Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-24

| regulate the price of class books used
| in the free schools of the State, aud
all the provisions of said act shall
apply to such contracts.
4. All acts and parts of acts coming
within the purview of this act and in
consistent Herewith, are hereby re-
pealed.
tApproved February Is, 1S90.j
(Note by the Clerk of the House of
Delegates.)
The foregoing act to take effect at
the expiration of ninety days after its
passage.
/ may mention another case in which
several series of text books were re-
tanned in the schools of this State. for
a period of one year, after the contract
had expired and no new contracts had
been made. 1t was on this wise: The
Legislature of 1895 rendered contracts
to sundry publishers of textbooks, but
cut prices to such an extent that it
seemed, for a time, that no contract
would be taken. Finally, however. all
, the rendered contracts were taken,
with single exception. One publish
iIg house, which had been sanoered
! the contract for spoilers, and readers.
and arithmetics, refused to accept, be-
| cause of the aforesaid cut in prices.
Notwithstanding this, the spoilers and
readers and arithmetics, published by
said house, were used in the schools
throughout the State, as though they
were contract books, until county
| boards organized and made adoptions.
M r se.lo
preaching session, will enact IN
amendment to the school law, like
! unto the foregoing, authorizing the
State Superintendent. with the assent
of the publishers of the State contract
books, to renew the contracts for said
books, for a period of one year, then
these twain adoptions will become one;
the labor and expense of making adop
items in each county will be reduced
one-half; and good books at low
prices will remain, without change, for
another year.
There is one matter, which if not
skillfully managed, might render void
any enactment of the Legislature in
tended to relieve each of the counties
of the State from the labor and ex-
pense of double adoptions. The mat
ter is this: The law creating a school
book board in each county of the State
provides that ct least six months be-
fore the expiration of what is known
as the State contracts with publish
ers," it shall be the duty of the State
Superintendent to notify the county
superintendent of every county OF the
date of the expiration of such con-
tracts; and it shall be the duty Of said
county superintendent to call meet
ing of his board to be held at least
three months before the expiration 81
said State contracts, to adopt books.
Now, as the present State contracts
will expire on the both day of June,
1901, the notices of the State Supcrin-
tendent will be sent out about Deem
Der 81, 1900; and each county book
board should meet and adopt books
not later than March 81, 1901. AS the
Legislature will adjourn late in Feb
ruary, the entire month of March viii
certainly be amply sufficient time TO
arrange for and to make adoptions, IN
case the Legislature should fail to
take action to relieve the counties Of
the labor and expense of double ado2-
items.
1t is evident from the provisions of the
law referred to that, if county superin-
tendent should determine to head off
any action of the Legislature designed
to relieve his county from the labor
and expenses of double adoptions, he
could do 50, by having his county book
board meet early and adopt books be-
En-, ha ! LOT hod 10 cotton n
afford such relief In that case, if the
Legislature should subsequently pass
an act intended to afford such relief,
only the county which had made such
adoption, would lose the benefit of that
act.
| feel quite sure that no country SUI
perintendent in this State could be in
duced to make such unnecessary haste.
If, perchance, such a superintendent
were found the anathemas of his people
would be poured upon his head.
A Cry for State Uniformity of Text
Books.
3. A striking index to public SEN
timent upon the subject of uniformity
of text books, is found in the fact, that
every country teachers institute which
has expressed itself on the subject, by
resolution, since the county book board
law was enacted, has recommended
return to State uniformity. So far as
| can find, not a single county institute
has passed a resolution in favor of
county adoptions. Most of these reso-
lutions suggest that adoptions be made
by a State Commission, appointed by the
Legislature. | shall not attempt to give
the several reasons assigned in these
resolutions in favor OF a return TO State
uniformity, but | may say that the rea-
sons assigned seem to be amply suffi-
cient. At this early period in the his
tory of the county book board law, when
but few counties have as yet made
sweeping changes in text books, it seems
to be a most fitting time for the Legis-
lature to consider the resolutions of
county teachers Institutes asking for a
return 10 State uniformity.
In conclusion. | wish to say, there is
one strong argument in favor of State
uniformity which the resolutions of
the teachers Institutes have not men
toned. 1t is the matter of cost of
books 1t seems scarcely necessary for
me to say that publishers can afford to
furnish better books at lower prices un-
der State adoptions, than under county
adOptions. When you see an army of
book agents sweeping over the State.
driving livery teams and paying hotel