The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-15
BOOKS NOT HERE
FOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students Retarted by DELAYED
Shipment of American
Book Company
ARRIVAL PROMISED
EARLY NEXT WEEK
Meanwhile Pupils Desiring to
Take Up Courses Concerned
Must Wait-Huge Enroll
ment for School Opening.

Richmond public schools opened
Thursday morning with the high
school pupils uncertain as to when
they viii receive some OF their books.
According to prearranged plans. the
students Of the high school were to be
enrolled Thursday and then 10 re-
port Friday morning. be assigned to
their class rooms and given lessons TO
prepare for the following Monday.
This plan, In several instances viii be
impossible OF fulfiliment owing to the
delay in shipment on the part OF the
American Book Company.
For several days past. since Attor~
ney-General Williams made the ruling
to the effect that all concerns who
sold books In this State were liable
TO foreign license tax there has
been considerable surmise as to
whether or not the companies who
were TO supply school books In Rich
mond would be willing to comply with
the terms of the ruling. One by one
al the concerns save the American
Book Company decided to send the
books. at the same time announcing
heir intention OF fighting against the
imposition OF the tax
Now Make Shipment.
The American Book Company
adopted q different course. Rather
than fight the matter out In the
courts. the company officials, II was
reported. had decided not To send any
books into the city. That such a
course would be followed was the
general impression Of the local au-
thcrities until Thursday morning
tsf7H ~ pf4f T,.
struction Eggleston received "a tele-
gram from the American Book Com
pang saying that they would fulail
heir contract immediately.
Thia means that the books dealing
with fourteen different subjects stud
led In the white and colored high
schools of the city were probably
shipped to Richmond Thursday, II
liz highly improbable that they will
reach their destination before Mon
day. however. and 1t is even possible
that they will not reach this city until
the middle of next week
Meanwhile there Is nothing FOR the
students intending 70 take up the sub
aects dealt with to do but 10 wait
Prospects Are Bright.
With r. exception OF the delayed
arrival II the books referred to. the
-Gpeniug OF the schools took place Ell
every prospect that this will be one
of the most successful from am educa-
ticnal standpoint in the history OF the
city.
by noon Thursday several thousand
students, ranging In ages from to 10
years of age, had been registered. II
is expected that by Friday nearly lS,-
GOO students. including both white and
colorcd, viii have registered either In
the high schools or one OF the high
schools or one of the numerous die
trfct schools Before the end of the
term IL is expected that this num-
Der viii be Increased by at least ! 900,
making a total OF more than 1900 stu
dents for the year
The school census, taken last spring,
shows that there are 2s.06s children
between the ages OF and 20 in Rich
mond, this number including both
white and colored and taking ia Wash
inRton ward. or these, 1S4a3 are
white and 1885 are colored In /
Washington ward there are 3,0Se pos /
sibie students, 1877 OF whom are white |
and l,loS Of whom are colored.
viii Crowd Buildings.
The local educational authorities are
confronted with a difficult task this /
year in t1nding a place for all the stu
dents who enrolled. Particularly does |
this apply in the extreme West End. |
where the inpossibility of occupying |
the new Hanover school has resulted |
In considerable Inconvenience. The !
Hanover school will not be completed |
for several months, Meanwhile. IL will |
be necessary to assign many students /
20 schools outside the districts In which |
they live.
Despite the inevitable dropping out |
of students. as they grow older, indi- |
cations are that the John Marshall |
high school will have more pupils this |
year than last Last year about 800 |
were registered. This year 1t is ex- /
pected that there will be at least 1000. |
Similar increases In enrolment are |
expected in practically all the schools |
throughout the city.