The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-28
noESN'T LIKE THE BILL.
.,pr AsHMORE OPPOSED TO UNI
FORM TEXT BOOKS.

would BE tnht toE Use IN Ahother.
variety in Length of school SEES
.,o,s would Make 1t Almost I'M
,ssibIe to Devise n Feasible Plan.
II. opposes, Also, the Plan to Make
the state a Publisher of Text
Books.
s,.,srintendent of Schools Ashmore Is
..,,sed TO the plans of the commission,
mich has been investigating and oonsid-
,., the question of uniform text books for
-, ,pbljc schools of the state, and whose
,Isus # has been said, will be embodied
On a bill that will be introduced at the
,,resent session of the Legislature,
Az these plans have been described and
discussed publicly, they embrace two ea-
,snt principles, a uniform system of text
hacks and uniform text books for the use
Of the public schools. and provision that
the state go into the publishing business
and Get out these books for Itself. Su
,orntendent Ashmore was seen at his Of
Nce Yesterday by a Morning News report
or and gave free utterance to the opin-
IONS he has long held and frequently eX-
pressed on this subject.
81 am opposed to the bill, as I under
stand its nature he said, in answer TO
question, "as I have been opposed to
any system providing for uniform text
hooks throughout the state. OF course,
there are some things to recommend such
a system, but for one advantage, TO my
mind. there are dozen strong objections.
In different cities and towns of the state
and in the country, there are differing re-
outrements. which must be met by differ
inc systems of text books and instruc-
hon No iron-bound plan can be fit I'd
to every section of the state, with the
exDectation that the best educational re-
suits will follow.
For Instance in the country districts
they have school sessions of six months in
length. while in the cities they are nine
months in length. In Atlanta they have
eight grades in the grammar schools, while
in savannah we have seven. There are
distinctive differences of this kind, that
would be obstacles in the way of uniform
itv in text books and I do not believe
they can be successfully surmounted. a
text book that viii serve for a session of
six months would not serve for session
Of nine months, and system of text books
for a grammar school course covering
eight years would not answer for another
course covering seven.
In the second place, the question of the
selection of text books arises. Now 1t is
trusm 10 say that there are good text
books and bad, and the assertion that the
best results cannot be expected to follow
the use of poor text books is equally trite
and true"
with the single exception OF the
school commissioner, the State Board of
Education is composed of men who are
not professional educators. They hold
membership in the board by virtue of
their offices in the state government, as
The Governor, Secretary of State and 9TH
er state house officers. 1 presume the
question of the selection of text books will
he entrusted to this board and il is no re-
fection upon them, who are not supposed
to be thoroughly familiar with education
al problems to say that they are as like
ly to choose poor text book as good
one Opinions on this subject differ widely
and what one skilled educator would think
admirable as a text book would not at all
appeal to anotehr. No man can get the
best results out of a book that he does not
approve, and this reflection increases the
difficulty"
Admitting the possibility of making a
wrong selection, it will be a matter of
much difficulty 10 have it changed
The board viii probably adopt the books
for term of years, five possibly, and for
that term the poor text book would cause
poor work. Education would suffer VIII lie
the process of change was going on"
What do you think of the proposed
plan of the state going into the publish
ing business?" Superintendent Ashmore
was asked.
81 strongly disapprove it. Think for the
moment of getting the proper books to
publish. Text books are copyrighted and
they could not be used or published by the
state without mourning a very large eX-
pense. To have others written would be
equally expensive, without counting the
very possible chance that they would be
grossly unsatisfactory. 1t does not follow
mat because a man is learned on par
ucular subject that he can write a good
'ext book. Something>else is needed If the
mind OF the child is to be properly directed.
VI course there are capable men in the
state, but they are not to be found every
Where, nor are their services TO be had for
the asking To have the books written
Wcud entail the expenditure of a vast sum
Of money"
The first cost of the plant for publish
ing them would also be enormous. The
maps OF the Biographies, for instance,
would require the best efforts of the en-
s'dVer and printer and the most costly
''''Ni y ! ne expenditure WOulu IcdCi
sum that l think has not been contem-
pH.eo by the members of the commission
q al which if brought to the attention of
s legislature, would be sufficient in it,
'' 'a- n defeat the passage of the bin
i - mere are other strong objections TO
ta ue pan The embarkation of the state
r M tls business of publishing text books
au furnish opportunities for jobbery
en- tu corruption that it is just as well
ts .ouu be absent. 1t is possible they
U.'. My would be ignored and that nothing
4 fao tu come Of them, but 1t is a known
Il nov, ' mat TO err Is very, very human. Every
w. ana then some one would drop into
& hoo,. oHlce Of the state publisher of text
4 Inn" ana unfold a scheme. Some VI
Vor', might be good, but most of them
No, 'H De decidedly bad. The prospect is
FL nst pIeaslng, and even my faith in human
& ryn,i te uoes not permit the belief that cor
n OCCASIONALLY" ~ e''Ne''ee' a. 'e'''
81 years year," Ashmore stated that two or three
lion ago there had been a similar agita-
was rSs uniform text books. The matter
miseo.' erred by che Legislature to a COM
FL Ieg3sJau, mat reported adversely. The then
the him p'ure adopted the report and killed
mis- H. me county superintendent per-
win b lLnself the hope that q similar fate