The San Francisco call., 1897-08-27
But Worthless Volumes Have
Been Paid For and the
Ring Enriched.
QUAIMS OF CONSCIENCE TOO LATE.
Promise That No New Studies Shal
Take the Place of Ones
Discarded.

The course of study as prescribed by the
Board of Education is to be modified.
Official announcement OF this fact was
made yesterday. and Superintendent
Webster appointed a committee of prin-
cipals to help him decide which among
the textbooks should be eliminated.
The ostensibIe ground for this action
is that the course is too severe, an allega-
ton that nobody is inclined to dispute.
The real ground is thought to be that the
exposure by The CALL of the book ring,
and The protests OF parents against pay
ing for worthless literature have stirred
within the board something akin to q
qualm OF conscience, tardy it is true. and
not particularly soothing to the parents.
In most cases the purchases have been
made. The books that served no visible
purpose but to lend corpulency to school
bag have been paid for and can now 60
on the shelf to gather dust, and the ring
cannot, even by qua.m of conscience in
active operation, be deprived of its gains
In other words. the horse having been
stolen, the board with fine ado is locking
the stable door.
Had the order to suspend work under
the course OF study now to be modified
been issued the day the attention of the
public was called 10 the facts many thou
sands of dollars would have been saved to
people who in many instances did not
have money to devote to foolishness, and
some, il inclined 10 be extravagant, would
have chosen some other form of foolish h
ness upon which TO lavish their super
tluous cash. There was not manifest in
any quarter a disposition cheerfully 70
submit to the extraordinary requirements
of the board.
Before that body began to perceive its
error the book ring had succeeded il SELL
ing a vast quantity of books at an enor-
nous margin OF profit. The children went
to the bookstores every day Tor three
weeks presenting lists OF publications
which the principals had told them to
purchase. During the rush it seemed to
interested observers that teachers and
School Directors made common cause TO
increase the sales. As a result parents
were compelled to expend from So to SIS
for new books, some of these worthless TO
the point of being trash.
All the orders for that remarkable in
anity known as Heart Culture" have
"Harr Wagner's H istory Stories." These,
it NAV he remembered, glow with gems
from the rhyme shop of Madge Morris,
. am even recognize Longfellow as a poet,
though not conveying any impression OF
his ability to strike as high note in the
soulful song business as Madge Morris
Whitaker Ray, the publishers OF
these volumes. regret that The CALL saw
fit TO criticize the bind ing and the quality
of paper Used, as they were the only home
made books added to the course The
other books, such as "Swinton's Word
Analysis and "Baiey's Mental Arithme.
tic" are printed in the East anu supplied
to the trade in California. Home indus.
try, however, got one advantage in this,
that all the books called for were supplied
and sold before the order came to suspend
the sale.
The serious fault to be found, however,
is not with so ;rifing thing as the Quail
ity of paper but with the waste of SO much
that might have been utilized in the wrap
ping of soap. Nor was the feat OF unload
ing the product upon people who did not
want it, and in many cases had to appeal
to the public funds for aid, one designed
maj
24U00 copies of Heart Culture were sold
is regarded as a fair estimate, and that
this IS thousand times as many as would
have been sold IN a million years in the
ordinary course of evenas and the absence
OF a ring is another estimate confidently
advanced. When the last pupil had been
supplied information came Inn ping along
that the plan had been tor teachers only
to afflict themselves with this particular
phenomenon.
70 assist him in modifying the course
of study Superintendent Webster has ap-
pointed Richard D. Faulkner, principal oi
the Franklin Grammar; William A. Rob-
ertson, principal OF the Hamilton Gram
mar; Alice Nj. Stincen, principal of the
Pacific Heights Grammar; Mrs. c. r.
Pechin, principal OF the Cooper Primary
Miss Mary A. Scherer. principal of the
Garfield Primary. and Miss Agnes Man
ming, principal of the Webster Gram m ar
Some of the overburdene trades will
be relieved of portion of the curriculum
as planned, to boom his book business
This will hasten the journey of Heart Cul.
ture and other strange things toward the
condition of being obsolete, a condition
for which they seem peculiarly fitted. A
cheering promise comes from the Super
intendenrs office that nothing shall be put
in place OF the studies TO be eliminated.
While the action of the board in propos.
ing to revise and curtail will afford little
relief 10 the parents of school children il
is viewed with thankfulness and satisfac-
ton by every teacher in the com munity.
Without exception, those who were inter
viewed in relation to the matter stated
that the course was far too extensive and
varied, and that to attempt to teach il
would be a gross. injustice to instructors
end pupils alike. 1t is claimed that al
least ten years severe work had been al
tempted to be crowded into eight years
study. Many of the books are declared to