El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-21
Ell Paso Entirely Competent
To Select Texts Books
WITHOUT STATE HELP

|
terests Of the Schools.
fp his recent message to the legfs.
lature the retiring governor, @. A
Culbersop, makes the following re.
COMMUNICATION in regard to amending
the existing text book law, 80 as to
make it applicable to the present in.
bringing of them under the jurisdic-
tf9n of the state text book board. It
is/understood that Governor Sayers is
ST bstan TALLY in accord with his pre-
decessor on this matter, and the
general sentiment among members of
the Legislature is favorable to the pro-
posed amendment.
THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
| Says Governor Culberson in his mes
sage &C.: ,.o.. ,,.,o..o.. 30.
| existed in this state with the method
of furnishing primary text books for
children who attend the public free
schools, the gravamen of the complaint
books were made, which added to the
expense, and that original prices were
exorbitant. In the light of experience
both of these charges seem to be true.
1t is said that publishers often
effected changes in the books unneces-
sSrily through financial arrangements
| with school trustees and teachers and
kept prices high by means of illegal
mbinations and trusts. Whatever
that in many cases teachers act as
agents of publishers of school books,
either during the term or in vacation,
and there are circumstances tending to
the conclusion that prices have been
mentained through some character
OF agreement, understanding or
method of business between the pub.
fishers.
To remedy this injustice to the pub
lie the last legislature passed uni-
form text book law. The more gen.
eral and important provisions are that
| the governor, comptroller, secretary
of state, attorney general, superinten-
dent of public instruction and presi-
dent of the Sam Houston normal in
stitute constitute the state text book
board; this board is authorized and re-
quired to appoint text
book commission Of five members
composed of teschers or city or county
superintendent: bids are to be receiv-
ed by the board, accompanied by SAM
pies of the books, from publishers for
furnishing books to the school chill
dren for period of not less than five
years including spelling, reading,
Gu&Ioo 1oug uog = IoesOns enu grammar,
geography, arithmetic, the elements OF
physology and hygiene, history of the
United States, history of the state of
Texas and graded system of writing
books. The books are to be examined by
the commission as to merit, ir-
respective of price, taking into con-
sideretion chiefly Che internal merits
or. subject matter OF the books, but
having proper regard also to the
| M al
thereof; the commission is to report q
classified list of said books to the
board, arranged in the order of re-
commend alton; and the board is to con-
slider the report Of the commission to-
gether with the bids, and adopt books
to which the commission gives it's first
recommendation, unless other books on
the same subject coming later on said
list are offered at lower prices, TAX
ing into consideration subject matter,
material, style, binding and mechan-
ical excellence, in which case the
board may exercise q discretion and
make an adoption of books in view of
all the circumstances. Any county,
city or town which has assumed con-
troll of lite schools and prior to April l,
1897, adopted q uniform system Of text
sss aS Dres to 70 ooggy Tn
/, 1899, or 9''' until e eorsr.ess
previously entered into have
expired, and the act does not apply to
cities of 10000 Inhabitants or over un-
less by their city council or school
board they adopt the provisions of the
act. Preference is expressly given by
the act to Texas authors or publishers,
price and merit being equal; the books
are to be printed in the English lam
Ruage, publishers are required to ex-
change new books for old ones in use,
and provision Is made against partisan
ship in histories.
The commission was duly appointed
and made it's report, the board made
an adoption, contracts for all books re-
quired by the act were entered into and
September l. 1898. The books adopt
ed by the board were not, in many
cases, those recommended by the COM
mission. Frequently the grading of
different books by the commission vari.
ed but slightly, and to what these diff
ferences were due, whether, for in
stance, to the fact that some member
OF be sos e commission hia marked ed
low. thus distinctly affecting
the general average, the board
did not know, because the commission
declined, upon request, to furnish the
individual grading of it's members
Something is also necessarily due to
difference of opinion which might ma
turally be expected to arise between
thoughtful and conscientious men on
the merits of the books. But large
ly controlling consideration account
ing for the adoption of books other
than those RECOMMENDED is the fact
that the statute expressly required the
commission to consider them ir-
respective of price, while the board
was enjoined to give due weight to
that.
For several reasons the law appears