The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-07-12
A. B. c. Wins FIGHT.
Natural Biographies Will be Used in
the City Schools for Two
Years More at Least.
STORMY SESSION OF THE BOARD
old Trouble over the Gil1ett School Plumb
ing is Settled Recommends New Heat
ing Plant for Central Building.

at the meeting Of the Board of Educa-
ton Tuesday evening, and for the
next two years at least all the geog-
raphies used in the schools of Kenosha
will bear the A. B. c. monogram at the
bottom. The fight over the geography
text has long been expected, as the
agents of the rival companies had
been busi1y at work with the Kenosha
teachers and it was only question of
time The Sight was bitter one, but
the victory of the American company
over CHM and company was complete
and agent Goddard will have little sat
| isfaction for his arduous 1abors IN con-
vincing the Kenosha teachers that the
Frey geography was the better of the
two No one would particularly care
about the fight over the books except
for the fact that it shows SO well the
domination of the great publishing
companies in the school board work.
While no agent of the companies was
at the meeting of t he Board Tuesday
/ night, Commissioner Burg looked after
the interests of the A. B. c., and Com
missioner Me1vi1es saw that no point
for CHM & Co. was missed. Commits
sioner Baker and Supt. Mcdowell sup
piled the legal lore for the discussion.
The discussion was an interesting one
on account of the fact that it showed
how bitter the feeling was in the
Board.
The fight opened when the Text
Book committee reported in favor OF
making a change to the CHM book.
Melville spoke in favor of the book,
/ but there was a. 'dissenting voice from
Burg, who declared that the Natural
| Geography was an ideal book. Mel
vile came back with the statement
that the greater. proportion of the
members of the Board knew absolutely
nothing about the matter in hand and
opined as how he didn't care whether
the books were published in a gun fac
tory or a gospel shop, he was in favor
of Frey. Baker then delivered an ora
ton on the very delicate legal points
in the case and Mcdowell backed him
up and it was evident that the victory
was with the A. B. c.
At this point Melville swung lot
! of recommendations from Kenosha
teachers and this opened tusi1ade of
recommends. From somewhere, no
one knew where, Burg and Mcdowell
produced list of hundreds of recon-
| mendations for the A. B. c. book.
while Melville struggled along and
kept up a skirmish fire with a little
ammunition which had been supplied
| by the CHM agent. The battle waxed
hotter every minute and insinuations
were thrown out on both sides, but
neither were willing to have show
down, as it was liable to show the po-
sitions of both the men and their re1a-
tions to the companies for which they
were fighting.
| Finally it was moved to lay the re-
port on the liable and after another
discussion in which the law was again
unfolded and the American and CHM
companies patted on the back the reso-
luton passed and the matter dropped.
So it is that the publishing companies
rule the Board. To an outsider it
would seem better for the teachers to
drop both books and give more time to
teaching geography and give less time
to getting their names in print, by
| writing testimonials.
After the text book fight the rest of
the meeting was tame. The. building
and grounds committee reported in
favor of constructing a sidewalk on
the west side of the Deming school,
and that the heating system in the
Central school be changed; also that
| the old trouble with the plumbing IN
the Gi1lett school be settled by the
board paying for the work and allow
| ing the plumbers to furnish the ma
terial. The first and third sugges-
tons were adopted by the Board, and
the second will probably be adopted
| later.
| The change in the heating system at
the Central building is badly needed
the heating of the building is not
what would be desired, and then again
the schools are in need of more room
for use as physical laboratory, and
the new heating plant would make it
possible for one of the rooms in the
! basement to be used IN this manner.
The cost of the change in the system
will be about 81, 500, and the President
of the Board and the Superintendent
were ordered to prepare estimates and
present them to the Board at the next
meeting.
| The teachers committee reported in
favor of the employment of Miss Wini-
fred Miller as teacher of Greek and
Latin; of Charles M. Loescher, of
Salem, as Principal of the Gi11ett
school, and Of Misses Anna McHugh
and Mile Rahr as teachers for the
grades. The recommendations were
accepted and the teachers elected. The
committee also reported in favor of
opening a new room at the Gi11ett
school and this will be done at the be-
/ ginning of the year.
The Board then went into the May
pole business and ordered that it pay
for a May-po1e for the use of the