Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-19

tIiS SlIlIle amendment tHit uktlLOTInltS
was 4 failure in Kentucky and that the
repeal Of q law or the amendment of q
law is always the result Of q well de-
fined demand Of ~'enlightened public
opinion.' There are nan causes that
sometimes opelate to bring about the re-
peal or the amendment, of a law. and
it would be in many cases most illogi-
cal as well as unfair to insist that such
repeal or amendment was in all cases
IN conformity with public opinion. I
presume. ever Mr.. Burchard would not
suggest that the amendment Of certain
provisions OF our penal code by the Leg
islatlve Assembly of 1909, lowering the
age Of ct.nscnt from IL to Is years. was
done in response to the enlightened opin-
ion OF the, people Of North Dakota. Z
I'm reply to my argument OF economy
Mr.. DuFchard attempts to show that In
diana gets cheap books in the meanes
sense of that term. In reply / wish to
suggest that Indiana is one of the most
progressive states Of the union educa-
tionally, and that eve Mr.. Burchard has
not ventureq to say that indiana is back,
ward or retrogressive in the field OF edu-
cation. An examination OF the statistics
OF ndian schools in the report OF the
United States Commissioned OF Educa-
ion discloses the fact that with respect
to education the number OF pupils ad-
vancing from the grades and into the
high schools and passing through the
high schools. Indiana Is in the front
The report foI the year 1911 shows
that only seven states in the United
States paid its women ,eachers higher
salaries than does Indiana, and this
brings me TO another point in Mr. Bur-
chard's article to which 1 now wish to
direct attention. Mr.. Burchard in his ar
ticle points out that the cost OF schools
in Indiana per capita OF population is
32c higher than in Michigan. and then
blithely hops to the conclusion that this
excessive cost in Indiana is the result
Of the great number Of supplementary
text books Used in the schools because
Of the poor quality OF the texts selected
by the State Commissioners. That this
argument bristles with fallacies appears
at tho very first glance. In the report
Of the Commissioner Of Education for
the year 1911, we also find statistics
which show that the average daily lex-
pense per pupil, FOR SALARIES Of
teachers for the period 1909 and 1910 in
Indiana and Michigan was as follows:
|ndiana ............ ...... $14.6O,
NichlRan ........... ...... H. VI.
'There Is a difference Of 1915 per pu-
pil per day which l think easily accounts
for tho liffo aftoo ,ul,;oI, A. D,,~oYo-l
chooses to ascribe to an exorbitant cost
OF text books. This same table shows
that Indiana rays IN the average lacll
woman teacher $1,000 a month more 'han
does Michigan, and when it is considered
that only II per cen Of the teachers OF
Michigan are men the significance of the
difference in salaries appears. The ex-
l'cnses in North Dakota per carlta If
attendance for the period 1909 and 1910
was $39.37, and not even the :mcr,st
tyro Of a high school debater would e.r-
sue from this that the differe nce be-
tween the figures in North Dakota and
Indiana represents a toll levied upon par
ents by the text book companies.
Mr.. Burchard publishes extensively
from the report of the committee of the
city and town superintendent OF IN
diana on the text books of the state.
While it is impossible for me to go into
detail in this report without extending
this article beyond all bounds, merely
call attention to the fact that this COM
mittee specifically states that it believes
In the uniform text book law of the state
of Indiana, and that the purpose OF the
questions was to arrive, at the sentiment
of the teachers relative to certain por-
tons o.sthe cGurge of study and that the
replies received indicate this purpose
clearly. for example,: Opinions on such
questions as to whether or not q one
book course in history or geography was
desirable We're expressed. also opinions
as to the use of elementary texts was,
expressed and that the objections rela-
tive to uniformity in Indiana were not
to the principle. but to the method VI,
constituting the state text book commits
sion.
Lack Of space does not permit me to
go into, further detail relative to the
working OF the system in Indiana and
! shall dismiss this point by calling the
attention of the members Of the legisla-
ture and the readers Of this paper to
the fact that not only is there no move.
ment on foot in Indiana to repeal the
uniform text book law. but a bill has re-
Gently been unanimously recommended 20
pass by q committee OF the Senate Of