The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-23
is NOT FOR Them.
State Text Book Law Flagrant-
Iy Violated In Topeka.
Children Forced to Buy Books
Never Adopted.
COST MUCH GREATER.
Amounts in Aggregate to Thou
sands of Dollars.
Some Members of Board Would
Adhere to Law.
COST MUCH GREATER

AQneFe 10 LaWs
To send a child through the city
schools of Topeka, a parent must pur-
chase for that child, under orders from
the city board of education, SS92 worth
Of books not required by the state law.
This arbitrary requirement of the
city school authorities for the eX-
penditure of 1892 is in addition to the
expense of buying all the books which
have been adopted by the state text
book commission. In many cases the
pupils are required to buy state text
books merely to keep the Topeka
school board out of trouble with the
state authorities. not for the purpose of
using those books. The state books are
cast aside and another book substi-
tuted.
To provide the extra (unlawfuD
books to the 5000 pupils of the Topeka
public schools means an additional
cost to the people of Topeka of $4,000.
There is a big profit in s52 900 worth OF
books for somebody. Who gets it?
The following is what the state law
says about this policy which the To-
peka board of education is pursuing:
Every contract with any person,
company or corporation, publisher or
publishers of school text books for use
in the schools of this state shall be for
five years from the date thereof; and
no school district board, or board of
education of any city of the first or
second class shall adopt use or permit
TO be used any other school text books
than those provided for in this act:
provided. that nothing herein contained
shall be construed to prevent the
falphnrG and Of ST.
using any school text other than those
provided for in this act as a reference
book in such schools"
1t is under this "proviso'' that the
city board Of education has taken the
authority to adopt and require the
purchase of a large number of special
books. The special books are run in"
under the disguise of reference"
books. AS a matter of fact, in most
instances they simply displace the
books provided and required by law
The following list shows just what
extra books the pupils in Topeka are
required to buy in each grade, and at
what expense:
Grade. Book. Price
1A-Ward Primer, part II.... 36
Ward First Reader, part L.. 36
2B-Ward First Reader, part H.. 36
Ward Second Reader. part L.. A
zA-Ward Second Reader, part H.. a
. =.
3B-Language through nature .. 40
5A-Art Literature Reader, book g.. so
Language through nature. 45
4B-Stepping Stones to Literature
. DOoh ..-....' ..-...----... 4S
4A-Stepping Stones to Literature
BOOK .....-................. 4S
5B-Stepping Stones to Literature
BOOK Observation-Disclosures. 4S
6A-Stepping Stones to Literature
Book NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. AZ
-
6A-Paul Revere's Ride. Is
Hawthorne's Stories ......... Is
fB-Grandfather's Chair. part H.. Is
Grandtather's Chair, part 49,. is
iA-Selections from Whittier. Is
nife or washington. 80
Historical maps ............... 20
SB-Williams' Choice Literature. so
Historical maps .............. 20
SA-Story of the Aeneid Is
Juuus caesar OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 15
Historical maps ............. 20
Ihe historical outline maps are on
the list of appliances approved by the
state text book commission along
with charts, globes and other educa-
! tional devices. While the law does not
require the purchase of the outline
maps, they do not displace any auth
Orized publication, and hence are on
q somewhat different basis from such
books as the Ward primer and reader,
which in Topeka are used to displace
the Wooster primer and the Powers
and Ballet reader.
S6.O5 for Music Books.
In addition to the $s.92 for special
books, each pupil who goes through
the Topeka schools must pay out $6.05
for music books. Each grade has it's
own brand of music books, and the
board OF education requires that all
the pupils buy them
Music books are not on the list Of
ficially adopted by the state text book
commission, so the board has the
right to adopt them If it wants to.
But it brings up the total bill for extra
books for each pupil to $14.97.
Special Books Are Expensive.
Nearly all the books which the city
board of education requires the pupils
to purchase extra" are expensive.
For example, the Ward primer costs
36 cents. and the authorized primer
costs ID cents. The Ward first reader
costs 36 cents; the authorized reader
costs II cents. The stepping Stones
to Literature" which does not appear
on the uniform list, costs Topeka pu-
pills 4S cents. Williams S Choice Lit
erature" costs SO cents.
One object of the state uniformity
law was to enable the school children
Of Kansas to get their books cheap,
and the law fixes a maximum price
for various kinds of books. The To-
peka school authorities, in their de-
termination to avoid the law. are
making things much worse than they
would be with no law at ALL for To-
peka school children in many cases
have to buy two books where one
would answer the purpose.
How 1t Is Justified.
The Topeka school authorities JUS
tify their action by saying that the