Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-08-12
THE SCHOOL BOOK QUESTION.

LIE DCIlOOA DUN w 10 AAO4N'
To the Editor of the Register.
Sir have been handed a copy of
your issue Of August 4th, in which I
notice, under the heading "The School
Book Board" an article which is
either deSignedly misleading or is the
enusiOn OF dense ignorance on the part
Of the writer, who signs himself "One
Of the Victims"
His first statement that ali the school
books in the county have been changed
is not true. As a matter of fact-a fact
with which this knowing critic Of the
board might have been familiar had he
taken the trouble to keep posted on
the current events Of our own State
quite a number of common school text
books were unchanged.
The Victim exhibits a remarkable
Inconsistency in that, although he
would have us believe that this IS q
matter near TO his heart, and TO his
p0cketbOOk-and ! do net doubt the
latter-his article shows plainly that
he has given the subject no study or ne
would have known that contracts for
textbooks hold for q period OF FIVE
years; that the Legislature Of 1895, in
connection with the State School Book
Board, appointed by the Governor in
accordance with the provisions of the
textbook law of 1895, made changes
in copy books, mental arithmetic, gen.
eral history, United States history,
bookkeeping, civil government and
supplementary reading; that they add
cd TO the course, and made adOplOns
OF textbooks on State history, begin
neTs United States history, music and
drawing-the last two being optional
and, that they readOpJed the text books
on language, physiology and political
geography.
He would have known also that text
books ON the above subjects are all
under contract for a period of five years
dating from the first day of July, 1896.
and, lastly. this guardian of the poor
would have known that the Legislature
Of 1895 made adoptiOns Of textbooks
on several ether branches, but the pub
fishers OF these books failing or refus-
ing to contract within the time re-
Quired by law. our State was for the
year 1867 without any legal text
books On those subjects, and teachers
had 70 Go as best they could with what
old books the pupils had. It was only
with the textbooks on these branches
for which the State had no contract,
principally speller. readers, and arith-
meuCs, with the exception Of mental,
that the school book board which re-
Gently sat in Ohio county, had to do.
The writer of the article in question
complains that the people are COMPEL
ed 90 throw away what they have, etc
This statement is misleading. There
are exchange prices on all newly adopt
ed books. and a child can turn its old
book. no matter how badly worn, in
I'm part payment for a corresponding
book of The newly adopted series;
whereas, If the old series had been re-
tanned ne would have had to throw
away his old book and buy new one
ut fuU price
On readers the terms are even better,
for an old book can be given IN part
payment for a book of the next higher
grade of the new series. For example,
a child ready for the fifth reader can,
for his old fourth reader and 30 cents,
get q new fifth reader, whereas If the
old books and prices had been readopt-
ed. he would have had to throw away
his old book and buy a new fifth reader
outright 40 - cents. There win be
numbers of cases Of this kind IN the
county next school term in which there
viii be an actual saving by the ex-
change
Again our knowing critic bewails
the lot of the poor people who have
children 20 educate. The fact Of the
matter is that these are the very people
who are benefited; for the poor man
who buys books for his children viii
have TO pay for the books only. The
dealers profit on the books Is, under
the new law. 10 De paid out Of the
building fund Of the district. which
fund is raised chiefly by taxation. This
profit, when added to the cost of the
textbook. is a real burden to the pur-
chaser. but q mere bagatelle when di-
yided among the taxpayers Of the dis
triCt, in fact, the poor man has the
benefit of a partially free textbook.
and no particular burden laid on any
body, the brUnt being born by the man
OF means, who, we believe, is in most
cases. q public spirited man and will
not complain.
If the Victim means what he SAYS
when he informs his readers that the
petitions presented TO the board were
ignored. his statement is untrue. The
petitions presented were acted upon
and the petitions recognized in a reso-
luton presented by Republican men,
Der. and unanimously adopted. But.
if he means to say that these petitions
were ignored simply because they were
not acted upCn in the manner he de-
sired. that is quite another question.
and needs no comment other than TO
say that the members of the board
having studied the subject carefully.
felt themselves fully able TO dispose OF
the matter to the best interests Of the
the three petitions prescribed to the