The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-13
LEARN SECRETS
OF TEACHERS
Book Agents Battle Attempts to
Preserve Mystery.
STRIFE is KEENEST KNOWN
VARIOUS COMPANIES SEEK TO
INFLUENCE ADoPTIoNs.

n 0 those who have passed through
the ordeal Of Witnessing the cam
paisn leading to the adoption of
text books for the public schools, there
has never before been SO much activ-
ity in evidence of the agents of eastern
publishing houses as is apparent now.
1t is conservatively estimated that
there are not less than twenty-five Of
such agents already around exerting
themselves to win out in the competi-
ton. The game is worth playing hard
for. since the books 20 be adopted win
he used in the public schools for the
next five years The convention of
county school suDerintendents to de-
termine the selections viii meet May
81, and will probably be in session a
couple of weeks. The city board of
education viii commence consideration
% the text book question a few days
earlier. and doubtless win be in session
as long as the convention which viii
select the books for the schools out
side the city.
Secrets Learned by Agents.
AT the cali of City Superintendent
Christensen. the principals of the grade
schools met few days ago to take
preliminary action to enable the board
% education TO be advised by the teach
ers as 10 the merits Of the several text
books to be offered for adoption. For
the purpose Of avoiding the entreaties
OF the book agents. 1t was agreed that
whatever was done at the meeting
would be kept from the knowledge Of
the agents, and particularly it was
deemed prudent that the personnel of
the various committees selected to
handle the several subjects be kept Sc
cret. To the surprise Of every one who
attended the principals meeting, the
agents learned the next day the make
up of the committees chosen. The
teachers resigned themselves TO the
situation.
Superintendent Christensen said yes
terday that the committees had been
selected without any special authority
or direction from the school board. He
added that the movement was intended
to place the teachers and principals in
a position where they may advise the
board as TO the merits Of the several
hundred text books 10 be offered, since
IL is manifest that no one person nor
any small number could discriminat-
irgly pass judgment on new texts. The
superintendent believes that the board
Will give the representatives Of the
teaching corps opportunity to be heard
before any decisions are reached, for
the teachers ought to know the merits
OF the various classes of books more
readily than those who are not =devot-
ing their time to comparison Of texts.
Names of Committee Chairmen
The committees selected at the prin-
cipals' meeting to pass judgment on
the many books offered have the fol-
lowing named Chairmen. chosen in or
der with reference to the large schools:
On grammars, W. j. Mccoy Of the
Cquirrh school: on Biographies, Will
liam Bradford Of the Jackson; on
United States histories. A. 5. Martin
Ct the Grant; on writing books, T, D.
Keller Of the Webster; on spoilers. w.
w. Barton Of the Sumner; on readers,
Miss L. NJ. Qualtrough Of the Wash
iTgton; on arithmetics. ]. o. Cross Of
the Wasatch: on physiOlOgies, G.. n.
Mckay Of the Lowell school.
Each committee is composed of from
fifteen TO twenty teachers, and each
principal is on at least three commit
tees.
In addition to these. Supervisor Pol
lock Of the primary grades is devoting
much time inspecting the merits Of the
texts offered for the primary classes.
and Supervisor WetzelI is doing like
wise with the music books.
Superintendent Christensen remarked
yesterday that many Of the books Of
fered for adoption are of a superior
kind while others are very inferior.
although encased in fine covers and ar
tistically printed and Illustrated To
separate the best instructive texts from
the inferior kinds will require a great
deal Of discriminating consideration, in
his estimation.