The Republican., 1899-10-26
Expert Testimony on Free Books.

1t is well enough to have figures on
ones side in an argument, but when
those figures are backed up by the
testimony of persons who haYe had
actual experience as to the subject
under discussion the position of the
contrOversionalists so entrenched is i'm
pregnable. Thus while most men
will admit with little hesitation that
the free text book law passed by the
Republican Legislature of 1896 was
productive of much good, when he is
told that in three years the atten-
dance of the pupils at the county
schools took a jump of nearly $1,000,
that ia additional schools were put
in operation in that period and that
the disbursements to public schools
in 1898 oyer-topped those of all other
years in the States history by more
than $220, 900, he will have no doubt
on that score when he finds that the
leading Educators of Maryland add
their words in support of these sta
tistics.
There is no man in Maryland better
qualified to speak on this matter than
Prof. E. B. Prettyman, the principal
of the State Normal School tand Sec
retary of the State Board of Edu-
cation. Democrat though he be, his
professional pride and his interest
in the welfare of the public school
system will not allow his PARTISAN
ship to dwarf his opinion of the mer-
its of this piece of Republican legis-
lation. Writing in 1896, when the
free book law had not yet been in ex-
istence year, he said: 1T is already
apparent from the reports from school
officers of the several counties on file
in this office that the beneficial eff
fects claimed for these laws have been
realized. The attendance of pupils
has increased from 10 to 90 per cent.
and the efficiency of the school
has been greatly increased" A year
later, when he had had an opportun-
ity to observe more fully the opera
tions of the law, he described the in
PRODUCTION of free books as IAN epoch
in the school history of the State" and
added: "The uniform testimony of
very large increase in enrolment and
average attendance of pupils, and of
increased interest and efficiency in
the schools is the best proof of the
wisdom of the legislation on this sub
ject."
At the annual meeting of the State
Teachers Association at Deer Park in
July, 1896, Mr.. M. Bates Stephens,
secretary and examiner of public
schools in Caroline county, in speak
ing on this subject, said: Whatever
may have been the individual opinion
concerning the expediency of such
measure, no one denies that free
books to all pupils will improve the
standard of school work and be the
means of placing the schools of the
State on a higher plane of excellence
and usefulness. The adoption of free
books in itself will benefit our schools,
but greater benefit to public interest
lies in the fact that their provision to
all children removes every obstacle in
the road of public school education
and throttles every excuse for allow
ing children to grow up in our com
munities ignorant of the fundamental
studies and devoid of school discipline.
No assessment in this State is paid
more cheerfully than the public school
tax. Our people are wonderfully
liberal in their appropriations, for
those who are patrons of our schools
know that it is of the highest impor-
tance for their children to receive a
fund of useful knowledge and be train
ed in those habits of thought which
are essential to right sort of prepara-
tion for the duties of useful life."
Before the same association in 1898
Mr.. Geo. Biddle, school examiner of
Cecil county, touched on most i'm
portant result of free books. "The