The leader., 1900-06-20
SCHOOL BOOK YEAR.

There is some discussion by the
State press, though not so much us
the Importance ofthe subject suggests,
of the coming selection of school books
for the various counties. This decis-
ion of text books is for five years in
volving an outlay of many thousands
of dollars to be shared in by every
| father of family in the State. 1t will
be readily seen that the question pos
sesses a consequence of universal APP
plication-one calling for common
knowledge and attention. And that
upon the honest and intelligent max
ing of these selections by the persons
lawfully appointed to make them, the
interests of the patrons and the ad-
vancement of the pupils largely de
pends
To afford means of popular under
standing the following brief of code
provisions is given:
The County School Board, consist
ing of one member from each Super
visor's district, to be appointed for
term of four years by the County Su-
perintendent of Education, shall.
every fifth year after 1894, appoint five
teachers, and the County Superintend
ent two, to constitute a committee for
selecting a uniform series of text
books. OF the committee when organ
lied the County Superintendent shall
be eX-ofticio secretary. The committee
shall, on the day of its organization,
communicate with leading firms of
school book publications and obtain
from them sample copies of their text
books and their price lists for ex-
change, introduction and permanent
supply. A record shall be kept by the
County Superintendent of the books
adopted, together with the names of
publishers of the same and their said
price lists, which record shall be pub
lished by the County Superintendent
three consecutive weeks in newspaper
published or circulated in the county.
In separate school districts the methods
of selection and contracting above pre-
sented are made to apply to the school
trustees.
The preliminaries thus completed,
the contract for supplying the books
adopted shall be entered into in writ
ing, with bond for sale at the prices
specified, and books so decided upon
are to be used in the public schools of
the county ordering and contracting
for them, for five years from date of
agreement. No other books are allow
ed to be used 1t is apparent at a
glance what bonanza is confined in
such contract. When all of the coun-
ties of State, or of a number of States,
are up for disposal, the stakes are
large enough to warrant the employ
ment of a multitude of agencies and
devices to get these contracts.
In the discharge of the functions of
membership of the school book COM
mittee, there should be used the ut
most care in avoiding control or bias
of interested influences. At the same
time, there can be no higher moral APP
peal than to be governed by Jealous
and scrupulous regard for the rights
and welfare of the school patrons.
| Nothing should stand in the way of Sc
curing books of good quality, as to
print, material and binding, approved
authorship, and at the lowest obtain
able rates. No favoritism or partial
ity should be allowed place in the book
committees. The character and the
conscience of those who compose them
should see to this. But in addition
the school patrons themselves should
exert an actual interest in proceedings
that so closely concern them Tichs-
! 6Hrg Hcrdid.