Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-02-25
Against Free Text Books.

towns in Audubon county will decide
the text book question and whether
that decision be right or wrong we must
bow to the will of the majority. / ad-
mire Prof. Rockers fairness in argu-
ment and / know of no one with whom
would sooner entrust the education OF
my children. Yet it is very evident that
he is little out of balance on the ques-
ton at hand. will say in commencing
that l am not writing at random on this
subject. I spent several OF the best
years of my life as teacher in both town
and country schools, and there is no
subject in which take LIVER interest
than the educ tion of our youth.
If believed the new plan would be
benefit to the children of the whole
country I would advocate it. My OPP
ponents, the educators, are very per-
sstent in proclaiming the cheapness OF
free books and the one argument used
to substantiate their assertion is that
the books last longer. 1 think L can
prove to the satisfaction of the voter
that not one of them bases his statement
on anything tangible. j. A. Callison, OF
Des Moines, says free books will last
eight times as long, Prof. Hooker says
three times as long and W. III. Lancelot
says nearly one-half longer. There they
stand gentlemen-three in a row-you
can take your choice. Ii any one OF the
three states rock-ribbed truth" the
other two Of course must be false. The
fact of the matter is that all three of
them are simply talking through their
hats. [ do not believe books on the
average will last day longer than they
will under the present system. I have
reasons for such belief and will give
them. We have the same teachers to
care for the books now that we would
have under the new plan and we would
have the same children to destroy them
under the new that we have under the
present law. Section 3, Chapter 81,
Laws of 1896, reads: 1.-The board shall
hold pupils responsible for any damage
to, loss of, or failure to return any such
books, and shall adopt such rules and
regulations as may be reasonable and
necessary for the keeping and preserva-
ton thereof" | ask any attorney in
Audubon if this section is not largely
imperative. How is it possible to col
lect damage for the loss or partial de-
struction of books from class who-as
the professor claims-are unable or I'M
willing to buy them under present law,
can not and will not be done. Again,
the moment we have free books parental
oversight and restraint in the care of
them is withdrawn.
Free books means cheaper books to
the man who pays no tax but dearer to
the tax payer and I challenge the school
men to prove the falsity of the PROPOSE
ton if they think it SUCH.
Professor Hooker says we are present
ing argument to convince the unthink-
ing class. I repel the charge. I ap-
peal to the intelligent poor-the men
who hold the balance of power in this
struggle.
Remember, all the school advantages
we now enjoy are furnished by the
property owner. Can you afford to i'm
pose new burden upon your best
friend? Can you afford to coerce him
into doing what he is unwilling to do?
There is no surer way of widening the
rich and poor than by relieving the poor
of all responsibility. l do not deny but
work and so is the farmer, the merchant,
and the mechanic but the man of af-
fairs seeks remedy of the person, who
makes a remedy necessary.
Again the professor says actual ex-
perience makes the book question no
longer a theory and refers me to the
state of Massachusetts,. All right, I am
perfectly willing to be referred. He is
very certain that free books would in
crease the attendandance. We will COM
pare Iowa under the present plan with
Massachusetts under the new. On
pages 35S and $50 of Rand, McNally &
Co.'S Universal Atlas of the World we
find the following statistics: In 1890
the per cent of enrolment to population
in Massachusetts was 1868, in Iowa
28.15; Iowa leading by more than s per
cent. Also from 1880 to 1890 the per
cent of gain in population ia Massachu-
sets was 1857, in Iowa 17G8 The per
cent Of gain in school enrolment for the
same time, in Massachusetts was 1873,
in Iowa 1888. Omitting fractions and
using proportion we find that Iowa
shows gain over Massachusetts Of 7
per cent
Massachusetts, hindered by too much
law, fettered by too much freedom.
Iowa. matchless Iowa, superb in her
schools. Wreathe her with laurels and
permit no class of men to modest the
! fci Trar, in her crpwn