Birmingham state herald., 1896-09-12
DIR. PHILLIPS MAKES REPORT
He Explains the Matter in Detail-EfTect of
 the Change.
OLD BOOKS GAN BE EXCHANGED
Opposition and Casts the Single Vote in the Negative-The Full List
 as Adopted.

A called meeting of the board of educa- tion was held in the office of Lane & White yesterday afternoon at 5:3O o'clock.
 In the absence of President Ullman Vice President J. A. VanHoose presided
 The following members of the board were present: J. A. vanHoose, F. P. oBrien. A. o. Lane, George L. Thomas and A. c. Lowrey.
 The meeting was for the purpose of receiving reports. from the superintend- ents and principals relative to the list of text books to be used the present year.
 Dr. Phillips and Professor Cunning ham were present Dr. Phillips repre- senting the superintendents and Profess or Cunningham the principals.
 Dr. Philips Submits His Report.
 Superintendent Phillips submitted the report on text books for the ensuing year. Preliminary to the report he stated that it had been customary to give the deal- CTS list of the text books adopted about ten days before the opening of the schools and that he would submit the lists with the hope that they would be adopted at this meeting in order to give the dealers ample time to make their orders.
 He said that the report on text books represented the combined judgment of the superintendent and principals. An entire Week was given to the prepara- tion of the lists. prices of new books were ascertained by correspondence with the publishers and the prices fixed by local dealers for books already used were re- duced from 10 to 20 per cent. When these lists were complete three of the principal book dealers of the city were invited to meet the superintendent and the principals to discuss the prices thus fixed. The dealers, after some opposi- tion. finally agreed to sell the books in accordance with the list presented. The superintendent then requested that the dealers sho uld not give publicity to these lists until after their formal adoption by the board lest some of the patrons of the schools should purchase books thai must be finally rejected. These dealers, he thought. fully understood that if they ordered the books before their formal adoption they would do so at their own risk.
 As to the character of the books recom- mended he had no hesitancy in saying that they were at once the best and cheapest they could find
 A comparison of the actual cash value of the books. grade by grade, with that of the books used last year, shows a saving to the people of about B per cent. This of course takes into consideration the exchange price paid for new books. The dealers will receive the old books in use in exchange. For instance, if the pupil wishes to buy Metcalf's Grammar he will take his old copy of Harvey's Grammar, no matter what it's condition, together with 36 cents, and he will re- ceive new copy of Metcalfs worth 60 cents thus receiving 24 cents for the old book.
 The permanent saving after this year will prove to be of considerab ble import ance. On the change in the readers the saving to the pupil in the course will be 29 cents; in language 75 cents, in history g cents, in geography 5 cents. The total saved by each pupil in these lines of study alone. as may be readily seen, amounts to $1.34 This comparison is based not on the exchange but the per manent cost of books.
 He was glad to be able to recommend to the board what he regarded on the whole as the best text books for our schools. There is no reason why our people should be asked to buy inferior books for their children when they could get the best for the same or less money. 2 He also int1icated that he did not very cordially indorse the purchase of second hand books; books discarded by crowded cities are bought by junk" dealers and dumped by the car load upon the schools of many towns and villages, who may pay dearly for their cheap investment by increase of sickness or epidemic dis ease. He thought the health officer and not the superintendent of schools should deal with this subject.
 Principal J. B. Cunningham, who was present by invitation of pr. Phillips, rep resenting the principals of the schools then briefly compared the new books with those displaced as to their peda- gogical value. He took up successively the readers, geographies. histories and grammars, and explained the points of merits that dictated their selection.
 MT I,ovrev's Views
 Mir Lowrey said so far as he was per- sonally concerned he was always ready to agree to any change that may be made from time to time for the advance ment of the public schools. In the mat ter of changes of text books at this time he did not agree with the report made by the superintendent. He commended several of the books to be discarded and stated that other schools which, had dis carded them had again taken them up. The grammar, he admitted, could be im- proved and should have been thrown out before and he would like to vote to change the grammar this year, and next year perhaps there might be another change advisable. Under the present condition of affairs with the people he opposed any wholesale change of books. The expense, he said, will be a tax too heavy under the present fipancial condi- tion.
 MT. Lane
 said he had not had time to investigate the books, and his impression was that this work should be left to the board of teachers, which is customary, and when the board arrives at the point that 1t can not trust it's teachers to make such selec- tions as they deem to be to the best inter est of the schools, it is then time to change teachers. He had investigated, however, the financial side of the eues- tion, and the change, instead of proving a loss to the people, would be an absolute saving, not only for the present year. but permanently The business side of the question he thought the board thoroughly capable of dealing with, and moved the adoption of the list as submitted.
 The List Adopted
 The motion was put, and Messrs. Lane