The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-07-19
EDUCATION BOARD TALKS.
PUBLISHING UOUSE UNDEp
BOND ON CONTRACT.
Questions of Importance i'm COnncc-
ton With Textbook Adoption Dis
CuSSed

HioeIlhS VI the state board OF ed
ucation held yesterday.
AT the conclusion of the meeting
j. +. Swearingen, the State superin-
tendent Of education and secretary of
the board, made the following an
nOuncement:
After a recess of 80 days the State
board Of education held short ses-
sion yesterday in the office of the
governor. All members were present.
and much important business was
transacted.
"F. f. Hough appeared before the
board in behalf of the B. F. Johnson
company Of Richmond. This house
was offered a contract for basal third
fourth and fifth readers. These read
ers are known as graded classics and
are extensively used among the inde-
pendent schools.
The publishing house has not as
yet accepted the contract on these
three readers, because it could NOT
meet the 60 per cent. exchange allow
ances offered by the Wheeler company
in Chicago on the high-priced prin. or,
lrst and second readers Of the new
basal series adopted by the board.
Under the new contract the primer
sells for % cents, the first reader for
20 cents and the second reader for
80 cents, while in the Johnson
graded classics the third reader sells
for 32 cents, the fourth reader for
35 cents and the fifth reader for 35
cents.
The State treasurer now holds
deposit of $1,000. guaranteeing the
ability of the B. f. Johnson company
TO execute whatever contract # might
receive from the State board. The
surrender Of the contract on the part
Of the company will cause the for
feiture Of this deposit. The deposit
of $1,000 will in that case be paid
into the State treasury as part of the
permanent school fund.
Such a procedure is almost un-
heard of in textbook history. One
well known representative Of a large
publishing house declared that in his
II years experience he had never
known this situation to be duplicated.
The situation is interesting, for
the State board will now be called
upon to make a new adoption of basal
readers completing the series begun
by the Wheeler primer and first and
second readers.
The publishers recommend that
r. l.. Bryan e Co., of Columbia. to
manage the central textbook deposi-
tory, and this recommendation was
approved. The State board also ad-
opted the treatise on andvanced Eng
llsh syntaX. by Prof. E. B. Settler Of
Newberry college, for use in the 18th
grades Of the high schools; the Gill
dersleeves-Lodge Latin grammar and
Myers short history Of medieval and
modern times.
The controversy concerning Waddv
Thompson's history was adjusted to
the satisfaction Of all parties. The
language to which objection had been
made now stands: The route Of the
army was marked by the destruction
OF property. Columbia, the capitol
OF the State, was laid in ashes This
sentence was modified and as accepted
reads as follows: The army marked
It's route by the destruction of prop
erty and laid Columbia, the capital
OF the State in ashes"
THE committee on course of study
Will submit its report as soon as pos
slble. and State Superintendent Swear
ingen, will have this printed for dis
tribution AS soon as it is placed in
his hands. Many inquiries are being
received at the office Of the State su-
pcrintcndent and he is hopeful of
having this information ready for the
people next week The publication
OF the course Of study, however, will
depend on the time required for the
preparation Of the commmittees re-
port.
at 4.3O p. m. the board took a
recess to meet again during the first
week in August"