The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-23

feet.
There is not much difference ~
| opinion however, as to whether the
Topeka board of education is in fact,
violating the law which provides state
| uniformity of school books.
The Topeka school authorities, in
their wisdom, decreed that the "ra-
tional method"lof teaching children to
read should be adopted in Topeka.
This is said to be a very excellent
method. Some people don't think so,
| but it is said to produce good results.
| In adopting the rational method" the
school authorities found that the
| Ward reader was the one best adapt
| ed to teaching that method. Hence
| the scheme for deposing the Wooster
| primer and the Powers and Ballet
readers was evolved, and put into exc
cution, thereby more than doubling
the cost.
| A similar course of reasoning no
doubt led to the rejection of other
state books, and the adoption of spec
| iaI books. The educational authori-
| ties thought they had new and i'm
proved method for injecting learning,
and needed special books to use that
| special method.
An Illuminating Incident.
Not very long age, when the board
| of education was talking about side
tracking some of the state books
| and adopting others in their places,
there
| of the members of the board, who telt
| that the board had no right to talk
such a course. In order to check TINS
| dissension, certain prominent school
authorities of the city called upon the
state superintendent of education, II
is said, and asked him to give them
an opinion concerning the right OF
| the board to adopt special DOCKS.
State Superintendent Fairchild went
! over the matter with the representa-
tives of the Topeka board, and in
dicated in his conversation, that there
was only one Interpretation which
could be placed upon the state uni
| formity law, and that was that the
| board could not lawfully discard the
state books.
The Topeka representatives went
away. and shortly afterwards notified
Mr.. Fairchild that they did not care
for any written opinion on the sub
| ject.
Hence the state superintendent has
not officially gone on record concern
ing the special book proposition.
When asked by a State Journal re-
| porter to make a statement concern
| ing the matter, Mr.. Fairchild said:
''I do not wish to appear in news
! paper interview on this matter be
cause the Topeka school authorities
might consider that 1 was interfering
| in a matter which did not directly
| concern me. However, If am asked
to give an opinion on the case by any
| member of the Topeka board of
education, by the county attorney, or
by some other proper authority, 1
| will do so.''
People Not Obliged to Buy.
1t is very plain that if any parent in
Topeka should simply rest on his
rights. and refuse to buy the spec
iaI'' books ordered by the city board
! Of education, the board could not
-eompeI the purchase of the books. 1t
might be that the failure to have
! Special book would result in some
unpIeasantness for the child at school,
| but from a legal standpoint, the par
ent would be beyond the reach of the
| board of education. The school board
and the teacher would have to take
| it OUT on the child in school.
1t is doubtful, however, whether
the school authorities would dare to
seriously interfere with the child s
progress, because the parent would
have other recourse in case any
effort should be made to force the
child to acquire methods and forms
not provided in the state books.
In Other Towns, Too.
| Topeka is not the only town in
Kansas where the city board of edu-
cation has arranged things for the
sidetracking of the state books and
| the substitution of some other books.
And there is the same sort of pro-
/ test being raised by parents who dis
! like the notion of being compelled to
| buy two sets of school books for their
| children.
If the state law relating to
uniformity of text books is not giving
good results it ought to be repealed.
I If it does not provide the state with
good books, it ought to be abolished,
or amended so that the right sort of
/ books can be purchased.
! But it is unjust to require parents
! to buy not only the state texts, but a
| lot of other texts on the same sub
| iects. most of the special texts being
of an expensive character. That is
what the parents of Topeka are in
clined to kick about, and the school
auth critics will have a hard time
justifying themselves with majority
! of the people for trying to enforce
such requirements.
Board Is Divided.
When interviewed on the matter
George H. Smith, a member of the
school board from the Second ward,
said:
'I have always since my election to
the school board fought for an econ
omy in the matter of school books. My
ward is the largest ward In the city
as far as school children are concern
ed and as they are mostly OF the
working class. they feel the extra
amounts which are heaped upon them
by the addition of text books to the
regular state requirements. IN some
cases they are entirely unable to meet
the demands of the teachers and their
children are made to suffer the conse-
ouences. There was a resolution in
the school board last year to adhere
to the state law as closely as possible,
but the rule soon Jagged and now con-
ditions are as bad as ever. The school
| board itself is about divided upon the
matter and expect at the next meet
| ing the thing will be settled. Judge
| Carver is one of the strongest enemies
against the new system and he viii
have a vast amount of influence and I
understand he will make great fight.
Of course 1 realize that it is sometimes
necessary to use an additional book or
| two as the standard in Topeka is above