The record-union., 1891-01-24
THE FREE SCHOOL BOOK SCHEME.

IueTe are C1tlZeuS ana legislators eu-
tirely sincere but mistaken in urging the
adoption of a free school book system,
but the scheme itself is antagonistic to
the best interests of the State and the
people. The friends of the State text
book system should take warning from
the fact that its enemies, the book rings,
are actively but secretly promoting the
free book idea.
The people have not demanded free
books; they do not wish to be pauperized
by the scheme, for all such movements
point in that direction. The very worst use
to which citizen can be put is to make him
dependent upon the community: the
greatest injury that can be inflicted upon
him is to break down his self -helpfulness.
When there is absolute incapacity of
parents to buy books for their children,
the State furnishes the volumes free. Be-
yond that it is dangerous to go.
To furnish books at cost is wise and
economic; it is simply employment by
the people of their own agencies and
machinery to supply need. 1t levies no
taxation; does not add to the aggregate of
public burdens, and makes no demand
upon the public treasury. On the other
hand, free books will not be cared for as is
private property. Public goods, the cost
of which is changed to that great unseen,
accomplishing and impalpable thing, the
State, are never providently handled.
Neither children, teachers nor parents
will care for free books as they will for
those they pay for and own.
We furnish to ourselves, at the
cost of all the people, school-houses,
teachers and school officers, and
there is neither wisdom nor need
that we should do more. We furnish to
children books at cost which become
their property subject to care as their
own, and which taking into their posses
sion they have strong motive for eco
nnmically using.
Ihe:pook Rings in favoring free school
books are prompted by two powerful mo-
tives, first, the hope of eventually break
ing down the State system; second, of
being sellers in due time to the State of
the books to be given away. They are
alive to the fact that the scheme to fur
nish free books is calculated to catch the
popular fancy. If they can convert it
into law, and heap up such heavy cost as
to bring about reaction and protest, they
expect to step in with the old system, un-
der which they maintained paid lobby,
dominated Legislatures, corrupted school
teachers, bought and sold directors, med
died with local politics, and permeated
the whole community with the virus of
their unclean methods.
The assault upon the State series of
textbooks is prompted by these book
pirates. They have reduced their prices to
bare cost, and point to the fact that they
offer books at rates little higher than the
cost Of the State books as an evidence
that the State, by abolishing it's printing
plant, can deal with them to better ad-
vantage. The experience of the past
teaches US to look for the lions foot be-
meath the skin of the ass. Were the State
to forsake its system and yield
itself once more to the embraces of the
book rings, it would not be long
before prices would go up to old figures,
a new syndicate would be formed to
throttle competition, new compact en-
tered into to divide the spoils, share and
share alike, no matter what apparently
competing books were thrown out or
adopted. 47
The truth is that the State now has her
printing and binding plant; the machin-
cry OF the State system is all in order;
the first cost has been discharged; the
State books are issued fifty per cent.
cheaper than the cost of publishers
books prior to revolt of the State against
the rings. Some of the books may need
revision-that was to have been expected;
beyond that there is no need for change.
There is open to the State as freely as to
private publishers all the avenues to
knowledge, literature and science from
which book text is drawn. We can pro-
duee as good books as the best, and have
done so-indeed, that we have not com.
mitted more errors is amazing. We
have operated through an unpaid board
in preparing the books, which foolishly
accepted some manuscript offered gratu-
itously, to crafty personal vanity, in
stead of bidding for the best. We need
to reform our methods in that direction.
Yet even in the experimental stage the
success of the State textbooks has been
great.
Let the Legislature leave well enough
alone, and not venture, either by direct
advance or through the cunningly-de-
vised scheme of free books, once more
into the net of the book rings.
KEEP up that rasping cough at the
peril Of breaking down your lungs and
throat. Rather let the afflicted immedi-
ately resort at once to DR.. d. Jayne's Ex-
Yacfnranf which cy1roc oil ooY, rbS ~, 4