The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-02-15

DBSIA4eAON~ AAAOO~AAAebS
Of the Shawnee county text book board,
when it made it's sdoptions, and seen the
array Of rival book agents, and the va
riety Of terms and rates Of all kinds and
descriptions offered, they would speedily
conclude that competition between book
houses is mighty sharp and keen.
Now, Mr.. Editor, must disagree with
you on the establishment Of state
school book board, or on the making Of
state contract. / wrote a friend in
Missouri, inquiring what success they
had over there, and he sent me copy Of
Missouri paper, under date Of January
13, 1893, which contains an article on
their school book law, which is well
worth considering. 1t is too long for me
to expect you to reprint it in the columns
Of the ADVOCATE, but send you the
paper to read, and will embody in this
communication just few extracts, so
that the readers Of the ADVOCATE may
SEQ the trend Of the feeling over in
Missouri.
The letter disproves the assertion that
the books in Missouri are any cheaper,
with but two exceptions, than they were
before the state contract was made, as
the following extracts will show:
These books, and these only, are
cheaper in price, but these are also more
chesply made. They are poor material,
poorly bound, poorly graded and unsatis-
factory in every way.
For years these same books have
knocked at the door Of every school
house in Missouri, without receiving a
welcome admission anywhere. They
would drop out Of nine-tenths Of the
schools in a single year, if the people
were permitted to exercise their own
choice. Yet this is the character Of legis-
latlOn to which the governors message
points with pride.
Which is the cheaper, book that can
be used only one term at so cents, or q
book that can be used two terms at 60
.
cents? This is the situation.
| Some time since it was the writer's
pleasure to visit q school where some Of
these books were used. On the desk of
one Of the pupils lay Reed & Kellogg
grammar; beside it lay one Of the re-
Gently adopted texts on language. One
had been in the hands of the pupil three
years, the other about three weeks. The
former was in q fair state Of preserva-
| ton; the latter was in such dilRpldRted
condition as to be almost useless. The
former cost 60 cents, the latter SO cents.
Which was the cheaperP Where is the
81 per cent saving?
How long are the people to be hood
winked by such humbugS
+ 4 X X
Why, Mr.. Editor, the people have paid
out more money already to make the
change of school books than they would
have paid out in the whole five years il
there had been no law passed and no
change made. 1t will have cost the peo-
pie over million and half Of dollars
when the entire change is completed,
and there was not quite S240, 900 per year
sold in the state, or in that part Of it
over which the law has jurisdiction.
\ 4 * 4
Instead Of it being a saving to the peo-
pie, it will prove the costliest period, fol
school books, of any that has ever been
known in the state since it was admitted
to the union.
T. X
Wherein does it promote education
How does it promote itP The truth is
there has never been q law on our statute
books that will operate with such dis
astrous effects upon the educational
growth Of Missouri as this text book law