The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-01-20
PUBLISHING SCHOOL
BOOKS.

Among the Popullstic notions that
crept into Gov. Lind's message, was
that which advocated the idea of the
publishing of the text books for the
schools of the state in an office owned
and run by the state. He had an idea
that this could be done by the state
training school. 1t is most doubtful
whether the scheme would be salts
factory one in any respect. In the first
place it would cost large sum of
money to properly equip An Office that
would meet the requirements. If any
move of this kind was to be made, it
would seem that the proper way would
be to establish a state printing Office,
and do all the work of the state in it.
1t is very doubtful as to whether the
state could produce from an Office of it's
own text book that would prove salts
factory and be the equal of the books
now upon the market. Everything up
on the market is copyrighted, and the
state would have to secure it's own
preparations of text books. This costs
money and the state would have to
compete with the great concerns of the
country that are willing to pay we'll for
first-class work. The result would be
that our schools would more than likely
be served with an inferior book, and
much dissatisfaction would result
therefrom Only one state in the
Union has put the scheme into practice
and it has been not only unsatisfactory
but expensive to the taxpayers, and
those using the books. Jerry J. in the
Minneapolis Journal in speaking of it
says:
ut is doubtful if much comfort can be
had from California. 1t has been rather
expensive, and no little complaint has
been made until it is questionable how
long the experiment will be continued
In January, 1896, the governor called
on the secretary of state for full report
of the operations 1t appears that I'M
der what is known as the "Sandlot
regime" the constitution was amended
in 1885 SO as to require the state to
print its own school books Estimates
were obtained on the probable cost of
each of series of books. For instance,
the estimate on speller was about 8
cents. Yet it had to be sold at 80 cents.
This. too, in spite of the fact that the
best>spellers in the market can be ship
ped clear across the continent and sold
there for about half that sum. By re
peated appropriations there was then
invested over half a million dollars,
about one fifth of which, or 800, 900,
had been entirely sunk.
The state superintendent of Michigan
recently made an exhaustive examina
ton of the matter of text books, and he
there alludes to the fact that California
had been the only state which had ever
ventured into the experiment Of print
ing it's own books. He cites the prices
prevailing in different states and the
comparison is anything but favorable
to California He further says that
Ohio and Washington investigated the
California plan and utterly repudiated
it."
He also quotes a well -known educator
as saying:
"The chief cost of text books is not in
the material nor the mechanical execu.
tion, but in the compilation and subse-
quent revisions. In day like the pres
ent the people are not likely to be salts
fed with anything but the best. In
geography the entire map of the world
has been changed even in the past year,