The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-08-24
BRAY EXPLAINS
Difference |NCOST


peal State Superintendent Bray ex-
plains the reasons for the additional
cost of school text books as follows:
Work of the Text Book Commission.
The law passed in 1907 provides for
state textbook commission to con-
sist of the three members of the state
board of education and four others to
be appointed by the governor, seven
in all. The commission which was ap-
pointed in January last took up the
consideration of books for several
months and finally made adoptions in
June.
The law provides that appointive
members shall be principals or superin-
tendents of schools. Governor Oddie
appointed: City Superintendent w.
j. Hunting oil Carson City, City Super
intendent r. d. Billinghurst Of Reno,
Principal Thora Paulson of Goldfeld,
and Principal l.. G. Booth of Reno, as
members of the commission These
with Governor Oddie, President Stubbs
and State Superintendent Bray consti-
tute the Nevada textbook commission
for 1911
The commission worked hard, faith
fully and intelligently, and / believe
their work merits and will receive the
commendation of the schools and of
the parents.
Law Requires Latest Editions Of
School Books.
1t should be remembered, in consid-
ering textbook changes and adoptions,
the law of 1907 specifically states that
the latest editions Of all texts are to
be secured. Under this provision, 1t
would cost the parents no more for an
entirely new book on a given subject
than for an old book revised. Nearly
all the publishers have been revising
their books to bring them into har-
mony with the national census of 1910.
This is particularly true in history and
geography, the facts and statistics dis
closed by the last census making many
changes necessary.
Fewer Books to be Bought by Pupils.
With the exception of the reading
for the primary grades-by far the
most important subject in the schools
the number of books to be bought
by pupils has been materially reduced,
to the decided advantage of the pupils,
while saving thousands Of dollars to
parents.
Important Savings to Parents.
In changing from three-book
course in arithmetic to a two-book
course, better and more teachable
books have been secured, and the saw
ing to parents that will result in four
years win exceed $4,000. In similar
change in u. s. history, there is dis
tinct improvement in texts, and the
saving to parents in four years win be
nearly $4,000.
In physiology the commission chang
ed from two-book course to a one
book course only pupils IN the eighth
grade being required to purchase a
text. Teachers are to be supplied by
the district with other texts from
which oral lessons on sanitation and
health are to be given to the child
rem.
Improved conditions along health
lines will result from this change,
and at the same time a material re-
duction of cost to parents will be
effected.
from a fve-book course to a one-book
course for all the rural schools, sim
plifying work materially, bringing 1t
within the scope Of the average tech
er, and very largely reducing the cost
to parents. A saving of $1.60 per child
for the elmentary grades of the rural
small village schools will result.
Some Exceptions.
Tn reading and writing there has
been som increase in cost. In reading
it was recognized that more reading
material should be put into the pri-
mary grades, and into the 7th and ath
grades, if we are to have good and in
telligent reading on the part of our
bows and girls, and at the same time
cultivate in them taste for good lit
erature. Reading is the basic, and
most important, study of the primary
grades; and in the grammar grades it
ranks superior to most others. I be-
lieve parents generally will endorse
the plan of larger attention to reading
In furtherance of this desirable con-
dition, the commission put in the full
line of Wheeler readers in connection
with the Gorden system, at the request
of and in compliment to union labor,
the Wheeler company having for
years recognized the unions and used
the Typographical union label on many
of their publications.
In writing there has been, for years,
opposition on the part of many bust.
ness men and others to the vertical
round hand system of writing. The
plain, half-slant, easily written spen-
cerian has been adoptd. The copy
books are more than three times as
large and they cost about three times
as much. But as they are only Is
cents apiece, their cost is not a largc
item for anv family; and it is believ
ed that better results in writing wiz
follow.
The Dealers.
Much trouble has been experien'
heretofore in holding dealers to ~
exact prices fixed by the eommissio
in furnishing books to children. In
fact the dealers that sold at the fxed
prices often lost monev on the bust
ness and there was in consequence
considerable difficulty in getting bust
ness men in the mining towns and the
smaller villages and settlements to
handle the books at all. In arranging