The Iola register., 1891-01-30

DICKS, WlZarU O1l lTOupS, anu IonP
! haired Indian Fakirs parading the
/ country protesting to cure all the ills
, of the body polite as there are to care
: the ills OF the body corporis.
: 1t is a self-evident fact that VII sn
the State of Kansas has gone to The
enormous expense of preparing and
, publishing a series of text books, al
expense which would nearly equal the
, amount used in building the State
, house, that no political party would
} dare to advocate so extravagart 9
measure as the revising of our State
text books. AS it is now we get re-
, vision about every ten years. And
, imagine, will you, political party
. with back bone enough to advocate the
raising of enough money every ter
years to build another State house
and all for the purpose of revising oul
! State text books. 1t is political i'm.
possibility.
do not believe 1t to be true, but il
Is barely possible that the State could
publish the books as cheaply and sell
} them at less than they are now being
sold, granting the quality the same
But did you ever know of job Of
work being done for the public as
cheaply as the same work could be
done for a private individual?
However, granting that the State
can do this work so as to save money,
that it is a stroke of financial policy
and economy, no one believes that ii
would be from an educational stand
point. 1t would be an impossibility
for the State to produce better set OF
text books than we now have, for in
their compiling the very best talent OF
the country was employed. All possi-
BILE opportunity for advancing will
have been cut off. To stand still is an
impossibility, there is nothing left to
us but retrogression.
Again I believe that this plan in.
stead of settling this problem would
only ten to aggravate it and make it
more complex.
Yet in spite of all the reason, logic,
sophistry and philosophy urged
against this plan the fact still remains
that there is popular demand for it.,
not particularly that it is the best so.
luton of the problem but that it is
about the only solution that has been
presented by the politicians, and the
only one that many of the people are
familiar with. The politicians them
selves are not particular as to what
plan is used now that they have hug
ged the text book bear they are ready
for some one to help them let go.
Something that will change the pres
ent order of things on this line and be
a greater solution to the problem than
the one proposed is needed here in
Kansas and can find ready employ
ment at good wages. What shall it
be?
1t must be borne in mind that any
system which compels the individual
patron to pay the cash out of his pock-
ct for school books will meet with the
same general objections that the pres
ent plan is meeting with. Even state
printing, and selling at cost, for it is
safe to say that at least two thirds of
the books bought i'm the fall at the
beginning of school are not paid for
until later in the season, and frequent
ly these accounts are carried for
year or more by the local dealers and
if the State furnish them at cost the
books must be paid for at the time
they are purch ased. AS a consequence
many children would not get started
to school until the term is half out or
later, waiting for pap" to sell his
flax, or corn, or hogs. In my judg-
ment the best solution, and the only
one that will prove satisfactory in the
end, is for each district to be compell-
ed to purchase text books the same as
they now do the crayon, furniture,
fuel, etc., and furnish them as free as
those articles are supplied.
This plan has been successfully op-
Grated IN two districts in Allen county
for the last eight years or so with the
following results: In one district of
SO pupils, having enrolled about 55 out
of that number each year, since their
first supply they have expended s. per
year for school books. In the other
district the cost has been about 90
cents per pupil on an average. The
difference in the two districts arising
from the manner in which the books
are cared for and the rule used by the
district boards in their management.
1t seems to me this plan should COM
mend itself to any thinking person
who is at all acquainted with school
room work. 1t produces uniformity in
the district, it insures each pupil being
supplied with the book which he needs
and pupil may be turned back or ad.
vanced as his needs require without
additional expense to either parent or
district.
1t makes no difference whether a
county or a State uniformity prevails,
Of person moving from one district to
another is supplied with the books
used in whatever district he may To-
cate. This plan has all and more of