
| gross; 500 MANILA tablets, at SIPS per
thousand; Is gross slate pencils, at 62loc a
| gross; 600 reams cap paper at 81 10 a ream.
| 1t was also recommended that the Western
| Ink Company be awarded the contract for
| 500 gallons of ink at AZ cents gallon; that
| Perry Bros. supply !65 dozen brOOms at 81. 10
| dozen: that W. A. Rhodes furnish Island
| City lump coal, at sos ton, and Grand
Rapids Furniture Company 200 school-desks
| at &. 10 to S2.25 each, according to size. The
| report was adopted.
| The Bowen Merrill Company submitted
| an offer to distribute the Indiana school
| series (BecktOld) to the pupils over the city
| at 10 per cent. on the cost of the books.
| Superintendent Jones said the scholars
| would probably need 5000 of these books
| the first year. The offer was declined, as
| the board has an arrangement whereby the
| distribution can be made at 2 per cent. Oh
the cost. The board then adjourned.
The School Law and Politics.
| Indiana School Journal.
1t is exceedingly unfortunate for the
| schools IN a the new school law inst going