The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-26
THE NEW TEXTBOOKS.
Superintendent LaFollette Expresses His
Opinion and Talks About the Law.

superintendent LaFoiiette Expresses His
Opinion and Talks About the Law.
Indianapolis News.
State Superintendent LaFollette desires
to 60 down on record. He wishes it to be
distinctly understood that in the vote of
the State board on the adoption of
the Indiana School-book Publishing
Company's textbooks, he did not
vote in favor of the readers or Biographies.
He regards them as in every way inferior
to the books which were taken for the
standard of comparison. They are poor In
the quality of paper. and binding, and en-
craving, and the readers are poorly CLASH
fed, and contain lessons which are not
what boys and girls should read in school.
The arithmetics and writing books he
thinks equal to those now in use.
Mr.. LatOllette says he has received sew
eral hundred letters, chiefly from town
ship trustees. asking whether the law is
tiers come from every part of the State, and
all breathe hostility to the law. They ask
what the penalty is if the law is disobeyed.
He says there is no penalty pro-
vided for ., violating the law. He does
legislators desired to make a popular law
by which counties that wanted cheaper
books could get them, but which allowed
any which desired to use the old books
He thinks great deal of official pressure
books generally adopted. He does
not propose to make his office nm
popular by bringing a host of man.
datory suits against county boards of edu
cation; and does not know yet what action
he will take to enforce the law. Some
trustees have written as though they will
fulfill their duty by ordering the legal
books according to the law and then just
hold them to sell If anybody calls for them,
but make no effort to enforce their use in
the schools. They write that teachers gen.
orally are opposed to the law.
Prospect for a General MIDDLE.
Princeton Clarion.
There is a fine prospect for a general
muddle in school affairs the coming year,
on account of the attempt to introduce the
new series of books adopted by the Board
of Education, under the provisions
of the new law. This law is crude
and impractical in many respects.
1t was crowded through the last Legisl a
ture under the spur of an unreasOning and
unscrupulous Democratic majority, and it
was defended by the party press simply be-
cause 1t was assumed to be party meas
and is exceedingly anxious to shout
der the responsibility of this new
textbook law and there is a probability
that they will find the burden little more
than they can carry. There is no question
that there has been great extortion, in the
price paid for school books, and every
one agrees that there should be
some relief from this extOrtion.
The II e.. objection ion is only in the plan
State Board of Education adopted a series
OF readers, arithmetic and geography to
take the place of those now in use The
price fixed by law for those books
is very much less than the peo-
pany proposing. to furnish these books
agree to sell at those prices, which is all
right. SO far. But what about the books
already in the hands of the school-childreni
The law does not fix any price for these in
the State board accepts their Of
able books of the eve old ior series ss'Vi the
magnificent sumof 81 cents for the entire
set, and they will ask you to pay into the
$3.05, in cash. for the new books. In other
words. you are asked to throw away your
present supply of books and buy new ones.
Perhaps the school patrons of Gibson coun-
ing this sort of an exchange, and perhaps
they will not regard it so fav0rably.
A One-Sided Business.
North Vernon Plain Dealer.
Many trustees throughout the State de-
clare they will not take charge of the new
schoOisbOOks and thus become responsible
for the collection of money. The only
way a trustee can protect himself is
by doing q spot cash business He
loses the price of all books he let's ont at the
are not paid for. In other words. town.
ship trustee is forced into the book selling
business, and makes no money on what he
sells for spot cash, while he runs the risk
of losing what he. trusts out. 1t is q one
sided business, and the one side is against