Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-12-01
The SCHOOL BOOK LAW
Should be Amended Or A New
Law Adopted.

SoEnH J0geHt Reasons lot Tue proposed
Change by Prof. A. l.. Wade-he
Understands the Needs OF the schools
and Suggests Some improvements In
the Present Law.
| yield to no one in my devotion TO
or nay love for the public schools of
West Virginia. | stood as one OF the
god-fathers, at their baptism, and
have ever since worshipped at their
shrine. | have given TO these schools
my best strength of both body and
brain, till my locks are white with
/ the snow of age, but the frosts Of more
/ than three score winters have not
quenched the fires OF youth, Or chilled
the ardor in my veins.
t For many years | have been work
! ing on neglected lines in education.
The grading of country schools and
graduation therefrom, the dictionary
in the school room; and better English
/ for our boys and girls, are subjects
which | have delighted To emphasize.
| The fact that the friends of the
public schools throughout the state
have heretofore listened TO what had
to say, encourages me TO suggest some
needed changes in the present school
book law, or else the enactment of a
new school book law.
The school book law of West Vir-
ginia, touches a greater number Of in
/ habitants, than 0ny other act of the
Legislature upon our statute books,
All children over six and under TWEEN
! ty-one years Of age. and all parents
who have children Of school age, feel
! the force of the school book law. [
am willing TO risk my reputation for
truth and veracity when | say that,
under some Of the later changes, no
other law upon our statute books has
proved to be so utterly unsatisfactory
TO all concerned as the school book
/ law.
] venture the assertion that any
book merchant. who would adopt in
his private affairs, the provisions of
the school book law in obtaining his
stock from publishers, and should sell
it through depositaries, not dealers,
many Of them located at points not
easy of access, would soon go into
bankruptcy. II the changes which |
suggest are not in harmony with the
common rules of business and the laws
of trade, if they are not Ia the inter-
est of taxpayers, teachers, parents
and pupils; or if they are unfair
/ towards publishers, who have exs-
! ting contracts, either with the state
or with the county book boards, then
I will not ask the intelligent readers
approval of such changes.
! /. The depositary system, first of
all, should be repealed. 1t has few If
any friends IN the state 1t should
be buried face foremost, so that in.
case it should attempt to dig out, 1t
will get further down. Let school
books be handled by dealers, al fair
profit, -such as they make on other
merchandise, so that they can afford
to take, In exchange, butter, eggs,
chickens and such other trade as their
customers bring to the stores And,
30 good customers, they may even sell
a book on credit, when the child needs
it and the parent orders it and is not
/ just then prepared to pay. Almost
every teacher in the state can testify
that the ''cash system of the deposit
tary," has sent many child TO school
scarcely half supplied with books: and
it has kept many child out of school,
from the fact that the parents depend
ed upon paying for everything in
trade, and they could not command
cash
III. There is one matter, which,
/ If not corrected by the Legislature,
will double the labor and expense OF
adopting school books in each county
of the state. The contracts made
with publishers by the state will ex-
pire June 30th, 1901; and contracts
made with publishers by county book
boards, will expire June Both, 1902.
So as the matter now stands, we will
have two school book adoptions with
in the two succeeding years, each for
the term of five years, in each Of the
ffty-tive counties OF West Virginia.
And this state OF affairs, if not cor
rected, would continue for all time to
come.
These conditions, If continued, will
certainly make West Virginia fine
harvest field for book agents. For
tunately, we have precedent show
ing what d Legislature may do in case
of a dilemma. The West Virginia
Legislature. in 1890, for sufficient
cause, which need not here name.
enacted an amendment to the school
law, directing the state superinten-
dent, With the assent OF the publish
ers, to contract, for period of one
year, with the several publishers,
whose books were in the schools
throughout the state. This amend
ment simply authorized renewal OF
contracts, for period of one year;
and | present it herewith, together
with the chapter re-enacted.
CHAPTER VII.
AN ACT TO amend and re-enact
chapter four, OF the acts of eighteen
hundred and eighty-fve. entitled, IAN