Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-11-21

g would nave spanish lcAipuokS 80
" for Spanish-speaking children. @
Rupert f. Asplund elected see Z.
g retary Of educational council. q
W. A. Poore, David n. Boyd @
% and Mrs. Wallace l.. Gumm e
g named committee on resolutions. o
Q o Q 9 o o . o 9 3 e @ g g . 9
superintendent Of Public instruction
Avian n. White threw down the
gage of battle right from the start
Of the meeting Of the educational
council yesterday, but he drew no fire
from the other side of the political
fence "Our constitution makers
made the poorest constitution they
possibly could have made from the
educational standpoint he declared
without mincing words. Wherever
they possibly could make a mistake
they made it. They threw the coun-
ty school superintendent into politics.
they made the superintendent of pub
lie instruction an elective officer, they
made the bulk of the state school rev
enues depend upon the commissioner
Of public lands. They prescribed
stata.~ida unilsgInty in textbooks
aud according TO Mr. White. all this
and much more about the constitu-
ton where II treats on educational
matters, Is nefarious impractical and
detrimental 10 best interests of cdu
cation.
Mr. White ALSO came out emphati-
cally and unequivOcally for free text
books, in his campaign to stamp out
illteracy in New Mexico.
No one took up the cudgel on be-
half Of the constitutional convention
or opposed the free textbook idea.
Tardy i'm Getting TOgcther
The educators were tardy in assem-
bling for the council meeting in the
high school library It was an hour
after the time set when President
Frank Carbon Of East Las Vegas
called the council together. Even
then, twenty-one Of the seventy or SO
odd members We're marked absent i
was these absences that brought up
the first discussion. after Rupert f.
Asplund WAS elected secretary 10 sue
eecd Miss Manettc Myers. resigned
II was over the matter of filling va
cancies in the council Each section
chooses three members OF the cOuu-
cil in addition to the six members-at-
large elected by the association. II
AiNN bh' 'lA hti' NN0ANliA WI AAl' ~ TiNt iiN
and secretary of the council to fiji va
canCies. but a resolution was adopted
yesterday forenoon after some discus
sion and the making Of various mo-
tlons that vacancies should be filled
boy the chairman and secretary Of the
section affected
Committee on Resolutions.
The following committee was then
appointed to embody this action in "A
proposed amendment to the constitu-
ton Of the association, the scope Of
the committees work being eventually
extended so as to make it a commit
tee on resolutions which, however, is
not TO report any resolution, on any
topic not under discussion. Supern-
tendent w, A. Poore, Of Carlsbad,
chairman: Dr. David Il. Boyd and
Mrs. Wallace l.. Gumm, Of Carrizozo.
Textbook Adoption.
In leading off on the subject Of
textbook adoption, superintendent Al
van n. White explained that twenty
one states, all of them southern and
western and most Of them thinly set
tod. have uniform textbooks up to
the eighth grade one of these states,
Louisiana. has a white illiteracy per
centage of 20. II was then he pitched
into the work Of the constitutional
convention Of New Mexico. He
deemed it absurd that the same text
books must be used in Curry county
with not single Spanish in
lis schools and in "A northern county
having more than 95 per cent Span
lsh-Ameriean pupils.
Mr. White explained how the pres
ent textbooks were adopted recently
by the state board Of education. how
Iorty-three sealed bids We're received
now fifty-four Representatives Of text
book firms made their pleas how they
We're ordered out Of the state while
me board was making up it's mind on
their books, and how in very busi-
nessiike way a very creditable list Of
books was finally selected
other states have their textbook
troubles. too" said Mr. White, men
uoning specifically Virginia Kentucky
and Oklahoma He pointed out that
only > per cent of the cost Of main
laining the schools can be aseribed to
textbooks, while 9s per cent Of the
Kicks are due to the books. He
ascribed this to the fact that parents
must dig into their pockets directly
Tor the textbooks while the other
school expenses come out Of O gem
eral fund. Out Of the total Of $3S3i
spent per capita for tie education Of
the children Of the United States,
only rs cents a year goes FOR text
books. and for the ages OF To ISL
Years. only So cents. IL this con-
nection. the speaker pointed ont that
Continued On Page seven.)