The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-21
AN ACT.

N01't NS. lEf. To create a Text Book Commission, and
 to procure for use in the public free
 schools in this State a uniform series
 Of text books; to define the duties and
 powers of said Commission and other
 officers; to make an appropriation for
 the carrying into effect this act, and
 to provide punishment and penalties for the violation of the same.
 Section l. Be it enacted by the Legis- tature of Alabama, That the Governor State Superintendent of Education and three eminent teachers of the State, who shall have practical knowledge of the pubic school system of the State and the methods of teaching therein, to be ap- poined by the Governor, shall be and are hereby constituted the School Book Commission of the State of Alabama whose duty 1t is to select and adopt a uniform series or system of text books for use in the public schools in this State. Said Commission is hereby authorized, empowered, and directed to select and adopt uniform system or series of text books for use in the public schools in this State as above indicated, and when so selected and adopted the said text books shall be used for a period of five years in all the public schools of this State. and 1t shall not be lawful for any
 
 any other books upon the same branches other than those adopted by said State Text Book Commission. Said uniform series shall include the following branches of study. to wit: Orthography, Read ling, Writing, Arithmetic. Geography, Grammar, Language Lessons, History of Alabama, containing the Constitution of the State, History of the United States, containing the Constitution of the United States, Physiology, and Hygiene, elemen- tary geology of Alabama, elementary principles of agriculture, clements of algebra, clements of plane geometry elements of natural philosophy, book Keeping, elements of civil government. rhetoric, and higher English. and such other branches of study as said commis- sion may select and designate; Provided, that none of said text books shall contain anything of a partisan or sectarian char acter Before transacting any business relating to the duties of this Commission they shall each take an oath before some person authorized to administer oaths, ito faithfully discharge all the duties i'm posed upon them as members of said School Book Commission, and that they 1ave no interest. direct or indirect, in any contract that may be made under this act, and will receive no personal benefit therefrom.
 Provided further that for cities and towns having a population of 5,OO or more, said commission may select and designate such books and such branches of study as the conditions existing in such cities and towns may require
 Sec. ?. There shall be a sub-commis- sion of five to be selected as follows: A president or member of the faculty of one of the Normal schools of the State;
 of the faCnltV of one of the agricultural schools; a super tntendent of one of the city schools; and two teachers of the common schools, each one of whom shall be appointed by the Governor
 Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of said sub commission to report to the commission iat such time said commission shall direct, the books which they recommend for adoption arranging each book in its class or division, and reporting them in the order of their merit, pointing out the merit and demerts of each book. and in fliceting what book they recommend for adoption first; what book is their second choice; what their third choice, and so pn. pursuing this plan with the books submitted upon each branch of study, md if said sub-commission shall consider Such books upon the same subject. or of She same class or division of approxi- mately equal merit, all things being equally considered, they shall so report md if they consider any of the books offered are of such class as to make them rnferior and not worthy of adoption. they shall in their report so designate such books and in said report they shall make such recommendation and suggestions to the commission as they shall deem ad- yisable and proper to make. Said report Lou ho l,o1+ Sacret and sealed up and delivered to the, secretary of the commits sion and said report shall not he opened bv any member of the commission until