The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-17

4 1t may ne OIflnteTeSl III SoIlle uuuttiu'it''
4 facts are given. In the places where
\ Individual purchase prevails the burden
falls directly on cnch parent. but where
books IRE freest The reduced burden IS
j transferred to the Individual tax pa yer.
4 If q Pupil were 1euulred to buy all OF me
i books now required In each grade Tor
1 the completion OF our course as at pres
l ent arranged, the cost to hin Woulu pe
livery mitch, greater than Is now the case.
/ Readers are the only text books that are
1 required in every grade from the rst
h to the eighth, II we except copy-books
! consequently there are more OF them
| used than any other. Besides the rcgu-
i lar readers required In ench grade, there
! Is list Of from, two to SIX or eight
i supplementary books, which may be read
/ II TIE class has the time and ability
Ito do It. HI Tho cost to n pupil at list
] price OF the required readers and only
! one supplementary reader in each year
1 would be as follows: First year, 81 cents;
second year, sl.5G; third yenr, s2to; fourth
/ year, 800; fifth year, s279; sixth year,
4 s.. so; seventh year $500; eighth year,
s3,o5 making total of S1702 for read
ors alone. Adding to these figures the
sums required for other text books makes
the total cost to Il pupil as follows: First
year. 81 cents; second s1.SS; third 1921 |;
| fourth. A.74, fifth S415; sixth. $500; sew
| emu, lSD.ulS cleulH, iluhiIS totoA
| OF sSS.40. 1na the high school the cost
will vary somewhat with the course
taken, but not much. Taking the Latin
course MS d fair sample, the cost to q
| pupil for textbooks to go through the
| high school would be US follows; First
year, S11.S2; second, 5000; third, S7.47j
| fourth, sS.12; making total of $37.S4.
Ihis gives for grades and high school to-
gether total cost to one pupil for the
| "a hrnn rl, nj
schools of $71.33. Except a small die
|. tionary, this does not include any refer,
| once or library books. Going back for
tho past twelve years SO as to include
| eight years for the grades and four
years for tho high school, and taking
the average cost per pupil for books for
each year, ! find that the sum per pupil
for that period Is s6.45. The difference
between $71.33 and s6.45, or s6i.SS. repre-
| sents the saving to the community In
the item Of books on each pupil COM
plotting the course effected by the plan
in use here over the former practice OF
individual purchase and ownership. The
amount Of this saving Is so great that
no one who has given little attention TO
the matter 1t will seem almost incrctli-
BILE 1t is due in part to purchase in
quantities at reduced rates for cash di-
rectly from the publishers, but chiefly to
rendered by each book before 1t is laid
aside. This may have been carried too
far. Economy Is almost everywhere re-
gnrled as q primo virtue and no opportu-
nifty to urge its Importance upon the
attention of school authorities Is ne
glected. but 1t is possible that we may
be open to the criticism Of using too long
books that should have been condemn
ed on esthetic If not on sanitary grounds.
During the period named our stock Of
books has not only been kept up, but
has been increased. and changes have been
made whenever it was apparent that
o book better suited to our needs was
available. New books are constantly
coming out and many of them arc mod !
els of good taste and attractiVeness in
mechanical execution and arrangement
and seem good in matter, and arrange
ment; but not every attractive Book
stands tho test Of service in the school
room, Whenever a decided Improvement
can be made BY a change of books it
should be done, even though 1T involves
an added expense for both teachers and
pupils should be provided with the best
tools obtainnblc to increase tho enl-
| cheney of their work. I believe our
list will compare favorably with that
OF any city in the country
Il NAY be remarked AZ tho outset that
Eihcsc figures nrc misleading for The
simple reason that as a rule there are
several children In the same family at
tending the public schools and the hooks
are passed along from one child to an
other. ono book usually doing duty for
| each and every child I'm the family
before 1t is finally discarded We do
| mt ,,Io M lrn tn tI,t u
| aggregate cost of books In schools would
| be less II they were purchased by the
government and loaned to the children
under the Wisconsin rule, but our con-
| tention Is that IL the free bool. sys-
tom is TO be adopted each and every
county and city and town should sun
ply hooks to its own pupils, That plan
| would be in line with the Democratic
principle of local self-government.
Laying aside the question Of social
ism, which We have so often discussed.
| the State plan involves an element of
unfarncss to some communities. as. we
shall cndcavor to show. Under our sys-
] TEN of taxation each and every county
and city pays a given sum each year
| Into the general school fund, and when
the tax has been collected the state
! Enard Of Education apportons the fund
among the various communities. In this
way some communities receive out of the
general fund more money than they pay
IN While others receive less. We would
cite the figures 10 show this. but to do
SO would appear TO draw invidious dis
tinctIons and that we are not DISPOSED
to do. But the fact Is nevertheless as
we have stated It, Here Is one county.
for example, which pays into the gen
eral fund $1,000, here is another which
pays $1,000. But In the general appor-
tionment each receives 5000, one re-
oeivlng $500 more than It paid in and
the other receiving $1,000 less. It Is plain
that under this system ono county is
| required to pay not only for the educa-