The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-02-19

ho4m0s GnIrQ reaQer, ~ Genus, q
saving of 90 cents.
Holmes fourth reader, % cents, a
saving of % cents.
Holmes fifth reader. Sc cents. a saw.
ing of 36 cents.
In other words, the people of North
ECarolinR In almost all instances could
have been saved one half of the money
they have been paying for these books,
II the interest of the people had been
considered paramount to the interest
OF the University Publishing Co., rep
resented by Kendrick. InfactI would
be glad to see any arrangement made
IN recent years either by Superintend-
emit Finger or Superintendent Scar
borough for exchanging old books for
any new books similar to the arrange
ment that exists in South Carolina. In
confirmation of this statement refer
ence Is the appendix of the public
school law, wherein only the retail
price OF the books is given, and to the
official report of the superintendent
during recent years.
In the NeGUS and Observer of April
2, 1859, there appeared a letter from
superintendent Finger, under date of
March 80, 1889, from which the follow
ing extract Is taken: 1.-THE school law
as recently amended will soon be cent
TO all the school officers of the State.
1t viii contain the school law in full,
also the list of school books adopted by
the State Board of Education. The
list will not be changed much, if any,"
four days after the date of this letter
the following appeared in the NeGCs and
Observer: 1.-The State Board of Educa-
ton held It's regular meeting yesterday.
Some important changes were made in
books used in the public school curricu
lum, among which was the elimination
OF the old Webster blue back spelling
book from the list. The Board also
adopted Harvey's English Grammar
throughout the course.
superintendent Fingers reason for
publishing beforehand this misleading
statement in regard to these changes
In text books is best known to himself.
The last regular adoption of a series
OF school books occurred May 2, 1898,
as appears in the following circular
letter from State Superintendent Scar
borough:
Copy:
OFFICE OF
SUPT. PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
CGpt. ". B. Hendricks, Ag't Of UniUer-
Ssty Publishing Co.:
LEAR O1H:-A6 the recent mO0G6lY
meeting OF the Board nOf Education
held in the executive Office May I'd,
1898, the board unanimously resolved
not to change the list of textbooks for
use in the public schools in the State,
which list has been in force under the
law for the past three years. The en-.
tire list was continued from May %,
1893, for a term of three years and until
Otherwise ordered. Your company has
on the list Holmes new readers,
Maury's biographies. Sandford's arith-
metic, Holmes history of the United
States and Sandford's elementary
algebra.
L Very truly yours,
JOHN @ SCARBOROUGH,
Supt. Public instruction.
Raleigh, N. O.. May 6, 1898.
As to the value of the books men
toned in this letter, reference is made
to the report of Superintendent Finger
for 1989-'90, wherein he states that
these books exclusive of the algebrR)
are three fourths in value Of the entire
list.
Contrast, gentlemen of the commit,
tee, the conduct of our State superin-
tendents making repeated school book
adoptiOns which affect the interests of
the whole people of the State, without
publication and in a private manner,
with the policy of our law which re
quires advertisement for bids before
even coal and wood contracts are
allowed to be made, that the people
may have the benefit of an open mar
ket even in small contracts. 1t was
by means of these secret or unadver-
tised adoptions that the State Board of
Education was enabled to accomplish
what, in my Judgment, is the most
reprehensible thing they have done.
AS far back as 1885 they adopted the
present series of Holmes readers-pub-
locations of the University Publishing
Co.-and SO per cent. of the entire list,
whereas, the last reader of the series
was not ven copyrighted until 1889.
Meanwhile the old Holmes readers
were the only ones the people were
allowed to buy. The adoption of the
new readers sufficiently proves that
thetold ones were worthless. This same
scheme had been admirably worked by
Superintendent Scarborough during
his first term of Office in the case of the
biographies. He had put upon the list
q set of biographies from the press of
the University Publishing Co. consist
ing of three books. This series was so
cumbersome and expensive that the
publishers we're forced, as the bther
houses had done, to make a geogfaph-
ical course of two books in their stead.
When these new books were ready for
the market, despite the fact that they
were altogether different books, they
were of course placed upon the State
list and forced upon the people in the
name of the author of the books, long
since deceased, under the beautiful
plan of State uniformity, whose chief
merit, in the words of its ardent advo-
Gates, consists in changes of text books.