The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-08-30
TIE TRUSTEES SHOULD REFUSE.

TIE TRUSTEES SHOULD REFUSE.
The recent school book adop-
ton is not being accepted by all
Of the people without protest, and
in some cases the acceptance has
been rejected entirely. We do
not know bat it would be a good
thing if every county board would
follow Florence IN this matter and
sit down on the action of the State
board. The Florence County
School Trustees Association de-
nounced the recent school book
adoption and they inform the
State Superintendent that they
can not and will not require the
patrons of the schools in Florence
to CONFORM to the change. It will
be remembered the board made a
most radical change in the books
to be used in the public schools,
for what reason no one as yet has
given a satisfactory explanation:
the head of our public school sys-
tenn opposed the change, but the
board by its majority over-rode
his protest, and went ahead to
change about eighty per cent of
the books, which simply means.
that the patrons Of these schools
are required to undergo this ex.
ira expense and annoyance.
Had the adoption been made by
a new board We might have rea-
soned it out to mean the former
board was unfortunate. and pos
sibly incompetent to select the
books to be taught in our public
schools, but this is not a new
board, it is the board that adopt
ed the books which have been
used the past FIVE years. Did they
adopt these books carelessly, and
find that they had made great
mistakes in their selections, and.
if so, did it amount to so great a
mistake as to require a practical
wiping out of their former selec-
tion? The people are asking
what influence the book publish
ers brought to bear TO bring
about such a radical change:
This question has not been ans
wered satisfactorily, the fact
that the State Superintendent
made a vigorous protest against
such a radical change, and the
further fact that an examination
OF some Of the adopted books has
already caused protests against
their use in our schools. strikes
us as being a good ground for
a general protest from all of
the counties, and for the trustees
to refuse to be governed by
the State boards adoption.
We know OF no law which would
force the people to buy new
books, if their teachers will
teach the old books, then the peo
pie, the patrons of the public
schools, have the whip handle in
their own hands, and can refuse
to exchange or buy the new adop-
ton, if they took such a stand it
would teach a lesson to those in
authority that would have its ef-
feet for many years to come. This
is a government Of the people,
and when those they put in au-
thority go heedlessly along and
do things which are not neces-
sary, and bring upon the people
a needless expense, a halt can
and should be called; therefore.
we heartily endorse the action of
the Florence trustees, and would
recommend similar action here.
The schools open in a few days
but there is yet time for each set
of trustees to instruct the teach
ers they employ toignore the new
adoption, but to go ahead with
the same books they have been
using the past FIVE years, or to
take only such of the new ones as
are actually needed for good work
in their respective schools.