Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-24

wares with teachers. In the old days
it was common for teachers to receive
complimentary donations of complete
series of text books from different
publishers. Later on the state board
of education gradually assumed juris-
diction over the matter of school book
adoption, first in the ordinary public
schools and later on in all schools that
receive aid from public funds.
Among some of the arithmetics we
remember, for instance, without at
tempting to name them all that have
been used in the public schools of this
county are Davies's, Sanford's, Robin
sons, Adams's, Venable's, Wentworth's
and now Mines. Although there are
those who will say that Mines books
represent the acme of text book devel-
opmert, as a matter Of fact these
books are no better than any one OF
the others. Arithmetic can be taught
as accurately and as fully by means of
the Davies text books as by means OF
Mines, and the only effect of all these
changes has been to increase the bur-
dens of parents and give the publish
ers more profits.
The arguments used to persuade
teachers to change from one text
book to another have been as specious
as those used to persuade an adherent
of Webster to change his allegiance
to Worcester Although Of course stress
was all along laid on the idea of su-
periority in various important partic-
ulars, the real force underneath the
whole enterprise is nothing but sales
manship.
There has been talk of bribery in
the business. To prove this would be
difficult. The old time expedient OF
presenting a teacher with a long list
of books could not be successfully de-
nounced as bribery. Is it not admiasi-
BILE for a seller to present prospect
i've buyer with samples of his wares?
Is it not necessary for the purchasing
authority to look over the samples be-
fore he can make an intelligent recon-
mendation? There is only one answer
to these questions. No man would
have the hardihood to charge that
school teacher or a school trustee
could be bribed by a gift of sample
lot of books. But who is silly enough
to believe that such a gift has abso-
lutely no influence on the recipients
judgment?
A contract involving the furnishing
of school books for an entire state
involves expenditures running up into
the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
There are thousands of dollars in a
contract involving only one series of
books. Under the present law these
contracts run only for five year pc
riods, and from the day one five year
contract is made agents of publishing
houses are on the job of fixing things
so as to land the next contracts. No,
no. we are not going to charge that
there is any dishonesty in the matter,
because there is no sense in making
such a charge unless it can be proved.
The writer of this, however, once got
it straight from very successful
agent of a big school book house, that
in his time he had run across very
few people who could not be reach
ed" whatever that may mean.
There is progress in geography,
there is progress in modern history,
and it is necessary that text books on
these subjects keep up with this prog
ress. But this does not involve any
necessity to abandon one author for
another Cornell's old geography, II
revised up to date, would be just as
good as Frye's, and there is no reason
why Maury's should not be just as
good as either. There have been a
half dozen or more text books on Eng
lish grammar in the public schools in
the past thirty years, but not one of
them has been in anywise superior to
the Quackenbos books long since dis
carded.
The plain truth of the whole matter
is that this business Of frequently
changing text books is a great impo-
sition on the people, and they should
no longer stand for it, If the people
could once get an idea of how indie
fensible the whole thing is they would
not stand for it any longer. They
would demand square deal from the
educators, from their makers, and
from everybody else who is RESPONSE
BILE. They would answer the educa-
tors argument Of Il ought to know"
with, Yes, and l have to pay the
bills"
But just as the people have always
been bled, they will continue to submit
to the bleeding, and just as parents Of
today realize from their own knowl-
edge how their parents were imposed
upon in this text book matter, the
children of today, when they become
parents, will also allow themselves to
be imposed upon.