The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-10-15
EREE sCLIonL RooKs.

! chicago EoRcherA Unanimously fnNor tht
MOVomsnt-PGplI' should DO Equal.
Real Economy u Provide Free roIt
| hooks
Appropriate to the economical phase
OF the school book question which hai
been SO much discussed in West Vir'
ginIa during tine past year. the following
from the Chicago Intsr.ocsan will bO
Interesting:
The discussion Of FREQ toxt books be-
fore the nesting Of the Chicago Teach
srs' Club yesterday afternoon at tho
Great Northern hotel was One'sided
affair Everybody participating III tue
discussion favored the purchase Of
books BY the school authorities
Prof.. W. l. MarIhRll opened tho dis
cussion by reRdug carefully prepared
essay on the subject. The professor il
an enthusiastic advocate OF Tree text
books, and has given the subject years
OF thought and attention. lie ha- fol-
lowed ts CoursO from state to state,
and from town 10 town, and brought
with him to the meeting piles oil letters
officials all over the country.
Professor Marshall devoted the first
part OF his addroIS to the consideration
OF the charge agalnTt the irOe school
book which is the more frequently
urgud-Ihat OF the sanitary or unIani.
tary aspect OF the lTanstsrence OF school
books from child to child. lie said tho
same opinion might be urged, and fro
quently Is. against the use oil money
that handling Of money by people 10
apt to carry contagious diseases. lie
said that this charge had been brought
time and again, and while there was no
statistical or medical knowledge on the
subject until recently, the objection had
been raised With favor by those who
were looking Tor objections. Pie board
OF health Of Iowa, he said, had set out
TO gather some reliable Information on
the subject. Two hundred and fifty
anawors were received from physicians
in various parts Of the country. All
agreed that contaGion might be carried
in that way, but only one actual case
was gwen.
Compulsory school attendance pre-
dicted free school books, aud the free
text book idOa was recognized in tho
case Of children OF poor parents. Stats
tics were given as to the cost per child
OF furnishing books, aud the amount
ran from 10 cents to % cents u year.
Tho progress OF the free text book WaI
then traced. beginning with Phlladel'
phia in 1915. To-day Illinois, Indiana
aud Iowa were the only northern states
in which there was neither q compul'
sorry nor permissible free text book law.
The speaker touched upon the effect oi
the law in Boston. Its adoption by the
legislature OF the state had met with the
violent opposition Of the school board oil
Boston. The expected burden OF e1'
penSo did not follow. The city had been
paving So cents a year for each pupil in
tue way OF furnishing stationary, aud
the purchase Of free text books only
added "a cents year to the cost OF
educating Guild. Tho most marked
effect in the operation OF the law was au
increase OF 80 per cent IN the number
OF pupils in the high schools and 40 per
cent in tho increase oil tho pupils in the
higher classes OF the grammar school,
showing thaa many childrenIhad been
deprived OF an education because OF the
increasing burden Of school book put
chases IN tina higher branches OF tho
schools.
Eyerywhoro the introduction OF the
free text book had been followed by
beneficial results. There had boen no
backward stops. There wero only four
small toWr4 in the Union that had
urnod back from FREQ SCH Nol books
after onco iuOy had been introduced.
Commissioner Errant, OF tho school
board, was called upon, aud he closed
tho discussion by 40 advocacy Of tho
free text book. HO said that Chicago
recognized tho idea in tho purchase oil
books for tho children whose parents
were unable to pay for thOm. But tho
bunefciaries, unfortunately, were more
frequently people who were able TO pay
for books. lilo knew of one man worth
100000 who had his children apply
for free text books, 1t was regarded as
a stigma by honest aud proud poor peo.
ple Il their childron accepted FREQ school
books. ThoughtlesS children often
joored their playmatcs because they had
iroo to1t books, Happily, Chicago had
taKon away tho mark or badge Of power
ty that once had boon stamped upon
tho Tree text books. Tho principle was
not recognized by the board in tho
furnishing Of supplementary reading,
stationery, aud inks. The idoa Of puro
domocracy-oquality and opportunity.
could only be established in the public
Schoola by carrying out tho principle
upon which tho Institution was founded
to it, logical ond--fr6s text book, to
supplement FREQ seats and froO teaching.