More About Text-books

CertalD provisions of the new Uniform Text-book iaw. passed at the recent sessioa of the legislatura, notably the local opttan provisión, will becorue operative 011 August 2!rh. These reqúire school district boards tml boards of educatlon in clties to submit the questiou to the legally qualilied viiii'rs il some f.nntral or special election duTing the years 1897 and 1898. Ir. should be iroderstood that the siibu'Usi.m of the questfoa is not optïohai wiih sehool boards but is made tnaadatory by the law. The people bave the i::iu. fo ?ay by fcheir ballots they dealre to continue under the present system of sup]!y. or to bare the boois turnished at j i'i'bli,' exp One or the other of these mediods of suplplylBg üic gehoed boots to ihe children must be voted by the people or their schools will come ander the Uniform Text-book law. Wtien once the schools have passed under ;!u' rniform law. rhe people wili hare nothtog to say as to what books shall be osed in the local schools, so !oug as the law continúes in farce. Un1sr mis law the bookü will be selecred. bj.1 State coinmission. eomposed of ;he state board oí educa t ion and three counr.v commissioiiers appointed by the governor. The people will beobiiged to buy and use the books selected by thla commlssion whether they an adapted to their local :iejds or 'jot. This inethod of solecting school books is probably the most vicious Uiat could be devised. It strikes ;i Wow at local autonomy and deprives the peopíé of eaeh school district. oí all control over -a purely local matter a bout whieh they are eertainly better postea fcban any state eommissioñer eau be. it involvea a dangerous centralization of authority and bhereby incratses the posslbility for jpbbing xná corruption. It places In the hands or a few men the lettinir of contracts MvolTíng hundreds oí thousaads of dollars. These meo, too, are 8eiected aad elected by politik pa cinse of their supposed abillty ■■„ &t there" and „ot for tm-lr ,unaeat PtocatipiMJ qttajificatjong T les oí „xí-l.ooks can he proD■ ly trunca tothe widely diversiíK',1 "' - laxge a territory x,xt bböks shóüïd b, suited to loca] en vironment and eoaditions. -( ,t.U( comnjission can know these so y,il '■■ the peopJe of the local commnnlties thmselves. ■:;- th0 ehSef recom.men;aioD Of "" system tu public nn.OI, s its up. Posea eheapness. Buí wherever it ":IS litien "isa. eheapness has been serea at the expenso of the quality of the books. Thís i. too great a price topay for eheapness. There ís a , - Zwever, by -üich people may sreatly Jessen Uiecost-of school boofcs '"' '''- stl)I secare the vory best bo 011 rac mayket, and al the sanie tinn fi Laón control of their seleetton. This may be done by voting "f 1 ■■ ks." ünder this systena oí snppiy, the bo&ks are funiished at public expense. The sehool board buys the books for the sctool and ilu-v become the pró(jsrty of the school and aro furaished to the pupil free and are retunied to rhe scbool wlien (he pupil is throngh with them. They purebased ai wholesale prices. StatJstics from states wherè the sys-teni in vogne prove that bnly three-flfths as many books are oeeded. The pense is greatly reduced, therefore. Pinally, text-books shouJid lie the pto erty of schools and should be sapplied to the children free. State schools are estab'lished for the gfood of the state prlmarily. Atteadaace is uiade eomyulsory. it is the luiy of tñe state. Éheretfore, to furuisli everyrhiag that is diistinictively n school' requisire. It has already made everything free bul. text-books and Hiere should be no hagglíng over the final step. One-slxth of all the school distri-rts oE Michigan, inclnding within fheir hniits about ono-thinl of all the selioo] chüdi'eu, now fnrnlsli the iwuks frse and rlu'v eost less ihan 50 cents per pupil per year, on the average. Aan Arbor shoulii by all humus be class-id with the above nuiïifber, Xiie peoplë of the city should be given Chc opp-rtuiiiry ti) expresa their will on tais Importairt matter and we cali npon i'ic riiy board of edu-eation fo subnit the ppoposltlon a1 ihe aimuaJ meeting, the Srgt Monday in September. ih explanation of the recent fluctuations in wheat lies in the uueertainty as to l-he quantity of "üiiui-" tliar was consumed a Camp ËMngree. The twq ini-lics of stone whjch was d placed on División street will be found to be tour and tivc tnehös -hen ir ia nieasnred. This is one way to buueo tlie taxpayers.