Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-18
The SchooI-Book Trusts.

were doing with alacrity- namely. hauling
90 its pedestal that monument OF the pasi
which the present VIII soon cOnsecTate @
she future. the equestrian statue OF Gen
JTM Robert +. Lee.
Among the busiest IN the throng were
come thousands. 50 the papers estimated
az boy aud girls. But as / looked 80 then
one thought saddened me; for 10 was fresh
SIR my mind what ! had been surprised tC
goad fcw dhys before, that when the news
~ Mr.. Dayis's death reached Richmond
east winter oDc OF tho teachers IN public
tcho0l hero had called up an advanced
Glass 20 answer, and that not one OF these
pupils had been able TO answer, To ques-
zion: " Who was jefferson bavlsr" All but
one showed "a blank ignorance and that
one replied that he had been general III
sc.iro 10 remove this Tcproach that in
ducod our patriotic Mayor TO offer a
medal 10 That pupil OF the public
schools who should write the best os-
f99 ON the life and services Of jefferson
Iuc Confederate army" How much more
fulirhtcucd, thought ], are these youthful
f1Ilars as To the place occupied 10y Robert
g. Lee in that lost, but glorious, cause?
Perhaps the ignorance Of those pupils
ought not TO have surprised me. for / had
tecantly heard on eX-tCacheT and Christian
worker declare that the parents left the
secular teaching Of their children almost
entirely 10 the teachers Of the schools, and
their religious education pretty much to
fur teachers Of the Sunday schools.
Having Mother chick nor cllld myself /
cannot testify in THE matter. But speak
iur now only of the secular aspect OF the
cs.o / can feel how bad It VIII be for my
oouutiymcn. the peopleo of Virginia, II tins
CouiIt ON II things ~ 70 continue; as ~
threatens TO do If what / hear toe true
viz. that an active effort IS being made TO
got ria Of all the book, that are written by
Nirg'uians except Maury', Geography, and
that though they ere moro or less owned
ly southern men they aTe TO be displaced
rs "A set Of books published 10y book
trust IN New York. that an agreement,
uot yet perhaps amounting 90 contract,
has been reached TO that effect that
fhe teachers ia the public shoots OF
Iichmopd have ranged themselves on
iho side of the trust by petition
iuo TO Rdppt its books into our
schools: and that the trust has employed
paid AGENTS amoug them some lawyers) OF
supposed influence. each with one or more
OF The Board Of Education. 10 beslege the
Governor, the Superintendent OF Pubhc
Instruction. and the Attorncy-General,
nnd induce them to adopt the books, in
Cluding COPY books. that are published by
thc trust.
Against al which I, taxpayer and q
Nirpiuian, protest IN tho name OF sound
folicy aud patriotism.
tirst, az 10 the policyi The object of all
trusts Is pluudcr they simply mean an
agreement that their members shall turn
competition into combination, shall cease
cutting each others Threats and cut the
throats of all other people that cross their
PATHS: and. ~ one means 20 this end that
they will divide given territory among
themselves, combining their money to
drive Of all outside competition from each
assigned district: Just as the trust which the
American Tobacco Company, who failed 20
act their cigarette trust from the Virginia
Legislature, arc said TO have established
nnother. and to have assigned different to-
laccO districts among their members, so
~ 10 control everywhere the markets IN
which they buy the raw material as well
a. those III which they sell the manutac-
tured product
Four school-book publishing concerns
now form the combination which socks TO
control the sale of books in tins state. d..
Appleton d Co., lvison, Brakeman a Co.,
a Is. Barnes n Co.. all Of New York, and
Van Antwerp, Bragg Il Co., Of Cincinnati,
constitute this Big Four" as IL - called
(which has already absorbed some other con-
Germs and has complete and T1ct orgaui-
cation. which. as / have said, - now IN the
FIELD AGAINST the books that are printed for
Tie University Company. That this trust
will raise the prices of all books directly or
Indirectly as soon as they have established
themselves on the ruin Of their rivals is
Sust as plain as IL was that the old canal
packet line raised and kept up prices after
80 had driven of their rival, MIR. tlsOm; ;
though they worked for nearly nothing
until they had accomplished that purpose.
But the state has present az well as a
future pecunlary interest In keeping this
trust out Of her schools, as the following
pro lorna goes TO Shove
the number OF children in the whole state
n .oiv'uy1
Sumber IA attendance on public schools 10 1852
OF those, say, ono fourth studied history. $4,000
Nlne toUths OF whom have histories. $3.50. o,oOO
y theso have % change their books II Will cost
az 20 cents per copy, exchange prico .$45,5tO
or n4e $4,000 pupils, say, $4,000 study arithlne.
uc; divided equally between "practtcal" and
elementary arithmetic We have OF each
q these, say, nine tenths viii have old books,
Exchanging rbese al 80 and 20 cents. respective
y, the exchange prices
Eho ls5 q, 20 cents .-......''''-..'--'-'-'s S9'@0
ls3 al ~ cents. .->.-.s-........ 5l,yVO
s4.sOO
adi for history Rs abovs...........--..... IS $50
Hsa,seO
And this e very moderate estimate.
Aud the same - true of any other
changes that may be made. But in the
ta4.o OF copy-books they have already pre-
pared 20 sell them at "a higher rate than
lhey can be obtained from a Virginia
house which offers them, the largest az
&c. aud the smallest at &C., against l0c. ana
&C. Of the trusts copy-books. l do not
ray that changes in books may not some
times become necessary. But before they
are made let 1t be clearly established
that they ore necessary, ana let us
be sure that when we make them we
DO not swap the devil for witch"
That they will be constantly attempted Dy
the school-book publishers will be PLAIN IL
We reflect that the estimated value OF the
tchool-books printed annually in the coun-
tFy Is 81, 900, 900; and that OF this the Big
Your are supposed to turn out about a ,0OO,-
bO0worth Forty years ago the late Profess
or McGufiey. of the University Of Virginia,
called ny attention TO the efforts then con-
g,sntly making. especially in Ohio. where
Dc bad taught for years. 10y riYal school.
book publishers to win the influence OF
tchOOl-teachers in their favor. And as the
stakes are larger and the publishers GER
taiuly not less greedy now than then, We
may expect them TO explore our field with
the same designs aud with a more compact
organization.
/ do not deny that similar motives may
hciuate the. men who have competing
books 20 sell and DO not assert the abso-
late superiority Of the books we now use.
have not examined them, | am not
IN expert IN such things, and find CON-
petent men giving different opinions on
INA, point. But. calling spade spade,
% assert that the State ought not 10
mako engagements with Yankee trust
which viii commit her 10 the use OF Yam
kes books. Rather, II change be neces--
ts1y, lot the Legislature appoint board OF
preach that induced our patriotic Mayor 70 oief
nodAi ~ thst pupil Of tho public schools who
tpoald writc the eost esssay On the life and eer-
sless Of JsftersoA DAyik