The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-19

be only $4,000. How then can Mr..
Johnson's million dollar" concern save
the people over 100000 annually?"
| Possibly he will give readers, his United
States histories (which by the way have
over l,l0O references to Virginia.. and
absolutely untried grammars and arith-
metics TO the children of the State and
make them cash payment of So, 900
What "A patriot and phiianthropist is
Mr.. Johnson's million dollar concern,
| The Lord loves Il cheerful givcr.
For the first time in its history tho
people of North Carolina have an on
portunity to purchase books from n
Southern house. Is Mr.. Johnson
madly ignorant? or does he regard the
people of North Carolina ignoramuses?
As matter of fact the readers. .e9cra-
plies. arithmetics and United States
! histories adopted and in use in the
North Carolina schools. are the products
of Southern talent and scholarshin-1b.
solutely so. The company that publishes
them was organized by General mo
Il. Gordon at General Lees solicitl.ioo
| The stockholders are scattered all ovor
the South, and the business is onlucfcd
and managed by native Mississippian
Much of the printing and work is done
in New Orleans. Mr.. Johnsoa's at-
tempt at deception puts Il mighty Door
estimate upon the intelligence of Ncrth
| Carolnians
;. ANY successful educator will trli
you that large proportion of the books
| in use in the schools in this STATE orn
worn out and out of date" This state.
ment if made in earnest is Il malicious
| faisehood. The title pages Of theqa
| books show an annual issue and a
constant watchfulness in keeping he
works within touch of the times. Is il
| possible that Il gentleman carrying so
much piety about on his face could
have beneath it so much cunning? Is
! this matter to be settled by falsehoods
1mstatements and receptions?
4. Cur books are manufactured IN
the South" Again. Mr. Johnson at
tempts to deceive. II is known fact
/ that he has much of his work done out
| side of Virginia besides the material
he uses comes from beyond the border
of his State and much of it comes pre-
pared for use. Because Il. F. johnson
Publishing Company have their home
office in Richmond "a distributing point
and base of action does not entitle them
| to so much consideration-doe not
make their company Southern. The
hidden hand of this million dollar con
cern" is no more Southern than Bene-
hdict Arnold. 1t is not Indicative of
! Southern character to misrepresent and
| deceive. A concern that seeks bust
ness on such IL spirit is not Southern
| the true Southern spirit resents such
practices. 1t will not barter on sacred
memories for business.
5. Even been shipping books to lii
| nois, Massachusetts and Michigan"
says Mr. Johnson. Possibly he means
| shipping from" instead of ''to" these
| States. If this be true, it must be a
recognition of his books ON account of
| his grateful Acknowledgement" his
reader makes to the New York Indepen-
| dent, which endorsed the slanderous ar
| ticle the Wilmington negro made against
| the white women OF North Carolina.
| Shipping books TO Massachusetts, Ell!
Massachusetts naturally likes anything
| that is grateful" to slanderous North
ern sources.
6. 'Discarding our books" Mr.. John
son would have you believe. l had in
| charge during the summer of 1898
| thirty-twO Georgia counties. The adOp-
| tons came off from time to time. /
| know of no county in which a single
| publication of Johnson's was adopted
hut | do know / came away with FIVE
TIMES the number of adoptionS we had
before going to these counties. | have
knowledge too, of sixty other counties
| in Georgia i'll which Johnson got NOT
\ SINGLE ADOPTION.
{. "Johnson's Histories were adopted
in siXty-six counties in North Carolina
in 1896, that less than fifty per cent OF
such books were ever used. What IN
tuence prevented? We leave you to
surmise." The State Superintendent
reports and those of the county authori-
ties show that this statement is abso-
lutely false. ''What influence prevent
ed" Mr.. Johnson asks. In keeping with
the malice of his soul, he attempts to
| reflect on the integrity of the school
authorities of the counties Like a
spOilt child he wants you TO surmise
why his books have not been used. The
fact that his books violate every peda-
gogical principle and have nothing TO
commend them ought to be enough eX-
PLANTATION, even TO a man like Mr.. John
son.
s. BY the skin of his teeth John.
sons readers were put on the Virginia
list. In a seemingly amending fight, the
Virginia Board of Education compro-
missed on some Northern readers. After
this. Johnson brought every power
known to man. to bear upon the State
Board He sent local organization after
another to beseech the State Board.
He declared pleadingly: IF you don't
nut my readers on, / will be forced to
assign" He was then told to have his
readers revised. He employed several
teachers, who, in seventeen days re-
vised his readers. / an told that
even these revisers do not @ndorse them.
The State Board permitted them TO
go on dual list, and the whole matter
referred to the county boards. After
working the Confederate racket,
Home enterprise racket and pulling
every string, wire and influence these
Southern Readers by Southern authors,
printed by Southern men III Il Southern
city had close neck and neck race be-
fore county boards, with an absolute
Northern set of readers! Not very
good record, even at that.
There are in use in the pubic schools
of North Carolina, on the Following