The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-09-05
NORMAL BOARD MEETING.
Disposition of Books Sent the Presi-
dent Causes Discussion.

The normal board held a brief ses-
sion in st. Paul Tuesday morning to
dispose of routine matters prior to the
opening of the normal schools.
The only subject of interest to come
up was the much agitased question of
the disposition of books sent to the
normal school presidents as members
of the state library commission. The
question came up over proposition
made by ex-president Kleeberger of
the st. Clond normal school. Mr..
Kleeberger offered to sell large num-
Der of books sent him by publishers
when he was member of the library
commission to the school for very
small amount The board of control,
to whom the proposition was referred,
took the position that the books did
not belong to Mr. Kleeberger person
ally, but to the normal school, and
attorney General Douglas gave de-
cision to the same effect, and declared
that it was bad public policy for
members of the state library commits
sion to receive as personal gifts books
sent to them by publishers DESTROYS of
haviong such books listed on the state
library list by these members.
Mr.. Kleeberger, however. disputed
the right of the state to the books
and the normal board quickly washed
its hands of the matter by adopting a
resolution declaring it against the
policy of the board to purchase from
normal school president books which
ne had received in this way.
The normal presidents are members
of the state library commission, which
selects books for the public school
library list for Minnesota, and there
has always been more or less discus
sion as to whether books sent to them
for examination by publishers belong
ed TO them personally. This main
question the board refused to discuss
at all, and if the board of control
wants Mr.. Kleeberger's books it will
have to sue him on its OWE account
The agitation before the normal
board brought to head long-dis.
cussed proposition, to the effect that
the law making the normal school
presidents members of the library
commission is mistake. and should
be repealed.
Director Phelps said it took too
much of their time from their school
duties.
Superintendent Olson said there had
always been feeling that library
commission, whose duty was to select
books for the rural and graded and
high schools of the state, composed of
normal school presidents, was hardly
logical.
The board adopted a resolution
favoring repeal of the law at the
next session.
The board appropriated money for a
course in manual training in the nor
NAL school at Moorhead. The sum
appropriated was 81, 200, which will
be used for the necessary equipment.
The board also appointed Mrs. NJ 81.
Swarz as teacher of manual training
in the Mankato normal school. Little
work in that line has been done at
Mankato, and the appointment of a
teacher is the first step in the installa-
ton of a regular course. The normal
school at Duluth, which was opened
Monday, is the only one not yet pro-
vided for, but as soon as the school
gets well started some provision will
be made for instruction in this line
The action yesterday completed the
introduction of manual training in the
normal schools already we'll establish
ed: Winona and st. Cloud were pro-
vided fo- last year.