The San Francisco call., 1897-09-18
EDUCATORS
CALL DOWN
BOODLERS
Primary Principals PerfOr-
ate the School Book
Contracts.
UJLIIBSN DU0hO UlDVAhDLU.
Swinton'S Word Analysis and
the Heart Culture Series
Rejected,
MUCH PABULUM UNFIT FOR Babes.
The Committee of Experts Seconds the
Public's Judgment Against
the Board.
MUCH PABULUM UNFIT FOR BiBES.
The Committee of Experts Seconds the
PubliC's Judgment Against
the Board.

A body bow was dealt the Board of
Education yesterday in the form of re-
port by the committee of principals of the
primary schools. Their report is rich
reading.
The committee was elected b. all the
principals and authorized to revise and
amend the Board of Education s notori-
Gus list of studies-that lengthy cataio- ue
which delighted the American Book Com
pany, disguised the public and caused a
scandal to buzz bout the ears OF the per-
petrators OF the job.
One of the notorious fea ures of the con-
tract m ade with the rich book corporation
was an agreement 10 buy "Swinton's Word
Analysis" and a series OF books on heart
culture" for period of four years. Nearly
$4,000 copies OF the word analysis have al
ready been sold to the babes OF the prima-
ries.
The committee of principals has decided
that such heavy NJ entail pabulum is unfit
for the nursery, much as the decision may
dlspleaSe the more ambitious aud worldy
minded OF the directors of education.
a study OF the report of the committee
shows that its work has greatly curtai,ed
the list which the American Book Com.
pany spent so mucn money TO have prop
erly presented 10 the city'S educators.
Tne Disappointing feature OF the matter
100, is that theTe is q strong proba bilIIy
that the committees list Will be adopted
when the board meets on the 29th inst. 1t
Will ca use CONSERVATION at book head
quarters. too, for there are rumors that
the freight and waste on books exhibited
to the leaders of education reached the
eXtOrtiOuate sum Of $50 600.
a copy OF the report of the com mittee
was sent TO every member of the Board OF
Education yesterday. Under the plea
that they 10 not know much a bout prac-
tical teaching, the guilty mem hers OF the
board will embrace with av;dity the op-
and the report OF the primary principals
Will practically become the law in the
case.
a large part Of The committees report
is concerning routine matters that do not
in any way interest the general public,
but some points are VITAL as affecting the
expenditures OF the masses.
The committee recommends that Swim
toms Word Analysis lie omitted from all
grades below the eighth, for the reason
that the children are too young and unde-
veloped 10 understand its meaning. These
are the books shat created such a scandal
when it became generally understood that
the board nad decided TO cram their con-
tents into the minds of mere ba bes
1t is recommended that BaileY's Mental
Arithmetic and the State Advanced
Arithmetic be kept away from all chill
dren below the sixth grade such being
unable to properly master the principles
of these rather abstruse works. 1t is sug-
gested that the copies already on hand
NAV be used as reference books bv the
teachers themselves. The metric system
is omitted from all grades below the
seventh until II comes lnto general use.
1t is emphatically recommended that
the series of heart culture books be
omitted hereafter. The committee sug-
gests that, as the books are in the nature
OF white elephants, they ought to be used
as supplementary readers, as far as posi-
bic, this year.
There are many details IN the report in
points will be noted particularly by tax
payers and others who have been follow
ing the story of the extravaganza and job
berry of the Board of Education. 1t is The
general opinion OF the directors that the
report OF the committee will be adopted
without modification, as the mem bers of
the board have heretofore quite fully ex-
pressed themselves as not conversant with
the details of the course OF study. The
boldest of the bold will hardly have the
courage now to urge the retention OF books
rejected by the ommittee OF expert teach
ers. especially when grave charges have
been made that these books were fraudu-
lently placed on tie list as a useless bur-
den for the public.