The record-union., 1899-10-13
STATE TEXT BOOKS.
HOW THE BOOK RINGS WORK
THEIR SCHEMES.
Some Interesting Assertions in Re-
gard to the University
Professors.
Two dollars and forty cents.

Two dollars and forty cents.
One dollar and forty-one cents
Not large sums certainly, but the
difference between them meant mucH
TO the people of this State.
And it all came about shortly after
the time of the adoption of the presenE
Constitution.
For years the people had been COM
planning Of the burden imposed on them
by the purchase of the necessary text
books for their children to use at
school, both through the cost of the
books themselves and the frequent sub
stitution of one book for another in
the same study. The same books were
not in use in the city and country and
if a family moved from one county
to another it generally entailed the cost
of a new set of school books for each
child.
1t was a good field for the Eastern
firms that published school books and
County Boards of Education were be-
sieged by their agents to adopt the
various systems they represented, and
whichever way the fight went, there
were rumors of bribery and corruption
Whether these were we'll founded or
not, the system was burdensome and
demoralizing and the people felt that
the time was ripe for a change.
In 1884 an amendment to the Con-
stitution, providing for the compilation
and printing by the State of its own
textbooks was adopted by large
majority and in the following year the
Ia ha in
for that purpose was passed, and as
soon thereafter as possible, the read
'ers, speller, grammar and arithmetic
were compiled and placed in the
schools. Since that time the books on
history geography, physiology and civil
government have been added to the list
and the grammar and readers have
been revised.
Before the State textbook We're pub
lished, the cost of the various sets of
fTst-class readers on the market was
S2.40 each. To-day the set of State
readers cost in this city $1.41, or only
about seven twelfths of the former cost
of readers and the cost of the other
books is also far less than that of sim
liar ones in 1884, a considerable item Of
saving 10 those having large families
of children.
By the law the Superintendent of
Public instruction, the County Super
intendent of Schools, the Coun. y Boards
of Education, the Boards of Trustees
and the teachers are each and all COM
manded to enforce the use of the State
textbooks in the schools and forbidden
TO substitute others for them The
Superintendent of Public Instruction is
also directed by law to withhold from
any county, town or city not obeying
the provisions of the law, its share of
the State school money.
Up to the past three years. also. the
State Normal Schools, which are sup
ported by the State, were compelled to
use the State textbooks in their
classes, but at that time, during Gov
ernor Budd's administration, by some
deft jugglery the provision was dropped
out Of the law and the anomaly is seen
or State schools that do not use the
State textbooks and teachers educat-
ed by the State who are not taught to
use the books the law prescribes for
their use in the schools where they
are to teach. 1t is a strong entering
wedge to knock out the State textbook
system
But this is only one of the forms of
attack on the system by its opponents.
Last year, at the biennial meeting OF
the County superintendent of the
State, the attacks on it were bold and
undisguised, a number of them openly
aVowing their hostility to the system
Itself under which they were elected
and which they had sworn to enforce
during their terms of office. Others
condemned the books in use and fav-
ored their revision or the buying of
other copyrights by the State. So
strong was the feeling shown that a
resolution condemning the State text
books was barely defeated, receiving
tie vote. The fight will be renewed
again at the next convention and the
opponents of the State textbook sys-
tenn are confident of ultimately knock
ing 1t out. The movement is growing
yearly more open and undisguised in
It's avoWed purpose. A few years ago
the candidate for City or County Su-
perintendent or School Director who
avowed his opposition to the State
series would have been showed under.
" AA~NN ~ tAAC iGdSOH 1OE the cndnge. in
face of the fact that several of the
books have been revised and others
are undergoing the process? A few
facts, the statement of which NAV not
come amiss, may throw some light on
the subject and inform the people of
some things that demand correction.
THE people who advocate the State
SERIES said a gentleman who is thor
oughly posted on educational matters
in the State TO a Record Union" rep
resentative a few days ago, have made
determined fight against what they
denominate the book ring, meaning by
that designation an incorporated COM
pany composed of several former school
book publishing companies. BY so
doing they have made the error of
drawing the attention of the people
away from a combine that is proving
far more dangerous TO the State books
than the company mentioned.