Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-09-12


dalOus.
Ordered. That the Mayor and City
Comptroller be and they are hereby
authorized to purchase for the use of
schools. at cost not to exceed 5000,
lot 81. block 9. Merigold's subdivision.
Sec. 90. T. 80 ~. X. IL. situated OH 41st
court north Of and adjoining the
Bryant school lot. having a frontage of
% feet by depth Of 1856 feet.
Ordered. That the Mayor and City
Comptroller be and they are hereby
authorized to purchase for the use of
schools the north % feet Of Sub. Lot II
Of the sub. of lot IL and part Of lot II
In block 4, United States Bank Addn. to
Chicago, being the W. ~ Of the W. h 8.
T.. u Sec. %. I. 50 ~. X. IA Il. Sd +. NJ.
adjoining the Ward school on the
south. at cost not exceeding $1,000.
The prices are said to be exceedingly
high for the property mentioned.
This Is the Board Of Education that
reduced the teachers salaries 3 per
cent. this year on account Of "harl
times"
These have been soft times for the
grafters.
The penitentiary is yawning for some
members Of this school board.
The crooked dealings of the School
Board In real estate transactions are
not the only things which have brough.
reproach upon the fame Of that body.
1t is owned. body. soul and breechcs.
by the Book Trust. as The Eagle will
prove before It gets through with It's
exposures.
Ninety per cent of the school prln.
cipals will tell you, II you ask them.
that the pupils Of our public schools
are compelled to use the most obsolete
and valuelcss text books.
They are compelled to pay good prices
for these books and In every instance
their parents are robbed.
RObinsOr's Arithmetic, now used by
order Of the handy men on the School
Board. Is book that is antiquatcd, oh.
solete and ObsOlesccnt In a large part
Of Its ninke-up.
1t Is u very poor work and more than
One.third OF 1t is never used mt all!
The beginning Of the work treats Of
the fundamental rules In such an idiOtic
and ridiculous way that 1t Is skipped
and the first subject taken up In the
school is fractions.
The first third of the work Is never
used ut all.
Yet the children have to buy It.
The parents have to pay for It.
And tho Trust wakes fat on the pro-
ceeds Of the robbery.
Another fine specimen Of the cOllu
sion between the book Trust and the
School Board Is Barnes History of the
United States.
Barnes United States history is n
book whose authorship can bc ascribcd
to no one.
1t II antique.
1t Is clumsy.
1t Is not truthful.
| It II out Of date.
1t meets with tho sympathy Of but
the very smallest number Of teachers
In the schools.
It IL so fnr inferior to Prof. John
FIsk's History of the United States.
with which 1t was attempted to replace
It. that II should not be mentioned In
the same breath. ~~A -" -"
But Barnes history remains.
1t Il a monument to the Trust.
And II monument to the lncflicicncy,
or worse. of the School Board.
Al.
Save the mark!
The series of Applcton's readers,
which were good for something TWEEN.
~ or twenty-five years ago. are In Use
In Chicago to-day. despite the adverse
criticism OF the ablest teachers In the
land!
Why?
Because the trust must be placatcd
Barnes histories and Applcton's
readers ana RObinsOn's arithmetic have
q mortgage on the schools because tht
trust has u mortgage OH the SchoO
Board.
| Appleton's readers were probably the
best published when they first came
out twenty-five years ago. but the!
have been so far surpassed In matter
and makeup by other readers that they
are vastly behind the times.
/, IInrpcr's geography, In usc In tin
schools. Is antiquated.
Its statistics are not reliable.
Its maps are not modern.
And. as Il whole, Its treatment OF th'
subject Is not In touch with modern
geographical thought.
The trust has not book In the who'll
list that Is up to the standard OF thOs
In the market with the exception o
the oral arithmetic gotten up by Kir
and Sabln.
Young Sabin and Lowry wrote a
! algebra, which Is In use In the gram
mar schools. They got 1t up during
b vacation. and teachers Ind great faul
> with II.
The Book Trust IL anXiously wOrkin
: to have the School Board buy the nex
books for all pupils.
D This would give the trust Il chance
= foist the poorest ana cheapest worl;
! on the city ut the highest prices.
j. The theory of the trust Is, that til
taking away of the puwha sing pOwe
I from parents would cause them
t lose interest In the kind Of school book
It their children studied.
Wise Trust!
IT would have lots of swag II 1t cOul
get its friends on the Board to vOt
# for "free" text books for the pupils.
hNA int