The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-05

| the books home during vacation ana
should not return to school any more,
what is to become of the books? Will
| they go to the trouble of returning
them? 1t is not at all likely that they
will. Is it not evident, then, that IN
der such a law, no matter what system
may be adopted, no matter what SUI
pervision may be exercised by the
teachers, the books will be badly hand
! led, and in many cases lost? More
over, should the books be given free OF
cost, it will be necessary to PROVIDE
each classroom with book case ana
each teacher with a set of books, SO
that he can open an account with eacn
pupil; and should he not be an expert
at bookkeeping, he will find himself IN
a heap of trouble.
| This BILL then, should be entitled an
Act to increase taxation; to hold forth
| inducements to children to abuse the
gift of the State, and by way of an
excuse for having done so, to resort to
| lying; to add to the labors Of the al
ready overworked teachers, and to set
the whole machinery of the public
schools in disorder. Suppose, however,
although it is a false supposition, that
there were no danger of these abuses
ever occurring, is it not a short sight
| ed policy for the State to assume a
responsibility which, properly speak
| ing, belongs to parents; Which the
parents of this State have borne in the
past without a murmur and will con-
tinue to bear, if only permitted to do
so? Is it not enough for the State to
provide schools, fuel and teachers gratis
for her children, and in addition, free
books for those who cannot afford to
purchase them? When she has done
this she has done her duty, her whole
duty in the matter of education but
when she goes further than this, when
! she assumed a responsibility which,
properly speaking, belongs to parents,
she is treading on slippery ground; she
| is outstepping the limits of her duty
and jurisdiction, and imposing unneces-
sary burdens on the taxpayer AS
well might she assume the right to tax
her subjects to provide articles Of dress
for the children of the schools, as to
tax them to provide free school books.
| 1t is difficult to tell where legislation in
in this direction will end, except the
press and the taxpayers set themselves
| against it in time. The sooner it is
| stopped the better, or we shall some
day find ourselves confronted by legis-
| lation authorizing the School Directors
to provide daily, free of cost, hot
! lunches for the children of the schools,
ambulances to take the little ones to
and from school in wet weather. and
umbrellas, rubber coats and boots for
the larger ones. Let the State provide
properly for her insane, deaf. dumb,
blind, feeble minded, orphans, half or
phans and abandoned children, and the
counties for their sick, poor, aged and
| infirm, and they viii have as much as
they can accomplish for years to come.
| To provide for these is necessity and
a duty, but to provide school books free
work ~
| An amendment similar in it's provi-
sions, to this, was before the Legisla-
ture in 1891. 1t was we'll and care
| fully discussed in that session by the
members of the Assembly 1t was de-
feated, reconsidered and passed; recon-
sidered again on it's passage, and after
| its merits and demerits were fully de-
| bated, it was finally defeated by vote
of 81 to "A, as isoshown by the records
of that Assembly; because in the opin-
ion of that body it would involve The
State in an enormous and unnecessary
expense, and a responsibility which,
properly speaking, devolves on parents.
A CITIZEN AND TAXPAYER