St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-18
SCHOOL 1kxr BOOKS.

1neTt Is perhaps iU lcdltiiS ol oui
public school system which is the
source of more annoyance and dissatis-
faction than that which relates TO the
use of text books in the public schools.
The trouble, as it was in the 'beginning.
is yet, and perhaps ever viii be, is in
furnishing the right sort of books at
prices that will not be an imposition
upon the patrons of the schools. First
we had the trouble arising from lack
of uniformity in text books. That was
remedied by the Legislature, but the
remedy was sort of Pandora's box
from which issued still more serious
troubles. The contract system brought
on fight between the book publishers
and the booksellers, and vigorous war
they waged to get control of the profit
able monopoly which the legislature
had established. We are familiar
enough with the troubles we have had
in this state from that source, and Of
the hard feelings that have been en-
gendered. Now it is proposed by the
legislature to furnish text books free to
all children who attend the public
schools, and it is understood that the
object of this proposed measure is to al
lay the dlseontent which prevails among
the school patrons because of the enor-
nous expense each year of purchasing
books for their children. Ii this bill is
passed, it will only prove Temporary
remedy, and of very short duration at
that. The taxpayers will have to foot
the bill, and as most of the school pa
irons are taxpayers. they will fail to dis
cern where the relief comes in.
If it is the object of the legislature to
get at the root of the textbook trouble,
that body will have cut good deal
deeper than it has yet proposed to cut
Other states are experiencing the same
troubles that we are. and it is worth
while to study the experiments they are
making in an effort to get rid Of them.
The Pennsylvania legislature adopted
the plan of furnishing free text books.
but discovered. as our legislature will
discover, that public discomfort was not
allayed thereby. Now the legislature
of that state proposes to adopt more rad
ical changes in the school. The new
bill introduced into the Pennsylvania
Legislature to remedy the abuses con-
nected with the furnishing of text books
to the pupils of the public schools con-
tains two important provisions which
merit the consideration of our ownlegis-
iature. 1t was found there, as here,
that one great evil was in the frequency
with which text books are changed.
Hence the new law provides that a
change of books shall not occur oftener
than once in six years. There the peo-
pie continued to groan under the extor-
tionate prices of school books. 1t was
found by Legislative investigation that
the prices of school books were from so
to 100 per cent higher than any other
kinds of books Of like size and cost of
production. Accordingly the new law
contains provision that the state shall
print its own text books and supply
them free to all children.
The GLOBE realizes that so radical a
measure as the last named provision in
the Pennsylvania law deserves the most
careful consideration. 1t would be a
big undertaking for the state to print
its own books, and might possibly open
the door to corruption. Still, almost
anything would be tempting that prom
ised to rid the state of the professional
book-lobbyist and to break up the COM
binations Of book publishers, to say
nothing of the possible decrease in
prices of school books.