The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-01-23
| SCHOOL BOOK BILL WAS
CRUDE AND DANGEROUS
N m p.TsrENCIII
Former Superintendent Of Public
Instruction Answers Attack
BY III. l.. Straight
Ia. n. PATTENGILI..

LANSING. Mich. Jan 23.-H. r.
/ Pattengill. former state superintend-
ent or public instruction. who was
made the subject OF an attack by
/ Henry T.. Straight. OF Coldwater in a
debate over the so-called school book
trust at the meeting OF the Michigan
state editors In Detroit last week, was
asked by The State Journal what he
had done to provoke Mr.. Straights at
tack. Mr.. Pattengili said.
After Mr., Straight had closed his
address on State Uniformity OF Text
Books" | obtained permission TO reply
10 some of his arguments, and after
I had spoken a very short time Mr..
Straight interrupted me, and launch
ed his personal attack. lie stated
that he had been assured that there
would be no opportunity given for
discussion OF the question. | did not
know OF this rather unusual arrange
| ment, and was innocently shooting
his target full Of holes. For some
reason he was very much disappoint-
| ed and greatly enraged because his
State Uniform Text Book bill was
defeated in the last legislature, and
he does me the honor OF having quite
| mana III us ueIeAt.
II had opposed the measure as
much as my time permitted because
IL was a crude, dangerous, pernicious
measure. State uniformity OF text
books In every instance has lowered
the quality OF the books used in a
state. Cheapness is well nigh its
only recommendation and that is often
more theoretical than real Nearly
every state adopting the plan has had
10 change its books after the first
adoption. often old editions OF books
or much less desirable texts are neces
sarily adopted 10 comply with the re
| quirements. Mr.. Straight has fol
three years been waving a geography
from the Indiana list and comparing
its contract price with the price of the
same book at retail In this state. This
book Is OF the same quality and saw
ing Is made by the contract price In
Indiana. But Indiana's series taken as
a whole are not as good as the books
used in Michigan. When Indiana first
| adopted the plan, she was loaded
down with a series OF old biographies
/ that could not have been sold 10 any
alert district in Michigan. Even now
her cities have to supplement their
series OF texts by additional purchases
| Uniformity tends TO monopoly and
| shuts OF competition and betterment
Most OF our progressive states have
| long since gone by the uniformity
plan, and are working under the
free text book plan. This leaves
competition free TO better the books,
and vet permits the purchase In
quantities, and the economic use OF
the books SO that the cost per capita
Ia reduced TO about soc per year for
all the books used In school. Saginaw
! for Is years has supplied her pupils
with books at a cost OF about 5Oc per
capita per year. In other words, the
money saved by Mr. Straight on that
geography by his plan, would by the
better plan supply the pupil with all
his school books for the year. Muske-
gon for 10 years has supplied her pu-
pills with books at an average cost 10
the district OF 40c per pupil per year.
This. too, supplies the best books
made. and leaves competition free.
gives every child his books on the
first day OF school, gives no company
a monopoly on publication, keeps the
selection OF the books in the hands or
the people who have 70 pay for them,
and not 10 a board far away from the
people and not accountable to them.