The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-22

l
Results That . Thousand Pupils Are
OUT OF School-Many Refuse to Make
Change.
Yesterday the school children Of This
city were le: out 10 exchange their Old
books for the new series. This morning
probably not more than half OF them ara
ready TO enter school notwithstanding
me fact that Goldsmith and Tanner
were open till late in the evening. with a
host OF clerks who made every effort 20
wait on the crowd. The Biographies,
| copy books and one or two others Of the
series ran out early in the afternoon,
which is one very good reason why pu-
pills are not prepared for work. The in
junction proceedings were concocted last
June but were delayed in execution un-
Ill the board had ordered all pupils in the
| city schools to get the old series Of books
| and the teachers to proceed as hereto
fore. When all the expense Of a years
book supply had been incurred the ad-
| ministration burnishers jumped in and
applied for a writ OF mandamus. If they
could knock out the school boards con-
tract and compel a re-purchase OF book
supplies OF course they figured odium
would attach to the majority side whose
political complexion they had figured out
On every hand yesterday people were
pronouncing the proceeding an outrage.
The schools are in a hubbub and jun
bic. Nearly TWO weeks have gone by.
and the time has literally been wasted.
Every thing is chaos. Pupils have done
nothing and the teachers have been pow
erless to affect matters otherwise. II the
book men had been able TO secure the
books and every pupil in the city was
fitted out. with books and ready TO begin
work this morning it would take another
week or two to shape up the situation
and get 10 work with the new texts. But
it Is worse than that. There are more
than a thousand children In this city
today without: books and unable TO Sc
cure them. through no fault of the book
men or the city teachers There are
probably two hundred who had managed
one way and another through the sum-
mer months 10 borrow books of the old
series and buy them second hand and
get them by other means until they could
have gone through the year. They will
not be able 10 make the exchange and
therefore must forego the privilege of in
struction in the public schools for an
other year. Others who could make the
exchange and pay the difference in cash
have refused TO do so. They say that
they will no; submit 10 the outrage but
will instruct their children at home in
stead
This condition Of the public schools Is
lamentable. and more especially so to
come about purely through political mall
ice and a spiteful effort 20 polish up the
rottenness Of last winters legislature and
bolster the administration. The term
has necessarily been shortened to eight
months work, and here is a piece of po-
litical skullduggery and malicious shy
stering that is costing The children one
eighth of il in time and over 81. 900 in
salary to teachers who We're unable to
prevent il. II will be the middle OF Oc- |
tober before the schools viii be straight |
ened out and able 10 accomplish any
thing. Teachers have been on salary. |
janftors have been drawing their pay. |
but the money and labor have been |
thrown away in accomplishing a prepar- |
alton that need no; have been necessary. |
The realm Of the public school is little |
less sacred than the home In it's work /
with the minds and character Of young |
children. This delay does not only mean |
a month lost 20 the entire school popula-
ton of the city. but to hundreds Il !
means the loss of a year. to many of (
them the last year that will come TO them
with the privileges Of the free school To /
,amper with the public schools is-well,
fools rush in where angels fear TO
tread"