Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1905-02-21
MULTIPLE AND SINGLE LISTS
To The EDITOR Of the Alexandra Gazette:


In your editorial of Friday regarding
The multiple list system and the single
list system of selecting the public school
books, you appear to have missed the
point at issue. 1t is far from being
'Himsy;" it is simply this: Shall the
patrons of the public schools be COM
PEELED to pay from 20 to 90 per cent.
more for exactly the same books by the
multiple list system than they would
have to pay were the single list system
in force? TO illustrate, Maury's Manual
of Geography costs, under the former
system in vogue in Virginia, $l.l5; in
North Carolina, where the single list
system is in force, the same book with
the same binding, paper, ETC., sells for
$50. The small geography sells in Vir-
ginia for soc, in North Carolina for 4Oc,
and so on through the list.
The cause of this difference which has
cost the people of this State many thou
sands of dollars each year, lies in the
choice by the Virginia State Board OF Edu-
cation of the multiple listplan for these
lection ofschool books. as opposed to the
single list plan which was presented to the
Board. Under the multiple list plan
several se;s of readers, arithmstics, geog-
ra7hies, ETC., are selected from which
the coanty and city boards may make
their choice. Under the single list plan
a list of books is chosen by the State
Board for the whole State. ln the lat
ter case tile bidder knows that he has
the whole State to furnish and he makes
a lower price, because of the large busi-
ness and his smaller expenses for agents,
sample books, postage, &c. Under the
multiple list plan the publishers are at
heavy expense for agents sent into the
counties to advocate. their books, for for
warding many sample books for the
same purpose, for postage, etc.
Its understood that most OF the South
ern States have adopted the single list
system. The choice of plans lay with the
State Board. The single list was definitely
presented to it by the county board
Of Prince Edward county, and warmly
advocated in a petition drawn by the
County Superintendent Mr.. J. ID
Eggleston. now a candidate for the place
ofState Superintendent of Public In
struction. l.: is understood that the
single list plan only received the vote OF
Governor Montague. 1t is safe to say
that the people OF Virginia will give
very serious consideration to this
question in selecting their candidates at
the primary next summer: and equally
safe to say that they are not apt to be
in favor of any one who stands sponsor
for a system which costs them a very
heaiv sum of money unnecessarily.
The question concerns the Governor as
well as the Superintendent of Education,
because the former is a member OF the
board as we'll as the latter.
You seem to be under the impress
sion that by the single list system,
the board is compelled TO take all
the books from one publisher. This is
not the case. The list may contain the
books of several publishers. 1t is SIM
ply established for the whole State. As
regards your argument based on eva
riety," this, while doubtless quite true
for '1ood," scarcely holds for schoo
books. There is no reason why Ju
diciously selected list of school books
should not suit the pupils in Alexandria
Richmond, Norfolk and Danville equal,
well. Faithfully yours,
JULIAN TAYLOR.