The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-13
SCHOOL BOOKS AGAIN.
An Open Letter to 7sr. Crane Bv a Mem
bar of the Board.
TOPEKA Kas March 13 1924 .

DEAR SIR-On my return to the city
after u few days absence on a business
trip have had placed in my hands a
circular which is signed by the school
book publishing house of which you are
member. 1t is so full of fa1sehood,
Misrepresentation and perversion of
facts. and withal so surcharged with
sophistry as to be almost astounding.
Out of your own mouth and in this
very circular you have condemned your
books, admitting that they are full of
errors but making the plea that ''the
next edition will be much better" Every
member of the Board of Education who
has opposed your books has stated
that whenever your books were
up to standard they would give
them their hearty and honest supp ort;
but they have insisted that it was your
business as a book publisher to first
make your books what they ought to be
before asking the Topeka Board of Edu-
cation to endorse them, and not try TO
force upon the Topeka schools what you
yourself have admitted as being a shea
w load to carry"
You charge in your circular the fol-
lowing: "The American Book company
is making fight for board of their own
selection" This statement you ought to
know to be absolutely false, and in max
ing it you are STOPPING to the lowest
stand up before this community and say
that Jesse Shaw, the president of the
board, that I. A. Beck, one of the leading
business men of this city, that Elias
Shull, who for twelve years was mem
Der of the board. and that S. S. OFT, one
of our most res pected citizens, are candi-
dates of the American Book Com
pany or any other company In this
mornings paper you qualify the above
mentioned statement by admitting that
you do not believe that these mon
are pledged, but you still insist
in making the statement that they
will be Influenced by the AmerI-
can Book Company, even going SO
far as to insinuate that their election OK
penses are being put up" by the Amsri-
can Book company, which statement you
should also know to be false. By the
way, Mr.. Crane, did you notice in the
newspapers the statement of the
platform upon which these candidates
you are trying to defeat are
standing? Had it occurred to
you that perhaps you, who
are SO free to cast stones at these candi-
dates, are yourself living in "glass
house" and that it is your avowed inten-
ton to try to influence the election of
the five men for whom you are fighting
SO hard. 1t is strange that a man will
admit that his books are inferior
and will attempt to dictate the
election of a board of education who
will, as he believes, do MS bidding and
place his first, second and third readers
in the schools. This, we understand,
from the tone of your circular ID your
avowed declaration. We feel certain
that you will not be able to handle these
men IN case they are elected as you now
hope. We know them to be clean men
and our only surprise is that they have
heSr Ill
candidates OF any book company.
The present attempt, MIR. Crane, to in.
huence the election of the school board
in this city by carrying il into ward
politics in the hope that you may be BILE
10 convert the city schools into machine
for the purpose of selling any aud all
school books which you may publish, ir
respective of merit, is sufficient to cause
alarm among the friends OF education all
over this city. You we'll know that no
greater calamity could possibly occur 10
our city school system than to have the
board Of education pledged to any other
policy than the maintenance of the high
est possible educational standard of
schools. No more serious danger could,
under any circumstances, be Introduced
into the community. 1t would result
in the degradation of tho schools
from the high standard which they have
attained by wise management and intel
Hgent care during period of quarter
OF century, to the low level OF ward
politics and jobbery. Such attempt is
so fraught with danger, SO absolutely
certain TO bring disaster that it
impossible to contemplate it with pa
thence. The schools of this city are the
pride of the people. They should so re-
main and never become the machine of
faction. Your publications. like any
other publications., should stand or fall
upon their merits.
Your books have been condemned with
practical unanimity by every competent
educator of the state. l have positive
information to the effect that the only
prominent schoolmen who have ever
endorsed your books have since repudl-
ated such endorsement on the grounds
that they had been given hastily and
without serious examination.
You even attempt to Cast slur upon
Mr.. Shaw, the superintendent, and my
self by insisting that we tried TO balk the
exchange of your readers last Feb
ruary shy commanding the pupils to
return their Harper's Fifth Readers,
thus preventing the exchange in
been made" This statement is abso-
Iutely false and without any foundation
except in sophistry and your own imag-
iuation. / know what l am talking
about, and I refer you to the approved
minutes of the board of education, which
will give the absolute lie to this state
ment.
You also make the statement that the
Trades Assembly presented petition to
the Board of Education and that intro
duced resolutions against it. This also
is false. The Trades Assembly hav g
never presented a petition to the
board of education and the mem
bers of that board know it
communication was received
from the typographical union in refer
ence to the home books and that .commu-
nication was treated most respectfully by