The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-18

! wall Bill does not cOntne you TO our
| publications. Those of You who have
read the bill know that our house is not
| in any way mentioned in it. 1t is sim
| ply a proposition TO provide for State
uniformity on the most economical basis
/ and there are other houses. some OF
| them who are honorable and straight
| forward in their dealings and entirely re-
| spoons. ole. that stand ready to make you
| just as fair propositions on Biographies.
/ Readers. etc, as we are able 10 make
| if the opportunity is offered
Under any circumstances we expect to
supply a portion of the books used in the
| schools of this State, but the larger
number that We can supply the better
terms we can afford, and we do not ask
! for the adoption of any book or books
simply because they are Southern books
and home make books, but we will only
! ask for the adoption after your wiSeSt
! and hest educators in this State have
! pronounced them the best textbooks of
| The kind that have ever been published.
The passage of this law would in my
| judgment mark new era in the pros
| perity of North Carolina. People are
| only prosperous in proportion to their in
| teligencc. ignorance hegets vice and we
can't afford 10 raise up generation after
| generation OF people without affording
| them better educational facilities. Many
| OF the hooks used heretofore are so I'M
| fair and unsatisfactory, some of circling
| around New England and biased with
/ Northern ideas, that parents do not take
| that live interest in the education of their
| children that they would if the books
used were such as they heartily approve.
| Consequently there is much more indif-
| ference about the matter of education
! than there would be otherwise and we
will all agree that one educated and well
! equipped man in our midst will be worth
| ten--a doZen-even a hundred uneducat-
| ed. knowledge is power, and if the
| South comes to the front and occupies
| that proud and prominent position that
| she is entitled to occupy, we need TO
| foster our educational interests, we need
| TO cultivate and train up the young minds
/ for usefulness, filing them with high
and lofty aspirations gathered from the
| noblest TRADITIONS and sentiments Of the
| great South. Remember, now, your
prompt and fair action on this matter
saves your people more than half mil
| lion dollars within the next four years,
! taking in consideration the fact that new
! books, absolutely new and fresh books,
! will be supplied free in place of the
| tattered and torn and worthless books
| with which pupils and teachers are
| worrying ut present. AS a Nirginian, as
/ a Southern man, / feel deeply interested
| in everything that promotes the material
| welfare of the people OF North Carolina,
| and ] am prepared to give the best
| thought, the best energy Of my life in
| helping you to promote the cause of edu-
| cation. in putting into active practice
! the influences that will bless the rising
| generations.
| Permit me to add a final word some
| what personal to myself and the great
| Southern enterprise to which / have de-
voted my life.
| | desire to assure you gentlemen in the
| strongest and most positive language
that we are not now and that we have
never been interested with CHM & Co.
or any other publishing company either
through ourselves or any agents or at
| torneys in the furtherance of any COM
| mon design whatsoever.
1t has been charged that the Johnson
Publishing Company has been sold out
| by the Sheriff; this is absolutely false.
And in due time before North Caro-
| lima jury we hope that the wanton and
cruel injury may be considered and the
| ungenerous rival punished.
1t was likewise charged that we palm
ed off Seymour's Arithmetic published
in the West as our book; this statement
is likewise untrue. We made a con-
tract with the. publishers of Seymour's
Arithmetic to purchase the electrotype
plates if the book was adopted by the
State of Virginia. The State of Virginia
rejected the book and we never sold a
copy of Seymour's Arithmetic at any
time. We explained this matter fully
to the State Board of Virginia and or
dered one hundred copies Of Seymour's
Arithmetic to exhibit to the State Board
and ntner educators in Virginia. We
printed the name of the Johnson Com
pany upon the fly leaf of these one hun
dred books so as to identify the book. /
will state that ninety-siX per cent. of all
OF our printing and binding is done in
the State of Virginia, and that the print
ers and binders who assist us in Rich
mand have recently ordered new machin-
cry and in n few months our Copy
Books will be printed in Richmond.
which will make one hundred per cent.
OF our work done in Virginia.
Our stockholders are altogether South
ern men including some of the most pro-
gressive and honored citizens Of Virginia:
and there is not a single stakeholder in
our company, so far as | know. that
owns any stock in any other Publishing
Company.
/ will add that while the Johnson
series of books were adopted in sixty-siy
counties of North Carolina in 1896. that
less than fifty per cent. of such books.
were ever used in the common schools
of such counties. What influences pre-
vented-we leave you TO surmise.
1t has been urged that the Johnson
Company would not be able to exchange
new books for old in time for the open
ing of the schools in this Stat in July,
1899. | desire to say that we have now
on hand two or three hundred thousand
hooks ready for shipment, and. as | have
heretofore stated, we can print, bind and
publish twenty-five thousand books each
day as soon as State adoption takes
place. and any of our series is adopted
The best test as to whether we can
accomplish this task is shown by the
fact that in Virginia, where we supply
between 80 and 30 per cent. Of the Read
ers. Histories, and Writing Books now
in use, we made proposition similar to
our free proposition of exchange in this
ap5 tbat tho nxcbopmo In Niros,,;o