The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1913-05-28
Two Men Discuss the Present
SChOOIbOOk Law.
BOTH AGREE IT IS UNJUST.
To Have the County Authorities Select
the Children's SchooIbooks Often
Means a Hardship For the Parents
and Loss of Valuable Time to the
Pupil.

"Say, Bill, somebody told me the
county is to select the children's school
books for next year."
"Yep, that's what the fellers round
the courthouse say. It's a new law
again.
mo; l reckon they've gone back to
the one we had a good while ago.
Well, all can say is I'm mighty sorry"
"Why? Don't you think our folks can
select good schoolbooks?"
course they can, but that amt the
point I'm drivin' at. Look here, you're
leasin' a farm same as 1 am, amt
you?"
yep"
"Well, suppose you buy your boy an
girl a set Of books for school next fall,
an then bout the Christmas holidays
you go over into the Big Bull Skin
neighbOrhOOd just across the county
line"
"By George, 1 hadn't thought about
that side of the question:
Course you didn't, cause your kids
are just little fellers, an they amt
been to school long. But you wait un-
til you have a whole raft of 'em, like
I've got, an then you'll understand
what big thing it can be. 1 remem-
Der mighty well one time when l
moved from one county into another.
The move wasn't more than five miles
either, an the new books had to buy
for my four children cost me &c."
That's mighty tough, an 1 don't
wonder you're kickin' about it."
eff the cost of the books was all Of
It it wouldn't be so bad. I've got
heap bigger kick comm than just the
cost of the books"
"What is it,"
"What hurts me is that sometimes a
child'll lose a lot Of valuable time.
There's my oldest boy. He's goin' on
sixteen, an he's through the eighth
grade an ready for the high school.
He'd been through almost two years Of
high school work if he hadn't lost time
changin' from one school to another"
The man was silent for a moment
before he continued sadly: "The boys
big for his age, an now he's goin' to
work because he feels he is too big
an old to go through high school. The
changin' round means that my boy
won't take high school education like
he planned to. Just the other day
saw in paper where the average pay
for the man who had only gone through
the eight grades was almost $500 less
than that Of the Teller who had had a
high school course. If that's so my
boy'll stand to lose almost $4,000 in
hard money in the next twenty years
of his life. He'll lose enough through
the changes in his school to buy him
first class farm"
The men were silent again for few
moments. At length one spoke up.
Kinder strange how all of us fellers
talk an plan how things ought to be
run at Washington" he said. "We
talk of who should be president an all
that An we won't take the trouble to
try to straighten out a schoolbook law
in Kentucky that means money out of
our pockets every time we move an
money out of our children's pockets for
the rest of their natural lives
"Say, let's all agree to watch the
schools just a little bit, an let's get
busy with our next legislature an see
if us fellers that stand between the
plOw handles an feed folks can't have
things fixed to suit our pocketbooks
an to make it better for our children"