Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-11-11
BY M. q. DENNIS.

| this case l..,lL are tangible, local. This
I! list represents Is books corresponding to
/ those in the lists above. 1ney are the
/ legally adopted books of the county of
screven, state Of Georgia, and the prices
given are those paid by the parents OF
| that county. These books are me latest
| and very best, and the prices at which
/ they are sold in Screven county are what
1 each county in the state of Georgia can
| sell the same class of books for If the
! proper steps are taken by the different
county boards of education. There Is law
| enough authorizing the necessary steps.
1 This set of Is books costs the parents OF
/ Screven $685. OF the IL states named only
| four-Kansas, Missouri, Michigan and
| Texas-furnished corresponding books to
| their children for less money than does
| ScreVen county. In our own county, Put-
nam, the corresponding books are sold
| for $50, including two spoilers. Healthy,
| open competition must be killed and the
quality of the books lessened before state
uniformity can reduce their price.
2 It is claimed that state uniformity pre-
vents the frequent changes of books.
1 True this objection might be met by the
inauguration of uniformity by state,
! but it strikes us as being a very expen-
1 sive remedy The preventive will cost
more thar the malady. But state uniform
| ity is not at all necessary to correct TINS
/ evil-if such an evil exists in Georgia. The
| contract
/ five years, and no bill looking to state uni
1 formity proposes to lengthen THIS period,
! that we know of. The matter as 1t STANDS
| today on the sta tute books is so hedged
| about with legal requirements that 10
| make a change in the adopted books OF
| any county is a tedious undertaking, ana
| no uniformity measure will make II any
more impregnable or less liable to abuse
+, The matter is already thoroughly under
/ legal control and state uniformity VIII
] not cannot, make it more so.
| 8. 1t is claimed that state uniformity
saves money to the people who move from
| one county to another. To answer this
| argument it is only necessary to state
that this moving class of people constitute
only per cent of our population. Now,
who is entitled to more consideration, the
| per cent crowd or the 50 per cent crowd?
A universally objectionable measure
I thrust upon this state for no other rea-
son than to satisfy per cent Of its popu-
lation is nothing less than a crime. Not
/ only so, the same argument can be OF
/ fered for national uniformity. The same
county conditions relating to this peri
/ patetic class of people, that demand state
/ uniformity when applied to the state would
demand national uniformity; and the same
/ arguments In favor of one will answer
| for the other. Now, we do not suppose
| that Georgia holds within her boundaries
/ a single person to the manor born, who
1 favors national uniformity of text books.
| 4. State uniformity Is necessary, 1t is
| claimed if we would have a uniform
| course of study and instruction for the
| state, and uniform graduation and classi-
| fcation. Allowing that uniform course
| of study and instruction for the state at
large, and under certain circumstances and
as last resort would be desirable
thing 1t cannot be demonstrated that 1t
Is needed at this juncture. Step by step.
county by county the uniform course or
| study and graduation are being adopted
! and applied to the schools of each county,
| and as rapidly as conditions will warrant
! it is spreading over the state. The pro-
gress may be slow, but 1t is healthy. I'M
| til conditions all over the state become
ripe for such a step a state law requiring
| immediate and simultaneous county action
could never be enforced, What would suit
one county would never please another.
and trouble would follow This is strik-
ingly illustrated by the fact that while
many of the counties jim Georgia have,
| adopted uniform course of study, grad
alton and classification for their respective
schools, others are bitterly opposed to the
| innovation as yet, and spurn every sug-
| gestion in that direction. This spirit has
manifested itself more than once in the
| annual meetings of the county school COM
missioners. If we are just let alone we
will yet get there, and fright side up with
care, slow though II may De.
i % 1t is claimed that state uniformity
| provides for competent judges in making
| selections of books. This may or it may.
| not be true. 1t depends altogether upon
| who is placed on the book commission. 1t
has been urged by some writer's and
| speakers on this subject that the creation
| of such a. commission charged with the
duty of selecting the textbooks for all the
schools in the state would open up oppor-
| tunities for bribery corruption and politi-
| cal deals that few men could stand. We
| make no such assertion. We believe the
| commission could be readily formed of
| men in the state of answering, integrity,
| who would perform the duties of the
office without suspicion of fraud; but we
| cannot believe that state commission,
| at best an experiment, uncertain and in
| definite as to results, ana removed as ii
must necessarily be, so far from the field
| of action can ever perform the work
of selecting common school textbooks, es-
pecially for the rural schools, with the
| same appreciation of the local fitness OF
| things as it is done today under our pres
emit system. They might change the pres
| ent county adoptions, as, no doubt, they
would, but the character of the books of
| a majority of the counties in the state
are the best from an educational and me-
chanlcal standpoint, and the commission,
however wise and competent, could offer
| no Improvement. Surely, they could do
| the work no cheaper than at present. We
think our county board of education
| knows better what our county needs, and
| no doubt the authorities in every other
county think likewise. 1t surely does not
| seem unreasonable to entertain such
| ideas. However, if the present manner of
! selecting school books is Objectionable be-
cause those charged with the duty of
making selections are incompetent, the
| evil can be corrected without forcing up
| on the people the hideous state uniformity
scheme. Patch up the present laws regu-
| lating the election of boards of education
and county school commissioners by re-
| duiring in all applicants or candidates
such intellectual qualifications as will in
sure good men, and allow them to bring
| into their assistance in making selections
| of books any help they may desire from
| the teaching force of the county.
So much toward answering the five ar
gurnents in favor of state uniformity.
| Let's consider briefly some arguments
| against its adoption in this state. For
| the reason that this paper is already
| drawn out to a greater length than we
wished we will simply make bare state
| ment of the arguments without any at
| tempt at elaboration.
| l. State uniformity can never be estab-
| lished and enforced except by arbitrary
legislation and an unnecessary and un-
| Unsuitable interference with the natural