The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-01-31
FREE TEXT BOOKS
Paper Read by e. w. FOnder
at School Officers Meeting

VIC uI ucNeI SdtlSucu Will
present attainments. We are
always looking for an improve.
ment in almost any matter that
can be mentioned. 1t is not sur
prislng that we are looking for
better things in the school and
educational line. The question
of free text books means that the
school district shall buy apd own
all the text books needed in the
schools and that they shall be
loaned 20 the pupils for their use
during school They are to be
in charge of the teacher during
school and in the care of the
board during vacations. If a
petition comes to the school board
signed by a majority of the elect
ors of the district, the board
must make arrangements to pro
vide the books free to the pupils.
In order to get to the facts
from a finan cial point of view it
will be necessary to use some
figures. From the county super
intendent's records I find there
are $50 first year pupils in school,
230 second year pupils, 270 third
year, 300 fourth year, 800 fifth
year, 280 sixth year, 200 seventh
year and 100 eighth year pupils.
These are the pupils that found
their way into the schools as
shown by the reports of the
teachers aud clerks last year
BY taking the state course of
study it is easy to see what books
each of these pupils will need.
This was done. Taking the total
number of renders, arithmetics,
spoilers, biographies, grammars,
histories, physiologies, and civil
governments and the prices com
puted from the wholesale list as
in use at the present time, | find
that sufficient nun Der Of each
kind of book can be bought to
place in every child's hands all
the books he needs, so that no
two pupils need study from one
book in any subject, for $4, OO7 so.
AS there are 81 schools in the
county this will be an average of
$46 for each school. Please un-
derstand what | mean, that this
buys enough books to give each
pupil all the books he can make
use of as required IN the course
of study. | have added $14. to
each school in order to make sure
tina. there is no possibility of
mis- take and this will make the
average for each school $500 [
believe the $40 will do the work,
but in order to be sure we will
say $50. These books will last
five years as an average. This
makes the total expense for each
distric: an average Of $12 a year.
There are many families now
paying that amount for books in
a single year. | mean TO say
that that same amount in the
hands of the school board will
supply every child in the district
with books for the year. To
state it differently, l find that
this $4,007.5O has bought books
for 2O36 children or an average
of less thon 50 for each pupil.
Now this will give an estimate OF
the first cost. If there are 90
pupils in the school it will require
$40 to make the first purchase
and these books when bought
will last on the average from four
to seven years. I have been
willing TO take Eve years as
basis. I find some startling
figures on tie county auditor s
books There has been paid to
the American Book Co. for the
last five years, for school books
alone, IS, $50. Please remember
these figures. $50 in the last
five years and then not more than
half the pupils in school have
had books. 1t is com mon, so the
superintendent states, to fiud
from two to six children trying
to study from the same book. It
has taken $5, $50. to supply half
the pupils with books under the
present plan. propose to sup
ply every child with books for
the same length of time for
81. .0O7 or at a cost of a little less
than 50 each. If the patrons are
looking for economy, this is one
place to get it.
1t may be we'll to touch upon
some of the advantages of the
free text book system:
FIRST. It will give each pupil
all the books the course Of study
requires him to use.
Second. 1t does away with
the old plan Of studying together.
II is q fact that nearly all the