The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-14
AN ACT

schools in this State uniform series
 c6 Text Books: to define the duties and
 powers of said Commissions and other
 cffscsrs: to make an appropriation for
 the caxvyfns into effect this act. ana
 to provide punishment and penaioes
 for the violation of the same.
 Section l. Be it enacted by the Leg isfature of Alabama, That the Governor, State Superintendent of Education, and three eminent teachers of the State, wno shall have a practical knowledge or the public school system of the State, ana the methods of teaching therein, to be appointed 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 sssectsd and adopted the said text books shall be used for a period of five years in all the public schools of this State, and e shall not be lawful for any school of8cer director, or teacher to use 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. reading writing, arithmetic. geography, grammar, language lessons. history of Alabama, containing the Constitution of the State, history of the United States, containing xhs Constitution of the United States. physiology and hygiene. elementary geol- AA raf olA Aa of agriculture, elements of algebra, ele- bnents of plane geometry. elements of pakural philosophy. bookkeeping, ele- Nnents o6 civil government, rhetoric. and higher English, and such other branches bf study as said Commission may select and designate; Provided. that none of said kext books shall contain anything of a partisan or sectarian character. Before fransacting any business relating to the iduties of this Commission they shall each take an oath before some person author jtzed to administer oaths, to faithfully discharge all the duties imposed upon them as members of said School Book Commission, and that they have no in- terest, 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 five thous- and or more, said Commission may select and designate such books and such branches of study as the conditions ex- fstfnx in such cities and towns may re- Hu1re.
 Sec. 2. There shall be a sub-commis- sion of hve to be selected as follows: A President or member of the faculty of one of the Normal Schools of the State; b President or member of the faculty of pne of the Agricultural Schools; a Su- perintendent Of one of the city schools, and two teachers of the common schools, each one of whom shall be appointed by nhe Governor.
 Sec. 8. It shall be the duty of said sub- commission to report to the Commission at such time said Commission shall di- rect, 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 merits and demerits of each book and indicating what book they recommend for adoption first; what book is their second choice; what their third choice, and so on. pursuing this plan with the books submitted upon each branch of study, and if said sub-commission shall con- sider such books upon the same subject, or Of the same class or division of ap-
  ing equally considered. they shall 50 re- port, and if they consider any of the books offered are of such class as to make them inferior and not worthy of adoption, they shall in their report so des- agnete such books and in said report they shall make such recommendation and sug9estions to the Commission as they shall deem advisable and proper to make. 'Easd report shall be kept secret and sealed up and delivered to the Secretary of the Commission and said report shall not be opened by any member of the Commission until the Commission shall meet in. executive session to open and consider the bids or proposals of publishers or others, desiring to ha@s books adopted by said Com eniEsion. Each member of said sub srommtssion. before entering upon the dis rharge of his duties. shall take and sub Boribe an oath to honestly, conscientious ay. faithfully. and. to the best of hts abil- $ty discharge said duties, and that he is hot directly or indirectly in any manner 'antereSted in the proposed contract, nor an any books or publishing concern pub 9isff3ng any books of the kind or charac- her contemplated for use in the public ,gchlools of this or any other State, and khat he will examine all books submitted Ca$CINbJ eno &aAshANay- anu HsdA0 true ykeport thereon, as herein directed and prSsorfbed. said oath shall be filed in the ipfffce of said Secretary of State.
 Sec. {. Said Text Book Commission sshsu herein consider said report in its ABe&ection and adoption of the uniform 9sxieS of'text books, and shan also them Seeves consider the merits of each book, E&a1ing into consideration their subject matter, the printing, binding. material and mechanical qualities. and their gen. EMrai suitability and degtrabiltty for the ,p.wposes intended as we'll as the price of sa4d books, and they shall give great con- Istderatton and weight to the report and Recommendation of said sub-commission; Provided. That no text book, the subject Rmat1er Of which Is of inferior quality. kfsaH be adopted by the Text Book Com anazdon- Said Commission shall select and adopt such books as will. in their best judgment, accomplish the ends de- sired, and they are hereby authorised and directed. in case any book or books are deemed by them suitable for adop- ton and more dssarable than other books of the same class submitted, and they 1urtber consider the price dt which books arc offered to be unreasonably high and that they should be offered at . smaller price. to immediately notify the publisher or offerer of such books or books of their decision and request such reduction in prices as they deem reasonable and just, and if they and such publisher shall agree on a price they may adopt his book or books, but if not they shall use their own sound judgment and discretion whether they will adopt that, or the