The record-union., 1899-02-26
BAD SPOT IN THE EDUCATION
BILL.

| Assembly bill 639 is substitute for
Assembly bill 295. 1t relates to the
public schools of the State. 1t is by no
| means free from error, but there is one
clause which is nothing less than
vicious-at once temptation and a
fountain of extravaganza. On page .
of the bill will be found three parts Of
Section SO, amending Section 1874 of
the Political Code
1t is first provided that text books
adopted must remain in use four years.
Second, that no other books shall be
| adopted other than those published by
the State on the subjects Of orthog-
raphy, English grammar, arithmetic.
geography, United States history. phys
iology and civil government.
But there are two provisos to this
subdivision. The first is that books
supplementary to the State series on
by the Boards of Education. and, pro
vided, further, that said supplementary
books be- furnished to the pupils of the
various school districts throughout the
State free of charge"
Let these provisos be for a moment
examined and it will be discovered that
| if the cunning hand of the book ring
| is not responsible for them, at least the
ring. could scarce wish for anything
better. After specifying what books
outside of certain of the State series
may be adopted by giving liberty to
| adopt any in the wide range of publ
cation not specified as published by the
State, authority is given to adopt text
books supplemental to those issued by
the State.
There is nothing to prevent the sup
Elemental books becoming the chief,
since there is no requirement that they
shall be used as mere supplements or
aids. Under the provision the supple
mentary volumes may and would be
employed to crowd out the State books
entirely, and there is no power what
ever to prevent such perversion Of the
law
We are justified in suspecting the
devil to be in the neighborhood where
there is a smell of birthstone. The sec
ond proviso brings his internal majesty
above quoted; the supplemental books
are to be furnished free to the pupils.
Which is to say that while the State
text books must be purchased by the
users, those published at the East and
paid for out of the taxes of the whole
people are to be given to the pupils
without fee, charge or condition con-
corning their use.
The exception, or proviso, first noted
constitutes distinct and strong tempt
alton to school boards to yield to the
solicitation of book ring agents, and to
make such supplementary books to ali
intents and purposes substitutes for the
State text books. To make this pro-
viso unobjeetionable to parents, or,
rather, to throw a morsel of temptation
in their way also, it is secondly pro-
which may easily become substitutes,
shall be furnished free to pupils.
Now why free? What good reason
can be advanced for such a provision?
If the supplemental books are to be
bought by the taxpayers at large and
given free to pupils as often IS they
call for them-and assuredly the book
| ring will conserve the i'll usage and de-
struction of such books to augment
| their sales-why not have done with it
and give all school books free to all
pupils? Yet the Record Union has
many time in recent years exposed.
it is vain enough to think, the unwis-
dom of such proposition, a fad which
crops up at each session of the i-egis-
lature.