The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-08
TEXT
BOOKS FAVORED
]. c. GuNDERsoN OF ANETA
STATES THAT 1T WOULD BE
SAVING TO sTATE-HAs LETT
ERs FROM MANY EDUCATORS
ENDORSING THE PLAN.

Aneta, n. D., Feb. 5,-To The Fo-
rum: / have read several articles
in the press Of the state lately dis
cussing the bills now before the leg
islative assembly providing for the
enactment Of q uniform text book
law. Two years ago / was the author
of and introduced a measure Of this
kind (senate bill No. 800 / gave
considerable time and attention to the
matter n corresponded with nearly
every superintendent OF public in
struction in states where they have
the aw. The information / received
through such correspondence is SO
different from the statements made
by those who seem to be opposed to
such a. law in our state that ! here
with submit for publication, If you
desire, the letters received at that
time and particularly call attention to
the statements of the superintendent
Of public instruction of the state OF
Indiana in The Indianapolis News
under date of Dec. 81. 1910.
I believe that one great need we
have in this state is economy and if,
by adopting such law, we can save
only 81 a year in the matter Of school
books for each child attending school,
We will save something like $165, 900
each and every year. Why not add
this to school Improvement or add it
to the a of our teachers, many
of which are not nov paid the wages
they deserve, instead of feeding it
to the book companies. I compared
the prices paid for books in states
where the law is in vogue with the
prices paid in this state and came to
the conclusion that we could save
20 per cent and get on the average
throughout the state a better class
/ nf hnnlyr FIR nYIr .apT1ar1nn cohnn1G A
that 1 did not take into consideration
the expense to people who moves from
one district TO another, nor the
changes in different books that are
so frequently made when a change
/ of teachers takes place.
I am aware that many of the edu-
Gators are against it, but through
them also mn the opposition of the
book companies, These concerns, it
must be remember. work against the
enactment of the law before our leg
islative body, not through, their own
| agents, but through persons in the
state who are opposed to the law. l
do not expect We will get a law of
this kind through our educators n
more than We got the practical part
of our educational system through
them, the same as is true of, the good
farming movement, we did not get
our advanced farming methods from
the farmers, in fact many of them
opposed it. VA,
The charge that there would be
danger of graft under such a law has
no foundation, because the men who
would compose the commission would
come from the highest type of our
| citizenship as to honesty, If our
course of study is good for all COM
munities alike, any text book will
be likewise. / believe a text book
that is good for Cass county is good
for Ransom county, or that is good
for community is good for an
other. Many of the educators were
opposed to the idea of a more practi-
cal system of education when the agi-
tation for it began, but 1T has come
and proven to be a progressive and
successful change. elgA dollar legiti-
mateIy saved for the people of the
state is a. dollar for the boosting and
lettering Of North Dakota. Yours
truly, j. c.. Gunderson.
The foregoing letter from Mr.. Gund-
erson is accompanied by a large
number of letters from state super
| in oil nartS of fho union