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Free Text-books

Free Text-books image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
December
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

To the Editor oí The Democrat:- Xotwilhstanding the fact that newspapers give little attent ion to educational subjects, I venture to cali to your notice a matter that ought to be of some interest to the patrons of our schools. A few years ago the legislatura enacted a law whicta permita school districts to adopt the free text-book plan. The. Superintendent of Public Instruction, in his last report, states that more than four hundred districts have adopted it, and that the unanimous testimony of these is in favor of the system. The writer has for years believed that the public ought to f urnish to pupils text-books as wel] as desks and black boards, and he has been of the opinión that [the increased charge on the public treasury necessitated by this plan would be mach more than offset by the saving to the private purses of the community. In behalf of free text-books it may be urged (1) That they put the children of the poor on an equal footing wlth thoseof the rich; (2) They make the school more effective, because by this plan all pupils are provided with books, and that too on the very lirst day of school; (3) If text-books were owned by the district there would be no loss vhen a family moved from one district toanother; (4) The saving to the community would more than supply the district with necessary apparatus in the way of dic'ionar es, globes, maps, etc. This matter ought to receive some attention in Washtenaw county. It by the adoption of the free text-book system we can advance th educational interests of the county, by all means let us have it, even if it should cause an additional expense; and if it can ad vanee those interests and at the same time reduce expenses, let us have i right away.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat