The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-07-11
time allowed for exchange has been
increased rs per cent.

|
Illustrated with the Readers. BY the
contract the old Johnson Primer,
which, when new, cost the children
12 cents, has now an exchange value
of Is cents. That is to say, an old
Johnson Primer and 10 cents will buy
new Wheeler Primer, the retail
contract price Of which Is rs cents
Or the same Primer and 10 cents will
buy a new Wheeler First Reader, the
contract price of which is rs cents.
In the same way, an old Primer may
be used at this valuation Of Is cents
to help pay fer any reader, first,
second, third, fourth, or fifth; where
az. in the past Primer could be ex-
changed only for a Primer. Further,
an old first reader, which cost ~
cents when new, has by contract been
given a money value Of Is cents and
may be used to help pay for Primer
or for any Reader.
In the case Of the Biographies, the
Old Primary Geography, which was
discarded by the Board, and which
cost when new 33 cents, has by con-
tract been given an exchange value
Of 23 cents, being only 10 cents less
than it cost when new. That is to
say. an old primary geography and
% cent swill pay for the new BOOK
adonted Or the old Primary Geog-
raphy and IS cents will pay for the
new Advanced Geography. So, too,
the old Advanced Geography and 22
cents will buy the new Primary Geog-
raphy, Could any one deny that
money has been saved to- the State
Cost to the State.
It has been claimed that the Board
by its action wantonly destroyed
property values estimated at $780,
900. This sum is just "a few thous-
and less than the cost of all the
school books bought in South Caro-
lima during the years 1sO6-lsll.
How preposterous this claim Is will
appear from the following:
It assumes that all these books
even those bought five years ago, are
still in usable form in the hands OF
the children and are now worth "nat
thew cost when new. 1t assumes also
that If all the old books had been
readopted, the children Of the Stare
would not have had to buy any new
hooks during the coming five years.
# forgets that each book now In the
hands of the child has not only pald
its price in use, bat is by contract
given an added definite value, ap-
proximately fifty per cent. of its orig
inal cost.
The following analysis will show
that the apparent loss to the state
would in reality be only about S16'-
600 a. year for the five-year period
or only about 2-3 cents per child
instead of the alleged loss of $780,
600. AS it is claimed that the loss
was entailed by the assumed eighty
per cent change, then the entire var
ue involved would be upon this eighty
per cent. or upon 100000 instead
of s5O0,OOO. 1t is, however, general
ly estimated by teachers and exper-
fenced book men that the average
life of text book, especially in the
lower grades, is from one to three
years. On liberal allowance then
the books bought during the HIST
three years of the last adoption per-
iod are not usable in class, though
by the contract they have been given
an exchange money value. This re-
duces the possible loss to the books
bought during the last two years, or
to two-fifths of 100000, that is
100000. Now, not dlly have these
books paid their price in actual use
hut thev have an actual value OF hfty
per cent of their cost when new
This reduces the alleged loss to SSO,-
600. If this loss be distributed over
a period OF five years, legitimate
distribution, inasmuch as the assum-
ed loss covered that period, this
makes a sc-called loss Of $4,000 a
year. This leaves a so-called loss OF
$4,000 "a year to be distributed
among the 100000 and more chill
dren in the schools, or about four anu
2-3 cents apiece.
Thus, at this slight additional ex-
pense of 4 2-3 cents, each child In
the State would be supplied with new
and better books. Surely this is gain
and not loss. For it is serious In
Justice to a child, an injustice at once
physical, intellectual and aesthetic, to
nut into his hands an old. defaced,
and filthy book in any study.
We have gone into these figures on
the assumption that the statement
that so per cent. Of the books have
been changed, is correct. The cor
rectness of the statement we do not
admit. Exclusive Of copy books and
drawing books, which are destroyed
by use, supplementary English Clas,
sizes and duplicates there were SO
books on the old list. Of this num-
Der % only were changed, whereas
20 were readopted. Ten were entire
ly dropped from the list. Owing tc
the extension Of the high schoo
course, it becomes necessary to add
nine new books to the list for high