The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-13
SCHOOL BOOKS HELD OUT
CHM q co. HISTORIES WE'RE NOT
CHANGED AS AGREED ON.
State Board of Education VIII Not
Allow Them to BE Used, Although
Some Are Distributed.

Yesterday afternoon the State Board of
Education held meeting and caught up
short the schoolbook firm of CHM & Co. In
July the board made contract with this
firm to furnish the schools of the State
with histories, the firEa agreeing to make
a large number of changes, which had
been demanded by the Grand Army and
wioh were specified in the contract. This
contract involves thousands of dollars
worth of books. and when the school trus-
tees began to make acquisitions for books
a few weeks ago, Trustee Makepeace, of
this city, discovered that the publishers
had left out a good deal of the agreed mat
ter in their revision. The board met yes
terday with a representative of the firm
Thomas n Ballard, of Chicago, who prom
Used that the books should be revised and
those already sent out called in. The
board was not entirely satisfied with this
and sent out a circular advising all school
officers that they must not receive the his
tories until advised by the board that the
revisions have been properly made. The
circular reads follows.
You are hereby notified that information
has come to the State Board of Textbook
Commissioners of Indiana to the effect that
some of tle textbooks on United States
history published by CHM & Co. and re-
ceived by you have not been revised ac-
cording TO the directions of this board and
as required by agreement made between
this board and CHM q Co. And that said
board also believes that all the histories
lately sent to you by said publishers are
also defective in this respect and are,
therefore, in fact, not the books adopted by
this board.
You are therefore. advised not to re-
ceive or distribute any copies of Montgom-
ery's Leading Facts in American History
until such revision shall have been COM
pleted according to the directions of this
board and you shall be notified OF same.
I'VE further advise you that we have
had an interview with a representative of
the house of CHM Il Co, and that said rep
resentativ has informed us that the err
rors and omissions were unfntentional, and
that the house will carry out the agree
ment made with the board.
A motion was made and adopted that
CHM & 90. be informed by the board that
in the revision of Montgomery's Leading
Facts in American History they will be
required to conform strictly to the direc-
tions given for this revision and to the
agreement made with the board.
Deputy Superintendent Cotton, in speak
ing of the matter. said: 1T looks as if the
firm of CHM & Co. had made an effort to
get the best of the State Their contract
for furnishing histories expired last July.
A year before that the Grand Army had
made the discovery that the books were
not patriotic. and had at the State en-
campmeut appointed a committee which
laid the matter before this board The
board discussed it at several meetings, and
agreed upon numerous changes. When the
contract was again let to CHM e. Co.. early
in the summer, all these changes were
specified in the contract and are of record
1t is very awkward just at the beginning
of the school year, but | think there are
enough of the old books in the hands of
the pupils to get along with for a while