The San Francisco call., 1903-01-28
FREE TEXTBOOKS.
THE response to The Calls position against free
textbooks has been prompt and favorable to

taken of it 1t is retrogressive in the extreme what
the schools need is more and better schoolhouses
and and better and better paid teachers to in
crease their efficiency. Free books will in no way
better the situation, but will make it distinctly
1t will so add to the cost of the system to
unwse retrenchment in accommodations and in the
teaching force.
Nor is this all The cost will finally reach such
a volume that the taxpayers will demand that less
books be supplied, ard there will be recourse to
fewer books and those of less merit The destruction
OF the free books will be rapid. The pupils, having
no sense of ownership in them, will be careless in
handling them, and instead of book owned by the
family going down through the hands Of all the
children well cared for part of the family library
and finally to be tenderly cherished by the parents
these free books will be short-lived and
resuppy will be necessary.
1t is true that the Emmons bill provides that:
'The State School Superintendent shall place valu-
alton upon each book in the State school series,
which valuation shall be plainly marked or stamped
upon each book issued under the provisions OF this
act. In case any of the said books lost de-
stroyed during the school year for which the same
issued the parent of said pupil guardian, shall
pay to the principal of said school the sum at which
said book is valued as evidenced by said stamp or
mark, and said principal shall transmit all moneys
received to the County Superintendent OF Schools
and the said County Superintendent of Schools shall
transmit said money to the State Superintendent of
Schools for the benefit of the State school fund"
Now is there a school principal or teacher who
wants to assume this duty of keeping tab on books
and collecting fines from the parents OF guardians of
pupils? Suppose they deny responsibility and re-
fuse to pay the fine how it to be collected? II the
claim be prosecuted in the by the processes
for collection of debt every parent guardian has
right to demand jury to pass upon the facts and
the schools will be tgated into destructive
unpopularty, and teachers who attempt to enforce
this provision OF the law will have storm bowling
about them continually.
The clause quoted is sample of the looseness with
which the bill is drawn; "the said pupil" is a clause
wthou< antecedent Nor is there any explanation of
what "the said pupil" means though is left to in
ference that 1t means pupil guilty of losing de-
stroying book Such act of pupil is practically
penazed by the bill, which stamps the school sys-
TEN with mixture OF paupersm and penal offense
A book is destroyed when the binding gives away
or page is lost out of it. With these books passing
from hand to hand, class to class and school to
school, they pass who shall fix the guilt of
first oosening the binding so that page drops out?
The bill provides that the consequences of the acts
and OF many shall finally fall upon one who is
unfortunate enough to receive book that is ready to
fall into pieces Upon such questions teachers are
expected to pass judgment and collect penal fines
1t abhorrent feature OF the measure, which will
add most unpeasantly to the burdens which teach
already bear.
The bill is in need Of schoolmaster It provides
that when a County Superintendent makes requis-
the textbooks needed in his county for the
ensuing school year the State Superintendent shal!
forward the same to the County Superintendents Of
fee free OF ali charge other than transportation
charges and that the County Superintendent shall
then forward them to the several schools free Of all
charge except transportation charges From this it
is that the State is not to pay freight the
books but that it is to be paid by somebody the bill
does not say by whom.
Before the County Superintendent can get posses
sion OF the books to distribute themro the schools
the freight must be paid but the bill does not say
out OF what fund, and the law present does not
create nor authorize fund for such purpose When
the County Superintendent gets possession of the
books they be distributed to the teachers
OF his county, and here again the bill provides for
payment OF this second transportation charge, but
does not say by whom. Nor does it say whether the
first transportation charge is be added to the sec
ond and both be paid when the books reach their
final destination. The school cannot proceed until
the teacher gets the books, and the books cannot be
had until the transportation charge is paid
Is the teacher TO pay it out OF his own pocket or
IS he ask the parents guardians of the children
to pay it? II the latter witness the pro-rating re-
quired. The County Superintendent. as the bill
stands, will have pay the first transportation charge
out Of his own pocket, and then will have to pro-
rate to the teachers OF the county according to the
number OF books in their respective acquisitions.
Then the teacher will have to pay both charges and
pro-rate them to the parents in proportion to the
number OF books used by the children OF each Then
il they refuse to pay how is the money be collected
Of them? All OF this will absorb the attention OF the
teacher the detrinent of the school, and will be
part of the gross damage the schools which will
be inflicted by the bill