The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-08-15
MISSOURI STATE NEWS.
The school iBuSs Quesiion.

A'ic CNheot DobH Sueefious
State Superintendent If Schools
Wolfe gives ont the following, which
just at this time, when the school text.
book question Is bii. Is Of interest to the
beople id all sections OF the state:
II, ,tesponse to Numerous inquiries give
the efollowing opinions OF the attorney sei-
eral for publication: Inquiries are coming
from all parts of the state as to when the
commission viii conclude a contract, and
whether this contract will be made in time
tOf the schools TO use the books contracted
the coming fall and winter. OF course, it
u 0fmpossib!e for the state superintendent to
answer the last question The authors OF
many of these letters have the erroneous i'm
preston that the law intrusts the appoint
tretit OF local b1oa=deal1rs to the state su-
pefi9tendert or to the c6mmssion. As 1t
will be impossible for this department twith
Its present clerical force) to answer ali these
letters, respectfully refer those seeking in
formation to the text book law itself. Ten
thousand copies of this law in pamphlet form
have been srnt to the teachers and so.s,e to
the directors of the state This gives four
copies to each school district.
''JEFFERsoS CITY. Mo-, Aug. &
Hon. l.. r. Wol6e, Superintendent Of Public
Schaols:
DEAR SIR-In ansScr to the Questions SUBJ
mitted by you, to-wit: ~ After what date
may the textbooks to be adopted by the
Missouri school book commis ion be used in
the public schools of the state? (2l After
what date must the text-b books to be adopted
by the Missouri scho oil book commission be
used In the public schools of the slater
beg to reply as follows: Section 5 Of the act
establishing uniform course of textbooks
to be used in all OF the public schools within
this st1te, and to reduce the srice thereof,
approved April 4. JSaI. : as follows: If
any Of said bids be sat sfactory to the com
mission; then il shall proceed to select the
CHEAPEST and best course of tex books so
offered as follows, to-wlt: Chart, reading,
spelling, English, grammar, arithmetic.
geography, history, civil government, phys
iology and penmanship Provided always,
that all of said books selected I'll al be
printed in the English language Bv sec
tion II of the same act it is further provided
that from and afte: the Ist day of Sep
tember. 1881, no text book upon the subjects
named In section Of this act except those
contracted for by said comm sSion, shall be
used or taught in any public school within
this state Provided. that this act shall not
apply to any city or district which now Con-
tains or may hereafter contain more than
1O0,nOO Inhabitants
"Ftom these provisions und rstand that
the school text. books contracted for by the
commission may De uScu III the puDllc
schools during the school year. and that
they must be used to the exclusion Of all
Others on the subjects mentioned in section
s, after September ], ls9. In order to en-
force this latter requirement, il is provided
by section u Of said act, that Any school
director or board of school directors of any
school district within this state who shall
sanction or permit any other t. xt book or
books in the same branches of the same
grade as those hcreinabove provide for to
be used in any public school of such district.
after the date hcrcinbcfore specified in sec
tiOn II. shall be deemed guilty of mis-
GcnIcanor, and upon conviction thereof
shall be fined not less than s. nor more than |
Is for each offence Very respectfully,
,..InuN NJ Wnnn AIfnrn I.nnrral y