| Show AS TO FREE TEXTBOOKS The late Legislature passed a law providing for the purchase of textbooks text-books etc for use in public schools by the various school districts It requires re-quires the trustees of the districts to furnish all necessary and suitable furniture fur-niture maps charts apparatus and reference books confers the power to establish and support school libraries requires them to loan to pupils In the several grades and departments of auld schools except high schools all school text books and supplies used by the pupils pu-pils of said schools Provision Is made for collecting damages In case a book Is injured or destroyed and also for the purchase at the Introductory or ox change price of the books now In the hands of the merchants and of pupils The intent of the law is very good and In a liriiitcd way it will probably save money to the people of the school districts and also add materially to the efficiency of the schools The pupils If the trustees are diligent in anticipating anticipat-ing the needs of opening day and of the schools from time to time will have the very great advantage of all starting together to-gether and losing no time at the beginning begin-ning of the school terms all will have everything to go on with and none will have to wait the I fathers payday in order to get a book a pad or a pencil So far all Is wall But there arc means whereby it could be bettered First of all we object to the exclusion exclu-sion of the high schools from the benefits bene-fits of the free books It Is right there that the pinch of provIding the books comes In families not blessed with wealth The books for the high school arc more costly than the books In the grades and while It Is no great matter for the district to supply them It maybe may-be a real hardship for the pupil so much so as to decide the question whether the boy or girl will or will not attend the high school And then this discrimination against the high school this turning of the cold shoulder to it seems to be putting the high school somewhat under a ban as if it were not considered a real portion of the public school system whereas It is a most important Im-portant part of it being the connecting link between the grade schools and the University Then we think that the operation of the law is too limited It provides for action merely by the districts But no one district except In the larger cities which have separate books of their own choosing buys enough school books to make the saving that ought to be maclb either In the purchase price or in the freights A great many perhaps the large majority of the districts would not buy a carload of books at a time but a less order would fall to get the lowcst purchnse rates and the railroads wouldgive small or no concessions in transportation rates This would make in effect a retail business for every school district affected by the law and especially would this be so for additional addition-al requirement after the first supply had been received I The remedy for this and the real business would be for a complete unification ns now being provided pro-vided In New York of the school interests inter-ests of the State with a better system sys-tem of selecting the books for the schools and by a board of experts who would have plenty oC time for their work the books selected to be used in all the schools of the State Including those In the cities then the purchase for all by the State which should supply at cost to the several districts In this way there would be always a sufficient purchase pur-chase to get the bet wholesale prices and the lowest carload rates and there would be sufficient supply on hand for replenishment throughout tho year for all the districts This was suggested In these columns during the session of the Legislature In connection with the bill which became the act above summarized summar-ized and also In the consideration of other school measures But while a step was taken In the right direction the full measure desirable was not reached We live in the hope however that another Legislature will rise to Its opportunities and give to the people of the State the full benefit of free textbooks for the schools |
