The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-03-24
THE TEXTBOOK BILL
For Uniform System Of Books
For Public Schools.
Stale Board Of Education Created Textbook
Commission. Sub. Commission Of leach
ers to Recommend.


The act to establish a Textbook Com
mission for the purpose of adopting
Uniform system of textbooks in the p'4hlic
schools of the State provides in brief as
follows:
That the State Board of Education is
constituted State Text-B Commission
whose duty it is to select and adopt a.
uniform series or system of textbooks for
use in the public schools in the State o.
North Carolina.
That the textbooks shall! be used for
period of five years, in all the fnpnc
schools of this State, aud it shall not be
lawful for any school officer to use any
other books upon the same branches.
Said uniform series shall include the FOL
lowing branches, to-wit photography, de-
filming, reading, writing, drawing. arith-
metic, geography, grammar, language
lessons, History of North Carolina, con-
tanning the Constitution Of the State;
History of the United States, containing
the Constitution of the United States;
physiology, hygiene, nature and erect OF
alcoholic drinks, and narcotics, elements
of civil government, elements OF agricul-
ture, theory and practice of teaching:
Provided, That none of said textbooks
shall contain anything of a partisan or
sectarian character.
1t shall be the duty of the Governor
to appoint a sub commission OF not less
than. five. nor more than ten, to be Sc
lected from among the teachers, or city
or county superintndents, actually en-
gagged in the school business in this State:
Provided, That not more than two OF these
shall be taken from any Congressional
district, to whom shall be referred all
books sent to the State Textbook Com
mission as specimen copies or samples,
upon which bids are to be based, and it
shall be the duty of said sub-commission,
in executive session, to examine and re-
port upon the merits of the books, ire
spective of the price, taking into con-
sideration the subject matter of the books,
their printing, their material, and their
mechanical qualities, and their general
suitability and desirability for the pur-
poses for which they are desired and in
tended.
That said Text-Bo Commission shall
hear and consider said report in it's SCI
lection and adoption of uniform series
of textbooks, and shall also, themselves,
consider the merits of the books. Said
commission shall select and adopt such
books as will, in their best Judgment, ac-
complish the ends desired; and they are
hereby authorized and directed, in case
any books are deemed by them suitable
for adoption, and more desirable than
other books of the same class submitted.
and they further consider the price at
which such books are offered to be I'M
reasonably high, to Immediately notify
the publisher of such books of their de-
cision, and request such reduction in price
as they deem reasonable, and if they and
such publishers shall agree on price
they may adopt the books, but if not they
shall use their own judgment whether
they will adopt these or the books deemed
by them the next best in the list sub
mitted.
That said Textbook Commission shall,
Immediately after the passage of this act,
meet and organize, the Governor being
cx-offcio president of the commission,
and the Superintendent of public Instruc-
ton it's secretary. AS soon as practica-
BILE, not later than thirty days after its
organization, the commission shall adj
vertise as may be deemed advisable, that
at time and place fixed definitely in
said advertisement sealed bids, or pro-
posals will be received from the pub
fishers of school textbooks for furnish
ing books to the public schools in the
State of North Carolina, through agencies
established by said publishers in several
counties, and places in counties in the
State. as may be provided for in such reg
ulations as said commission may prescribe
The bids to be for furnishing the books
for period of five years, and that no
bid for a longer period will be considered.
Said bids shall state specifically and de-
finitely the price at which books are to
be furnished, and shall be accompanied
by ten or more specimen copies Of each
book proposed to be furnished, and il
shall be required of each bidder to deposit
with the Treasurer of the State sun
of money such as the commission may re.
quire. not less than $500 or more thar
ST. All bids shall be sealed and de-
posted with the Secretary of State, t