Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-04-19

ulci1t VI OCdUo PAoaicdClOn to that OF role.
eating the selection and purchase to the
authorities of each county or district.
Now the concensus of experience in the
United States has settled upon the mode.
(partially prescribed by the constitution of
Virginia and inangurated by the first SUI
perintendent OF schools in this State, that
veteran and accomplished educator, the
late Dr.. VIM. II. Ruffner), of state pre-
scription of the texts to be used and of a
state contract to secure reasonableness and
uniformity in the price Of books. The
plan, SO put in operation during the first
year of Virginia S restoration to civ il gov
eminent after the war. has been adhered to
ever since, with slight occasional modifica-
tions; and during that period of twenty
six years the testimony of those competent
to judge is concurrent that improvement
has been constant in the three directions of
most essential concern; in the literary
excellence and technical accuracy of the
publications; In their mechanical execu-
tion and durability; while at the same
time, the prices have declined, notably dur
Ing Tie past seven years, on scale varying
from 20 to 45 per cent. As to the text
books, it has been the policy Of the State
Board to encourage domestic authorship
for reasons both practical and sentimental;
and oneof the most gratifying facts elicit
ed during the recent discussion is the di-
rect fruit of that wise encouragement of
native talent. Not only is it true that
twenty-five out of the sixty-five books
upon our state list are the product Of such
Virginia scholars as Maury, McGuffey.
Venable, Holmes, Magill and Esten Cooke,
but the record proves that these works
are accepted as reaching the highest
perfection in their respective lines, by
three-fourths of the states and predomi-
mating majority OF the educators in
this country. Equally satisfactory is
the result of inquiry as to the
comparative cost of those books in Virgin
j.. and in other States: for the figures fur
nished to Governor O'Ferrall by the COVER
nors of the latter must be accepted as con-
elusive; and they, without exception, sus-
tain the assertion of the publishers and the
requirement of the contract, that Virginia
should have advantage OF the lowest prices
given to any state Oh territory on the same
class of delivered goods. None of the con-
illusions reached above have been based on
any unsupported statement Of the Ameri-
can Book Company, nor do we rely on its
figures, but on those of the booksellers
association Of Virginia, in fixing the
amount annually expended in this State for
school-books and supplies at about one
tenth of that popularity supposed to be true,
one million of dollars, OF one-third of that
fixed by Norfolk newspaper. three hun
bred Thousand dollars. The actual sales
in Virginia of the American Company,
with percentage to scholars for delivery
added, reached in 1894 the precise sum of
$4,000, which divided by pupils under the
school census of 1898, three hundred and
forty eight thousand, would give a per
capita expense for books and supplies of
slightly less than twenty cents. This COM
pares most favorably with The results re-
ported from other school esta blishments in
America and abroad, even though it must
be increased to probably twenty-five cents
per head, by allowing for sales Of the listed
books Of other publishers than the com.
pany already named; for the latter has not
a monopoly of the Virginia contract as we
had at first been led to believe, the names OF
twelve other prominent publishers 1.-TWO in
now prescribed for our schools"