The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1913-05-16
CHAT OVERHEARD
At LOCAL STORE
Two Men Discuss the Present
SChOOIbOOk Law.
BOTH AGREE IT IS UNJUST.

To Have the County Authorities Select
the children's sehoolbooks often
Means a Hardship For the Parents
and a 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 new law
again" - ......
No; I reckon they've gone back to
the one we had a good While BssSS.
Well all can say is I'm mighty sorry"
"Whyf Don't you think our folks can
select good schoolbooks
Course they can, but that amt the
point I'm drivln' at. Look here, you're
leasin' farm same as l am, amt
your
''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, | 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 I'M
til you have a whole raft of 'em, like
I've got, an then you'll understand
what big thing 1t can be. remem-
Der mighty well one time when !
moved from one county into another.
The move wasn't more than i've miles
either, an the new books had to buy
for my four children cost me So"
rTbat's mighty tough, an 1 don't
wonder you're kickin' about it"
H'If the cost of the books was all of
1t it wouldn't be so bad. I've got a
heap bigger kick ce4hln' than Just the
cost of the books"
what is it?''
what hurts me lis that sometimes a
child'Il lose tot of valuable time.
| There's my oldest boy. He's gotn' 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
cSlangin' from one school TO another"
The man was silent for "a moment
before he continued sadly: "@rhe 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 q paper where the average pay
for the nan who had only gone through
the eight grades was almost $500 less
than that of the feller who had had q
\ high school course. If that's so my
| boy'r stand to lose almost $1,000 in
hard money In the next twenty years
OF his life. He'll lose enough through
the changes in his school to buy bin g
first class farm"
The men were silent again for a few
moments. At length one spoke up
Kinder strange how all Of us feliers
talk an plan how things ought to be
run at Washington" he said. ave
talk OF who should be president an al
that. An we won't take the trouble &c
try TO straighten cut schoolbOok law
in Kentucky that means money out 81
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 gel
busy with our next legislature an see
II us fellers that stand between the
plOw handles an feed folks can't have
things fixed to suit our pocketbooks
an to make 1t better for our children.