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


spun in Maj. Fingers proviso; for the
House under his leader ship refused to
accept it. It is a fact worthy of note
that at the final reading of the school
act of 1881 as contained In Chapter 200.
Maj. Finger voted against il, for YOU
will see by reading section 9 of that
act and section 2539 of The Code.
which is the same, that it did not con-
tain his proviso in effect, forcing the
people to buy only the books recon-
mended by the State Board. Those
who wish to read Maj Fingers and
Mr.. Glenn's substitute will find them
recorded In the Senate Journal of 1881
at page 351 and and $50, and Mai.
Fingers vote upon the final adoption
OF the act on pages 400 and 522
Although Senator Finger well knew
that his proviso was not IN the law,
having been stricken out in the House,
yet when he came to be Superintend-
emit of Public Instruction, and after
having procured from a s~ubservient
legislature the power to enforce his
construction of the school law, he con
strued that law according to his re
jected proviso. See Maj. Fingers re
port for 1887, Appendix p. IS. The
L ACbAuk I'LL a OADI0IIO OOuLG GAO
appeal upon the school law is chapter
ia, acts 1885. See sections 8, Ii and
%. Section 8 reads as follows: Sec
ton 2546 of the Code is amended by
adding at the end thereof the words
and the county boards of education
shall obey instructions Of the State Su-
perintendent and accept his construc
ton of the school law" Mark, gen
tlemen of the committee, Superintend
ent Finger being about to misconstrue
the law so as to give him the power to
force upon the public the books of his
friend Kendrick, and for fear the courts
might construe it otherwise, had his
intended ruling clinched by previous
legislative enactment.
1t is noteworthy also that the last
line of section IA of the Act of 1885,
forces the county superintendent to
obey the instruction of the State Super
intendent. Section %, in the last three
lines (of the Act of 1855 reads: The
county boards shall In all matters obey
the requirements of the State Board of
Education, and the State Superintend,
emit" Whom they should obey in case
of conflict between the august Super
intendent and the Board OF Education,
does not appear. The Superintendent
seems not to have deemed a conflict
likely, and he n 4de no provision
against it. Armed with these powers,
Superintendent Finger completed the
enforcement Of the adoption Of Mr.
Hendricks books.
But it seems that he and his friend,
in 1889. were not fully satisfied with
his powers. They were now strongly
enough entrenched to do by legislative
enactment what they had previously
done by construction, supported by in
direct legislation. By indirect legis
lation" / mean the law-mAking Super
~intendent Finger q Supreme Court.
Act 1880 we find in the laws Of
1889 this section: 1.-THE books recon-
mended by the State Board of Educa
ton In accordance with section 2539 Of
the Code shall be used in all public
schools of the State, and the State
Board of Education shall have discre-
ton to recommend more than one
series on such subjects as they may
deem it desirable" Acts 1888, chapter
199, section %. This section directly
clinches the power of the book mOnop-
oily in North Carolina.
Section Al of this Act Q899) allows
the State Superintendent himself and
not the State Board of Education to
choose a book prescribed for teachers
in North Carolina. The book chosen
was Pages Theory and Practice of
Teaching" published by the trust, to-
wit; The American Book Company. It
may be the proper place to observe
here that along with the steady but
hard-won increase of powers which
was so often used in the interest of the
book monopoly in North Carolina there
has been a corresponding increase i'm
the expenses of running the Office Of
the Superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion, which shows that our superin-
tendents have not forgotten themselves
if they do seem sometimes to have for
gotten the people.
Having shown you how the powers
csntralizing the control of textbooks
in North Carolina have been acquired
it is pertinent and proper to give
you a short sketch of how these powers
have been used and In whose interest.
HISTORY OF SCHOOL BOOK ADOPTION IN
NORTH CAROLINA, 1877-1893.
In January 1877 John @. Scarborough
became State Superintendent of PuO
lie instruction. The General Assembly
of that year passed the following law
with reference to books for pupils
in the public schools of the State, above
alluded to. 1.-THE State Board of Edu-
cation mag recommend a course of
study to be pursued, the textbooks
and other means Of instruction to be
used / the public schools. Provided
that no ~sectarian or political textbook
or Influences shall be used in n pub
lie school," Acts 1877, chapter 162,
section 35.
The State Board of Education the
next year recommended the following
books Q878):
Holmes Readers, Venable's Arithme-
tics, Maury's Biographies, Holmes
History Reed 81 KeIIOoO'a Gramroro