The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-27

and development of the country. Ohio
but recently revised her educational
code. In Indiana commission ap-
pointed by the governor is Investigate
ing this question New York, Wiscon-
sin, Illinois and California have re-
Gently perfected their educational sys-
TENS. If Kansas is to keep pace with
the educational progress of her sister
states She must take hold OF this ques-
ton in a serious and statesmanllker
manner and place Kansas where she
belongs at the front of the aggressive
states in the case of education for her
children. For despite the adverse
conditions under which we have Ia
bored, and the prinitiVeness of our
sch DOL laws, the people of this state
have been generous in the support of
the public schools, and in no state in
the Union will you find better or
more progressive spirit among the
teaching profession than in the state
of Kansas.
This brings me to a consideration
of what is possibly the greatest need
Of the common schools, especially the
rural schools, at this time. namely,
state support of schools. If education
is q matter of state concern, If 1t
means more than parental responsible
ity, and it surely does then the state
should go into the business of educa-
ton. She should give some substan-
tial support to her schools, especially
to those, and they are numerous, that
are struggling under great difficulties
to maintain even a poor school. We
have heard a great deal lately about
the relation of the federal government
to the state schools. And to European
nations where national systems of
education prevail, it is unexplainable
mystery how we can look upon educa-
ton as a matter of local concern only
But in Kansas we do not have even a
state syst EN-, nor even a county SyS-
tenn the district is the unit True, we
have many laws on the statute books
regulating the school affairs of the
district, prescribing the time and place
for holding annual meetings, election
of school officers, their duties and so
forth, but not one cent is contributed
to the support of the schools unless
the distribution of the annual interest
the public school fund would be
considered state aid. Kansas is one of
the very few states in the Union that
fails to levy state tax for the support
of the common schools. The establish
ment of this principle however slight
the tax, would be an important step.
toward the establishment of a logical
school system
Raise Price of Books.
II will attempt to answer briefly the
state, What can be done to secure
good text books at the next state adop-
ton p Now there may be some ques-
ton as to the wisdom of the state uni |
formity law, but there can be no ques- |
ton that the great majority of the
people of the state are satisfied with |
the principle of uniformity.
How may we secure the best books |
under the present law? The answer is I
simple and self evident: raise the |
maximum price until the best books
on the market are offered for adop- |
ton and then hold the text book COM /
mission responsible for their selection. |
(App1ause.) Under the present prices
this is impossible. The commission |
can only select the best books offered. |
So long as the present law remains |
unmodifed it will be possible to shift |
the responsibility of the selection of
a poor book from the shoulders of the /
commission onto the weakness of the
law.
I'VE hear so much about the text
book burden and the extortionate
prices of book companies, that 1t
might be we'll to inquire for minute
as to how much this so-called burden
is magnif1ed An examination shows
the cost Of all the books required to
complete the course from the kinder
garten to the high school is $500.
This includes a copy book, speller, 8 |
readers, arithmetics, ? grammars
geogra phies, 1 physiology and 1 L
United States history Since the time
required to complete the grammar
school course is eight years. it follows
that the average annual cost for books
in the common schools is SO cents per
year. Upon this basis If the coming