The Elbert County tribune., 1904-04-28
More About School Books.

some length the question of the adoption
OF new list OF textbooks into the
schools Of Ebert county. Before dis.
cussing the question further | wish to
cal attention to two statcmcpts made in
last weeks article which might be con
strued as presumptious on my part. |
stated that the voters would be called
upon to vote on the question OF adopting
new series, and also on the question OF
Tree text books. The facts are that it is
I optional with the people in any district
Whether they vote on the free textbook
question or not. No power outside the
district itself has authority to say that
the people shall vote on this question,
and the statement / made should have
been given only as suggestion.
AS TO the matter of adopting new
llst Of books, the school board in each
district alone has the power to decide
the question. But inasmuch hs the
wishes Of the people are usually effective
IN influencing a board. consideration of
the question at the coming election
would be very much in place. OF course
the question will not be finally settled
until some time after the election is over
and the new officers arc sworn in, but
the time for people to consider the mat
ter is Hotr.
Fearing that the arguments in favor
OF change given last week were not
convincing enough | wish to add few
more suggestions and facts. Since then
l have met with one opposition on the
ground that in case new books are adopt
ed pupils moving from this county into
another would have TO buy new books.
That would very probably be so in many
cases, but i is positively SO with many
OF the books we use now. Moreover, un-
der present conditions, pupils moving
from one district to another within the
county are very often compelled to buy
new books owing 10 lack of uniformity
Throughout the county itself.
] am somewhat acquainted with school
conditions IN different sections of this
state and, while say it with all due re-
spect to scnool officers and teachers Of
this county, / must confess that the text
books used in this county are farther be
hind the times than in any other of
which have any knowledge. 1t is said
that figures wont lie SO here are a few
concerning our books:
| Swinton's Readers, which are used in
Ebert, were published in 1882 and have
never been revised. Barnes Readers,
used extensively throughout the county,
were published 1884 and have not been
revised Haryey's Grammars were re
vised last ia 1878. Barnes History 1.-THE
edition used in this county,, 1885.
Steele's Physiology, 1888. Swintons
Language and Grammar, 1877 Barnes
Geography. 1885, Whites Arithmetic,
! 1888: rownsend's Civil Government,
1875 Look up my dates and see il l am
CO nct, then figure back and draw your
os5 conclusions.
Some may ask why we do not have a
uniform list Of books throughout the
.lI t1,r,s,.,bg,rt
Ii is simply because the state laws pro
vide that the school board in each dis
trct shall decide the kind of text books
| to be used, and until the state laws are
revised we cannot hope to have uniform
ity beyond the limits Of our own county.
\ II we wish better conditions we must
look TO ourselves for them.
| | have also met with the objection
that should change be made now per
/ haps in year or two some one would
want another change. In answer
! would say that our state laws provide
that after a book has been adopted no
change shall be made for at least four
years after such adoption, and that there
has been no change in the books now in
use for some ten years, except in one or
| two districts where one or two new books
have been introduced. Many of our
books have been in use in the county
even much longer than that. Why be
preiudiced against the proposed change
before looking the situation squarely in
the face and giving the question Just
considerations
Now let us consider the question from
a purely business standpoint. ] believe
all fair minded persons will agree that
all our books are old and that some OF
them at least should be discarded and
replaced by books recognized to be
standard. You will also agree that be
fore many decades all of them will have
to be replaced by newer ones. Now
while we are making a change it will be
great saving in money to make it all at
once since the publishers can and will
give us much better introduction and
exchange terms il thorough change is
made all at once than If only partial
revision of the list is made.
Mrs. Grenfell, our state superintend-
ent, who by the way is a recognized edu
cational leader, not only in our own state
but throughout the United States, and
whose acquaintance j am proud to claim,
has, in answer to letter addressed to
I her few days ago. in which requested
her opinion Of list Of books which will
in all probability be recommended by
the committee, pronounced the list Eek
cellent.'
The list as whole once adopted will,
instead Of costing the people more, cost
them less than the books now in use. |
have taken pains to look up carefully the
publishers list prices on all the books
now in use and the list price of tho Sc
which will in all probability be recon-
mended for adoption, and lind that for
the complete series each pupil must have
\ from the time he enters school until he
has completed the eighth grade, We are
paying n per cent more for the books
now in use than we would have to pay
for the required new ones, and on rend
ers alone we are paying 321s per cent
moro. These are facts that figures prove