Norwich bulletin., 1918-09-21
PRESTON TO DECIDE
 ON FREE TEXT BOOKS

l.
 The town of Preston is in the throes of the free school books question and |
 will settle it by vote of the towns 1
 people at the annual town meeting
 next Monday night.
 A prominent citizen of the town | who has interested himself in the pros and cons of the question outlined l some of these on Friday as follows First. One hundred and thirty five | have already adopted this system. 1 Fifteen states in the United States | have made the furnishing of text 1 books mandatory. Connecticut is the | only state in New England that has not made it mandatory to furnish frge text books to elementary schools Con- necticut has made it optional to the towns. Under this law S5 per cent.
 of the children attending public school in Connecticut receive free text books. Seventeen states in the United States have passed optional laws along this line and in the 16 states where no law has been passed in relation to | this subject a considerable number | of the cities and towns are furnishing books without legal sanction. MaSsa- l chusettS has had a mandatory law for l 34 years
 l Second. The movement for free l text books is logical part of the 1 movement for free education. Legal l enaetmentg are provided that children 1 shall attend school but no legal enact 1 ments have been passed to date that compels the community or state to l furnish the child with the necessary 1 equipment with which to work after 1 he gets to school.
 Third Connecticut has already made l it mandatory to furnish free text books to poor children. This is on 1 the whole unsatisfactory. as it marks
 as charity pupils those who wish to be independent. A citizen may find it difficult with the present high prices to furnish books to family of five and should by no means be branded before his fellow townsmen as a pau per or an indigent. Free text books allows the rich and poor alike to en- ter this highly democratic institution, the public school, upon the same level Fourth. In a free text book town
 books may be changed more easily and kept to date Preston as many
 other towns has some books that are
 old and out of date. Fhe removal of
 these books would submit a hardship
 upon individuals If the town owned the books such material could be col
 l lected. sent to the publisher and a
 liberal exchange price made upon them
 Uniform books may be obtained be-
 cause of the ease of exchange, Free text books have a tendency to increase the average attendance since children without proper books and supplies are apt to stay out until they have ob- tained them. There is also a value in ! the training which children get in caring for public property. This is a prime requisite for good citizenship. When it comes to the opposite side of the question these arguments are ' met with:
 First. Books belonging to the towr
 are lost. destroyed or stolen. Books purchased by the town are by virtue II of the fact the property of the town :, School authorities should catalogue | l such books and when loaned to chil- , dren, teachers should charge then , with the book and such childrer U should be held responsible for theS i proper use and return when the schoo u l year is at an end. A record can bt a kept of the books belonging to thu D town as well as the dollars and cent o which belong ao the town.
 Second. Free text books will cos , too much. It is cheaper. The town 0 U Preston must purchase the books uset . in the town whether the individua v buys them or the town authorities bu, it them. Books can be bought at whole s l sale cheaper than at retail. The re = taller must have his commission eve a though it be small The cost of ire 17 text books to all tke schools in th y United States in 1913 was per cen
 of the actual expenditure for schools
 The ratio has not changed much Thi
 l would indicate that Preston last yea
 could have furnished books to an it 5 children for about $1G2, which ap lf proximatas Il cents per pupil regis '- tered in the public schools. Presto I, needs a change in geographies. Thi ", book alone costs 80 cents retail. Tn oi increased tax rate on account of tn or adoption c1 flee text books and sup K plies in the town would be a fractiO ,a over one-tenth of a mill on a dolla II which is not excessive when the in ,+ vestment is made in our boys and girl ~ who are to be the future citizens ( Tn the land
 ~ Third Children should not be a 70 lowed to use the books of anothe -n child As matter of fact, childre in are constantly borrowing and ez changing books and papers whethe of they are the property of individua
 or of the town. Books are taken an oA exchanged from the public lbral H. without question. The danger m transmitting QlSeaSe through U o5 agency of the text books is rather rt is mote. In the case of a contagious di' n- ease in a school books are either fl es migated CT destroyed.
 nd Fourth. Books are not so we as cared for Testimony collected on tn CT point from 39 cities furnishing fir to text books to their children is cc1
 tained in the annual report of u nv commissioner of education, volume he page 639. The greater majority r OO ported that books are as well car IT, for as under the individual ownersh ar plan.
 The consensus of opinion amol rot teachers, supervisors and school a ed thorities wherever free text books al ,ar supplies have been adopted seems ers be in favor of the plan. Few if a nd communities have retracted after on ad having tried the system.