The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-02-01

thu oNsatuhs
Special Ditputeh 10 Gr Iateltcene.r
!, CHARLESTON, jan. Sl.-Ths school
book bill. reported lavosably BY the
house committee on education, ha,
come troh tho printer, and is being
gOas over carefully. insofar as the
committee has sough. to reduce tho
co,t OF books, its Objects approved. 4It
the publishers Of books named In the
bill will not furnish them; the state
superintendent Of schools. is to Invite
proposals from other publishers, and to
use his judgment IN making selections.
This would give to the s.ats supsrin-
tendent all the power now delegated to
tho whole legislature. II publishers
still refuse to bid tho state IL to go into
the business OF producing its own
school books, a plan pursued by Cali.
foruis and condemned by the export:
ence Of that state.
OPENS TIE WAY To JoBBERY. :.
Theprovisioa for ''other school books"
10 40 per cent of the Wholesale price L,
Isl question how this discouht would
be taken of. II rho state made the
books. Tho publishers say that,they
will not furnish the books At the teduc.
tion demanded BY the bill. It would
remain therefore for the state to pick
up some low-pr,ced books OF the Indiana
stamp, or,embark in tho businesso OF pro-
ducine It's own, which would open the
way to such iobbery and unsatisfactory
results as would arouse public resent
ment
Indiana sought the cheapes. school
books. Publisher. throughout the state
bought bookA In manuscript, contracted
for publishing them. and the state. nom
has an outat OF cheap books against
which the whole people are protesting.
Pive yeara ago the California achems
and the Indiana plan were hotly urged
on the Democratic legislature Of this
state. The state was urged to make its
own books. and whom it was seen that
this would not go, the cheap and worth.
less Indiana books were pressed on tho
legislature, with no better result
THE PENDING BILL.
The bill now pending in the house
constitutes tho chairman OF the house
committee on education. the chairman
OF the senate committee and the state
luperintendent as 4 sta;e school board
10 employ persons to compile books and
=. IN ,oat IN
The two chairmen are to receive four
dollars day. but not moro than $500
year. II the state makes the books
they are to be sold "in the same manner
as provided in this &C. for the sale Of
other school books"
A public school teacher OF high stand.
ing, and OF ten years experience, Civ
Ing reasons against the recommended
ton OF the committee that Harvey's
grammar be replaced with Uydes' Ian
guage Lessons, Gays: "The fac. that
the teachers OF tho state have been
taught in 1t, and therefore underaiaud
sIl about It, enables them to teach IL
correctly and we'll. 1t may soein to be
strange statement to make, 20. 1t Ia
3 nevertheless true, that large number
o! the teachers now teaching in the
state arc doing their work in a parrot
like way, teaching as they have been
taught This Is especially true with re-
gard to this difficult subjec. OF technical
grammar. and to put a strange book
into tho!r hands would be to make
their teaching much worse than It is
now. 1t would bc all confusion and
more gusss work with n new book.
Especially is thi, true In those parts OF
the state where tho good effects OF
normal school work have not been fell.
This 10 a fact worth considering, be-
cau,s It has ita effect on many school
children OF the atate.
STUBBORN YAcTs.
"As shown by the report Of tho state
superintendent OF free schools, tho text
book on this subject now in tho hands
OF the children of tho state represents
an outlay OF sl6,767 40, which sum, less
tho small amount OF exchange that Is
offered, muat be Immediately expended
for now books, and any legislature, |
caro- not what its politics may be, that
shru,.s this hardahip upon tho peopio
these hard times, taking so much broad
and meat ont OF the montha oil the poor
children, will be held accountable Tor
Its rash act. Even il an even exchange
had been oferod, this legislature could
no. afford to accept it, because aomo-
body will have to collect the books now
in uso and ship them away in exchange
for the now. and tho quostion is, who's
going to do it2
you say the country morchanst' wilt
do II? Not u bit OF |: will they do. IL
would be unreasonable to think oil OK.
pecting that merchant who Is thirty,
forty. or fifty milca from railroad sta
tion to collcCtthose old books from those
who might bring them to his utorc. and
then pay for hauling them away. lls
Hili not do II and tho effect will be that
tho school work along this lins will be
disorganized. hundrodsof childron com.
Ing to school With tho old book with tho
abatement that they cannot got tho new,
and tho graded course OF study now go.
Ing Into use. and promising to work
auch revolution in our school system.
would ho thereby .hwartcd.
"fhoss arc stubborn incta that cannot
bs danlod. because, a, IT, 10. q great
many OF tho country merchants VIII hot
handle the school books at tho 20 per
cent discount, mnch len handle tho
old ones for nothing, and haul tlicm
away to markst besidos. The merits ol