Show THE TEXT BOOKS FOR DIS SCHOOLS A who signs him belt beit arce erce thoughts thought 0 writes from kaysville rays Kays ville vilie on the subject of changes in school books with a private request ques t for comments his letter will be fecund in another column bome some of our kaysville Kays ville friends appear not to ba posted in the law jaw and the facts in relation to the change that hab has stirred up free thought to write for thi the B papers we are greatly in favor of free thought providing it la Is not too free liberty of every kind is desirable desi rabia rabla bat but has to be kept with in certain limits or it loses its characteristics and effects and be comes as aa fruitful of evil as it Is ia productive of good when restrained by the lines ot of law jaw and prudence the change in the school books has been beneficial in one thing at least if it has haa stirred up the waters of ance and set sev free thought into action for the information of those who do not fully understand thia this matter wo we wl will 11 say the territorial candent of district schools has not instructed the county superia tin tan dents denta to 10 make this or any other change in the tho books neither fid did lid tile tiie legislative afis AfiE assembly embly order that gentleman to do anything in tile the premises except what is el in the annexed section of the school law passed feb 20 sec 16 the territorial and C aoun oun ty superintendents and the president of cf the faculty of the university of deseret Deser desen ct or a majority of them shall at a convention called by the territorial superintendent of dietric district t Sc hooLi lor that purpose purposes decide what text books shall to bce adopted in the district schools ech and their uso use shall bo be mandatory in all ali the district schools of the territory P ovidea provided that no text book so adopted shall be ba changed within a period of five years from its adoption except for sufficient cause causa to be decided at a special convention and any teacher changing the text books shall forfeit his hla eligibility as a teacher the county dents with the trustees in their respective districts hhall bhail regulate the school terms allowing such noli holi days and vacations as aa insy may be advisable vi in accordance accor danca with the foregoing the officials named therein met and fully and freely discussed the subject of books for the district schools feere was every opportunity given not only for free thought but for free speech and as aa various views were expressed it took considerable time to arrive at satisfactory conclusions at length a mutual understanding was wal reached and the changes now being inaugurated were dechdel decided upon as the tho best beat that could be done all things considered we have no comments to make on the action of the convention presuming pr suming foin forthe the character of the gentlemen who toik part and who depre dented every section of the terri tary that its decision waa wrt made after proper deliberation and with a knowledge of general requirement through them the wishes of ovey evey every school district found voice and by them a vote vole in the convention so elo much for the law and the camier in which the change was adopted now for some of the reasons for the enactment of ef that part of tho the statute in relation to district schools uniformity in text books boots Is ia admit bitted ted led everywhere to be requisite to the proper conduct or of any school system Sy stern stein it is well known that in come consequence quence of that independence ca of action which free thought seems to think essential to school affairs as aa well aa in divI duals a large variety of text bb books came into use in utah in 11 readers alone there were mo me guc Guf feys wilson wiliona Wil wll sons sona the national rational pacific coast independent aud nud bev pral oral rai ral others one school had hwd hodona ono one ind a second another a third an other ither and to on while in some schools with little order and small amail progress ir ogress all kinds hinds of books were admitted as parents might select producing such buch confusion that it isa iss la a marvel how ho vr anything could be taught or learned there with such glorious independence of action in some places fiam the trustees regulated the books in others the teachers and in others the scholars or their parents made the selection if children removed from one school to another new books were a necessity a further change of place required an additional outfit caus ing continual expense that few persons were able to bear and exasperating pe beyond measure those thos a who had to furnish the money right here in salt lake city a school in one ward would ue ute the national series serles and the next the pacific coast serle serie or a new teacher in either ward would insist upon discarding the national and substituting tho the pacific coast or dropping the latter and taking up the former to avoid confusion save expense and establish uniformity the law was passed which we have quoted and af after ter ten it has had a fair anity to work its results will be lie so eo good that free thought everywhere will be in favor of it irive eive years of peace on this subject Is ia worth something and parents who are compelled to move from one ward to another will be relieved from the ne necessity cassity on that account of buying a new now bot act of school books for their children As to the pre pro preference forence ference for the wilson series which our correspondent exp eap expresses tresses that may prevail in kaysville Kays ville but bat it ia 13 not the sentiment in many other places and ono one person or locality cannot reasonably expect to be 08 consulted at the expense of others each person and district must be willing to yield for the general good where wh e re freedom of thought and independence n of action aro are demanded without regard to the public welfare on matters that affect the tho public it is destructive tive of true liberty and must be die dle regarded disregarded or restrained if the Kays villa desire for the Willson Will wili sons ss series bo be gratified then tho the salt lake preference for the independents must be ba regarded and the ogden choice of the nationals and some other city altys a wish for the pacino pacific coast must be ba consulted and eo on until the result would be the same old chaos now it is to be expected with some degree of confidence fi that order will prevail and remain at least five years yearb and it is not unreasonable to expect that once established it inny may be continued and maintained it is quite likely that some book firms will eventually mako malo a good deai ueal of money out of the sale of school books in not while the change is in progress as the discarded books are re received calved in part payment for the new now but what of that their profit is not injury books must be had and if we cannot make them our ourselves reives relves or will not regard advice by following which we might grow into the homo home production of our school literature what difference Is ia it to us which firm gains the profi tb the cost is no more to us indeed it will not be so much if one house furnishes the readers than if four or five live or half a dozen firms aed fed them trust that free thought ht will turn this matter over and over in his mind and that he and his friends will perceive that every question has at least two sides if not more and will come to the conclusion that the legislature was right in passing tue the law the territorial superintendent was right in calling the Convention and the tha members ot of that body were right in settling upon the series that were chosen and that the kaysville Kays ville and other folks will do right befalling by falling into line and being bc being ing one with the people of other districts in relation to the much needed definite policy of uniform text books for the district schools of utah |