The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-31
UNIFORMITY IN SCHOOL BOOKS
COMMISSIONERS DISAGREE UPON
THE STATE UNIFORMITY PLAN.

Majority Report Disapproves the
System, While MIR. BeauchamD Fa-
vOrs 1.-THE, Governor Fails 10 Dis
cuss the Question in His Message.
Uniformity Said to He AntiGuated.
Mayor MeIdrim Discusses the Conn
mission WransIe, But Does Rot Ex-
press Himself as to the Prospects
of the Commission Repeal Bill.
VIII Spend To-day in Savannah.
Atlanta, Ca, Oct. 3O.-State School Com
missioner Glenn handed in the report of
the book commissioners to Gov. Atkinson
to-day. The report does not however,
represent the unanimous views of all the
members of the commission, but there will
be a minority report, signed by Mr..
Beauchamp. The point upon which the
commissioners disagree was the state uni
formity. The majority disapprove this,
while Mr.. Beauchamp favor it, and it is
said Gov. Atkinson viii use this influence
in support of the Beauehamp report. The
absence of any reference to the book ques-
ton in the governors message was widely
commented on. 1T was at his suggestion
that the commission was authorized by
the legislature, and it was, of course, ex-
pected that Gov. Atkinson would discuss
it's work in his message. 1t appears that
the reason he did not was because the
commission had not reported to him and
was, therefore, totally in the dark as to re-
suits One story put in circulation in ex-
- Ia1a - I,an NJ, 1icG
report was that an effort was being made
to have it held up until next year for po-
litical reason, as it Is not favorable to
the views of the governor. The majority
report of the commission, signed by four
of the five members, including State
School Commissioner Glenn, is
strong presentation OF
arguments against state uniformity 1t
takes up the official history of the ques-
ton of states, showing from the record,
the experience dealing with the question,
and it is shown that twenty-niue states
have abandoned the experience after trial,
and that these now holding on to it were
less populous and progressive states Of
the far west. The commission reports that
the school books published by the states
of California and Indiana were inferior to
the standard text books of to-day, being
largely out of date, and of far less value
than the best books on the market.
The report also calls attention to the in
ferior mechanical make up of the Cali
forn.a and Indiana books, and to the
enormous sums Of money spent by Cali
fornia on the experiment of state publ
cation. 1t is shown that the educational
authorities Of the country are almost
unanimously against state uniformity in
school books, and that the teachers, who
ought to nave some practical information
on the subject, are earnestly opposed to
such a system, having SO expressed them
selves in their state and national asso-
Citations.
As a means of reducing the cost of
sion recommends the Ohio plan of au-
thorizing county boards of education to
buy school books on competitive bids for
the best standard text books and furnish
them to the children at cost, the publish
ing houses would thus save 20 or p per
cent, of the LIST price and give It to the
children. The commission presents sta
tistics of the actual sales of school books
in several counties and shows that the
cost has been greatly exaggerated In
Pike county, for instance, it is 10 cents per
capita of the school enrolment and in
another county "a cents. In the public
schools of Columbus, including the high
schools, where the city buys books and
| furnishes them to children at the uni
| form price Of 81, the cost to the city for
! several years was 4S cents per capita Of
! the enrolment.