The Topeka state journal., 1900-12-05

BETTER SCHOOL BOOKS
superintendent Nelson Evidently Not
Satisfied With Conditions

Frank Nelson, state superintendent,
recently recommended that there be
some change in the schedule Of prices
now fixed by law for the school books
USED under the Kansas uniform text
book law Mr.. Nelson has since been
charged with making an effort to in
duce legislation of advantage to the
Dock publishing concerns. but this he
denies.
A State Journal reporter asked Mr.
Nelson for an explanation Of this mat
ter, to which he replied with the follow
ing statement:
We have had uniformity of books for
number of years. The principle has
been thoroughly tested. State uniform
ity appears to be here to stay The in
coming session of the legislature will
however, be called upon to consider the
question, as the present contracts for
common school books expire in 1902 If
the law is modified in any way such
modification should be on the side of
the people and the schools The edu-
Gators Of the state should make their
influence felt on this question in order
that the educational interests may be
provided for along broad, sensible and
conservative lines know that every
true friend of popular education in
Kansas is deSirous Of securing not only
better books than We now have, but
the very best books that can be secured
at the most reasonable prices. A book
that is easily worn out and that falls
to pieces in the regular and necessary
use in the class room and study is not
a cheap book In the final analysis it
is an expensive book. No book is cheap
in an economical sense, unless it con-
tains an element of durability. We
must have good books in order to be
able to do good work in our schools
No one will dispute this fundamental
proposition
There is no valid reason why the
children of Kansas should be compelled
to use books of secondary nature And
vet, as the law now stands, when a
book has once been adopted, whether
good or bad, it must be used during the
time specified in the law. If a poor
book has been adopted, the school work
of the state suffers just TO that extent.
1T seems to me, therefore, that the
educational interests Of the state would
be well served If we could secure a
modification of the present state uni
forrnity law so as to give the state
textbook commission authority to re-
place a textbook when such textbook
has been found to be below the standard
required for successful work in the class
room Such modification would involve
an amendment TO the present law. The
proposed amendment should provide and
give power to the state textbook COM
mission to annul any contract upon
sixty days notice. and such power to
annul said contract should be a part
and parcel of every contract made by
the state textbook commission with
the publishers for furnishing textbooks
to the schools of Kansas A provision
Of this kind would bring to the text
book commission and to the state OF
Kansas only hrst-class textbooks, as
no publisher having an inferior text,
and knowing It to be such. would dare
attempt to foist it upon the schools Of
Kansas with the full knowledge that
the textbook commission had the power
to annul any contract at any time on
evidence of the inferiority of any text
book secured Under this provision the
educational interests of the state would
be placed in the hands Of the people, the
teachers and the state educational au-
thorities. rather than in the hands Of
the publishers. Any change contem-
plated should be made only at the close
of each school year, 50 as not to dis
organize the class work OF the schools