OCR Text |
Show FEES BOOKS FOR HIGH SCHOOL. When the Board of Education of this city first took tho step of refusing to buy text books for tho pupils in the high school of Salt Lake. The Tribune protested, holding that the chango was an unfriendly act toward tho high school, was indefensible in logic or in economics, and that it ought not to be made. Wo showed that it -was unjust un-just to parents of pupils in the high school, that it would bo loss oppressivo upon tho parents sending children to school if the board should refuse to buy text books for the pupils in the primary grades than to cut off the free text, books in tho high school, for the cost of books in the primary grade is comparatively a t.riflo as sized up with tho cost of books for tho high school; and the parents of children could bettor afford to buy books in the lower grades than the books of highor, cost in tho high school. We urged that it might bo an oppression upon parents dependent upon the daily wage of tho husband and' father to buy books for soveral pupils in the high school, because the high school' books aro the most, CQstly of all. But the Board persisted, and cut off tho free toxt books from the high school which had theretofore been provided. Wo sec that (here is a movoment now to restore froc text "book's ' to' the high school. Wo arc of the same '.bpiniQn with respect to this matter now that we were before, and are' convinced 'that tho purchase of froo text books for "the use of pupils in the high school is even more necessary than tho ' purchase of tho books for use iu tho lower grades. But we arc in favor of tho free books for all the grades, and also of free books for the high school. To deny the pupils of tho high school free text, books is to set tho high school apart as a sort, of stepchild of. the public school system, and to say that the Board of Education would treat it with a certain disfavor as compared with tho grade schools. It is certain that tho purchase pur-chase of high school text books might easily be oppressive upon parents in straitened circumstances, and- the Board should make no discrimination that would work a hardship upon parents par-ents of the children in tho schools. All are entitled to equal privileges in the public school system, there should be no inequality as between different parts of the school system, and nothing should be done that could in anjr way be urged as a discrimination against any division of it. And. so we welcome with hope tho movement, in favor of the restoration restora-tion of froc text, books for tho use of the pupils of tho high school in this city, as a movement in tho direction of right and justico, and to correct, a discrimination discrim-ination that is wholly unjustified. |