Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-09

OF such Il law. Tf.S Is Doth economy ana
better service. I am u%nqualifiedly for q
uniform text book law such as YOU offer.
and hope the Legislature will see fit to
enact it."
c. J. Waits, superintendent of the pub
lie school Of Terre Hautc, Indiana,
throws a good deal of light not only up
on the working Of the system in his own
state, but upon the sources of the oppo-
Jsition to. the uniform text book law. I'm
der date of January Goth, 1913, he writes
as follows: I'VE feel that the text books
are good in quality, and the cost is much
less than under the old system. Z.
H. / think that the complaints made
about inferior text books that our state
hoard has selected are made and sug-
gested by publishers, and not by super!
intendents and teachers. l am strongly
school text books. but would be opposed
to uniformity in high school texts e
In this same circular letter Miss Johns
ton states that California has abandoned
the plan. Not only has California not
abandoned the state uniformity. but, in
a letter dated January 18th, 1913, the
state superintendent, Mr.. Hyatt, inform
ed me that the state prints its own books
at .he state printing office. Mr.. Hyatt
further expresses the opinion that "un-
doubtedly better text books. in a COM
prehensive sel.se, car be selected under
uniformity"
Mr.. Burchard, Of Grand Forks, makes
the same -misstatement relative to Cali
fornia in an article in the Grand Forks
Herald for last Sunday. He also states
that the leading school men of Indiana
are against it. That this is another mis-
statement has already been pointed out.
Mr.. Burchard likewise asserts that Ken
lucky repealed a uniform text book law,
the inference intended to be Drawn from
this fact being that the system would
not work in Kentucky. In a letter dated
January nth, 1918, v. Q. Gilbert. assist
ant state superintendent of Kentucky,
writes as follows: "In reply to yours
of the 18th will say, first: We believe.
from our experience and observation,
that letter text books a be obtained
by a Uniform selection-that is, the state
commission to select for the entire state
10 lHS pClS u III SniIIIIiooIoh Sou'N
be so worked out as to obtain an honest
indiscriminating service" In Kentucky,
the state commission selects the texts
and from the state selections thus made
the counties select uniform books to be
used within their limits.
A good deal has been said about the
cost Of text books. and the opponents OF
my bill assert that the cost is create
under uniformity than under the present
system, or lack of system, rather. In
| the Indianapolis News I find the follow
ing, which shows in a comparative table
the prices of text books to the pupils III
Indiana under uniformity, ana in Michi-
gan under a system similar to our own.
For the same-text books in the following
subjects. the following prices are paid:
Book michigan Indiana
| Complete Arithmetic. rs .65 $ AZ
j.! Advanced Geography. 1926 IL
American History ...... 100 So
English Book, One..... AZ o.
English Book, Two..... .65. .ft
In this article lists of other texts are
given, with the prices in Indiana and
Michigan, and it appears that the pa
irons Of the schools Of Indiana have beer
saved over $500, 900. 90 in the past
twenty years in the prices of text books
alone.
Mr.. Robert J. Alley, predecessor OF Mr..
Greatllouse as state superintendent, says;
For twenty years the law has worked
well. Indiana has had under its opera
ton, better books than she had under
the old system. and better than neighbor-
ing states have" The superintendent
of Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Utah,
Oregon, Nevada, West Virginia, Idaho,
Mississippi, and other states where some
experience has been lad with uniform
text books, express the same opinion.
namely that better text books are, and
can be, selected under uniformity than
before. I nave letters from educators
and state superintendents in these states
which I shall be glad to exhibit to any
body interested in verifying the state
ments made herein,
In Sundays Herald, Mr.. Burcflard pub
lislled the opinions Of the s~uperintend-
ents from states in which they have not
had n experience with uniform text